Last time we left off with Celaena Sardothien, she was broken. Heir of Fire unravels the story of how she pieced herself back together, though not without help. At the start of Heir of Fire, we see our leading lady barely scraping by in Wendlyn, living off bread and wine. Getting into brawls just to dodge the numbness. Her wounds raw from Nehemia's death and the departure from Rifthold, we wonder what's in store for our beloved heroine when Prince Rowan, who serves Queen Maeve of that land, arrives on the scene to seek her out. It has been revealed that she is none other than Aelin Ashryver Galathynius. The lost queen of Terrasen. 
 So what now? 
 New characters are introduced to us, and the marvelous world-building continues. Sarah J. Maas weaves the tale with a deft hand as we journey along with the characters we have grown to love. Their paths have diverged - it becomes apparent - as Celaena is now in Wendlyn, while Dorian and Chaol are in Rifthold. 
 Among the new characters are Rowan Whitethorn, the no-nonsense immortal Fae prince. 
 The initial meeting left me somewhat intrigued, when he and Celaena first cross paths. Celaena is at one of her worse-for-wear points when this happens. She goes with him - what could she lost at this point? 
 Queen Maeve, Celaena's antagonist aunt and essentially Rowan's master, delegates Rowan with a tall task: to train Celaena to hone her magic. 
 Rowan is a weapon forged in flesh. His magical prowess aside (as the dude can bend wind and ice), Rowan is equipped with a steel will and a sharp intellect. Celaena's first equal in every way. 
 Their relationship kicks off being antagonistic. They take swipes at each other, and this seems unrelenting. 
 But perhaps Rowan's snarly and icy demeanor was what fueled my suspicions that something happened to him. He'd been alive for centuries. Surely he wasn't always this acerbic? 
 The turning point comes when he begins to let down his guard around Celaena - whom he refers to by her birth name, Aelin - and we learn that by a tragedy of circumstances, his with-child mate was brutally slaughtered when he was off at war. He'd sworn allegiance to Queen Maeve to latch himself to some other purpose, some form of structure - to allay the grief. 
 From then, Rowan Whitethorn slowly unravels. 
 It is beautiful the way in which Rowan described his grief, his loss. He had been lost. He confided in Aelin that perhaps some part of him will always be lost. 
 And then came that pivotal moment in their budding friendship: 
 "But maybe," he said, quietly enough that she looked at him again. He didn't smile, but his eyes were inquisitive. "Maybe we could find the way back together." 
 He would not apologize for today, or yesterday, or for any of it. And she would not ask him to, not now that she understood that in the weeks she had been looking at him it had been like gazing at a reflection. No wonder she had loathed him. 
 "I think," she said, barely more than a whisper, "I would like that very much." 
 He held out a hand. "Together, then." 
 "Together," she said, and took his outstretched hand. And somewhere far and deep inside her, an ember began to glow. 
 With Rowan's help, Aelin learns to control her magic. It was more about self-control than anything. This leg of her journey saw her coming to terms with herself - acknowledgment and acceptance of what happened in her past, and willingness to rise to the imminent tasks of the future. 
 Reclaiming her throne, her birth right. 
 This will be an endeavor for which she will need all the allies she can get. 
 Her first ally being Rowan, as Maeve - by Aelin's request/blackmail/threat - freed him of his blood oath. 
 It was a powerful moment when he swore a blood oath to Celaena/Aelin. Something else we were given to chew on was the revelation that Rowan and Aelin were carranam, which is a rare bond among Fae that allows each party to share magic. Only the strongest connection can foster it. Their magic-sharing played a monumental role in the eventual vanquishing of the Valg princes. 
 Rowan and Aelin's friendship was a pleasant surprise for me. Here was a dude who did not take her shit, who pushed her towards becoming her best self, who helped raise her high while she was at one of her lowest points. He saw her through her initial shifts (to and from her Fae form), her transition from feebly summoning her fire to mastery of its control, severe burnouts/near deaths, and an almost fatal encounter with some gruesome Valg princes. 
 He was also the first to hear about her past, the memories she imprisoned in the shadows of her mind. 
 The flashbacks were both heartbreaking and wonderful. 
 We learn about the precise circumstances of her parents' deaths, as well as the sacrifice of Lady Marion that allowed Aelin to narrowly escape her would-be murderer. 
 One plunge into the water, and the next thing she knew, Aelin woke up and was face to face with Arobynn Hamel, the man who would make her into a killer. An assassin. 
 It came full circle, and we recall the start of the story when we were first introduced to Celaena. 
 Adarlan's most notorious assassin. 
 Lost queen, and a slave in enemy lands once she was captured. 
 A confrontation brews between Aelin and Arobynn, now that she realized he is in possession of the third Wyrdkey. 
 Not everyone dear to her in those memories perished. 
 Which leads us to the next new character, taking us back to Rifthold. 
 Her beloved cousin, her loyal protector and human shield, Aedion Ashryver, would grow up to become a skilled general serving the King of Adarlan. 
 At first glance, Aedion strikes us as an embodiment of arrogance and debauchery. 
 His cunning allowed him to hold up this initial layer, as we soon learn that his loyalties never swayed from Aelin. 
 Aedion had been working for the enemy all this time, his every movement rooted in plot. 
 Chaol Westfall, the captain of the Royal Guard, catches on when he discovers that Aedion Ashryver is strangely absent from his lavish parties. 
 Aedion gains a tail, and a tentative ally in his dealings with the rebels. 
