Vicki
Written on May 27, 2014
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.
- ISBN10 0062026488
- ISBN13 9780062026484
- Publish Date 20 September 2011
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Imprint Collins
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 432
- Language English
Reviews
inlibrisveritas
Written on Apr 1, 2014
The Girl of Fire and Thorns was one of my more anticipated YA fantasy novels. The hype for this series is massive and almost every review I’ve seen has been almost glowingly positive, unfortunately I don’t think mine will be. In short I enjoyed the overall fantasy and political intrigue, but lagged through much of the books.
The world-building for The Girl of Fire and Thorns is one of the things I really enjoyed. The landscapes and language is different than other fantasy novels and I loved that the land was rich with it’s own history, religion, and people. However I came to tire of religious aspect as it became a very big part of the story. I’m not big on religious feeling books but most of the time fictional religions, even those reverent in nature, don’t bother me. However it felt like I was being preached at, which I’m not fond of in general, but when it’s a religion that only exists between the covers of the book I get really irritated. The religion does lend some rather interesting new ideas, like the Godstone, and I did like seeing Elisa’s journey in becoming the one chosen by her god to change the world. The way Elisa plotted and planned for war and intrigue was fascinating and as the conflict built up I progressively became more interested. Unfortunately most of that occurs in the last third of the book.
Elisa has a lot of pros and cons as a main character. I was initially very excited to see a main character who isn’t the typical thin or athletic girl. She likes to eat and she doesn’t really like doing physical activities, so she’s clearly a girl after my own heart. BUT, she is incredibly negative…and it went beyond low self esteem. It honestly felt like negativity for the sake of negativity. She’s very down on herself about her weight and she feels shame when she eats large portions, but at no point does she attempt to stop doing the thing that causes her such shame…in fact there are moments where she does it in spite of the looks and giggles aimed at her. You can’t be ashamed of an activity only to wear it as a shield two seconds later. So I was somewhat relieved and disappointed when she loses some weight and becomes a bit more fit. I understand the necessity of her loosing weight and I even understand the bolster in confidence, but I was disappointed that no one (not even Elisa herself) bothered to make her feel like a normal person. And if they did have a high opinion of her most of them kept it to themselves until after her change in appearance.
I did like her friendship and budding relationship with Humberto, who was by far the sweetest person in the book. He was incredibly kind to her from the moment her met her onward, and to me he was probably one of the best side characters. Cosme was a great addition with her multifaceted skills and seemingly cold exterior.
I’m glad I stuck with the book instead of giving up like I wanted to around the 30% as it did get better and the overall conclusion was very satisfying. I see that Elisa has grown more confident in herself so I’m not worried about that aspect moving into the second book, I’m hoping that book two improves on some of the things that bothered me.
Amber
Written on Feb 6, 2014
I was going to binge-read this series with Judith, but I got left behind when Judith sped through all three books in a matter of days. I felt betrayed, but what can you do? I went into this one knowing very little about it, just that it was a fantasy book with a kick-ass main character. And people had been talking about someone called Hector. That’s literally all I knew.
As it turns out, The Girl of Fire and Thorns really does have a badass main character. And a random guy called Hector, but I’ll talk about him later. For now, I want to fangirl about Elisa.
Elisa’s character growth was absolutely phenomenal, and I hope it continues to progress throughout this series. Elisa starts off as an innocent princess, spoilt and pudgy, with no idea about how the real world works outside the palace walls. Eventually, after marrying the king of another kingdom, avoiding being killed by various enemies, getting kidnapped, and much more, Elisa turns into a queen. She still has a long way to go, but by the end of The Girl of Fire and Thorns she’s fucking brilliant. She’s right up there with Katniss and Hermione and Rose on my list of top female characters. I adore her.
There’s also a romance, although it’s not between Elisa and Hector. This romance between Elisa and another guy was cute and innocent, much like Elisa’s personality and mindset in the beginning, which worked very well with Elisa’s character at this point in time. I think that’s what relationships should do. They should be what the person needs at that time, and gel with their personality and traits, to work to make the person better or stronger, or just generally move that person along whether it’s in terms of their personality or their mindset or where they are with their life. I’m not usually a fan of cute romances, but this one was really sweet. Carson did a great job of showing the innocence of both parties involved, and having them grow together as they experienced various difficulties.
