Fire and Thorns - Book Review

The Girl of Fire and Thorns - Book Review

Rae Carson

YA Fantasy

Fire and Thorns Book #1

UK Publisher: Gollancz

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 saviour. 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:

I absolutely adored this book! I’m a huge fan of fantasy and this story had the perfect balance of magic, romance and epic drama. Rae carson is definitely an author of amazing talent and one who will forever be on my watch list. An amazing start to what promises to be a fantastic trilogy, I loved each and every page of  A Girl of Fire and Thorns.

Sixteen year old Elisa is an over weight Princess, set to marry the King of a failing country. Now taken away from everything she knows and everyone she loves, her only comfort comes from the God stone, a living gem buried deep inside her navel.

For Elisa is God’s chosen, the first stone bearer in over a hundred years to be picked by God to carry out a great task… only what this task is, no one knows. But with war threatening the existence of her new country, Elisa finds herself in the centre of a centuries old power struggle, and everyone is relying on her to save them from the deadly sorcerers from across the mountains. Yet Elisa knows nothing of warfare. She is a scholar, not a warrior, but with the future of her country at stake, can she find the courage to do what’s right? Or will she run from her destiny, her husband and her people and become a Princess of the desert?

An epic read! With a unique plot and a desert setting, I devoured this book in mere days. Broken up into different parts, this book follows Elisa on her journey, from a princess, to a queen, to a desert nomad, to rebel leader.  She is such a diverse character and I loved watching her grow proportionately greater throughout the story. She is both selfless and strong of heart, finding the best in each and every person.

However,being regarded as overweight, she is self conscious of her figure and does not see her better qualities. I enjoyed reading the interactions between her and the King. Despite their arranged marriage a friendship is formed, however the real emotion in this story came from Elisa’s relationship with the simple desert nomad, Humberto. Despite their forbidden love I couldn't help but root for them, even knowing things would probably end tragically.

Yet all the characters play great parts in the story. Everyone comes with a hidden past and shoulders grief and secrets of their own. The plot meanders all over the place and is in no way predictable. Some scenes made me gasp, one made me cry while others made me laugh aloud. A true roller coaster of emotions.

I must admit though, I did think the start of the book was a little slow, but still interesting, and parts two and three really picked up in both action and pace. The world building is really amazing though, extremely detailed and descriptive. 

Words alone cannot do this book justice. For any fans of fantasy, I wholly recommend you try reading this book for yourself. 5 stars!