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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
So good! I can't wait for the final book in August.
FIRST THOUGHTS:
I am lying on the cold, hard ground. Twisty, well-paced, clever storytelling. Impeccable characters. A beautiful romance. I just love this book so!
REVIEW:
There’s so much I want to say about The Crown of Embers. Each time I’ve started this review, however, I can’t seem to summon the appropriate words for how it made me feel. Because it did, that is, it made me feel. I was impressed by its predecessor, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, but The Crown of Embers took my positive response to book one, and fanned the flames until it burst into full-on, borderline obsessive fandom.
Clearly, The Crown of Embers is a remarkable book.
What I love most is that it legitimately feels like it is not simply a second book in a trilogy. It does accomplish many things that seconds normally do – developing characters further (especially through their relationships with other characters), carrying along the main plot arc of the entire trilogy and leaving us at a point where the next book will (supposedly) answer all the questions and the characters will face an epic showdown. But it also has the strength to stand separately from its companions, with a contained plot of its own.
The Crown of Embers returns readers to the world of Joya de Arena, once again rejoining Elisa as she embarks on the next chapter of her story. The events of The Girl of Fire and Thorns were certainly a traumatic, yet transformative experience for her: being married to a stranger and moving to a foreign kingdom, getting kidnapped, leading a group of rebels, betrayals, romance, learning about the Godstone and death too. What The Crown of Embers does is two-fold: it shows how Elisa deals with all that’s happened to her so far, as well as showing how she uses what she’s learned to navigate the murkiness of the challenges that face her at present.
It’s no doubt that this story will appeal to fantasy fans. The Crown of Embers features political intrigue and deception, and a voyage into uncharted territory, among other things, which lends to the sense of epic adventure the novel offers. So much happens! I loved it, and my fascination kept me turning the pages.
Elisa began to come into her own in The Girl of Fire and Thorns, but it is in The Crown of Embers where she finds her way as the ruler of Joya de Arena. Like anyone in her position, Elisa faces danger, doubt and anxiety over the major choices and tasks she is forced to make. But her quiet strength, glimmers of growing wisdom and independent, forward thinking make her ideal to step into place as a queen. She becomes such an admirable figurehead, both among her subjects and among her friends (and even for us readers).
Other familiar characters return as well, chief among them Mara (Elisa’s lady-in-waiting, who’s also one of her best friends and a warrior in her own right) and Hector (who deserves an entire paragraph of his own, still to come). There are also a few newcomers, my favorites among them being Storm and Felix. Rae Carson manages to make each character in this ensemble come alive completely, making them so distinct that it’s hard to confuse or forget them once you encounter them. It’s a rare thing to be able to do so effectively, but Carson certainly showed off her chops yet again in The Crown of Embers.
Hector, as promised, warrants a paragraph of praise. He’s been present in Elisa’s life since The Girl of Fire and Thorns, though he has recently become Captain of the Queen’s Guard after Alejandro’s passing. It’s clear that he is well-versed in weapons, strategy and protection. But what becomes entirely too evident in The Crown of Embers is that he is also a man with some vulnerability when it comes to his regard for Elisa. He’s one of her best friends and closest advisers, but it’s plain as day that he’s also got romantic feelings. There are a lot of swoony moments to be had between these two in The Crown of Embers, but nearly all of them build up this extremely slow-burn, cautious romantic relationship.
Clearly, I harbor a lot of affection for The Crown of Embers. It’s not only a phenomenal second book, but it’s also a solid story on its own. I was sincerely blown away by how intense my emotions were while reading, and cannot gush enough about The Crown of Embers. The only piece of advice I’d offer apart from JUST READ IT ALREADY? You should be sure to have the last book, The Bitter Kingdom, on hand, so you can jump in when you’re done with this one!
{If you liked this review, check out Alexa Loves Books for more!}
I am lying on the cold, hard ground. Twisty, well-paced, clever storytelling. Impeccable characters. A beautiful romance. I just love this book so!
