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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I believe Rae Carson delivered a strong first book in the Fire and Thorns trilogy. I started this book not even a week ago and just flew through it. That's how easy this book was to read and how much I enjoyed it. Her writing style was very fluid and engaging. I never felt that there was a time in the story that was hindering on being to slow (well maybe the first part but that is it). The plot of the chosen one in this book to me just felt unoriginal. Maybe it's because I am late to the ball game with this series. Maybe it is also because I am not religious myself but the whole God's chosen I just wasn't feeling it. Through the entire story Elisa knows she is God's chosen however she doesn't know what for so she spends the entirety of the book searching for an answer and comes up with nothing. I did love Elisa's character though. She was very spunky and did the best she could given her situation. Alas besides Elisa, Ximena, and Rosario; the characters were forgettable at best. Not one character made a lasting impression on me so when characters perished I honestly didn't miss them or feel bad for them in the slightest. Since this is the first book, I was expecting a lot of foundational world building, but it was actually quite light. It was nice to be able to read a book that wasn't so heavy in the world building aspect. Not that those aren't enjoyable because I love me some deep complex worlds. Every once in a while though it is nice just to glide through the world. Granted we only visited like 4 places. I am hoping for more world in the next two books.
This review is also on my blog
I first heard about this book when a coworker recommended it. Considering I had just recommended two books to her (and she immediately bought) I had to give The Girl of Fire and Thorns a chance. I’m very glad I did. Elisa was a powerful character to me. She starts with absolutely no confidence, feeling as if she’s useless and worthless to everyone around her. But with every difficult situation she’s put in, she finds that she has what it takes within herself to fight what what is right. One of the biggest perks to me was the slight story line of romance. Just enough to make it realistic, but she stayed true to her cause. She never was overwhelmed by lovesickness. She’s a hero for others and to herself as well. She never relies solely on others to save her.
I wasn’t really in to the entire religious theme at the beginning of the book, but as the story went on, it hooked me. Elisa herself is kept in the dark from the history of the Godstone. So as the reader, you are also. But as she learns more about the past bearers and their acts of service, little pieces of a bigger puzzle show themselves. I would have liked to have more focus on those little pieces. It seemed like a side thought more than anything, even though it was pretty much the boost she needed to win.
Overall, I loved the book. The story was strong enough to keep me turning the pages. And for a fantasy book, it still seemed realistic (if that makes sense). I think any young reader who like stories like Game of Thrones, just more simple and straight-forward, would love this book.
I first heard about this book when a coworker recommended it. Considering I had just recommended two books to her (and she immediately bought) I had to give The Girl of Fire and Thorns a chance. I’m very glad I did. Elisa was a powerful character to me. She starts with absolutely no confidence, feeling as if she’s useless and worthless to everyone around her. But with every difficult situation she’s put in, she finds that she has what it takes within herself to fight what what is right. One of the biggest perks to me was the slight story line of romance. Just enough to make it realistic, but she stayed true to her cause. She never was overwhelmed by lovesickness. She’s a hero for others and to herself as well. She never relies solely on others to save her.
I wasn’t really in to the entire religious theme at the beginning of the book, but as the story went on, it hooked me. Elisa herself is kept in the dark from the history of the Godstone. So as the reader, you are also. But as she learns more about the past bearers and their acts of service, little pieces of a bigger puzzle show themselves. I would have liked to have more focus on those little pieces. It seemed like a side thought more than anything, even though it was pretty much the boost she needed to win.
Overall, I loved the book. The story was strong enough to keep me turning the pages. And for a fantasy book, it still seemed realistic (if that makes sense). I think any young reader who like stories like Game of Thrones, just more simple and straight-forward, would love this book.
I still love this book!!
I absolutely love the characters in this and the world. This is such a gem in terms of world building within fantasy. In Fantasy there's usually some sort of Pagan religion and it's not usually much of a focal point. Not so in The Girl of Fire & Thorns. Elisa is one of God's chosen ones and is prophecised to perform a Great Service. Her life has been destined to God and she bears the Godstone.
I really loved the way religion and faith were portrayed in this world. It's how I wish more organized religions were--as a community and support network that allows everyone to find their journey to faith while they are given guidance that isn't forceful. Elisa's journey from doubt and fear to true belief was beautiful and felt realistic to me.
I loved how magic/sorcery were introduced into the world. It was nicely explained and I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK DAMMIT. Then there's Elisa herself: she's fat, but also incredibly intelligent and has some cutting sass. Elisa also learns how to believe in herself and becomes a self-reliant, confident and amazing leader. Elisa goes through so much just in the first half of the book and it's crazy! I definitely would not have survived the trek through the desert.