 Above all, he learns from Chaol that Aelin is, in fact, still alive. 
 Aedion Ashryver had been called Wolf, general, prince, traitor, and murderer. And he was all of those things, and more. Liar, deceiver, and trickster were his particular favorites--the titles only those closest to him knew... Cousin--that had been his most beloved title. Cousin, kin, protector. Those were the secret names he harbored deep within, the names he whispered to himself when the northern wind was shrieking through the Staghorns. Sometimes that wind sounded like the screams of his people being led to the butchering blocks. And sometimes it sounded like Aelin--Aelin, whom he had loved, who should have been his queen, and to whom he would have one day sworn the blood oath. 
 Noble, incessantly loyal Aedion. He held on for ten years, not once losing sight of his transcending cause. 
 I'm certain many agree when I say that I fervently look forward to the reunion between Aelin and Aedion. It has been a long time coming. 
 I can't talk about Aedion without talking about Chaol. I understand that a myriad of readers were frustrated with Chaol in Heir of Fire, and this was mirrored in Aedion's dialog encasing Chaol's lack of allegiance to any particular side. 
 He'd earlier struck a bargain with his father to return to Anielle, where he would be its eventual rightful ruler, in exchange for his old man helping to orchestrate Aelin's send-off to Wendlyn. Chaol sold his freedom to protect the woman he loved. 
 In this third installment to this riveting series, Chaol is warring with himself. Having grown up in the land where Adarlan's king was revered and loved, he couldn't think otherwise overnight. 
 From my experience, when one is too close to a situation, it's easy to lose sight of the big picture, and harder still to view clearly the things that blur up close, our breath fogging up the details. 
 Chaol needed perspective. Heir of Fire was an internal journey for this man of honor. He was thinking for himself, in his own way and in his own pace, before he finally acknowledged the king's dark depths. Dorian had suffered being the man's son, and Celaena's world nearly ended from the geezer's twisted actions - but Chaol wasn't on the receiving end of the king's depravity. 
 In this way, it can be said that Chaol was, in some ways, more sheltered than Dorian, his Crown Prince. Instead of being angry at Chaol for his self-conflict, I rooted for him to see the truth that he deserved before he made a decision. 
 The shit hit the fan with the confrontation with the king, and Chaol finally chose. 
 Regardless of what went down in the past between them, Chaol's loyalty lays with Dorian. 
 We saw how many events transpired before Chaol became dead-set on his allegiance. From this, I think I can compare his hard-won loyalty to Rowan's. The fact that Chaol did not choose overnight lends a shade of finality to his commitment. 
 I really hope that in choosing Dorian, Chaol will eventually choose himself as well. 
 His departure to Anielle makes me think that Chaol is well on his way to forging his own path. 
 I still respect Chaol Westfall for all his straightforwardness and morally upright ways, and look forward to learning more of his journey in upcoming installments. 
 What happened to Aedion at the end of Heir of Fire was endlessly frustrating, and will no doubt further spur our heroine into action. 
 Not only will she return to take down the two men who ruined her life - Arobynn and Adarlan's ruler - she'll be the one to rescue Aedion, to wrestle him from darkness like he has waited far too long for. 
 I must say that Aedion Ashryver has gained my respect with his bravery and sacrifice. 
 Sarah J. Maas confirmed that Celaena/Aelin will survive the series, but damn it all if Aedion doesn't get his happy ending as well. 
 On the topic of forging a path away from darkness, I have to mention Manon Blackbeak - one of the heirs in a gathering of witch clans the king of Adarlan summoned to ride his dragons in the coming battle. 
 My initial impression of her was not pleasant. Tearing mens' throats out with her teeth? Girl had an uncanny appetite. 
 Until we meet Abraxos. He was the bait wyvern to the frontline beasts the witches were to pick for their rides. Despite his underdog status, Manon chose him because she recognized how resourceful and resilient his struggles made him out to be. 
 It is her bond with him that coaxes her to nourish some semblance of tender emotion - which is quite unlike what she was led to believe of herself and her fellow witches throughout the course of her upbringing. 
 That Manon Blackbeak has a heart - in the figurative sense - is confirmed when she decides to save Petrah, the Blueblood heir, from falling to her death in the War Games(on a side note, Iskrah is a blistering b&%$# for commanding her own wyvern to kill Keelie, Petrah's wyvern, in mid-flight). 
 I am intrigued to learn more about Manon in the upcoming Queen of Shadows, as well as how her character arc will scale off in the broader story. 
 I didn't discuss much about Dorian's arc in this story, as I was not particularly taken by his interactions with Sorscha, the healer. I didn't have a problem with their connection, but it paled in comparison to what was happening with Aelin & Rowan as well as Aedion & Chaol. 
 Everyone saw what happened to Dorian at the end, though. Our boy is a vessel for now. He's still in that body of his, somewhere... somewhere in that shell, we hope Dorian will hang on long enough... until hope and help arrive. 
 Overall, Heir of Fire encased plenty of world-building. We are introduced to new heroes and potential antagonists. That being said, it's not a tapestry of black and white or evil versus good in this world. The characters are multi-dimensional, and beautifully flawed. I can't help but root for nearly all the main players to get to their happy place. This enthralling third installment has left us with much to chew on as we wait with bated breath for Queen of Shadows. I eagerly await Aelin Galathynius Ashryver's return on September 1st. Cheers to Sarah J. Maas for gracing us with such a badass, resilient, fiery, complex, profound heroine!