After finishing part one of the book, I commented on the Storydarlings' podcast discussion that I thought Heir of Fire was a transitional book that was light on action but contained lots of character development and introduced new characters. To that point, our old friends Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian were doing their own thing, progressing as characters, while new characters such as Aedion, Manon, and Rowan were introduced and woven into the story. The first half of the book wasn't boring or unreadable by any means, but for me, was a bit of letdown after the almost constant action of Crown of Midnight.

As expected, the book picked up in the second half, and the last third of the book was especially action packed and full of events that not only had an impact on Heir of Fire but would clearly influence the remainder of the series. By book's end, each of the major characters did something impactful that surprised or impressed me. Yes, even Chaol!

I still think Heir of Fire is a book meant to set up the remainder of the series, but Maas accomplished that while crafting a book that was still fun and interesting to read, especially in the second half. After finishing Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight I found myself clamoring for more and wanting to jump right into the next book, but Heir of Fire's ending beats them both, in my opinion. I can't wait to see how the series progresses.