There's so many wonderful other characters in this book, but I don't want to write a 500 page essay. This is an amazing series and I highly recommend it!
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Rating: 4.5/5
First Impression: Pretty interesting so far. I’m curious the role of the Godstone and the chosen one. What kind of service will Elisa have to do? I’m glad her husband is kind. That would suck if he was as ass. Being married on your sixteenth birthday to a complete stranger does not sound appealing. I’m further in the book now and I’ve got to say all the religion and mysticism doesn’t bother me at all. It’s actually really interesting. I have a feeling I’m really going to like this book. I relate to Elisa so much.
Further: I loved this book!!! It was amazing! I loved the plot. Okay, so the plot: It starts with Elisa’s secret marriage to the King Alejandro of Joya d’Arena, a large nation at the brink of war with another nation, Invierne. She moves to the palace there and is introduced as a “special guest”. She quickly befriends Lord Hector, a member of the King’s guard, as well as the young Prince Rosario. Elisa may be fat, but she has a fiery, pious and funny personality.
One night, Elisa is kidnapped and taken to a town far away in the desert nation. In this small town, she is forced to become the chosen one. She believes she is a failure of a princess while everyone looks up to her. As she grows fond of the people there, she begins to believe in herself more. She begins to believe she has been chosen for a reason. She even plans and leads a small band of rebels against Invierne to help the King.
Two other characters I grew to love were Humberto and Cosme. They are brother and sister. Humberto is kind and friendly. Also, he’s pretty cute from what I gathered. Elisa and he are attracted to each other. But, they don’t get to act on their feelings, because they are captured and Humberto is killed by Conde Trevino. A traitor and member or a council to the King’s military strategists. Fortunately, Hector comes and kills the traitorous Conde for Elisa. Unfortunately, Humberto is still dead. Waaaaaah!!!!! Cosme started off as a maid for Condesa Arina. To put it simply, Arina is a stuck up snob who is also the King's mistress. Cosme is a part of the band that kidnaps Elisa, since she bears the Godstone. Though Cosme can seem icy and mean, she really does befriend Elisa. It just takes time for her to trust others.
This story was set in an interesting world, with new countries and a very traditional and conservative religion. I usually don’t like religion-y things, but I loved how it was incorporated and entwined in the story. I really liked how Elisa developed her relationship with God, it was very believable and inspiring. I liked how religion and magic worked together. I thought it was absolutely mystifying and amazing! I can’t wait to read the second installment of Elisa’s adventure.
I absolutely love the characters in this and the world. This is such a gem in terms of world building within fantasy. In Fantasy there's usually some sort of Pagan religion and it's not usually much of a focal point. Not so in The Girl of Fire & Thorns. Elisa is one of God's chosen ones and is prophecised to perform a Great Service. Her life has been destined to God and she bears the Godstone.
I really loved the way religion and faith were portrayed in this world. It's how I wish more organized religions were--as a community and support network that allows everyone to find their journey to faith while they are given guidance that isn't forceful. Elisa's journey from doubt and fear to true belief was beautiful and felt realistic to me.
I loved how magic/sorcery were introduced into the world. It was nicely explained and I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK DAMMIT. Then there's Elisa herself: she's fat, but also incredibly intelligent and has some cutting sass. Elisa also learns how to believe in herself and becomes a self-reliant, confident and amazing leader. Elisa goes through so much just in the first half of the book and it's crazy! I definitely would not have survived the trek through the desert.
There's so many wonderful other characters in this book, but I don't want to write a 500 page essay. This is an amazing series and I highly recommend it!
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Rating: 4.5/5
First Impression: Pretty interesting so far. I’m curious the role of the Godstone and the chosen one. What kind of service will Elisa have to do? I’m glad her husband is kind. That would suck if he was as ass. Being married on your sixteenth birthday to a complete stranger does not sound appealing. I’m further in the book now and I’ve got to say all the religion and mysticism doesn’t bother me at all. It’s actually really interesting. I have a feeling I’m really going to like this book. I relate to Elisa so much.
Further: I loved this book!!! It was amazing! I loved the plot. Okay, so the plot: It starts with Elisa’s secret marriage to the King Alejandro of Joya d’Arena, a large nation at the brink of war with another nation, Invierne. She moves to the palace there and is introduced as a “special guest”. She quickly befriends Lord Hector, a member of the King’s guard, as well as the young Prince Rosario. Elisa may be fat, but she has a fiery, pious and funny personality.
