The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Girl of Fire and Thorns, #1)

by Rae Carson

[Sam@WLABB]

My daughter read this book back in 2013 and has raved about Rae Carson, but I still did not read this book. So, why did I finally read the book? Because I attended the Fierce is My Middle Name panel at BookCon and wanted to buy what she was selling. I must say, I am not disappointed. This book captivated me. I HAD to keep reading to find out the fate of Elisa, Cosme, Alejandro, Humberto, Belen, Ximena, and everyone else. I cared about their fates. This book is full of strong female characters. Cosme doesn't mess around. She is independent and self sufficient and is able to soldier on after suffering loss. Ximena's ferocity is not as overt, but hidden away until she needs to release it. And then, there is Elisa. Elisa suffers from low self esteem and comforts herself with food. Why? Because she is the bearer of the Godstone and instead of being spoken to or with, she is spoken about. She is weighted down by learned helplessness, but when she is thrust into a sink or swim situation, she shows that she can live up to her destiny.

Towards the end of this book, Elisa reflects, "I didn't need faith in God so much as I needed faith in myself." This punctuates her personal growth and I cannot wait to see Elisa grow more and more. On to the next book!