Thirteen Days of Ash & Fire || 10 Reasons You Should Be On Team Celaena (+ Giveaway)

Welcome to the final stop of Thirteen Days of Ash & Fire: An Heir of Fire Blog Tour! It's seriously been such a joy to see all the creative posts that my fellow bloggers have come up with in celebration of the amazing Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. It's far exceeded my wildest dreams to see all this creativity and love for this series! So, in case you missed anything, here's a list of what went down:

• Jaz's fancast for the characters
• Katie's food dishes inspired by the books 
• Kelly's favorite quotes
• Elena's wallpaper
• Nicole shares why she loves this series
• Gillian's visual guide to the characters
• Judith's playlist for Heir of Fire
• Mel's infographic for why you should read Throne of Glass
• Magan's review + arrow-inspired decor
• Andi dresses up Celaena Sardothien
• Gina does some amazing printables + graphics
• Rachel comes up with a visual of Celaena's apartment

Today, it's my turn to share a post dedicated to Heir of Fire. I had quite a few ideas in mind, mostly because there are so many things I love about this series. But I settled on sharing my 10 Reasons You Should Be on Team Celaena because it seemed the most fitting way to end this blog tour! 

After all, it's really Celaena whose story we are focusing on in the books, and it's her story that will take us all the way to the very end. Don't get me wrong, as I've fallen in love with a lot of the other main characters: Nehemia (one of Celaena's closest friends), Manon (a badass, emphasis on bad, witch), Dorian (the prince), Aedion (the soldier), Sam (Celaena's first love and fellow assassin), Rowan (the warrior) and my beloved Chaol (the captain of the guard).  But Celaena is the driving force behind the entire series, and she's the character I care the most about -- and you should too!

1. Celaena is physically strong. She's definitely a badass assassin, with the fighting and weaponry skills to prove it. She basically is kickass, especially when she's in warrior/assassin mode. Plus, she has a knack for getting herself in and out of places undetected too!

2. Celaena is mentally strong. She's a big lover of books! She's awed by the library at the castle, has one of her own in her apartments and loves to read. She also holds interesting conversations with her companions, which often involves some witty repartee.

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3. Celaena loves to eat. This is especially applicable to sweets. Doesn't that just make her seem like most regular people? I love that she's not ashamed to stuff her face with sweets at all, because that's totally something I'd do too.

4. Celaena enjoys pretty things, from dresses to decoration. Celaena is definitely not shy about her love for beautiful dresses and a well-decorated apartment. The money she's earned for herself goes into the things she loves, and these two things, along with books, are definitely chief among her purchases.

5. Celaena has a puppy named Fleetfoot. Fleetfoot is seriously adorable, but what I adore even more is how affectionate Celaena is towards her dog. It's really cute to see how much she's bonded with Fleetfoot, and how much she cares about his wellbeing.

6. Celaena is brave, even when she doesn't feel like it. She's constantly telling herself, "I will not be afraid", a mantra that many of us can adapt in our own lives and situations. She takes courage in the most dire of situations, and fights the fears that threaten to become a disability.

7. Celaena has a good head on her shoulders. She knows what's right, and she knows what's wrong, and she's always willing to do the right thing in any given situation... even if that involves being a little devious. But her heart is in the right place, and she's fighting for the right cause.

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8. Celaena has the strength and courage to allow herself to trust others, even though she's also fiercely independent. As an assassin, Celaena lives mostly a lonely life. She's capable of fending for herself and getting things done on her own. However, as the Throne of Glass series progresses, readers slowly see her opening up and allowing herself to form relationships with other people. She learns to be open to them, and it's seriously one of the best things ever to witness.

9. Once you've earned her trust or respect, Celaena is one of the most loyal friends you will ever have. She will be willing to fight for you, to go through hell and back, to face things that can be life or death, on your behalf. She's gotten into many a sticky situation because of how she's willing to jump headfirst to help the people she cares for. That kind of loyalty? It's rare.

10. Celaena, like many of us, experiences a lot of grief and anger and hurt. The things that happen - to her, to her loved ones - they're the kind of things that can break a person apart. And Celaena falls apart, which is only to be expected. But she manages to eventually rise above it, to hold on to her hope, and to find her strength to be able to conquer all of the negativity that threatens to put her out of commission. Her fortitude, her bravery and her willingness to allow this to happen is one of the most inspiring things I've ever read.

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And now, I'm bringing you the official giveaways for the Thirteen Days of Ash & Fire: An Heir of Fire blog tour! There are going to be two in this post, one open internationally and one open US/UK. Please make sure to double check when you enter on the Rafflecopter forms below!

INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY

Prize: hardcovers of The Assassin's Blade, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire + Throne of Glass tote bag

a Rafflecopter giveaway

US/UK ONLY GIVEAWAY

Prize: an Heir of Fire ARC + Throne of Glass tote bag

a Rafflecopter giveaway

On behalf of everyone who organized the tour + participated in it, I'd like to thank all of you for celebrating the Throne of Glass series, particularly Heir of Fire, with us! Rachel, Katie, Judith, Jaz & I are so pleased that we were able to share our love for the series, along with everyone who joined us. We hope you fall in love with Throne of Glass the way we did, and keep coming back for more. 

Thank you, as well, to the publishers who have so generously donated prizes for us to give away! And thank you to Sarah J. Maas, for writing an incredible series of books that have bonded the five of us, among many others, for life. You're seriously a magical writer, and I cannot wait for more!

{Not that it's official yet, but look out for next year's event (which we're already plotting about)!}