Wow. Just... wow. 
 So much happens in this book - mostly near the end, which seems to be something the different books of this series have in common: in the beginning, things move rather slowly, giving the reader a sense of where we stand in the story, what happened so far, where everyone is and what they are doing; then the plot picks up, with more confrontations thrown in, only to have one or more big finales to leave readers shocked and speechless (at least, I was). 
 The thing I loved most about HEIR OF FIRE is the character development Celaena goes through. Over the course of the first two books, she remained mostly the same. Some of her brokenness was patched up by the new friends and people in her life; but after the events in CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, she was shattered once again, hiding behind the mask of the vain, arrogant, ruthless killer she thought she had become. During her training with Rowan in this third book, we finally learn more about her past, mainly about how she ended up with Arobynn Hamel and his assassins; and she, too, finally learns how to cope with it, how to mourn everything she has lost and then let go of her grief, only to emerge stronger. We saw her going from a spoilt child trying to run from her past to a powerful, fierce, and determined woman. 
 I will be honest and say that I was afraid a romantic relationship would grow between Celaena and Rowan, which would turn the love triangle from before into something even worse. Even though I mentioned before that I did not very much mind the triangle, adding Rowan to the whole thing would definitely have dimmed my love for these books. That is partly because it would have been too predictable, but mainly because if that had been the case, it would mean that Celaena would have fallen in love with every male she befriended (and they with her) and that is something I cannot stand. I have plenty of male friends myself whom I have never been in a romantic relationship with and I hate the common misconception that men and woman can't be just friends without some kind of romantic feelings kicking in from either side. Thankfully, however, that was not the case in HEIR OF FIRE; although they grew very close over the course of the story, there was never anything romantic between them, which made both the book and their relationship more powerful in my opinion. 
 Meanwhile, the things happening in Rifthold had me on the tip of my chair as well. For a long time, I was foolish enough to believe they would get away with it, that things would be all right... but boy, was I wrong. The events going on there were actually the ones that left me so shocked. I have no idea how they are going to get out of this mess; but I really, REALLY hope my favourites won't end up the way my favourite characters in GAME OF THRONES usually end up - meaning dying a horrible death. 
 Manon Blackbeak's storyline also drew me in in this book, although that took a short while, and I am curious to see where it goes from here on. 
 All in all, I can hardly wait to continue reading in the next book - and I am already dreading the moment when I will reach the end of QUEEN OF SHADOWS and I'll have to wait who-knows-how-long for the next book to come out...