Book Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns #1) by Rae Carson

Summary:
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 needs 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.

Release Date: September 20, 2011
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Source: NetGalley

Review:
This book did not read like a debut novel.  It was a really neat read!  The premise was very unique and very well-executed.  The plot and pacing kept me interested in the story the entire book, and I couldn't wait to find out how it ended.  There were a couple of surprises at the end, and I loved how summarily Carson dismisses a main character.  No fooling around, just bam! and it's over! 


I liked The Girl of Fire and Thorns from the very first page.  I identified with Elisa and her emotional eating and I really felt for her.  I liked the way Carson addressed this issue, as well as her treatment of Elisa's self-esteem.  


I do so love a love triangle and this book had a great one.  I'm a sucker for forbidden love; therefore, I really enjoyed this part of the story.  I admired Elisa for the adult way she handled her relationship with both of her love interests.  I especially liked Elisa's character growth.

The one problem I had with The Girl of Fire and Thorns, though, was that I didn't know what was going on for a while.  I was kind of confused for about the first half of the book.  I actually went online to check that this was the first of the series and not a later book in the series, because Carson jumps right in to the story with very little explanation.  I had no idea what a Godstone was and was left in the dark as to all of the details of the story.  I figured it out as I read though, which motivated me to keep reading even though the book was a long one for YA.

Overall, I enjoyed The Girl of Fire and Thorns and am looking forward to the next book in the series.


2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the warning about the beginning :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Another great review about this book- I need to get my hands on this!

    ReplyDelete

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