What Is The Reading Order Of Heir Of Fire In The Throne Of Glass Series?

I’d say read 'The Assassin’s Blade' after 'Heir of Fire'. The shift in Celaena’s character is so stark after the events in Wendlyn, and going back to see her past right then makes you understand her walls and trauma on a deeper level. It makes Rowan’s role in breaking through those walls more meaningful. Straight publication order for the first three main books, though.

Actually, figuring out the reading order for 'Heir of Fire' specifically is a bit odd, because it’s just the third book in the main series by publication. The real debate starts with the side stories. I’ve seen a ton of confusion online, especially around 'The Assassin’s Blade'. It’s a prequel collection, and some folks swear you should read it before the first book, 'Throne of Glass', to get Celaena’s backstory. But that ruins some of the mystery, I think.

My personal take? Read 'The Assassin’s Blade' between books three and four, so between 'Heir of Fire' and 'Queen of Shadows'. 'Heir of Fire' ends on such a massive, transformative note for Celaena—her really accepting her lineage and power. Jumping back to the prequel right after that feels like a perfect emotional breather, and it makes certain character reappearances in 'Queen of Shadows' hit way harder. It’s like a flashback episode at just the right moment.

Stick to the published order for the core books one through three, though. You need 'Throne of Glass', then 'Crown of Midnight', then 'Heir of Fire'. Anything else and you’ll be completely lost. The series shifts tone so much in 'Heir of Fire', introducing Rowan and the whole Wendlyn plot, that it’s a major pivot point. I tried reading the prequel first on a friend’s recommendation and felt zero connection to Celaena; the reveals in the first three books meant nothing.

Just follow the numbered order. 'Heir of Fire' is book three. The series numbering is right on the covers. All the extra advice about prequel placement is for optimization, but you can’t go wrong with the simple 1-2-3. The story is designed to work that way first and foremost. Everything else is just bonus layers for a re-read.

It’s the third book. Period. Publication order is: 1. Throne of Glass, 2. Crown of Midnight, 3. Heir of Fire. Anyone telling you different is overcomplicating it for no reason. The author wrote and published them in that sequence for a reason—the character development and plot reveals are built on that foundation. Reading the prequel novellas first, like 'The Assassin’s Blade', might give you background, but it spoils the slow-burn mystery of who Celaena really is in the early books. The impact of 'Heir of Fire' hinges on you experiencing her journey from the castle assassin to the broken, powerful figure she becomes in Wendlyn. Just read them as they came out. All this debate about 'tandem reading' the later books or inserting the prequel at different spots is mostly for superfans on a re-read. For a first timer, keep it simple and go with the core three-book arc to start.

There is a lot of discussion about this, honestly. The basic, uncontested order for the first three main novels is 'Throne of Glass', 'Crown of Midnight', then 'Heir of Fire'. Where it gets messy is with the prequel collection. Some argue for reading 'The Assassin’s Blade' first, but I found that made the first book feel slow and removed a lot of the intrigue. A popular and very effective compromise is to slot the prequel in right after 'Heir of Fire'. That book ends with Celaena claiming her heritage and vowing to fight; taking a step back to see all she lost as an assassin makes her resolve in 'Queen of Shadows' feel earned. It also makes a certain infamous letter in the prequel utterly devastating when you read it with full context from the first three books. So my recommended path is the main trilogy up through book three, then the prequel, then continue on to 'Queen of Shadows'.