The Procrastinators Book Club discussion

Welcome to the Heir of Fire Buddy Read Discussion thread! This thread officially opens on November 11th and anyone can join at any time. Please keep in mind that spoilers are allowed in this thread but only up to the group's current reading place. Do not spoil the book if you've read further than the group. Any extra days can be used to catch up!

Each day we will be reading by chapters or page numbers. Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on Goodreads. The suggested Buddy Read discussion schedule is as follows:

Week of 11/6
6th: chapters 1-7
7th: chapters 8-12
8th chapters 13-19
9th: chapters 20-24
10th: chapters 25-29

Week of 11/11
11th: chapters 30-35
12th: chapters 36-41
13th: chapters 42-46
14th: chapters 47- 53
15th: chapters 54-59
16th: chapters 60- end

PARTICIPANTS
~ Brianna
~ Sophie

Chapters 1-7

I'm very happy to be back in this world, especially after the major cliffhanger at the end of Crown of midnight. Already we are off to a swift start with some new characters and extra background on the characters.

We finally met another character that would be considered a fully magical being-Rowan, who is Fae. He works for her aunt Maeve, and I'm unsure whether she has true and pure intentions towards Celaena/Aelin, she recognised her pretty quick.

We met Aedion and whilst it's unlikely, I do hope he ends up aiding Celaena instead of getting in her way. He is looking to be a troublemaker but could possibly be helpful. I think Dorian may be beginning to suspect that Aedion is some sort of relation to Celaena due to their physical similarities. (Heavily hinted at by Chaol).

I found Sorscha to be quite an interesting character and I have a feeling she could become dangerous later on in the book; whether it be due to her infatuation with Dorian or her knowing too much.

Also, do we call her Celaena or Aelin lol?

Oh, I forgot to ask, how did you find The Assassin's Blade ?

Sophie wrote: " Chapters 1-7

I'm very happy to be back in this world, especially after the major cliffhanger at the end of Crown of midnight. Already we are off to a swift start with some new characters and ext..."

I am also excited to be back in this world. I am keeping it as Celaena in my head since a majority of characters still refer to her as such. Maybe that will change with time as her true identity becomes known to more people.
I'm excited to be in a place where there is still magic (I think) since that will certainly bring a different element to the story since for the most part it's been magic-free (ish).
Rowan is definitely interesting and am curious to see what role he will have. I do not like Aedion and the fact he has a matching ring to the king - that feels ominous and not good. I also agree with you thoughts on Sorscha - she could easily play a dangerous role in later events with what she knows and may not understand how others can use her infatuation in a bad way.

Sophie wrote: "Oh, I forgot to ask, how did you find The Assassin's Blade ?"

I enjoyed it! It very much felt like a novel and not quite a series of short stories since it was essentially major plot line after major plot line in order. I did like getting more of her background and how she got to where she is. I do NOT like Arobynn - solidly do not like.

through the end of chapter 12:

Manon is an interesting addition to the line up - will she be the main big bad or will she somehow switch sides? I can kind of see her and Celaena becoming friends because they are quite similar. I am also curious to see how the king plans on using the wyverns and against whom. Still trying to expand his lands and power? (probably lol)

Up to the end of chapter 19

I absolutely can foresee Celaena and Manon becoming friends, but I am beginning to get a little bored with Manon's scenes. I think it's purely due to the fact that as of right now, those scenes aren't directly linked to the main storyline.

We found out A LOT about Aedion in these past couple of chapters. Turns out his vulgar, party boy persona was just a facade and he was trying to protect/avenge his kingdom and Aelin's memory. I'm very happy that he is a loving family member and that Celaena may finally start to build a true support system.

through end of chapter 19:

Crazy theory coming in - so we first meet Manon in Fenharrow who is trying to find a Cochran witch right? And Sorscha is from Fenharrow so.... possible link there? They could very much not be related at all but it is fun theorizing. lol

OH SNAP! Aedion is sneaky and good at it! Chaol was taking a serious risk revealing what he did to him. I am super intrigued to see what happens next with them. Will Dorian feel left out since he's not all buddy buddy with Chaol anymore?

