The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

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

by Rae Carson

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.

Reviewed by ladygrey on

4 of 5 stars

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This isn't a typical young adult book and I really like it and respect it for that. It has a different flavor, still written in first person but with some eloquence. The plot feels whole and deep and rich, like The Blue Sword always moving and exciting.

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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 February, 2012: Finished reading
  • 25 February, 2012: Reviewed