I was a little confused as to why Elisa wasn’t swooning over Hector, the guy with the moustache, but then I realised that their relationship was going to be some epic slow burn. My favourite! In fact, Hector is in literally about five to eight scenes in this book. He’s not an important part at all. Instead, the focus is all on Elisa and her growth as she journeys from girl to woman. Or princess to queen, if that’s the analogy you wish to use.
Normally I’m very hesitant when it comes to books featuring religion in any way, because in the past I’ve often found them to come across as preachy and putting the religion very much in your face. However, I love the religious element of The Girl of Fire and Thorns! It works very well with the world that Rae Carson has created, and with the characters themselves. Carson does such a great job of blending it in with the very core of this world, that you can’t imagine it without some sort of faith. Elisa’s faith isn’t over the top at all. It’s a huge part of who she is, but it doesn’t overshadow other elements of her character. This is also very true of the religious aspect of the world building. It isn’t OTT or preachy, it just is.
I am very pleased with how much I enjoyed The Girl of Fire and Thorns. While it wasn’t a favourite of mine, it was truly beautiful and captivating, with it’s amazing main character whose character growth rivals all others’, and the epic world building that makes you feel as though you’ve only discovered one small piece of this world, and the villains and the cute romance and… I could go on for a long time about this.
If you haven’t read The Girl of Fire and Thorns yet, you definitely should. I’ve already sped through the second book, The Crown of Embers, and am biding my time until I find the perfect moment to start The Bitter Kingdom. The Girl of Fire and Thorns is just the start of an epic fantasy series that I’m sure most of you will adore.
Chelsea
Written on Jul 13, 2013
There’s only a couple reasons I would not give this book a full 5 stars. First of all there was a lot of religion in this book. I have nothing against that it’s just not something I enjoy reading in a fantasy book. The second thing is that I wish we saw more of Elisa’s husband. I wish they had been together more and fell in love. That’s just my romantic side coming out but it would have been nice. Instead her husband doesn’t even recognize her after she returns. It’s unfortunate really.
e_rodz_leb
Written on Dec 1, 2012
I first started listening to the audio book, but unfortunately, this is not the best format for me when reading fantasy. It is really hard for me to remember all the names of people and places when they are not commonly known words and it is a lot easier to read instead. Since I already had a copy of the book, and it started getting really interesting, I finished the book in no time.
Girl of Fire and Thrones was pleasant surprise for me. Elisa quickly grew on me.
Lucero-Elisa (lucero means star) is a princesses and God’ chosen one. She grew up in privilege and led a very sheltered life of study and prayer. All of the sudden she’s married off to King Alejandro, a complete stranger, and she doesn’t even know why. Elisa is an endearing character because, although she is plagued with self-doubt, self-esteem and body issues she rises above all of it and grows to be an amazing and strong female character. She is extremely start and knows a lot about strategy, which comes in very handy when her country is threatened by war. Her outer and inner change happened gradually and it’s very believable. I enjoy her journey and its outcome.
Most of the characters are well fleshed out and memorable as well, so I’ll mention a few of them. Alejandro is the king of Joya d’Arena (means jewel of the sand); he tries to be kind to Elisa, but after all she is very young (16) and he doesn’t know her either. Hi is very weak of character and all his sneakiness made me dislike him. I like Lord Hector, in charge of the royal guard, since he values Elisa and is very pleasant to her. I hope something deeper develops beteween them in the next book. Ximena is Elisa’s nurse and guardian and she loves her deeply. Oh, Humberto, I really love you.
The setting is a bit of a mystery to me. Most names of places and people are in Spanish (or Latin), and some of the places described sound almost like a Mexican villa. However, the kingdom of Joya is huge and covers desert, forests and mountains, but it feels almost like an Arabian county. Distances are outrageous (it takes a month to get from the capital to the mountains) and customs (food, dress) change from area to area. The Inviernos (which means “winter”) are describes as white, fair haired and with light eyes, but a barbaric, which reminds me of Vikings.
