eisenbuns's Reviews (368)

I had a complicated relationship with Heir of Fire. Throne of Glass as a whole has not captured me, so I've been trying to read this series off and on since 2018-ish. HoF in particular I picked up and put down probably four times. It isn't bad. I'd say the payoff for this book was worth it--I got a little teary-eyed at the end, but I won't lie and say that I found Celaena/Aelin's constant self-flagellation in this book engaging or endearing. 

On the one hand, the emotional payoff of her breaking through that last barrier to accept who she is was great! On the other, I wanted to put the book down and never come back for a good chunk of the middle. 

Manon was what kept me steady, which was a nice surprise. I loved the glimpses we got into her journey in this book, and I suspect she will become a favorite character of mine. 

I could still happily leave Chaol in the pits of Endovier though. God I hate him.

I think S.T. Gibson missed the mark on this one. My biggest gripe, for lack of time to write about the book more thoughtfully, is that despite the clearly well-intentioned approach to polyamory with explicit consent on behalf of all parties, I did not buy into the romance. I wouldn't go so far as to say that this book features cheating (as Gibson has come out recently reprimanding people for saying it does). I *would* say that it flirts with the idea. I would also say that although Moira and David develop something akin to romantic attachment between the two of them, it really feels like David and Rhys want to be in a toxic relationship with each other, don't know how to quit it, and Moira gets stuck in the middle having to be okay with it because she doesn't want to lose her husband. As much as Rhys says words like "Are you okay?" and checks in on her, his actions and Moira's actions don't support the words coming out of their own mouths to make the opening of their marriage consensual (at least to me). Others will disagree, and I think Gibson does a good job of making sure everyone goes through the right steps of consensual polyamory,  if the right steps were laid out in a textbook format.

But I don't think their dynamic works. I don't like that David is portrayed as this Miltonic Satan figure, who wiggles into this relationship and we're supposed to accept that he is terribly flawed and has been terrible in the past -- but he's doing better now, pinky promise. 

The answer to two people being toxic at each other and having a failed relationship is not to introduce a third party to be their balancing factor. Moira even says that, that she won't be their emotional go-between. But she constantly *is* their emotional go-between, and the whole thing just gave me the ick so bad.

For full transparency, I am not in a poly relationship and have not been, but I am comfortable reading about polyamory and often do. Gibson's recent socials essay about the topic implies that people who read cheating into this book have a fundamental misunderstanding of poly relationships, and that doesn't sit totally right with me. I've done research, I've read my share of books featuring polycules, and I think this concept could have worked well if it was better-executed. 

Maybe I've just known one too many Davids in my life to believe that they can ever truly change and adapt without dragging everyone down with them.