Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Title: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Author: Rae Carson

Rating: 4 stars

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, and 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 her to be 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.

Review: There is So much to this book! It was so different than anything I have ever read. The story follows Elisa on her journey of growing up- into a strong and respectable queen. Elisa is the younger princess; she is spoiled and fat and has never worked in her life. At the beginning of this book, she is just turning 16 years old and is being forced to marry a king in an adjoining country.

She takes this responsibility without whining, even though she has never met (or even seen this man before) because she knows she must do it for her country. But that’s not even the biggest thing in Elisa’s life; she is actually
Gods chosen one, the bearer of the godstone!

She marries this strange man and on the way to his foreign country is attacked and just out of the goodness in her heart, saves his life by killing an attacker. She is kept a secret in his country and is then kidnapped and taken far across the desert. It is during this journey that she really grows. By the end of the book, she is not the fat spoiled princess, but an older, wiser, string worthy Queen.

Plot: As I already mentioned, this is unlike any other story I have ever read. Though it is a sci-fi YA novel, it is SO refreshing. Elisa TRULY grows in this book. Through every twist and turn, through her tromp through the jungle, to the voyage through the desert, to her entrapment in the enemy camp, every scene in this novel is well played and a devise to drive the plot forward. Perfectly written and planned.

Characters: Elisa is probably my favorite main character of all time now (in YA novels.) She is not the typically whiny MC. She is naïve at the beginning, pampered and fat (literally) by She grows. She strives for more. She learns from her mistakes and cares about those around her. And though she has absolute proof in God, she still has a crisis of faith, and still overcomes it. Humberto is perfect, as is Cosme. Each supporting character is developed enough that you care about them as well.

Overall, even though this is not my normal cup of tea, and I don’t think I ever would have read it if I hadn’t been advised to time and again, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! I could barely put it down, and the characters even invaded my dreams! I only didn’t like one thing, though I cant really say it without spoiling it, but there is a twist that made me cry and I am so very upset about. L though the book technically ended good, it didn’t have the good ending I wanted L

If this one thing had changed, it would have been a 5 star book for me… but I will hope for more books that will give Elisa the happy ending I want for her.