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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
I was a bit disappointed with this book. After being a strong leader of a rebel group, Elisa becomes a weak queen. I found that a bit annoying although I realize that she is only 17 years old. She struggles to rule her country and learns more about the godstone and goes on a quest to find it's source of power. A romance blooms betweeh Elisa and Hector, who goes on the quest with her and others. There will be another book in the series since this one ends with a cliffhanger. I did enjoy the book even though Elisa seemed a bit to wimpy as a queen.
This was so much better! I enjoyed it from beginning to end. There was so much action, the stakes were higher and the romance was subtle, but oh so good! The thing that still puzzles me a bit is the magic system, is quite vague. On to the next one!
3.5 rounded up to 4
Well, this is definitely better and more entertaining than the first one. And I also love the relationship blooming in this book, unlike the first one. The ending though, i'll 100% dive immediately to the next book.
Well, this is definitely better and more entertaining than the first one. And I also love the relationship blooming in this book, unlike the first one. The ending though, i'll 100% dive immediately to the next book.
*4.5*
first off as i have said though my entire read of this book i absolutely adored hector! except for when he is acting like a man and puts his head in the sand which is exactly what happened toward the end. elisa just continued to grow in this second book and i just really enjoyed that aspect. obviously in the beginning she is still unsure of her ruling and by the end her confidence in not only her kingdom but herself is so good to see for a female character especially in the ya genre.
i could write about a ten page paper on why ximena just needs to take a chill pill and relax. i totally understand that her life duty is to protect elisa but honestly just giving up hector like that. i was shook to say the least as well as pissed. by that point i was literally yelling at my book because i just want them to be together! i was a wreck when he almost died and now he's being taken prisoner and i just cannot handle!
needless to say this is going to be a series that i binge in what is looking like less than a week and I'm honestly not that upset about it. i was almost reluctant to pick up this second book just because the first one really didn't do much for me. was it entertaining? yes, but every time i got semi attached to a character they died and it just made me more mad than anything. so basically if anything happens to hector in the third book this trilogy will be ruined for me. not to say that elisa needs a man but gosh they are just too darn cute!
overall i enjoyed where this went although i feel like the tests other than the dang hurricane/ tornado i was expecting either more of them or for elisa to just have more difficulty overcoming them other than running away. but a solid addition to the trilogy and a 4.5 stars for me.
first off as i have said though my entire read of this book i absolutely adored hector! except for when he is acting like a man and puts his head in the sand which is exactly what happened toward the end. elisa just continued to grow in this second book and i just really enjoyed that aspect. obviously in the beginning she is still unsure of her ruling and by the end her confidence in not only her kingdom but herself is so good to see for a female character especially in the ya genre.
i could write about a ten page paper on why ximena just needs to take a chill pill and relax. i totally understand that her life duty is to protect elisa but honestly just giving up hector like that. i was shook to say the least as well as pissed. by that point i was literally yelling at my book because i just want them to be together! i was a wreck when he almost died and now he's being taken prisoner and i just cannot handle!
needless to say this is going to be a series that i binge in what is looking like less than a week and I'm honestly not that upset about it. i was almost reluctant to pick up this second book just because the first one really didn't do much for me. was it entertaining? yes, but every time i got semi attached to a character they died and it just made me more mad than anything. so basically if anything happens to hector in the third book this trilogy will be ruined for me. not to say that elisa needs a man but gosh they are just too darn cute!
overall i enjoyed where this went although i feel like the tests other than the dang hurricane/ tornado i was expecting either more of them or for elisa to just have more difficulty overcoming them other than running away. but a solid addition to the trilogy and a 4.5 stars for me.
THIS ENDING THO (°_°)
I'M SMILING WIDELY LIKE A DICK
___
so there's magic
there is no love triangles
no extra love
a healthy relationship even realistic
____
HIGH FIVE FOR ME
but still missing alejandro i think i'm the only one who loved him badly ..
I'M SMILING WIDELY LIKE A DICK
___
so there's magic
there is no love triangles
no extra love
a healthy relationship even realistic
____
HIGH FIVE FOR ME
but still missing alejandro i think i'm the only one who loved him badly ..
Once an insecure princess, Elisa is now a celebrated war Queen at just seventeen. Unfortunately, being a strong queen may be more than Elisa can handle. Assassins come for her in the night. By day, she has to worry about her own councilors undermining her authority. When Elisa learns about a mythical source of unimaginable power, she sees this as a way to prove her strength, but will the journey prove to be too much for her?