Sophie wrote: " Up to the end of chapter 19

I absolutely can foresee Celaena and Manon becoming friends, but I am beginning to get a little bored with Manon's scenes. I think it's purely due to the fact that as..."

I agree about Manon - her story so far feels pretty repetitive - the covens fighting and her being super proud of her group and her wanting to be the baddest one there and just so on. Hopefully things shake up with her soon!

through end of chapter 24:

I'm glad that Celaena has made progress with the magic. It'll be interesting to watch her (hopefully) gain control of her magic. I am surprised Dorian took it so smoothly (so far) about who Celaena truly is. I was also surprised by what happened with Manon and the wyverns - I am just ready for that story line to do something different.

through chapter 29:

There are a lot of different plots happening right now so it will be interesting to see how they all come together (if they come together?). I'm not sure which storyline is my favorite currently since they all feel a bit slow moving at the moment. With Chaol about to be heading home with his father I'm sure things will kind of pick up for him. His father is up to something suspicious.

I had a busy weekend and have just managed to catch up....

Chapters 20-24

I actually found Manon's scenes to be a lot more interesting in the past few chapters. The selection of the wyverns with the twist of Titus dying really shook things up.

I'm kinda liking the dynamic between Rowan and Celaena. It's looking like there may be a potential set up for a romance there, and I'm happy that it isn't being rushed.

Chapters 25-29

Ok so we had a romantic development between Dorian and Sorscha. I definitely don't trust her, there has to be an ulterior motive there. I do agree with you that Sorscha is not who she says she is. Part of me thought she was Elide who grew up alongside Celaena as nobility, but your theory makes more sense.

The flashback scene was pretty interesting; it's clear at this point that Maeve is using Celaena for her power via Rowan, as mentioned by her mother in the flashback. I do think that Rowan is unaware of Maeve's true motives though.

Chapters 30-35

I love Abraxos. He's not had an easy life so far and I think that Manon needs him just as much as he needs her.

I feel awful for Celaena. Seeing her breakdown like that was heart-wrenching. I've surprisingly become very attached to her and I do hope Rowan takes it a little easier on her from now on.

I also felt bad for Emrys. All in all these were just a few really depressing chapters lmao.

Chapters 36-41

Thank God that Iskra didn't get away scot free with whipping Abraxos. Punishments from multiple people was definitely necessary.

I don't know if I'm crazy but I swear I felt some (romantic?) tension between Aedion and Ren. I could just be imagining it, but I hope not. I would so be down for it.

There has been some very mild acknowledgement of feelings between Rowan and Celaena, but honestly with those two, what can you expect?!

Chapters 42-46

I’m loving Celaena and Rowan together, the tension is crazy and I’m happy that he’s still pushing her to be her best without causing irreversible damage (like he almost did previously 🫣).

Abraxos flew!!! The Manon chapters have improved massively and I can’t wait for our three (?) storylines to interlink.

I will be trying to catch up on this - the start of this week has been unexpectedly tough so didn't really read for a few days.

through the end of chapter 35: I am glad we got more of Rowan's background - I feel so bad for him! I am not sure if it will be a romance between Rowan and Celaena since he has mated previously and personally am not quite getting that vibe (as of yet at least).
I am super curious if we will learn what the creature below the lake is! I also wonder if the ring they talked about will become important again later.

through chapter 41:

Is the former shape-shifter that the spiders mentioned the merchant guy that Celaena met and got the small square of spidersilk from back in The Assassin's Blade? Also - super sneaky of Manon to trick them like that!

So other monsters beyond just the wyverns and the Iron Witches?

It's been super fascinating learning more about Celaena's magic - I honestly forgot how much she loved music but it makes sense that it is tied to her managing her magic.

I honestly appreciate Adieon calling out Chaol about how he truly hasn't chosen a side/made a stand - he's still tied up in fulfilling what others expect which isn't necessarily the right thing? It'll be interesting what happens with his dad and when they leave the main city.

through chapter 46:

I can conceded that *something* is brewing with Rowan and Celeana but I still don't get romance vibes. Maybe a fling or maybe something tragic will happen to Rowen by the end? I'm not sure.

Yay! Abraxos did the thing!

