Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Title: The Girl of Fire and Thorns
Author: Rae Carson
Series: Fire and Thorns #1
Publisher: Green Willow
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

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.

My thoughts: 

Even though The Girl of Fire and Thorns was published in 2011, it is definitely one of my favorite reads this year! It literally blew me away! I can’t even tell you how many times my jaw dropped after reading some of the scenes! I loved this book so much that I really hope my review does it justice!

The premise of the book is so interesting and unique! Rae Carson has quite the imagination and a gift for storytelling. I was absolutely enthralled with the world that she built and the history that was attached to the kingdoms that she created! Even though I thought the beginning was a little bit slow, it eventually picked up and then there was just adventure after adventure!

Elisa has to be one of my all-time favorite heroines! First of all, she starts out as being one of the most unlikely people to save her nation. She is chunky, she likes to eat, she doesn’t consider herself very athletic and she is very religious. She carries the Godstone which means she is meant to do something great but she has no idea what that entails. The only reason she thinks she thinks she valuable is because of her vast knowledge of war strategies. She thinks of herself as a very average girl who could possibly have an extraordinary future but because she has been left in the dark for most of her life, she is very unsure of herself.

Before I got to meet Humberto, I really liked the King. I thought he was really nice to her and that they could grow to love each other. Then she met Humberto and I could have cared less if she went back to the King. He was so in love with her that I just wanted her to stay forever! I have to say that my favorite scene was when she went back to the Kingdom and introduced herself as the leader of the Rebels. That whole part gave me chills and I literally wanted to stand up and cheer for her!

The Girl of Fire and Thorns is one of the best books I have read in a long time! Carson is a fearless writer who is not afraid to kill of some characters. It’s something I really admire because her story is about war and unfortunately, people die during war. Not everyone gets a happy ending. The ending, thank God it wasn’t a cliffhanger, really leaves it open for the next stage in Elisa’s story!

The Girl of Fire and Thorns is exciting, adventurous and heartbreaking! I give it 5 hearts because it is just one of the most epic and intense books I’ve read!!