One night, Elisa is kidnapped and taken to a town far away in the desert nation. In this small town, she is forced to become the chosen one. She believes she is a failure of a princess while everyone looks up to her. As she grows fond of the people there, she begins to believe in herself more. She begins to believe she has been chosen for a reason. She even plans and leads a small band of rebels against Invierne to help the King.
Two other characters I grew to love were Humberto and Cosme. They are brother and sister. Humberto is kind and friendly. Also, he’s pretty cute from what I gathered. Elisa and he are attracted to each other.
This story was set in an interesting world, with new countries and a very traditional and conservative religion. I usually don’t like religion-y things, but I loved how it was incorporated and entwined in the story. I really liked how Elisa developed her relationship with God, it was very believable and inspiring. I liked how religion and magic worked together. I thought it was absolutely mystifying and amazing! I can’t wait to read the second installment of Elisa’s adventure.
I was surprised at how this book drew me in. It has a lot of the standard elements of YA fantasy: girl who defines herself as not pretty and is very insecure but has many hot dudes fall in love with her, girl with a special destiny and powers she doesn't understand. But I got involved in Elisa's development. I've scanned some reviews that found it offensive that Elisa became heroic after she became 'thin' but that didn't seem to be what was going on to me. It seemed more like Elisa was never and would never be thin by Hollywood standards, but that of course didn't keep her body from changing to suit a more active lifestyle (active meaning endless treks through the desert). The author was kind of trapped in that sense in that the character clearly did enjoy eating, but also sometimes ate out of self-loathing or hopelessness. So she went from someone who enjoyed eating but overindulged and didn't exercise to someone who enjoyed eating but had other things more important to her as well and got a lot more exercise.
Another thing I appreciated in this book compared to others I've read was that I actually bought the hostility-turned-friendship with another girl. It seems like I've read other stories where the main character meets a mean girl who hates her and then they become friends just because, while I'm left thinking that I would never consider this other person anything but a bully and an enemy. But here, the pov of the frenemy made sense to me and was less personal, and the friendship remained a bit guarded, which helped.
So in short, the book definitely sucked me in and kept me reading--though I'm not sure how eager I am to read a sequel. I'm not dying to know what happened next or anything.
Another thing I appreciated in this book compared to others I've read was that I actually bought the hostility-turned-friendship with another girl. It seems like I've read other stories where the main character meets a mean girl who hates her and then they become friends just because, while I'm left thinking that I would never consider this other person anything but a bully and an enemy. But here, the pov of the frenemy made sense to me and was less personal, and the friendship remained a bit guarded, which helped.
So in short, the book definitely sucked me in and kept me reading--though I'm not sure how eager I am to read a sequel. I'm not dying to know what happened next or anything.
DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO A TEEN.
THIS IS WHAT THE GODSTONE LOOKS LIKE. YOU CAN'T CHANGE MY MIND
Below are my incoherent notes, if you care to read them but many people have said them much more eloquently already.
BETTER FEMINIST FANTASY
I understand that this is practically historical fiction when it comes to YA (release date 2012) but it seems so unsophisticated when you compare to:
- The Kiss is Deception by Mary E Pearson
- Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghardt
- Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
- Myriem and Irina in Spinning Silver
- Aurora in Cora Carmack’s Roar
- Circe by Madeline Miller
VILLAINS
To quote VE Schwab tweet: Readers don't care so much WHAT your characters do. They care WHY they do it. Motivations are the most important aspect of our connection to a hero, villain, or other.
The villain of the story is flat and boring. Also, it could be mistaken for being fat, so...
FAT
In this book thin = beautiful. Fat shaming — how many times do we need to be reminded she isn’t skinny? "Sausage bride" "You’re fat!"
The least she could do is make the insults interesting.
FEMINISMN ROOTED IN LOVE OF A MAN AND HOW HER BODY LOOKS
PROBLEMATIC REPRESENTATION OF ELISA BEING DARK-SKINNED
Constantly discussing how darker skin is ugly in comparison to sister
NO CULTURAL SPECIFICITY FOR HER DARK SKIN ⬇️⬇️⬇️
LATINX, BUT WHICH COUNTRY OR COUNTRIES ARE BEING REPRESENTED HERE?
LATINX MONOLITH
Latinx? Spanish? We are not just cumin and garlic
Colonizer—Spain, Colonized—everywhere else
Reminds me of books based on AFRICAN culture as though an entire continent is a monolith!
LANGUAGE
I bet this is the type of book that italicizes another language:
Lengua Classica
ADOBE ADOBE ADOBE
No book not about architecture has ever mentioned a building material so regularly. This wasn’t because of the author’s love of architecture (it was described very sparsely) so to me it was a CODE for LATINX WORLD *waves hand generally around*
But also yellow tiles with blue spots — generally Mediterranean & Spanish
STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
Umberto is so much nicer within 2 days than Alejandro ever was—Insta-Stockholm Syndrome
She’s just...part of the rebellion now? No questions or conflicts??
