[Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas]

"Heir of Fire"
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #3
Pages: 565
Genre: YA, High Fantasy
Date Published: September 2nd, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childerns
Format Read: Physical ARC provided by publisher for honest review

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Summary:

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Heir Of Fire,

Book, I don't even know how to calibrate my thoughts on you. It took some getting used to you, because your format was different and you showed us a lot of different places and people, but once I got a hang of it, I couldn't put you down. You turned the characters that I've grown to love into people who I could really root for, even though I've been rooting for them from the beginning. You also threw new characters at me that I can say I love just as much as all the others! Thanks for being a book that both progressed the plot and gave us a ton of character development. It's a really special thing!

-The White Unicorn

Maas has done it again. She's taken the world that she brought us in the two other novels in her series and expanded on it! Heir of Fire is full of world building and character development that will have you cheering, squirming and possibly crying your little eyes out. It's delightful to see a series of books that progresses so aggressively as it builds. Even though this book was very different from Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight, it worked. Maas had more time to let us in on her story from different fronts, while still keeping us in touch with our favorite characters and adding new ones that will make a lasting impact on the story. 

Something else I love about the way this book is written is the power that people's memories of the dead play in the story. We get to really see what happened to Celaena growing up and characters that we've lost over the course of the series come back, not in physical form, but in the form of memories and promises. It's wonderful that the fallen are not forgotten and that they surround the characters in a way that propels them to be the people that they were meant to be.

Maas split the trio of Celaena, Dorian and Choal up in the last pages of Crown of Midnight and it gives all the characters a chance to breath on their own. Because of the events in Crown of Midnight, they're all left reeling in different ways and it was a smart move on Maas' part to drag them into different story lines. Celaena grows in ways that you can't even begin to understand until you read the book. She's slowly shaping into a Queen instead of a thief and it's an interesting progression to watch. We see Dorian learning about himself and his abilities with the help of Sorsha (I pray that's a Willow reference). I was glad to see that he found someone to connect to and that she actually had a lot to do with his Kingly inklings as well. Choal is just trying to figure out who he needs to be loyal to. I found his story line to be very interesting, but I also wish he would have picked a side long before he did.

Of course, since our leads are split up Maas needed to bring new players into the game and I have to say that I'm a fan of all of them. Rowan is just what Celaena needs and I ship their really weird friendship with all of my heart. It's kind of hard for me to believe that there is nothing sexual between the two of them, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Aedion comes alongside Choal as he tries to figure himself out and brings more Celaena history with him. And of course we've already talked about Dorian and Sorsha.

Perhaps, because of my deep love for the anti-hero, my favorite addition was Manon, a Blackbeak witch with a bad temper and decently sweet, dragon type, creator, named Abraxos. The addition of the witch clans was something that I came to love. Their so evil and yet there is something so interesting about Manon and her moral code of non-ethics. I can't wait to see what Maas does with her character as the story moves along, because I have a feeling that I'm going to come to love her even more.

This book is one heck of an adventure and I highly suggest that everyone, and I mean everyone read this series! There is something so wonderful and powerful and evil and hopeful about it. It makes you shy away, while also pulling you in. And really, what more could you want from a series?

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!

[Review: Crown Of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas]

"Crown of Midnight"
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #2
Pages: 420
Genre: YA, High Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling
Date Published: August 27th, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Format Read: Purchased eBook

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Summary:

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

-Goodreads
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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Crown of Midnight,

Dang book, you really grabbed me by all of the heart strings. You gave me all of the feels, honestly, all of them. You left me giggling, laughing, swooning, crying, wanting to punch things, wanting to punch imaginary characters and most of all you left me reeling. You, book, did all the things that I wanted you to do, and even some that I didn't. And in the end that is why I loved you so much...

-The White Unicorn

I was utterly blown away by the world that Maas introduced me to in Throne of Glass, so you can be assured that I knew I was going to love the second installment in her series. I had no idea that she could get more creative and expressive in her story telling, but she did. Crown of Midnight took what I already loved from the first book and expanded on it. And boy oh boy did she tug on all of emotions with the words that she strung into magical sentences.