REVIEW:
There’s so much I want to say about The Crown of Embers. Each time I’ve started this review, however, I can’t seem to summon the appropriate words for how it made me feel. Because it did, that is, it made me feel. I was impressed by its predecessor, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, but The Crown of Embers took my positive response to book one, and fanned the flames until it burst into full-on, borderline obsessive fandom.
Clearly, The Crown of Embers is a remarkable book.
What I love most is that it legitimately feels like it is not simply a second book in a trilogy. It does accomplish many things that seconds normally do – developing characters further (especially through their relationships with other characters), carrying along the main plot arc of the entire trilogy and leaving us at a point where the next book will (supposedly) answer all the questions and the characters will face an epic showdown. But it also has the strength to stand separately from its companions, with a contained plot of its own.
The Crown of Embers returns readers to the world of Joya de Arena, once again rejoining Elisa as she embarks on the next chapter of her story. The events of The Girl of Fire and Thorns were certainly a traumatic, yet transformative experience for her: being married to a stranger and moving to a foreign kingdom, getting kidnapped, leading a group of rebels, betrayals, romance, learning about the Godstone and death too. What The Crown of Embers does is two-fold: it shows how Elisa deals with all that’s happened to her so far, as well as showing how she uses what she’s learned to navigate the murkiness of the challenges that face her at present.
It’s no doubt that this story will appeal to fantasy fans. The Crown of Embers features political intrigue and deception, and a voyage into uncharted territory, among other things, which lends to the sense of epic adventure the novel offers. So much happens! I loved it, and my fascination kept me turning the pages.
Elisa began to come into her own in The Girl of Fire and Thorns, but it is in The Crown of Embers where she finds her way as the ruler of Joya de Arena. Like anyone in her position, Elisa faces danger, doubt and anxiety over the major choices and tasks she is forced to make. But her quiet strength, glimmers of growing wisdom and independent, forward thinking make her ideal to step into place as a queen. She becomes such an admirable figurehead, both among her subjects and among her friends (and even for us readers).
Other familiar characters return as well, chief among them Mara (Elisa’s lady-in-waiting, who’s also one of her best friends and a warrior in her own right) and Hector (who deserves an entire paragraph of his own, still to come). There are also a few newcomers, my favorites among them being Storm and Felix. Rae Carson manages to make each character in this ensemble come alive completely, making them so distinct that it’s hard to confuse or forget them once you encounter them. It’s a rare thing to be able to do so effectively, but Carson certainly showed off her chops yet again in The Crown of Embers.
Hector, as promised, warrants a paragraph of praise. He’s been present in Elisa’s life since The Girl of Fire and Thorns, though he has recently become Captain of the Queen’s Guard after Alejandro’s passing. It’s clear that he is well-versed in weapons, strategy and protection. But what becomes entirely too evident in The Crown of Embers is that he is also a man with some vulnerability when it comes to his regard for Elisa. He’s one of her best friends and closest advisers, but it’s plain as day that he’s also got romantic feelings. There are a lot of swoony moments to be had between these two in The Crown of Embers, but nearly all of them build up this extremely slow-burn, cautious romantic relationship.
Clearly, I harbor a lot of affection for The Crown of Embers. It’s not only a phenomenal second book, but it’s also a solid story on its own. I was sincerely blown away by how intense my emotions were while reading, and cannot gush enough about The Crown of Embers. The only piece of advice I’d offer apart from JUST READ IT ALREADY? You should be sure to have the last book, The Bitter Kingdom, on hand, so you can jump in when you’re done with this one!
{If you liked this review, check out Alexa Loves Books for more!}
4.5
As well-written and amazing as the first. I'm just not a big Epic Quest gal.
As well-written and amazing as the first. I'm just not a big Epic Quest gal.
It took awhile to get into, in part because I couldn't remember what happened at the end of the last book. It also started with far more castle politics and less adventure. This changed midway through. Elisa also starts to wrestle with a lot of new issues by the end. What does it mean to be queen? How important is love? There is a good amount of romance, action and feminism, which includes knowing your own weaknesses. By the end, I was dying for the next book. Still am.
