Heir of Fire

August 1, 2014
Magic, painful truths and dangerous military escalations characterize this series continuation. Celaena Sardothien's in Wendlyn, ordered by the villainous king of Adarlan to assassinate Wendlyn's royals, or he'll execute her ex and the family of her dead best friend, Nehemia. Celaena-the presumed-dead rightful queen of the conquered Terrasen-plans on finding a way to destroy the king of Adarlan's sources of power, in fulfillment of a vow made on Nehemia's grave. Celaena seeks out the Fae Queen Maeve for information; cunning Maeve refuses until Celaena proves herself (with the help of a prickly, elite warrior Fae trainer) by embracing her hated demi-Fae heritage and magic. Celaena, grieving, goes through dark emotional times and must confront her scarred psyche in order to return to the unapologetically awesome heroine readers know and love. Meanwhile, there's a lot going on: A witch deals with clan politics (Adarlan's king makes them his wyvern-riding airborne cavalry), Chaol attempts to protect Dorian from his own magic, a healer falls for Dorian and more. The jumps from narrative to narrative initially detract from the story's momentum, but multiple perspectives on Adarlan's grotesque schemes and tactics eventually pay off. Despite the slow beginning, tension snowballs into devastating twists and an absolutely riveting ending. Maas' usual hallmarks-an epic fantasy setting and the little-exploited truth that platonic relationships can be more intense and compelling than romantic-are present in force. Will leave readers ravenous for more. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

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August 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-In this installment of the fantasy series, Celaena's true identity has been revealed. While on an assassin's errand in Wendlyn, she spends her days drinking and brawling, lost in the pain and anger caused by Chaol's betrayal and Nehemia's death. Queen Maeve of the Fae has different plans for Celaena, and sends Fae Prince Rowan to fetch the heroine and train her in the ways of fairy magic. Celaena begrudgingly agrees by striking a bargain: she learns magic, and Maeve shares her knowledge of the Wyrdkeys and how the king might be defeated. Meanwhile, in Adarlan, Chaol enters a tenuous alliance with the king's general, Adeion Ashryver, to support the underground resistance movement, and Prince Dorian continues to try to control his own newly found magical abilities, or risk being executed by his father. Readers will devour Maas's latest entry. The plot remains fast paced, balancing scenes of intense action with emotionally wrenching interactions between characters. Intriguing backstories continue to develop, vacillating between thrilling and heartbreaking, leaving readers to guess where alliances truly lie. While the story continues to be told from multiple perspectives, the addition of new characters brings tangled new relationships and dimension to the plot. Those unfamiliar with the previous titles will have a difficult time keeping up, but this is a must-purchase for libraries owning Throne of Glass (2012) and Crown of Midnight (2013, both Bloomsbury).-Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, Columbus Public Library, WI

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