Thirteen Days of Ash and Fire: An Heir of Fire Blog Tour (+Giveaway)

Welcome

Welcome to Day 5 of the Heir of Fire Blog Tour!!! I am honored to be part of the MaasThirteen bringing you Thirteen Days of Ash and Fire. This is one of my FAVORITE series EVER and it brings me great joy to share my love for it and push it on all of you. For my stop on the tour, I wanted to share with you the reasons why I love this series and how Heir of Fire continues and furthers the epicness that is this series. But first, a huge thanks to our lovely hosts: Alexa from Alexa Loves Books, Rachel from Hello Chelly, Judith from Paper Riot, and Jaz from Fiction in Fiction in Fiction. You girls rock for setting this up! Also, don't forget to check out the TWO giveaways at the end of this post as well as the other stops on the tour. And for more updates, follow the Twitter hashtags #HOF13Tour and #MaasThirteen! Thanks for stopping by!

Tour Schedule

August 25 – Jaz @ Fiction In Fiction In Fiction

August 26 – Katie @ Polished Page-Turners

August 27 – Kelly @ Belle of the Literati

August 28 – Elena @ Novel Sounds

August 29 – Nicole @ The Quiet Concert

September 1 – Gillian @ Writer of Wrongs 

September 2 – Judith @ Paperiot

September 3 – Melanie @ The Daily Prophecy

September 4 – Magan @ Rather Be Reading

September 5 – Andi @ Andi’s ABCs

September 8 – Gina @ Behind the Pages

September 9 – Rachel @ Hello Chelly

September 10 – Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books

The Book

Title: Heir of Fire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #3
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Summary from Goodreads:
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?

Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Kobo | iBooks

The Author 

Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire, and the series’ prequel, The Assassin’s Blade. A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog.

Author Links: 

Official Website | Blog | Twitter | Pinterest 

Why I Love This Series:

1. This story is epic. Everything a reader of fantasy could want and more. Throne of Glass was a nice introduction to the characters and the world, with just enough action and intrigue to lure you in. A captured assassin is offered a chance at freedom but first she must prove herself worthy by winning a competition and then serve a year under her enemy. There is magic and forces not quite yet understood. But in Crown of Midnight everything is explored in greater detail – the history, the magic, the characters – as it should be in a sequel. A LOT happens in this second book to further the plot and there are a lot of surprises as new discoveries are made about the characters, the source of the King’s power, and the rebellion that is brewing. But by the end, everyone and everything seems broken. Where Crown of Midnight was plot-driven, Heir of Fire is very much character-driven. Celaena has left Adarlan searching for a way to destroy the King under the pretenses of working for him. But to learn the truth she seeks, she must first master herself with the Prince of the Fae as her teacher. That means she must also piece herself back together since she is so utterly broken at this point. Meanwhile, in Adarlan, new friends and foes are introduced and loyalties are tested while a sinister force is brewing in the mountains, readying for war. Now what part of what I just said doesn’t sound AWESOME!?!

2. The characters are damaged and wonderful. I can’t express how much I love these characters. Celaena, our fearless assassin, is like the fiercest character I know but so utterly broken inside that I want to give her a hug and never let go. Chaol is this loyal and caring Captain of the Guard that just wants to do right by all but circumstances have made that impossible so he’s just trying to do the best he can. Prince Dorian is nothing like his father but to protect himself and those he cares about he must put on an act to hide his true self, which is becoming harder and harder to sell. The King is as cold and unforgiving as they come and will stop at nothing to control everyone and everything. These are the key players in Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight, with others coming an going. But in Heir of Fire, we are introduced to 3 new equally noteworthy characters. Rowan, the immortal Fae Prince, whose many yeas on this earth have hardened him to stone, is relentless in his teachings of Celaena but may be the greatest ally she's ever gained. Aedion, the quick-talking General, is not who he appears to be and refuses to be controlled but his devotion is unquestionable. And last but not least, Manon Blackbeak, the ruthless and stubborn Witch whose led a hard life trying to live up to expectations but is still willing to take risks for what she believes in. These characters make up the heart and soul of this series, and Sarah J. Maas has made it so that I care about each of them deeply. When they experience joy, I experience joy. When they suffer, I suffer. That is why each book gives me anxiety. 

3. The relationships are varied and intricate. There are friendships that rival family bonds. There are romances that make you ship it like you can't ship no more. There are rivalries that have you bloodthirsty and merciless. There are loyalties that span history and hopelessness. There are losses that leave you feeling hollow. There are promises that have you begging for what's to come. So many of these characters are connected in ways we have only started to discover. Heir of Fire had a few new relationships for us and I loved them all.

4. There is so much emotion. My poor heart when reading these books. There are so many feelings to be felt and I feel it all - love, lust, kinship, grief, shame, anger, hatred, pity, jealousy, vanity, fear, cowardice, bravery, uncertainty, hope, hopelessness, indifference and on and on. These are emotional books and I experience all of the highs and the lows while reading it. But that is because of points 1, 2 and 3. I am so beyond invested in this series that I am living this journey with these characters. And Heir of Fire was a difficult but precious journey. Celaena's personal transformation from hating herself to forgiving and owning herself was tragic and beautiful at the same time. Her bond with Rowan, first resistant and then just right was amazingly developed. Meanwhile, Chaol's promises and honor are finally catching up to him. Dorian's self-induced isolation has given him both welcome and regretful insights. And Aedion has been given an unimaginable hope only to have it taken away again. This was a book filled with grief and pain and ultimately hope. 

5. These endings kill me. The wild ride that is each book always culminates in one hell of an ending that tears me to pieces.  I have died twice now. And I might die again just waiting for the next book. But you bet your ass that if Sarah J. Maas is at BEA again next year I will be right back at first in line.

So yeah, that is the beginning of why I love this series. And I hope to have convinced at least one person to read it if you haven't started yet.

Giveaway One

Giveaway Two