Review: The Crown of Embers

Title: The Crown of Embers
Author: Rae Carson
Series: Fire and Thorns #2
Publisher: GreenWillow
Realease Date: September 18, 2012
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: ARC, ALA

In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.

My thoughts: 

I have been itching to write this review since the day I finished The Crown of Embers! After reading the last page I literally wanted to fan myself with the book because I’m pretty sure that ending gave me a heart attack! When I first started reading The Crown of Embers I was worried that it wasn’t going to live up to The Girl of Fire and Thorns because it is one of the most epic fantasy books I’ve ever read! If you’re having these same hesitations then don’t!! The Crown of Embers is a great sequel and you won’t be disappointed!

Elisa is still this really great heroine that we met in The Girl of Fire and Thorns! Even though she is now considered more beautiful and shapely than before, she doesn’t allow it to go to her head. She still carries all the great qualities that makes me want to cheer for her! I was really hoping to see her be this great queen that her sister knows she can be but then as I thought about it, a foreigner isn’t going to be so easily accepted as ruler of Joya d’Arena. She has to work for it which is what Elisa does best! When it comes to Elisa’s sister, Elisa is a stronger woman than I! The whole situation (no spoilers) shows Elisa’s strength of character and the fact that she puts the kingdom’s need before her own.

The romance! OH the Romance!!!! Talk about a slow, slow burn! Sometime I was yelling at the book, sometime I was squeeing with excitement, at one point I was almost crying and then again I had to fan myself with the book! I love that I was able to experience all these emotions while reading The Crown of Embers! Hector is one hunk of a royal guard and Elisa’s deserves a man who is loyal and kind-hearted like him!

The world building was just as fantastic in The Crown of Embers as it was The Girl of Fire and Thorns. Elisa experiences a whole new area of her country while she is on her journey. The ending of that whole situation had me shocked and saying “WTF!!” Needless to say, I will be in agonizing anticipation for the release of The Bitter Kingdom! I give The Crown of Embers 5 hearts for being a heart pounding adventure romance, pretty much part of the best fantasy trilogy I’ve ever read!