Title: The Girl Of Fire and Thorns
Author: Rae Carson
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Series: Fire and Thorn #1
Number of Pages:432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Source: Netgalley
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 needs 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.
While this book had it's faults, I found myself being surprised at how much I loved all the characters and Elisa might just be one of my favorite young adult heroines of the year. She starts out like a lot of young adult heroines do-unsure of herself and different then those around her, but soon finds her hidden talents. What makes this book and Elisa different is that these changes don't occur overnight, and happen at a pace where it's totally believable.
Elisa goes on a journey not only to discover herself, but her beliefs and how things might have been twisted to suit those in power. This book encompasses so much that it's hard to touch upon them all here. I liked that there were a few things that happened that I totally didn't see coming, and as soon as I recovered from one whammy another one was delivered.
This is just a gem of a book and while I am not a fantasy reader, this book made me want to read more of this genre. I want to say more about how wonderful it is, but it's almost impossible to do without ruining the story. I'll just say that this book has a little bit of everything in it and am still surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