The plot is very original. I found a bit weird the fact that the Godstone was in Elisa’s navel and acted sort of like a danger and mood detector and like a GPS, but overall it worked with the rest of the story. Also, I found Elisa’s lack of faith in her abilities and her continuous thought of food and her appearance a little bothersome. The book has heavy religious undertones, but this is fiction, so of course it is all made up. The writing was easy to read and flawless; still my favorite part, besides the plot is the characterization.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“I almost stab him right then. What would this man know of God’s will? He is insane, hardly human with his wild eyes and predatory hunger…Now even, my enemy presumes to know the mid of God…I am his bearer and I understand nothing.” Elisa
“My heart hammers in my throat, my breath comes too fast, but I force my hands to relax, to lower the daggers. Someone is saving me. Someone who called me ‘Your Highness’ “…All the rage and grief and fear flow out of me until my body is limp. I stumble toward Lord Hector, wrap my arms around him.” Eliza
“Honor from death,” I snap, “is a myth. Invented by the war torn to make sense of the horrific. If we die, it will be so that others may live. Truly honorable death, the only honorable death, is one that enables life.” - Eliza
About the cover: I’m not too crazy about the cover, which is probably one of the reasons it took me so long to read this book.
anne
Written on Dec 1, 2012
lizarodz
Written on Dec 1, 2012
I first started listening to the audio book, but unfortunately, this is not the best format for me when reading fantasy. It is really hard for me to remember all the names of people and places when they are not commonly known words and it is a lot easier to read instead. Since I already had a copy of the book, and it started getting really interesting, I finished the book in no time.
Girl of Fire and Thrones was pleasant surprise for me. Elisa quickly grew on me.
Lucero-Elisa (lucero means star) is a princesses and God’ chosen one. She grew up in privilege and led a very sheltered life of study and prayer. All of the sudden she’s married off to King Alejandro, a complete stranger, and she doesn’t even know why. Elisa is an endearing character because, although she is plagued with self-doubt, self-esteem and body issues she rises above all of it and grows to be an amazing and strong female character. She is extremely start and knows a lot about strategy, which comes in very handy when her country is threatened by war. Her outer and inner change happened gradually and it’s very believable. I enjoy her journey and its outcome.
Most of the characters are well fleshed out and memorable as well, so I’ll mention a few of them. Alejandro is the king of Joya d’Arena (means jewel of the sand); he tries to be kind to Elisa, but after all she is very young (16) and he doesn’t know her either. Hi is very weak of character and all his sneakiness made me dislike him. I like Lord Hector, in charge of the royal guard, since he values Elisa and is very pleasant to her. I hope something deeper develops beteween them in the next book. Ximena is Elisa’s nurse and guardian and she loves her deeply. Oh, Humberto, I really love you.
The setting is a bit of a mystery to me. Most names of places and people are in Spanish (or Latin), and some of the places described sound almost like a Mexican villa. However, the kingdom of Joya is huge and covers desert, forests and mountains, but it feels almost like an Arabian county. Distances are outrageous (it takes a month to get from the capital to the mountains) and customs (food, dress) change from area to area. The Inviernos (which means “winter”) are describes as white, fair haired and with light eyes, but a barbaric, which reminds me of Vikings.
The plot is very original. I found a bit weird the fact that the Godstone was in Elisa’s navel and acted sort of like a danger and mood detector and like a GPS, but overall it worked with the rest of the story. Also, I found Elisa’s lack of faith in her abilities and her continuous thought of food and her appearance a little bothersome. The book has heavy religious undertones, but this is fiction, so of course it is all made up. The writing was easy to read and flawless; still my favorite part, besides the plot is the characterization.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“I almost stab him right then. What would this man know of God’s will? He is insane, hardly human with his wild eyes and predatory hunger…Now even, my enemy presumes to know the mid of God…I am his bearer and I understand nothing.” Elisa
“My heart hammers in my throat, my breath comes too fast, but I force my hands to relax, to lower the daggers. Someone is saving me. Someone who called me ‘Your Highness’ “…All the rage and grief and fear flow out of me until my body is limp. I stumble toward Lord Hector, wrap my arms around him.” Eliza
“Honor from death,” I snap, “is a myth. Invented by the war torn to make sense of the horrific. If we die, it will be so that others may live. Truly honorable death, the only honorable death, is one that enables life.” - Eliza
About the cover: I’m not too crazy about the cover, which is probably one of the reasons it took me so long to read this book.