It's been so long since I read The Girl of Fire and Thorns that I don't actually remember a lot about it. Clearly, though, I liked this one better, which is odd because...because most of the book is sort of a tangent. Elisa and her entourage spend most of the book on a quest that, while technically fulfilled, doesn't end up mattering. But I was crazy about Elisa, a novice queen, insecure and making mistake after mistake--but a natural leader once she's away from her kingdom. And Hector, I love Hector. I love the relationship between the two of them. I very much appreciated the changing and changed dynamic between Elisa and Ximena (her guardian since Elisa's birth)...Oh, and Mara! Elisa's relationship with Mara, who yes, is a servant and a subject, but is also a friend, is just spot on. Exactly the best friend a 17 year old queen would need--someone to remember that Elisa is a young woman, and who would allow Elisa to be just that, sometimes.
I'm ever more interested in the Inviernos, and I'm excited to read the next book, as it seems like Elisa is finally going to be heading to Invierne. I was disappointed, at first, that an ordinary Invierno--that is, not an animagus, not a warrior--was just as alien, just as unlikable as all of the animaguses in the first book. They're reading as almost an entirely separate species than Elisa, and I was really hoping that they'd turn out to be just people, just as a good and kind and sympathetic as any of Elisa's friends. I'm not thinking that's what's going to happen, but you know, I'm okay with that.Storm, an Invierno, so redeemed himself at the end of the book that I think the Inviernos are going to be extremely culturally different, but maybe not evil. I'm hoping, you know.
So, anyway, yeah, not a lot going on plot-wise, but I really liked it, nevertheless.
I'm ever more interested in the Inviernos, and I'm excited to read the next book, as it seems like Elisa is finally going to be heading to Invierne. I was disappointed, at first, that an ordinary Invierno--that is, not an animagus, not a warrior--was just as alien, just as unlikable as all of the animaguses in the first book. They're reading as almost an entirely separate species than Elisa, and I was really hoping that they'd turn out to be just people, just as a good and kind and sympathetic as any of Elisa's friends. I'm not thinking that's what's going to happen, but you know, I'm okay with that.
So, anyway, yeah, not a lot going on plot-wise, but I really liked it, nevertheless.
This sequel was okay.
I did not remember what happened in the previous book, which made the beginning of the book a bit hard to read. Also the beginning was quite boring..
The ending was definitely really good!
Excited to read the next and last book!
I did not remember what happened in the previous book, which made the beginning of the book a bit hard to read. Also the beginning was quite boring..
The ending was definitely really good!
Excited to read the next and last book!
(5 out of 5 stars)
In all honestly, I had a bit more difficult of a time with this book than I did the first, and all because of my own expectations. I went into this expecting greatness (since many reviewers I trust say it is the best book in the series) whereas I had gone into the first novel with a more open mind. In the end, clearly, it worked out though! There is certainly some balancing in the first half of the novel between political intrigue and action which felt a bit heavy-handed for my tastes, but really paid off in the rest of the novel. And - much like the first - this book REALLY delivered on its second half. The adventure, the emotion, the angst; it ALL worked for me. It ended in a way that made me want to immediately pick the finale. This is by no means a perfect book, because it doesn't need to be. I love everything about this world, these characters, their relationships, and it delivered in unexpected but equally amazing ways. I gladly give it 5 stars because that's what it deserves.
In all honestly, I had a bit more difficult of a time with this book than I did the first, and all because of my own expectations. I went into this expecting greatness (since many reviewers I trust say it is the best book in the series) whereas I had gone into the first novel with a more open mind. In the end, clearly, it worked out though! There is certainly some balancing in the first half of the novel between political intrigue and action which felt a bit heavy-handed for my tastes, but really paid off in the rest of the novel. And - much like the first - this book REALLY delivered on its second half. The adventure, the emotion, the angst; it ALL worked for me. It ended in a way that made me want to immediately pick the finale. This is by no means a perfect book, because it doesn't need to be. I love everything about this world, these characters, their relationships, and it delivered in unexpected but equally amazing ways. I gladly give it 5 stars because that's what it deserves.