The Girl of Fire and Thorns

The Girl of Fire and Thorns
by Rae Carson

423 pages
Published September 20, 2011

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. 

* * *

I wanted to read this even before it came out. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get my hands on it until recently. Carson's debut novel found an immediate spot on my hard-to-get-onto All-Time Favorite Books List.

This world is lush with description (but not at all overbearing). The characters are perfectly flawed. Um, can I just say I love that Elisa is fat, and that she knows it and admits it?

There's enough adventure to satisfy even me. Sacrifice, danger, love, duty, war, spying, personal growth. I could go on all day.

Put simply, I love this book. If you enjoy fantasy and adventure, you're missing out if you don't read this!

5+/5 stars