The Girl of Fire and Thorns

The main character, Elisa, is beyond likable. She’s the perfect balance of lovable and flawed. In fact, she starts out fat and sweats a lot, but that doesn’t stop her from savoring a couple honey-glazed pistachio buns. :) Elisa has realistic worries and fears, yet she’s by no means weak or helpless. She’s so well fleshed out and charismatic that by page 5 I wanted to be her best friend. I loved her so much that I wanted to jump into the book to assess her groom-to-be and make sure he was worthy of her. My feelings of love, protectiveness, and cheering Elisa on through her intense adventures and challenging relationships never wavered throughout the entire story.

I love Fantasy, so I ate up the world building and the mystery and history of the Godstone. I usually need a lot of romance in my stories to make me love them, but not in this one. Romance wasn’t the main focus, yet I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I didn’t even realize how little romance there was until I had finished the book. The story itself, and the characters, are so strong that I didn’t require my usual overdose of romance to stay engrossed. And that says a lot coming from a die-hard romantic like me.

Rae’s beautiful descriptions and exquisitely crafted writing inspired me to want to be a better writer. So many times I had to set the book down and just sigh, praying that one day I’ll be half the writer she is. I can’t say enough good things about The Girl of Fire and Thorns.

GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS is a stunning debut. The world is lush, vivid, and fully realized, from the various locations to the politics and religion driving the war. The characters are subtley portrayed, layered with complexities, and I absolutely love that the heroine is not your typical YA heroine. She's fat, she's afraid, and she doesn't know how to take action. And by the end of the book, she's come into her own, on her terms, and values herself. It's a lovely transformation. I was kept on the edge of my seating, reading as fast as possible even while I savored the amazing world, because SO MUCH happens and I had to see what was coming next. Amazing book.

I begged for this ARC.

But the truth is, I was lucky enough to be one of Rae's crit partners for this novel, and I'm immeasurably pleased to see it in its (nearly) final form.

There's nothing about this book I don't love. Rae's writing is gorgeous and lush, but never feels cumbersome or gratuitous; she finds the perfect detail to share with you. The plot is exciting and complicated enough to keep you guessing -- though never so complicated you can't figure out what's going on. The story carries you along at a good pace -- not too ponderous and not too breakneck. Truly, this one is a rare perfect-for-me book.

But my favorite part of the story, even above all the nerdy pacing and prose stuff, is Elisa.

Princess Lucero-Elisa is chosen. She's the bearer of the Godstone, which comes only once every century. It means she's destined for greatness and to perform an act of incredible service.

Elisa just wants to stay in and eat pastries. She gets winded climbing the stairs, avoids political functions at any cost, and her wedding dress gives her four breasts.

She is a hero more unlikely than most.

But she also has a quick wit, clever mind, and a delicious sense of humor. She is kind, loyal, and pure in her faith. In spite of some less-than-desirable-in-a-princess-and-hero qualities, Elisa is someone you'd want to hang out with. I loved her relationships with other characters, how they grew, how they changed depending on the circumstances -- just like any real-life relationship might change. I loved how her views of other characters unfolded as she gained more insight into their lives.

The book opens with Elisa being married off to the king of Joya d'Arena, a large neighboring kingdom, and then she's whisked away in secret. Through jungle attacks, palace intrigue, kidnappings, desert journeys, and incredible personal loss, Elisa undergoes a subtle transformation hardly realized at first, shown in word choices and unconscious character choices. Through Elisa's very readable narrative, Rae builds her world around the characters so skillfully there are no seams.

Rae's respectful treatment of faith adds another quality to Elisa's character and the worldbuilding -- a quality missing in a lot of SFF-YA. Never preachy or judgmental, religion in Elisa's world is approached in the same way many religions are viewed and accepted in the real world. Some believe, some don't, and there's a wide spectrum in between. This aspect helps make Elisa's world as real and vivid as our own.

My love for this book is epic, and I can't wait for everyone else to share Elisa's incredible journey.

I'm recommending this book to readers who've been waiting for the next great high fantasy.

I'm not really sure how to write this review. Because I'm not the best reviewer in the world. And I know without starting my words won't do Rae's words justice. Like, at all. But hopefully that alone gives you some idea about the amazingness of The Girl of Fire and Thorns in itself.

The book is full of beautiful language, which moves the story forward at a pace quick enough to have you flipping pages at paper cut-inducing rates, but slow enough to let you really take it all in. The action is nonstop. Character growth is evident on almost every single page, and it's all interspersed with conflict on a both fluid AND jarring levels. (Trust me, fluid and jarring do too go together here. You'll see.)

So then, we're moving along at this already fabulous pace . . . and KA-POW. The end of Part I reaches out and sucker punches you. Trust me. Like the book even needed to get more exciting. But it does. By, like, a zillion percent.

My eyes looked like this : O.O

I can't say much more about that without giving anything away, but dayum.

I think I've said before, I'm not a huge setting description kind of person. But The Girl of Fire and Thorns converted me. Elisa travels all over the place. Sometimes willingly, others not. But there's not a step she takes in which I couldn't picture her location with complete precision. And I wanted more. Rae's words weave up and around you until you feel your feet taking Elisa's steps. Your eyes taking in Elisa's sights. I'm not sure I've ever read anything that's pulled me in this way. (Oh, and while we're on the topic of Elisa--you don't need to look any further for a strong female MC. She's brave and smart and just all around spectacular.)

Every single thing in The Girl of Fire and Thorns has a specific place and purpose. Not that you'll notice while reading, because the writing's so smooth . . . And the subplots. Oh, the subplots. They're threaded together so seamlessly you almost forget they're there. Almost. But afterward? You'll realize that each and every one of those things builds and builds and builds into something much BIGGER, with way more relevance than you'd ever expect.

And to that, I say: BOO-YAH. Well played, Rae Carson.

Well played.