I finally got the mental fortitude to let go of my resentment over the NLOG pick-me energy of the first two books—and over Nehemia’s death. And I have to say, I’m not sure what happened between Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire, but SJM’s writing improved substantially.

There are moments of quiet reflection, training montages that actually feel earned, and characters grappling with their mental health. Not always in healthy ways—but progress is still progress, and it adds much-needed depth.

The introduction of new characters brings real color to the world. Celaena is no longer the unquestioned center of the universe—though she remains deeply important—and the added perspectives significantly enrich the setting.

Overall, Heir of Fire is a noticeable and welcome improvement over the first two books, in my opinion.

Brimstone wasn’t nearly as strong as the first book. As others have noted, there are several developmental editing issues, confused timelines and continuity errors. One that really pulled me out of the story was a reference to Carrion still being in Yvelia when he had literally just left for Zilvaren (page 176, if you’re curious).

There are also long stretches that drag. Some chapters had me completely locked in, while others I had to reread because I realized I was skimming instead of actually reading. That said, the story noticeably tightens around chapter 23 or so, and aside from a chapter or two, I was genuinely engrossed from that point forward.

I’m very much a vibes reader, and despite the editing issues and pacing problems, I loved this book. It could have used significant tightening. There’s a lot of narrative “fat” but overall the story still had me in a choke hold. I love Saeris; she’s one of the few FMCs who truly earns her power. Callie does an excellent job making Saeris’s progression feel reasonable and hard-won. I also loved Kingfisher’s transformation—and just how spectacularly down bad he is for her.

The side characters are mostly hits. I care about them, I want them all to get their HEA, and I was genuinely sad about Onyx. Tears were shed. Also super happy about Onyx, I literally cheered. Out loud. My roommate asked me if I was done with the book yet.

The ending is a cliffhanger. A pretty big one too, that was rude Callie. I haven't been that annoyed that a book ended since Onyx Storm.

Overall, this is a decent entry—not great, but absolutely readable—and I’m looking forward to the next book.