Heir of Fire

The final section of Part II of Heir of Fire concludes the novel’s key plot points and sets up the next book, Queen of Shadows. The main characters make decisions that provide closure for their respective arcs while creating suspense about their fate in the rest of the series.

Important plot points are resolved, with Chaol and his companions figuring out how magic disappeared 10 years earlier and how to free it once again; Manon being crowned Wing Leader of the Ironteeth witches; and Celaena learning new information about the Wyrdkeys and the Valg. This introduces new narrative arcs for the next book to develop, which are summarized as Celaena’s next goals at the very end: “[Celaena] would retrieve the first Wyrdkey from Arobynn and track down the others, and then find a way to put the Wyrdkeys back in their Gate. She would free magic and destroy the king and save her people” (560).

The climactic confrontation between Maeve and Celaena introduces key information about the Valg and the Wyrdkeys while revealing Maeve’s true intentions. It also evidences Celaena’s mastery over her powers and her renewed confidence through her demonstration, reflecting the theme of Staying in Control and pointing to her Redemption Through Self-Acceptance. The narrative states, “The power wasn’t in might or skill. It was in the control—the power lay in controlling herself” (509). Celaena’s reaction to Rowan being whipped echoes Manon’s defensiveness over Abraxos and parallels the moment when Rowan threatened to whip Celaena. Their positions are now reversed, and her deep connection with Rowan balances out Celaena’s trauma: “[T]hat sound of the whip…the sound that echoed in her nightmares, the sound that made her blood run cold” (505). In the end, the Blood Oath symbolizes their unconditional bond and foreshadows their close relationship in the rest of the series.

As far as character development is concerned, Celaena has recovered from her lowest point. The novel ends in a symbolic parallel with the opening chapter: whereas she arrived in Wendlyn hopeless and alone as Celaena, she now leaves with renewed hope and allies as Aelin. The narrative highlights the contrast in her physical appearance, which reflects her mental state:

She was now flushed with color, her eyes bright and clear [...]. A woman—a woman was smiling back at her, beautiful for every scar and imperfection and mark of survival, beautiful for the fact that the smile was real, and she felt it kindle the long-slumbering joy in her heart (487).

In the last few lines of the book, Celaena is described as “the heir of ash and fire” (497), which symbolizes the emotional balance she has achieved by accepting both her power and her weaknesses. This is further enhanced by the symbolism of her tattoo, an equal expression of her grief and love: “No longer would [those words] be locked away in her heart. No longer would she be ashamed” (518). This provides narrative closure to the theme of redemption through self-acceptance.

The other protagonists also reach the end of their character arcs, with each of the three main plots concluding on bittersweet notes. Dorian’s, Chaol’s, and Aedion’s situations take dramatic turns at the end of the book, thus setting up the next one. Dorian, who has grown more confident throughout the story, is forced to reveal his powers and loses Sorscha, while Aedion reveals his disloyalty and is taken prisoner. Their fates create suspense, which is mitigated by Chaol’s escape. The latter finally picks a side in the conflict, choosing his morals over his social status. In Chapter 67, Chaol appears, but he is unnamed and only described as “the cloaked man” (556), which symbolizes the loss of his identity and his going into hiding. Like Aelin, he vows to “see that [peaceful] world reborn” (556) and, like Aedion, he embraces his new titles as “Oath-Breaker, Traitor, Liar” (556), which symbolically highlights his alignment with their cause.

Manon is also depicted hoping for a better future, one where the witches can finally break the curse that has plagued their homeland and return home after fighting in the king’s war. However, when Manon is forced to murder a Crochan witch and take her cloak after winning the War Games, the latter points out that she is a “threat” to the Ironteeth witches’ order because she “chose mercy and saved [her] rival’s life” (531). This confirms Manon’s emotional growth and foreshadows her upcoming role in the following books. The cloak further symbolizes her borrowed identity, since she was “made” to be a monster by her grandmother. Manon, however, is now able to acknowledge her emotions, such as regret that she did not know the Crochan’s name, which “[makes] her feel incredibly, heavily mortal” (533).