Title:The Girl of Fire and Thorns
Author:Rae Carson
Release Date:September 20th 2011
Publisher:Greenwillow
Synopsis:
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.
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.
I am a huge fan of books about queens.There's something so wonderful about a girl with so much power.It makes the feminist and ambitious girl inside me so proud.After reading about the mighty Celaena Sardothien,I've always wanted to read about a powerful queen like her,so when I heard about The Girl of Fire and Thorns,I didn't hesitate to jump into it.
The best thing about this book is the character growth of Elisa.When we first meet her,she is a naive,innocent,spoiled princess whose only remarkable quality is that she's the bearer of the Godstone-the stone that marks her as a hero and saviour.She lives in the shadow of the stone she bears in her navel and her beautiful,elegant and elder sister.However when she finds herself married to a handsome king who expects her to save his land and later kidnapped by commoners who also expect her to save them,she goes through a growth phase which is truly remarkable.
"I am done with being useless"
She transforms into a confident leader,a wise strategist and a powerful queen and I couldn't help but admire her greatly.I was awed by this girl-who was the same age as me-facing so much obstacles with courage an overcoming her insecurities.
“I loved and lost and survived.”
The girl of Fire and Thorns deals with religion.Truth to be told,I was a bit annoyed with the paragraphs and paragraphs of explanations about scriptures and prophecies,but I have to admit that religion was dealt in a way which wouldn't bother any reader who's normally weary of that concept and I have to applaud Carson for that.
'Oh Ximena, he was right to choose me but not becuase of my worth...You, Cosme, Hector...were already willing to be heroes. But I would have done nothing, become nothing, were it not for this thing inside me. So you see, God picked me becuase I was unworthy.”
Apart from Elisa,I also really loved the minor characters-the headstrong and confident Cosmethe sweet and caring Humberto,the kind yet reserved Ximena,the cute little kid Rosario,even the quiet Jacien and most of all,the captain of the guard Hector.All these characters were quite wonderful and I love how they all made an impact on Elisa.
I can't talk about the romance without spoiling the story.It was not what I expected from this book,but still it was cute and sweet.
“Even more than the cold, I’m frozen by the sadness in his beautiful eyes, deep and true. He squeezes them closed a moment and breathes deeply through his nose. Then, with one swift movement, he cups the back of my neck with a strong hand, pulls my head forward, and presses his lips to mine. He wastes precious moments kissing me, his tongue gliding across my lips, darting at my teeth. I open my mouth and kiss back just as eagerly.”
And I also had some problems with the book,but in the end,they didn't matter at all as I couldn't really look past my admiration for the transformation of Elisa.And I'll recommend it to anyone who loves a book with character growth,a strong heroine and a fast paced paranormal read.
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