The book starts off where Throne of Glass left off, which means that there are going to be spoilers for the first book in this review. So, if you don't want those, read no further. Celaena is now the King's champion and she's already being forced to do all of his dirty work. It didn't take him that long to start using her in some dreadful ways and that's clear from the very opening pages of the book. But in the way that Maas writes, things aren't always as they seem. Celaena does what she wants, how she wants and even though people's lives might be at stake, she never crosses her moral boundaries.

Maas gives us new looks at relationships that she introduced us to in the first book, Celaena's wants and needs have changed in this book and Dorian and Choal, both benefit from that. Guys, the swoons that happen are wonderful, even if things get muddled fast. I heart Celaena and Choal forever and I fully understand why people are so into this ship. It makes all the sense in the world to me now. On the other hand I love her relationship with Dorian as well, now that they aren't sticking their tongues down each other's throats all the time.

I was so glad that we got to see more of Nehemia and Celaena's friendship as well. Maas does a great job of balancing the romance and the friendships in her series and it makes it all the more real and heartbreaking when the shit hits the fan, because she's also a bit of a master of misery. It was great to get a better read on the Princess and the way Maas uses her in the plot of this book is fantastic, if not slightly rage inducing.

We also get to see more sides to Celaena this time around. Added characters and mysteries unfold in her life and it brings her to some pretty dark and intense places. Sometimes I just really wanted to give her a hug and other times I cheered her on and backed her decisions 100%. Sometimes when life gives you lemons, you just have to chuck them as hard as you can at the people who have wronged you and Celaena proves that she's not afraid to do that, sometimes at any cost.

Maas also digs deeper into the mysteries of the castle and pulls more of her characters into the thick of things. It seems that no one is safe when she's concerned and it makes for amazing story telling and so many things that I would like to discuss with people. So, if you've read this book, hit me up, because I don't want to spoil it for the rest of you. Just know that if you pick this series up, you're in for one heck of an emotional ride! So yeah, read this book, because it's good for you!

Rating:

 5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this one NOW!

[Review: Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas]

"Throne of Glass"
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Pages: 404
Genre: YA, High Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling
Date Published: August 7th, 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Format Read: Purchased eBook

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Summary:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Throne of Glass,

Why oh why haven't I read you before this? You are everything that I want from a fantasy novel and I can't believe that it's taken me this long to jump on the Throne of Glass bandwagon. I adored your world building and you characters and your plot line and your amazing cover. You make me want to put everything else on hold so that I can binge read all of your predecessors, that's how much I adore you!

-The White Unicorn

Throne of Glass is everything that a fantasy novel should be. Seriously, it hits every single mark. Maas has taken care with her story telling and it shows in a big way. She throws random elements at you, so that even when you think you have it all figured out, something new pops up and surprises you. The book seems simple at first, but don't be fooled, Maas is the master of layering, which is what makes reading this book such a fun experience. The way she weaves the fantastical in with the ordinary proves that she's a master story teller and it'll have you coming back for more.

Above everything else, I adore the characters that Maas has created. Their relationships and interactions are so real. It gives the book a really solid foundation to work off of and she uses that to her advantage in telling her story. I personally couldn't wish for a stronger protagonist than Celaena. She's got so much going on. She complex and snarky and a total badass. She carries around wounds and secrets, but also is so full of hope that you can't help but root for her. Sure she's an assassin, but she's also so much more than that. 

It's also wonderful that Maas takes the time to look at different types of relationships in the book. She concentrates on friendship as well as romantic feels and the balance is perfection. Though there are obvious feelings happening between Celaena and both, Dorian and Choal, I love that they all have each others backs as well. I also like how each guy actually offers something totally different to the table. I didn't feel like I was reading an obnoxious love triangle at all. And let's be honest Dorian doesn't have anything Choal in the end, even though he is definitely pretty great in his own way.

Celaena also has other allies in the castle made of glass and I enjoyed each of them and the large roles that they play in her life. Maas throws in some female friends which add to the story in so many ways. I wish I could say more, but I feel like it would be giving too much away.

In the end I can't enough about this book. If, for some odd reason, you haven't picked this one up yet, take my advice and do it! You need to experience this world and all the wonderful things it has waiting for you.

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this now!