Heir of Fire

Heir of Fire is the third installment in Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series, which comprises seven books in total: Throne of Glass (2012), Crown of Midnight (2013), Heir of Fire (2014), Queen of Shadows (2015), Empire of Storms (2016), Tower of Dawn (2017), and Kingdom of Ash (2018). This high fantasy novel can be categorized as new adult fiction due to its graphic violence and adult themes, which include Redemption Through Self-Acceptance, Staying in Control, and Oppression Versus Freedom.

American author Sarah J. Maas was born in 1986, and Throne of Glass is her debut series. It has received critical acclaim and has been translated into 35 languages. Maas’s other works include the A Court of Thorns and Roses new adult fantasy series and the Crescent City adult fantasy series, which have also gained popularity. Several books from the Throne of Glass series earned the Goodreads Best Young Adult Fantasy and Science-Fiction award, including Heir of Fire in 2014. Maas credits the tale of Cinderella as her inspiration for the series, with Celaena representing a destitute princess, although with a grittier tone and darker themes.

This guide refers to the 2014 Kindle edition.

Content Warning: Heir of Fire contains scenes of explicit violence and depictions of grief and trauma.

Plot Summary

Celaena has been sent to Wendlyn, officially on a mission for the king of Adarlan, but she decides to search for answers about the Wyrdkeys instead. The Wyrdkeys are ancient magical artifacts that control the gates to the Valg’s world, which the king wants to open to use their power. The Valg are dark, evil creatures that can inhabit a host’s mind and control them.

While in Wendlyn, Celaena is found by Rowan Whitethorn, a Fae prince who serves Maeve, the immortal Fae queen and Celaena’s distant aunt. For years, she has been searching for Celaena, who possesses a powerful ability to control fire. She agrees to answer the young girl’s question only if Celaena trains with Rowan to prove she is worthy of entering Doranelle, Maeve’s hidden Fae city. Celaena and Rowan hate each other at first, but through their investigation of strange murders in the area, they realize that they are both struggling with their grief and trauma and decide to work together. Their friendship is cemented when they fight together against three Valg princes and defeat them by using Celaena’s fire magic.

Celaena slowly embraces her identity as Aelin, the lost queen of Terrasen, whom everyone presumed dead after the king had her parents murdered 10 years earlier. She eventually confronts Maeve, who reveals her own desire to get the Wyrdkeys, and forces her to break Rowan’s Blood Oath. He then swears his loyalty to Celaena. At the end of the book, the young girl decides to return to Adarlan to find the third Wyrdkey and raise an army against the king to reclaim her rightful throne and free the world from the Valg.

Meanwhile, in Adarlan, Dorian struggles to keep his magical powers hidden because his father has banned magic. He develops a romantic relationship with Sorscha, a healer, who helps him conceal his powers. When he learns about Celaena’s true identity, Dorian remains loyal to their friendship and encourages Chaol to pick a side.

On the other hand, Chaol struggles to reconcile his loyalty to Dorian and his desire to rebel against the king’s cruelty. He enters an alliance with Aedion Ashryver, one of the king’s generals, who secretly works with the rebels while waiting for the return of his cousin, Aelin. Their investigations reveal how the king made magic disappear 10 years earlier. They plan to undo the spell and free magic again.

At the end of the book, the king forces Dorian to reveal his powers by executing Sorscha; then the king puts him under one of the Valg’s control. However, Dorian is first able to help Chaol escape. The latter goes into hiding and vows to fight against the king and free his friends, as Aedion is also taken prisoner.

A third main plot is introduced through Manon, heir of one of three deadly witch clans, and her loyal coven, the Thirteen. The king has promised the brutal and cruel Ironteeth witches wyverns in exchange for serving him during the upcoming war. Manon, their greatest warrior, unexpectedly picks a small but cunning wyvern with whom she bonds. Manon’s awareness of the cruelty and injustice of the Ironteeth witches develops throughout the story, culminating when she rebels against her grandmother and clan leader during the climactic War Games. Although she is crowned Wing Leader, it is a bittersweet victory that foreshadows her break from the Ironteeth witches in Queen of Shadows.