RELIGIOUS ELEMENTS
Is the magic system praying? I don’t understand what it’s supposed to be?
Is this RELIGIOUS fantasy?
FEMALE HATE
Female hate. She hates every female in the boom except her servants. Poor misunderstood princess.
I DIDN’T FEEL ANYTHING WHEN UMBERTO DIED
And you know I love romance, problematic and all
THIS IS WHAT THE GODSTONE LOOKS LIKE. YOU CAN'T CHANGE MY MIND
Below are my incoherent notes, if you care to read them but many people have said them much more eloquently already.
BETTER FEMINIST FANTASY
I understand that this is practically historical fiction when it comes to YA (release date 2012) but it seems so unsophisticated when you compare to:
- The Kiss is Deception by Mary E Pearson
- Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghardt
- Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
- Myriem and Irina in Spinning Silver
- Aurora in Cora Carmack’s Roar
- Circe by Madeline Miller
VILLAINS
To quote VE Schwab tweet: Readers don't care so much WHAT your characters do. They care WHY they do it. Motivations are the most important aspect of our connection to a hero, villain, or other.
The villain of the story is flat and boring. Also, it could be mistaken for being fat, so...
FAT
In this book thin = beautiful. Fat shaming — how many times do we need to be reminded she isn’t skinny? "Sausage bride" "You’re fat!"
The least she could do is make the insults interesting.
FEMINISMN ROOTED IN LOVE OF A MAN AND HOW HER BODY LOOKS
PROBLEMATIC REPRESENTATION OF ELISA BEING DARK-SKINNED
Constantly discussing how darker skin is ugly in comparison to sister
NO CULTURAL SPECIFICITY FOR HER DARK SKIN ⬇️⬇️⬇️
LATINX, BUT WHICH COUNTRY OR COUNTRIES ARE BEING REPRESENTED HERE?
LATINX MONOLITH
Latinx? Spanish? We are not just cumin and garlic
Colonizer—Spain, Colonized—everywhere else
Reminds me of books based on AFRICAN culture as though an entire continent is a monolith!
LANGUAGE
I bet this is the type of book that italicizes another language:
Lengua Classica
ADOBE ADOBE ADOBE
No book not about architecture has ever mentioned a building material so regularly. This wasn’t because of the author’s love of architecture (it was described very sparsely) so to me it was a CODE for LATINX WORLD *waves hand generally around*
But also yellow tiles with blue spots — generally Mediterranean & Spanish
STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
Umberto is so much nicer within 2 days than Alejandro ever was—Insta-Stockholm Syndrome
She’s just...part of the rebellion now? No questions or conflicts??
RELIGIOUS ELEMENTS
Is the magic system praying? I don’t understand what it’s supposed to be?
Is this RELIGIOUS fantasy?
FEMALE HATE
Female hate. She hates every female in the boom except her servants. Poor misunderstood princess.
I DIDN’T FEEL ANYTHING WHEN UMBERTO DIED
And you know I love romance, problematic and all
I'm conflicted on this one. I wanted to at least praise it for its diversity/inclusiveness, but at the end of the day I'm not sure I can.
I really enjoyed Walk on Earth a Stranger, so I was hoping for good things from this, which has been on my tbr for a long time. I realize Walk came out after this, and that gives time for the author to grow, etc, but the difference in quality between the two books is significant. In particular, Girl of Fire and Thorns suffers from poor world building and a serious case of "telling" instead of "showing".
I'd be more willing to be lenient with that if the book had really been a standout in terms of characters - particularly more diverse characters than you usually, sadly, see in YA. And certainly the cast is noted as having darker skin, which is something, at least. But in terms of the main character representing heavier body types.... ehn, no, I'm going to have to give a fail here. Elisa starts out as ambiguously "fat", as observed by a small child, and obsessed with food. Like. Really obsessed. And she's shy, and more or less self described as useless, unless it comes to getting some more scones, because she's on top of that shit. Then she loses a bunch of weight, and suddenly boys want to date her and girls want to be her friend, and she's a mover and a shaker and a world leader. Huh?
The magic "system" isn't very well explained, and the Godstone thing is oddly ambiguous for being a central point. (Also, how big is this thing? It's supposed to be in her navel, but everyone who randomly brushes against her seems to feel the damn thing.) The god also seems like kind of a jerk. "Oh, you're going to freeze to death? Well, better get up every few hours to pray!" I felt like none of the characters had any real agency of their own - a symptom of the 'show don't tell' thing, I think.
