Review: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Goodreads Rating: 4.60
Pages: 562

She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

The king's assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Crown of Midnight.

Waiting on Wednesday #3

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Goodreads Rating: 4.59
Pages: 656
Release Date: September 1, 2015

 Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

I'm currently reading Heir of Fire so this book is being released at an amazing time for me. I'm almost finished and can say I probably am going to go and preorder the book after I'm done with this post. I'm so excited to see what goes on with Celaena, Dorian, Chaol, Aedion and Rowan :) So many questions that need answering. Plus, the series is just amazing so there really isn't much else to say in regards to why I am waiting on pins and needles for this <3

Beach Books

*deep breath* ahhhhhh summer.... Time for relaxation, catching some rays, and some much needed down time to catch up on reading. This is also the time of year I love most since it means my family's annual trip to Topsail Island, NC!!! One full week of family, the beach, and my favorite books.

Now, I'm infamous in my family for over packing... that's because I have to make sure all my books fit. I have books for the 2-day road trip down, books for the beach, and books for the ride back! I've noticed recently that I associate certain books of mine with the beach. Now, these books don't have to take place at the beach. No, these books have become known as my "Beach Books": books that, no matter when I get them, I save them to read at the beach.

So with that being said, here are my Beach Books for my beach trip in August:

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas
This series is my classic Beach Book; it's the Founder Beach Book, so to speak. I first read Throne of Glass in 2012 on my family beach trip. Ever since then, every year, I have brought a Throne of Glass book with me to the beach. 2013 were the novellas, 2014 was Crown of Midnight, and now Heir of Fire. The downside is, I'm well behind the curve in this series and it's slowly driving me mad having the book sit on my bookshelf being unread since my friend got it for me earlier this year... BUT! It's all worth it to me :) The beach trip wouldn't be the same without Celaena <3


Inferno by Dan Brown
This is another Beach Book staple. I've been bringing a Dan Brown book to the beach for about the same amount of time as I have a Throne of Glass book. I get my YA fix with the Throne of Glass series and I get my mystery fiction fix with good ol' Dan Brown. This also has become a bonding book with my mother and I. I end up reading/finishing it during the first half of vacation and by the end, she's got it done and we love talking about the book on the way back :)



These two are the only consistent Beach Books I have. The other books I decide to bring are a mix of sequels to books I've read during the year and books waaaay deep in my TBR shelf. This year, I'm going way back in time to a series I loved in middle school but never finished.

Goddess of the Night (Daughters of the Moon #1)
I LOVED this series as a kid! And I've always been sad that I haven't finished it yet (and recently discovered her other series Sons of the Dark). I'm hoping to get through the first couple books of this series and try to bring back some of that good nostalgia.

Now that I've shared some of my Beach Books, tell me.... What books are you bringing to the beach??  Do you have one book or series you always read? Do you like reading books that take place on beaches while you are on the beach? Tell us about it!

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2)

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Goodreads Rating: 4.53
Pages: 420
Format: ARC from BEA13

An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt.But her heart never wavers.
After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.
Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice. 
Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

BEABlitz: Author Sarah J. Maas

I can't even tell you how excited I am about today's interview. I'm actually lucky because Lexie wanted to interview her as well and because I was dragging my feet to send out questions, she threatened to take her from me. There's actually more back story from last year, my first year at BEA, Lex and I were PUMPED to to meet Miss Sarah J. Maas. We actually harassed her so much on Twitter, but still was very excited to meet us when it came to BEA. She was gracious and wonderful, and there is no way that I'm not going to be one of the first on her line this year.

1.) Was 2012 your first time attending BEA? If not, when was the first time?

Yep! 2012 was my first time—and what a magical whirlwind it was!

2.) What did you do when not signing books?

I wandered the floor (so many books!), met up with a bunch of people, attended some panels featuring my friends (three of them were BEA Buzz Books!), and drank a LOT of coffee.

Sarah & I at BEA12

3.) What's your favorite BEA memory?

Ummm, probably walking into the green room on the way to my signing, seeing a huge line, and being told that all those people were there to get copies of Throne of Glass. I still get a bit teary-eyed whenever I think about it!

4.) What's one thing you wish you had done at BEA?

Attended more panels from authors/industry professionals. And I wish I’d had a chance to sit down and chat with some more lovely bloggers. <3

5.) What was your favorite thing to do while in NYC?

