Elisa is a hero.

She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country's ruler should be secure. But it isn't.

Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from foreign realms and even from within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.


To conquer the power she bears, once and for all, Elisa must follow a trial of long-forgotten—and forbidden—clues, from the deep, hidden catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her go a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man whom—despite everything—she is falling in love with.

If she's lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost.

My Review

Author; Rae Carson

Pages: 410

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Publication Date: September 18 2012

Source: Library

Sequel to: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

This is becoming a recurring theme. Once again, I enjoyed the sequel of a book to a debut that didn't interest me. The Crown of Embers was a massive turnaround from The Girl of Fire and Thorns. The story was something I love to read about: women in charge.

Elisa is the queen, and she is responsible for keeping her kingdom safe from Inviernos. This requires remarkable sacrifice, and Elisa is trying to be the best ruler she can be. I liked that the struggles of ruling were so well explored. It reminded me of Daenarys' storyline in Game of Thrones. Elisa wants to be a great ruler. She's trying to figure out how. It involves lots of sacrifice and posturing. Every move she makes has to be very strategic. She has to lie a lot, and try to outwit her enemies. The moral ambiguity of being queen, even with as strong a claim and character as Elisa's, is very real. Elisa has to decide punishments, and truly use her power well. This storyline was enough to entertain me for the entire novel, and I loved it. I've never hidden my interest in the concept of having power, ruling, and absolute power corrupts absolutely or whatever. So many YA books are about rebellions, and I've always thought that tearing the system down is only half the struggle. Something has to replace it, and this requires building a better world. Elisa is actively trying to accomplish this. 

But, this fantastic storyline was rivalled by another; my intense, undying love for Hector. Considering I remember so little of the first book, I fell hard for Hector in this one. Hector is brilliant. Smart, understanding, noble, loyal. But my favourite thing about him is his relationship with Elisa. Elisa is the Queen. She is his sovereign. He is her most important guard. He is in charge of keeping Elisa safe because Elisa is his sovereign, but also because he likes her. They have something blooming, and this relationship was an incredible highlight of The Crown of Embers. Frankly, it was romance done right. The romance was mature and very considerate. Elisa and Hector's relationship is beyond infatuation. It's about two people that want a real relationship with each other, and have to acknowledge the real obstacles in their way. I loved this. It's rare that a romance can capture my attention, but this one was wonderful because the chemistry was authentic. 

There's also a larger plot in The Crown of Embers that centres around some sort of quest for power, and this is probably the weakest point of this book because it's a rather forgettable storyline. It doesn't stand out to me. It doesn't need to, because it has these awesome substorylines that make reading every chapter a delight. However, the plot looks like it will pick up because things get very twisty by the end of The Crown of Embers. Let's just say this one leaves you breathless for more. 

One last comment on The Crown of Embers is to praise the writing. The writing never got in the way of the story, which I figure is the baseline for decent writing, but then Rae Carson took another step forward because there were some fantastic passages. I realized this acutely once I read a particular line that touched me because it was based so strongly on real emotion. When I talk about how much I enjoy reading every chapter, or I talk about how great I thought Elisa was, (and even all the other characters that are not Hector and Elisa, like Mara!), this is all possible due to writing that enables the reader to form a connection to the story. It's subtly important. 

Overall, I am glad I gave this series another shot because I am now a big fan. And I can't wait to read The Bitter Kingdom! 

-P.E.

Author: Rae Carson
Date of Publication: September 20 2011
Pages: 423
Source: Library

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.

Review:

There are a lot of things to like about The Girl of Fire and Thorns, and it is likely that I will read the sequel. That is mostly based on the love this series gets, and my appreciation for the positives in The Girl of Fire and Thorn, and my expectations that the weaknesses will be improved upon.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns does something many fantasy books don't: it strays from glamour. It is gritty in a very mundane way. It is about a girl that does not appear flawless and this consciousness of the main character's body is consistent. It's not even that Elisa believes she is fat and constantly comments on her size. Elisa's aches and pains are mentioned as she grows through hard journeys, and she somehow does get injured. Her body is a part of the story and I suppose it's strange to be so shocked at this but honestly, body awareness in books does not exist unless the character is involved in some sort of romance. And that's new.

Elisa is a main character that I don't feel very strongly about. She is good with children, and she is very real. She is able to admit when she is wrong and she is a very thoughtful character. My only complaint about Elisa is that her transformation and growth felt too fast. The character development wasn't as strong as I would have liked, and the key to this is what I would have liked because I generally appreciate detail. Steps forward, steps back, etc. And it's quite possible that these steps occurred because Rae Carson sped through some time. It could be that she decided scenes like this would not be relevant to her story, and that's completely valid. But I would have liked those details into Elisa's change, because she does change, and maybe I would appreciate it more with some more details. My comparison would be Clara in Winterspell.

The fantasy style in The Girl of Fire and Thorns is what I call light fantasy. All the basic elements of fantasy are included and reasonably explained. There is magic and kingdoms, and the world isn't overly explained because Elisa knows very little. This means there is some black and whiteness happening, but I did like that there were some moral questions about the costs of a revolution and allowing people to die. I suppose that's what the rest of the series is for.

One interesting aspect is the inclusion of God. I felt like that was almost taboo in YA if you're not reading Christian Lit, so to have a character pray to God and be so devout is fascinating. Especially because religion is not a big part of my life, but I did grow up with some religious instruction, and reading about Elisa's relationship with her spirituality was so creative and different.

There are enough of these little elements of originality that give me hope for this series. Based on some of the comments for Crown of Embers, Carson's books improve, and so I'm excited to continue with this series. Regardless of some of my qualms about the actual story of this first book, there is a lot to like. 3 stars, because I liked it.

-P.E.