Jordon
Written on Jul 1, 2012
Wow. I read this book in eight hours straight! The Girl of Fire and Thorns had me hooked as soon as I opened the book.
The girl of fire and thorns
Elisa is the youngest princess of her kingdom, she is the bearer of the godstone which is a gem that was placed by God and sits in her belly button. The gem means she is the chosen one, the one that has been given a service by God himself, she just has to figure out what that is.
Elisa is more confident in the scriptures and other languages than she is in ruling the lands, so when she’s married off to another kingdom’s King and finds out it was for troops to aid his lands with the war that threatens to happen at any time with the Inviernos and that it is a complete secret from his people she’s more than disappointed and confused. She believe’s she is worthless to anyone but will try her hardest to not let that show.
She is kidnapped from her bed and wakes up in the desert with her captors, she realises that to survive she must stay with them. Through her journey we see her grow.
The journey
Elisa had one hell of a journey that she went through. And not just physically. Although she did travel a bit from her homeland to her new husbands kingdom, being kidnapped from there to the Hill Country and having to walk a month through the desert and so on.
The journey I was most impressed with was the personal journey for Elisa. At the beginning she had no confidence at all and believed everyone disliked her either because of the godstone or because she was overweight. As the story went on she grew and changed and watching how that happened was very entertaining and even enlightening. I loved seeing how she overcame her personal difficulties as well as the ones at hand. I loved seeing her grow and adapt to the situation. She was very smart, she may not have been very confident when it came to queenly duties or being in charge but she was very intelligent.
It was nice to see her self confidence grow.
The emotions
This book definitely elicited a few emotions out of me. Excitement, anxiousness, pride, and heart break. I was excited for most of the book, anxious when I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, I found myself being proud of Elisa as she grew into a strong confident woman and then the romance was both sweet and heart breaking. This book had me all over the place.
This story was very entertaining and exciting and not just on the level of what was happening, it was also exciting getting to see Elisa change and grow for the good throughout the book. I do think the ending was a little anti-climactical for the huge journey that lead to it happening, but it was still a pretty awesome read.
Overall, this book was one epic read. I had lots of fun reading the trials Elisa faced and thought the journey was very interesting. I will definitely be picking up the next book to see what Elisa face’s next.
The Girl of Fire and Thorns in as enthralling story about an adventure that leads to self growth and strength mixed in with love and determination.
I recommend reading this book if you enjoy fantasy, romance, and very good character development! It’s a must read!
Always,
Jordon
This review was originally posted on Simply Adrift
ladygrey
Written on Feb 25, 2012
I like that Elisa was not a typical heroine at all but that she grew into herself. Seeing her evolution was maybe one of the best things about the book. I think it also makes her really relatable to young girls who aren't tall and unnaturally fast or spectacularly pretty even though they don't realize it.
I loved every way this book defied YA convention; that culturally it was very different; that people weren't what you expected but were dimensional and both flawed and strong ; that it was gracefully unexpected and well written.
Kelsenator
Written on Feb 17, 2012
Ever since I read the Tortall world of Tamora Pierce, I’ve been in love with fantasy books about castles, sword battles, a little bit of magic, and so on. This book definitely doesn’t disappoint, with an all new type of fantasy adventure that made me never want to put the book down.
Elisa is an amazing character. She starts out as feeling useless and unwanted, someone the reader can imagine themselves as being. A curvy girl who sits in the sidelines while her sister and father rule their kingdom. The only thing she thinks redeems her is the Godstone, a little blue stone in her bellybutton, placed there by God when she was little. She is his chosen one, and is told she will have a great destiny. Some people might try to use her and this stone for their own purposes however, so she needs to be kept safe.
Because of that, she gets secretly married to a king from another country. Not long after arriving at his castle, she gets kidnapped, and is forced across the desert, to a group of people who say they need her help. Through the book she grows stronger and changes, but I won’t spoil it by giving anything away. Aside from the fact that Humberto and Cosmé are awesome!
I loved the world this author has created. All the characters you loved and hated, all the adventures they went through, and all the clever plans were an amazing read. I recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, a little bit of romance and lots of adventure.