It feels like things are starting to come together just a smidge. I am super curious to see how they defeat these new monster things. Still leaning towards something tragic happening with Rowen.

I will probably read a bit ahead tonight - I have 2 other buddy read's I'm behind on AND another one starting in a couple days so may just focus on this one tonight and focus on one of the others tomorrow and so on and so forth. lol

through end of chapter 53: (view spoiler)[This is crazy - like she seriously just wants to be punished. In someway she does just come back stronger but girl - it's not your fault! I seriously hope Rowan comes and saves her - or she saves herself. Obviously this isn't the last book in the series so I know to some degree she makes it but regardless I don't like the unknown lol. (hide spoiler)]

may have finished because OMG jaw dropping stuff happened - can't wait to discuss!

Up to the end of chapter 59

Adarlan has been a lot more ruthless with their killings than I anticipated. I honestly don't know why I didn't expect it considering everything the king has done in the past. I'm looking forward to Aelin's (Are we calling her that yet?) uprising and her journey to power.

We finally got the meaning behind the white stag; it was sweet that her mother gave her that (Amulet of Orynth) but I feel very sad for her that she lost it later that evening. It's bound to reappear at a point that she is in desperate need for it I imagine.

I'm kind of back to thinking Elide is Sorscha. The way their personalities are described are very similar, and I definitely do not believe that Sorscha is who she says she is.

I'm still waiting for all three of our plotlines/perspectives to overlap. I think Manon would add a whole lot if she were to interact with the other, more known characters.

We left off at a very sad/tumultuous point with Rowan being whipped by Maeve's guards for not revealing where the third Wyrdkey is. Aelin did have a blast of power right at the very end so we'll see what comes of that. Is it bad to say that I hope Maeve dies?

I will probably also finish early today, so I'll check back in later.

Finished

Not the ending that I was expecting at all. I can foresee Dorian having some sort of revenge arc in the next book or two, after finding out that Sorscha was a spy, then she was beheaded and finally the stone collar stopping his magic. All that in one go is bound to make anyone crazy.

I do hope we get the Aedion and Aelin reunion in the next book, hopefully he doesn't die before that can happen. I now feel that she is more Aelin than Celaena so I'll probably be calling her Aelin from now on.

Chaol finally hopped off of the fence and made a decision- the right one. I'm hoping we get to see some character development from him as he's been pretty stagnant throughout.

I'm very surprised that we didn't get to see all three plot lines/perspectives interlink but don't really mind it, it gave each appropriate time to fully develop.

I can't wait to see where Manon fits into it all. Definitely a very ominous character. Aelin and Manon will either get on like a house on fire, or they will SET the house on fire.

Sophie wrote: " Finished

Not the ending that I was expecting at all. I can foresee Dorian having some sort of revenge arc in the next book or two, after finding out that Sorscha was a spy, then she was beheaded..."

I agree that the ending was not what I was expecting - after the burst of power from Aelin in Maeve's court my jaw dropped and I had no idea what to expect. I was super sad to see Sorscha go like that - I can only imagine what Dorian is going to do. Truly though what *can* he do at this point with the collar and stuff?

I love what you said about Manon and Aelin - either getting on like a house on fire or setting the house on fire - I can completely see both possibilities easily. lol

With how this ended, I would agree to refer to her as Aelin instead of Celaena. I think she has fully embraced who she is as Aelin finally.

I am planning on reading all of Sarah J. Maas's books in publication order so I will be picking up Court of Thorns and Roses before the next in the Throne of Glass series but I am so down to still buddy read as we go through?

Yeah of course, I have a few planned for the remainder of the month and next month, but I can make space, when were you thinking for Queen of Shadows?

Sophie wrote: "Yeah of course, I have a few planned for the remainder of the month and next month, but I can make space, when were you thinking for Queen of Shadows?"

I know I won't get to Court of Thorns and Roses in November but maybe December. Would December work for Queen of Shadows or should we push to January with the holidays and such?

Waiting till January seems like the smarter idea. I have a few other books I want to read before the end of the year so it would be easier.

Sophie wrote: "Waiting till January seems like the smarter idea. I have a few other books I want to read before the end of the year so it would be easier."

That works!