I found Rae Carson's debut novel, The Girl of Fire and Thorns to be a throughout satisfying young adult fantasy adventure, filled with great characters, plenty of action, and some really cool worldbuilding. I'm happy to report that I found the the sequel, The Crown of Embers, to be just as enjoyable. The Crown of Embers delivers an exciting holy grail-like quest that feels straight out of an Indiana Jones movie, as well as some really compelling romance. When the book opens, we learn that Elisa may have emerged victorious at the end of The Girl of Fire and Thorns, but that doesn't mean that her life will be free of peril. She must deal with the weight of responsibility of leadership and complete with new adversaries, including some that wear the faces of her allies.
I love how Rae Carson continues to give us a world where it's not always clear what the right decision is, and there are consequences to everyone's actions. This is apparent in the subplot involving the pressure on Elisa to marry. After a weak rule from Elisa's deceased husband, her advisers desire nothing more than to counterbalance that with a strong king. Elisa recognizes the wisdom in this but finds that it conflicts with her own romantic feelings for Hector. Should she follow her head and deny herself the love she desires, or follow her heart and have her rule suffer? It's a plot that will feel similar to that of Queen Elizabeth the First of England, who found herself pressured to marry for the good of England when it was clear that she had feelings for her well known favorite, Sir Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. Speaking of the romance, I found the love story to be handled very well in Crown of Embers. The tension here between Elisa and Hector is absolutely fantastic.
Final Thoughts: Simply put, if you enjoyed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, you're going to like the sequel, The Crown of Embers. Elisa remains a fantastic heroine, smart yet relatable, with even bigger challenges to overcome this time around. I found the romance in this volume to be especially enjoyable, and suspect other readers will as well. One thing worth mentioning is The Crown of Embers does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. I thought it was an effective one, but I know that some people aren't very fond of them.
I found Rae Carson's debut novel, The Girl of Fire and Thorns to be a throughout satisfying young adult fantasy adventure, filled with great characters, plenty of action, and some really cool worldbuilding. I'm happy to report that I found the the sequel, The Crown of Embers, to be just as enjoyable. The Crown of Embers delivers an exciting holy grail-like quest that feels straight out of an Indiana Jones movie, as well as some really compelling romance. When the book opens, we learn that Elisa may have emerged victorious at the end of The Girl of Fire and Thorns, but that doesn't mean that her life will be free of peril. She must deal with the weight of responsibility of leadership and complete with new adversaries, including some that wear the faces of her allies.
I love how Rae Carson continues to give us a world where it's not always clear what the right decision is, and there are consequences to everyone's actions. This is apparent in the subplot involving the pressure on Elisa to marry. After a weak rule from Elisa's deceased husband, her advisers desire nothing more than to counterbalance that with a strong king. Elisa recognizes the wisdom in this but finds that it conflicts with her own romantic feelings for Hector. Should she follow her head and deny herself the love she desires, or follow her heart and have her rule suffer? It's a plot that will feel similar to that of Queen Elizabeth the First of England, who found herself pressured to marry for the good of England when it was clear that she had feelings for her well known favorite, Sir Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. Speaking of the romance, I found the love story to be handled very well in Crown of Embers. The tension here between Elisa and Hector is absolutely fantastic.
Final Thoughts: Simply put, if you enjoyed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, you're going to like the sequel, The Crown of Embers. Elisa remains a fantastic heroine, smart yet relatable, with even bigger challenges to overcome this time around. I found the romance in this volume to be especially enjoyable, and suspect other readers will as well. One thing worth mentioning is The Crown of Embers does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. I thought it was an effective one, but I know that some people aren't very fond of them.
If I could give this 5 more stars for an even 10, I would! I loved it! It was fast paced, exciting and deftly written. Carson develops characters that are likable, authentic, and so memorable they can climb into your heart (I love Hector, too!) I am going to retread both books again while I wait for the conclusion.
The second book in the Fire and Thorns trilogy follows our Queen Elisa as she goes on quest to try to learn more about her godstone and how to control it in order to save her Kingdom.
I enjoyed this story and consumed it so fast as I just wanted to know what happened. This story did seem a bit better than the first book, but it still has some issues. I really appreciated some of the topics the author tackles that were good to see in a book for young readers. Things like consent, and power dynamics and communication in a relationship. Some of the "issues" with the relationship seemed to just be creating trouble for the sake of drama and conflict...especially with the resulting solution seeming to be at odds with the previous restrictions to the relationship (hard to discuss without spoilers.....). If someone is good enough for a marriage alliance with one monarch, why is it not okay for another?
I continue to dislike the magic system, as it is fleshed out there are some glaring inconsistencies and you can tell it is being molded to fit into the story. The ultimate conflict of this story was kind of a let down in the end and felt like it was solved far too easily for the build up. We spent all this time working towards something that everyone has been searching for and......pretty much nothing happens.
I really enjoy the people and friendships in this story, they are what holds up the story for me. Love it that we can have friendships between people without our any romantic inclinations, and there wasn't any insta-love in this book, which is refreshing. The adventure was fun though, like I said the ultimate climax was a bit laughable.
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