I dunno. I was disappointed.
I really enjoyed Walk on Earth a Stranger, so I was hoping for good things from this, which has been on my tbr for a long time. I realize Walk came out after this, and that gives time for the author to grow, etc, but the difference in quality between the two books is significant. In particular, Girl of Fire and Thorns suffers from poor world building and a serious case of "telling" instead of "showing".
I'd be more willing to be lenient with that if the book had really been a standout in terms of characters - particularly more diverse characters than you usually, sadly, see in YA. And certainly the cast is noted as having darker skin, which is something, at least. But in terms of the main character representing heavier body types.... ehn, no, I'm going to have to give a fail here. Elisa starts out as ambiguously "fat", as observed by a small child, and obsessed with food. Like. Really obsessed. And she's shy, and more or less self described as useless, unless it comes to getting some more scones, because she's on top of that shit. Then she loses a bunch of weight, and suddenly boys want to date her and girls want to be her friend, and she's a mover and a shaker and a world leader. Huh?
The magic "system" isn't very well explained, and the Godstone thing is oddly ambiguous for being a central point. (Also, how big is this thing? It's supposed to be in her navel, but everyone who randomly brushes against her seems to feel the damn thing.) The god also seems like kind of a jerk. "Oh, you're going to freeze to death? Well, better get up every few hours to pray!" I felt like none of the characters had any real agency of their own - a symptom of the 'show don't tell' thing, I think.
I dunno. I was disappointed.
The Girl of Fire and Thorns continually surprised me. When I first started reading the book, I did not know what to expect. Then Elisa had an arranged, and I thought the story would be about how her and her Husband got to know each other. The story turned out to be much less about them as a couple and much more about Elisa.
I liked this so much more! I wanted so badly to like Elisa's husband (the King) but I just didn't. He was weak and he really bugged me. I really disliked how his attitude towards Elisa abruptly changed at the end of the book. Without giving too much away, Elisa went through a number of "changes" throughout the book. All different kind of changes really, but I especially disliked the King's reaction to the new Elisa.
I loved Elisa the whole time! I thought she was a great heroine. very strong, even when she didn't think she was, and smart. I love smart girls.
There were so many things in this book that I did not see coming. The Girl of Fire and Thorns certainly knows how to keep you on your toes and hold your attention! I loved it!
There were so many men in Elisa's life. I liked all of them except the king. Now, I have no idea if I am alone in this thought or not- but I would really like to see more of Hector in the next book!! ;) A lot more actually. hehe
This book was so unique and action packed, and most importantly beautifully written. I enjoyed watching the story unfold in such a fluid way. The words just leap off the page and surround you.
There is a lot of religion in the book, so if that bugs you this book might not be for you. But I really urge readers to pick it up and give it a chance. I think you will love it just as much as I did. (I don't normally read books where religion is a prominent theme, for reference.)
The Girl of Fire and Thorns is a great read!
I liked this so much more! I wanted so badly to like Elisa's husband (the King) but I just didn't. He was weak and he really bugged me. I really disliked how his attitude towards Elisa abruptly changed at the end of the book. Without giving too much away, Elisa went through a number of "changes" throughout the book. All different kind of changes really, but I especially disliked the King's reaction to the new Elisa.
I loved Elisa the whole time! I thought she was a great heroine. very strong, even when she didn't think she was, and smart. I love smart girls.
There were so many things in this book that I did not see coming. The Girl of Fire and Thorns certainly knows how to keep you on your toes and hold your attention! I loved it!
There were so many men in Elisa's life. I liked all of them except the king. Now, I have no idea if I am alone in this thought or not- but I would really like to see more of Hector in the next book!! ;) A lot more actually. hehe
This book was so unique and action packed, and most importantly beautifully written. I enjoyed watching the story unfold in such a fluid way. The words just leap off the page and surround you.
There is a lot of religion in the book, so if that bugs you this book might not be for you. But I really urge readers to pick it up and give it a chance. I think you will love it just as much as I did. (I don't normally read books where religion is a prominent theme, for reference.)
The Girl of Fire and Thorns is a great read!
This book was perfectly fine. It had a nice arc, decent character development, and a plot that moves (at least towards the end) at an okay pace. Despite all this, I wanted it to be better. It just kind of lacked for me. Spoiled by too many extraordinary kid-lit books.
No time for a proper review; I blew off my entire day yesterday to devour this book.
Note to self: Stop reading books before the series is complete.
Note to self: Stop reading books before the series is complete.