Girl of Fire and Thorns 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 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."-GoodReads.

Hardcover, 423 pages

Published September 20th 2011 by Greenwillow Books

Source: NetGalley.

I really had no idea what kind of book this was when I started reading it. I had only skimmed the description when I decided to request it from NetGalley, but fellow bloggers said that is was completely worth it so I gave it a shot.

Girl of Fire and Thorns was most definitely worth giving a chance as it was nothing short of incredible.

The book, for me, started off a little slow. I wasn't quite sure where or when it was taking place, and there wasn't the normal character introductions. You just get thrown in Elisa's world right before the biggest moment of her life, her secret arranged marriage. At first I was thinking 'I don't know her, why should I feel bad for her about this?' And that worried me, but Rae Carson is an brilliant writer and calmed my fears right away. As the story continues I got to see inside of Elisa's head without having an information overload. It was a gradual get to know you, so I ended up really caring about Elisa.

This isn't a book where the main character feels like the world rests on their shoulders but it really doesn't...the world really does rest on Elisa's shoulders. She is the Chosen One, but she's not really sure what that means or what she is supposed to do. All she really knows is that she is not strong enough, pretty enough, or brave enough to complete whatever her task may be, that is should have been her sister that was Chosen. 

She has to go to this new land where she doesn't know anybody and figure out quickly who she can and cannot trust, which is difficult since people are constantly keeping things from her, telling her half truths, or just out right lying to her. So as the story goes on, Elisa doesn't know anymore or less than we do. It is kept through the whole thing that the reader really only knows as much as she does, so you get to find out things with her, which I liked a lot. I don't like stories where everything is spelled out for the reader, but the characters seem to miss everything. It really kept me drawn into the story that was being told. 

Girl of Fire and Thorns has a lot of history to it with this great twist of fantasy that goes back centuries. You can tell that a lot of thought went into not only the characters, but the plot and story line, as well. It is rich and very fulfilling. It's wonderful one moment and heartbreaking the next.
It a good size book with a big story in it, but if you like fantasy with a touch of romance, lots of action, and always guessing who is the good guys or bad guys, then this is the book for you.


I received this book free of charge from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, altered my opinion of the story or my review.