Well, I grew up in NYC and my parents still live in Manhattan, so I’d say my favorite thing to do while in NYC is to just go to all my favorite food places (Pizza! Bagels!). And if I have time, I always try to catch an ABT ballet at the Metropolitan Opera House.

6.) Would you go again if you had the option? 

YES! Absolutely. I met so many amazing people and had such a great time! 

7.) Would you go back to BEA without having a title showcased?

See above! (Answer: YESSSS!)

8.) Anything you wanted to add that I didn't ask about your experience as an author at BEA?

Ummm… Wear comfortable shoes! (Seriously). Bring band-aids (for either your feet or someone else’s mangled toes), and be sure to drink lots of water! Also—though it can be overwhelming (the size of the floor, the number of people), don’t be shy: BEA is a GREAT opportunity to meet people from every part of the industry, so don’t hesitate to strike up conversation (especially if you’re waiting in line)!

9.) Will you be coming again this year?

Yes! I don’t have details yet about what I’ll be doing (events/signings/etc.), but I will definitely be there!

Sarah is going to be coming again to BEA with the sequel to Throne of Glass. She will be signing Crown of Midnight on Thursday, May 30 at 1PM. You will also be able to find her floating around with her good friends Kat Zhang, Susan Dennard or Erin Bowman. (Or any number of people for that fact.) I can't even begin to tell you my excitement to see her again! A Big Thank you to Sarah for joining me on the #BEABlitz Journey!

Throne of Glass: Amy's Review

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Goodreads rating: 4.34/5
My rating: 5/5
Pages: 416
Reviewed by: Amy

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Throne of Glass: Nicole's Review

Author: Sarah J Maas
Goodreads Rating: 4.37
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pages: 404
Reviewed By: Nicole

I was so excited for this book for BEA and of all the books that I wanted to get at BEA this was the one that I wanted most. Luckily getting a copy was easy as pie (although waiting in line for her signing was most certainly not), I'm glad to say that I did get a copy and I got to read it. I waited to read this book until I finished the Novella's that took place before the book since that was how it was meant to be enjoyed and I'm so glad that I did.

Goodreads Synopses:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

The Assassin Novella's

Rather than follow my usual template for a post, I'm going to talk a little about each story that Sarah J Maas has written. There were four Assassin Novella's that detailed Celaena's live before she was shipped off the the salt mines where Celaena is at the start of Throne of Glass. Since Throne of Glass hit stores today I figured what better day to tell you about the prequels.

Novella 1: The Assassin and the Pirate Lord.

This Novella introduces you to Celaena and Sam, two assassins that work for the pirate guild. I liked how much information that we were given in this story. That Celaena covers her face so no one knows what she looks like. I loved the dynamic between Sam and Celaena, their banter back and forth was really fun. I loved getting to know Celaena and knowing what she was really like. I loved that even though she was an assassin, that she had a conscience and she cared about other people.

Novella 2: The Assassin and the Desert

Another Novella that I loved. (Spoiler Alert, I loved all of them). Once again you get an inside look into Celaena and her world, not just what life is like for her, but also what this world Maas has built is like. I loved that Celaena made a friend and seemed to bond with other people. I will admit that I made a mistake and read this book third, so I knew a lot of what was coming, but I like to believe that had I read it first, I would have been surprised by the little quirks that were mentioned in Novella 3.



Novella 3: The Assassin and the Underworld

So whoops, I read this book before I read Novella Two, but I think it gives me a unique perspective because I can tell you that Maas does a great job making you feel like you didn't actually miss a novella. I loved that all of the Novella's were related in one way or another (although I won't tell you how!!!). This novella had me cringing at some points (good reasons) because I related to Celaena and what she went through in this novella.




Novella 4: The Assassin and the Empire

I decided that I wanted to read all of the novella's before I read Throne of Glass even though I already had my copy. I waited patiently to read this novella and cry, and I am glad that I read it. This was the way that the novel was intended to be enjoyed with these novella's first, and I reveled in the idea of getting to read all about Celaena before she went off the the salt mines which no doubt changed her. This one was beyond my favorite of the four.





So if you're waiting to get your hands on Throne of Glass, check out the novella's in the mean time. They're pretty fab.