Book Review | Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas.

"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 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?

This third novel in the Throne of Glass sequence, from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J Maas, is packed with more heart-stopping action, devastating drama and swoonsome romance, and introduces some fierce new heroines to love and hate." (synopsis from NetGalley)

I have been fondly referring to this book as the 'second round of set-up' for the Throne of Glass series. Surprisingly, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Celaena Sardothien is back, and she's mourning the loss of her closest friend. Ordered across the seas, she now has a new mission. Before she can do anything, someone finds her first. Someone she'd hoped she'd never meet.

Look, if we're being totally honest, I was weary with how this series was going to progress (given that Celaena is now on another continent and things are suddenly spread across seas and whatnot). This was undoubtably a new direction, and I worried that it wouldn't live up to my expectations (which, admittedly, are really, really high). Given this, Heir of Fire was done really well.

I only really had two issues with the book. One: the pacing. Heir of Fire was a little slower than it's predecessors. Given that Maas had to create this new continent (which she did exceptionally well, mind you) and the story's new direction, this was to be expected. It took its time in ramping up the speed. Still, it was slow. However, around halfway through, things really started to pick up. I found myself prioritising reading the novel over doing uni work (this happens often, but for context, I was reading this when I had six assignments due in a two week period).

My other issue is a really, really minor one: Manon Blackbeak. It's not that I hate her. It's not even that I dislike her. I just haven't entirely warmed up to her yet. It'll happen. Just not right now.

Now, the good things (and brace yourself, because there's a lot).

As you all very well know, Celaena Sardothien is my absolute-favourite-character-in-the-entire-world. I am ridiculously protective of her. She's a bad-ass with all the assassin-y skills. But you know what else she really enjoys? Shopping. Pampering herself. She is my favourite. In this novel, she was as great as ever. Admittedly, in the beginning I found her moping a little irritating. But then I got it - in this instalment, we see Celaena's vulnerability at an all time peak. Further development of the greatest character ever? I think yes.

Of the original characters, I think they were developed further, and it was great seeing what was happening back in Adarlan. My heart is a little crushed. I won't say why because *spoilers*

Of most of the new characters, I got very quickly invested. Particularly so in Aedion (who I found had some very similar parallels to Celaena - unsurprising, I suppose) and Rowan (who I think has a wonderful dynamic with her). And before you ask, no. No, I don't ship Rowan and Celaena. That relationship is purely platonic in my eyes.

As I mentioned before, Maas did a wonderful job with the new world of Wendlyn. Superb. Also, DRAGONS. They're coming. (Well, wyverns. But I've looked it up. They're pretty much the same thing).

I am so fricking keen to see where this series is going. Maas didn't exactly leave us on a cliffhanger in the normal sense. Nothing happened suddenly in the last pages. It's more of a cliffhanger of anticipation for the rest of the series.

Basically: Buy it the day it comes out. Then we can actually talk.

Rating: **** (4 Stars)

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Publication Date: September 11th 2014

Goodreads | Sarah J Maas' Twitter | Sarah J Maas' Website

Want to buy it? You can get it here:

Book Depository | Fishpond | Bookworld | Amazon

Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC

Book Review | The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen.

"Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret by foster parents after her mother - Queen Elyssa, as vain as she was stupid - was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea's uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea's 19th birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother's guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding.

And so begins her journey back to her kingdom's heart, to claim the throne, earn the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother's legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive." (synopsis from NetGalley)

I won't lie. I first heard about this book when I heard about Emma Watson and the movie rights. That's what sucked me in. After reading it, I definitely see some potential.

Kelsea Glynn has lived in a hidden away cottage, deep in a forest for all her life. Why? So she doesn't get killed. On her 19th birthday, everything changes. She now has to be a queen. Accompanied by her personal guard, she has to learn to survive in world she increasingly knows nothing about.

So, the things I liked about this book.

Firstly, the plot. It's an interesting concept. Kelsea is going from a place where she can absolutely trust the people she's surrounded by (even if they're only two people) to trusting few. She's going from being around nearly nobody, to a lot of people. It's interesting watching the transition.

The characters themselves, I thought, also really added to the story. I really liked the Queen's Guard, particularly Mace and Kelsea's personal bodyguard (whose name has escaped me). I'm also really intrigued by The Fetch, and am interested to see how he plays into all of this.

I had some issues with Kelsea. For the most part, she was an intelligent, savvy heroine. It was refreshing and I really liked her. But then, repeatedly, I'd find her have this obsession with beauty. I don't know whether the author did this on purpose. I don't know whether Johansen did it to show that Kelsea is a well-rounded character with flaws, or to show that perhaps she isn't as different to her mother as is suggested. Nevertheless, it was increasingly frustrating and mildly distracting.

An 'eh' thing: the pacing. While I personally had no problem with it, there is a focus on the introspective. This isn't entirely typical in a fantasy story. Not every person will like this. In fact, some may find that the story is slowed down by it.

Another 'eh' thing: There was a lot of perspectives, and perhaps not as much development. I understand and recognise that all the perspectives were necessary to see the full picture of the plot, but.

My biggest problem with this novel is the world building. It's been weeks since I finished it, and I'm still so confused. It's marketed as a 'Hunger Games meets Game of Thrones,' which in itself is an odd combination. The novel doesn't pull that off.

Johansen used titles like 'New London,' which made me think it was a sort of steampunk world. If not that, then it was based in a new world, or an alternate universe. But then, there were none of the typical technologies. Everything hinted at a medieval setting. But then they'd use specific terms for things like arthritis - in a classic medieval setting, they wouldn't have a name for it, they'd simply call it an 'aching of the bones.' This made me think that it was set in the future.

Nothing was ever fully explained. Because of this, I couldn't place myself in a specific world. This led me to being confounded again and again. It was actually a little distressing.

Overall, there's definitely potential in this series. I just wish we'd seen more of it in the first book.

Rating: ** (2 Stars)

Publisher: Transworld Publishers

Publication Date: July 17th 2014

Goodreads

Want to buy this book? You can get it here:

Book Depository | Fishpond | Bookworld | Amazon

Thank you to NetGalley and Transworld Publishers for providing me with an e-ARC