Review: Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Fire and Thorns #1

Release Date: September 20^th, 2011

Number of Pages: 423

Publisher: Greenwillow

Source: Bought

GR - Amazon - BD - Chapters

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.Elisa is the chosen one.
  

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.
  

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.  

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.  

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.  

Most of the chosen do.

Girl of Fire and Thorns has been on my wishlist for a while, but I never got around to actually read it until this week. I have to say, I’m not sure if I should be mad at myself for waiting so long to read it, or if I should be mad for having read it before the release of The Bitter Kingdom. It took me about five minutes after having finished this book to buy the sequel on audible. Rae Carson simply created a world so additing and original, and I fell in love with it. The more I read high fantasy, the more I love it. Rae Carson took us on an epic ride. Girl of Fire and Thorns is a real page-turner, and I ended up devouring this book in one afternoon.

When it comes down to the main character, I had mix feelings about Elisa. One thing is for sure, Elisa grows up a lot through the course of the novel. She gains confidence through all she has to face, and I love seeing her become stronger and stronger. The main reason I had mix feelings about her wasthe importance given to her weight, both by her and those around her. I got the message Rae Carson wanted to give us, but it bothered me in the first half of the novel.

There were so many strong and interesting characters in the novel, some of which I will refrain from mentioning to avoid spoilers. There’s King Alejandro, the new husband of Elisa. I couldn’t help wanting to love him, wanting him to be the amazing husband I wanted her to have. Then, there’s Humberto. He was so sweet, so charming, and I could understand why she would feel for him the way she does.

Rae Carson created an amazing world and story. I found the idea of Godstone really interesting. The writing kept me hooked, and I am now completely in love with this story and Rae Carson’s world. I believe fans of high fantasy should really give this series a chance. She created a world you will want to go back to as soon as you leave it.  As I’m writing this review, I’m already half way through the sequel, Crown of Embers, and I know I will be dying for the final book as soon as I will be done.

About the Author:

From GoodReads

“I write books about teens who must do brave things. I'm originally from California, but I moved to Ohio to marry my husband, who is the smartest and therefore sexiest man I know. We live in Columbus with my teenaged stepsons, who are awesome. My books tend to contain lots of adventure, a little magic and romance, and smart girls who make (mostly) smart choices. I especially love to write about questions I don't know the answers to.”

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