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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This was really cool! I loved the culture and the world! It was so real, it was almost like I was there. Elisa was such a BAMF near the end. the plot was great. And all the twists!
My only complaint was that it could be boring at times. There was a lot of talk and not much physical action. Elisa was a behind the scenes character. I can't count how many times I thought "There is so much action, yet I'm bored." I would have liked this to be a multiple POV book but it was good regardless.
My only complaint was that it could be boring at times. There was a lot of talk and not much physical action. Elisa was a behind the scenes character. I can't count how many times I thought "There is so much action, yet I'm bored." I would have liked this to be a multiple POV book but it was good regardless.
Really enjoyed this one. Not the usual female ya protagonist or plot.
This book is on my absolute fave shelf for a reason! It is so unlike other fantasies I've read before that it deserves the distinction. It's Latin@-infused fantasy with immaculate worldbuilding and religious themes that are refreshing but not heavy-handed. I LOVE Elisa and I related to her a lot. She's a fat character and this is not at all glanced over, because it greatly affects her self-image and is tied to her own initial feelings of unworthiness. However, while her body changes throughout the book due to the physical adventures she has, she never becomes thin, and instead she learns to be proud of her body and her own worth and accomplishments. It is such a tremendous growth in character. She's also wickedly intelligent and an expert in war of all things, which allows her to become a brilliant tactician. She's not a warrior, but her other strengths shine so brightly it's incredible to watch. It makes her different from so many other fantasy heroines that I just adore it.
The supporting cast is excellent, too, and I love this world so much. Again, it's so different from most fantasy settings that it's hard not to adore it. This is the first book in the series and it only gets better from here--though I have to say, there's a twist about 3/4 into the book that had me gasping and clapping my hand to my mouth on a public bus EVEN WHEN I KNEW IT WAS COMING. I think that really shows how well Carson can get you invested in her characters. I'm looking forward to rereading the rest of the series and it is among my insta-recommendations.
The supporting cast is excellent, too, and I love this world so much. Again, it's so different from most fantasy settings that it's hard not to adore it. This is the first book in the series and it only gets better from here--though I have to say, there's a twist about 3/4 into the book that had me gasping and clapping my hand to my mouth on a public bus EVEN WHEN I KNEW IT WAS COMING. I think that really shows how well Carson can get you invested in her characters. I'm looking forward to rereading the rest of the series and it is among my insta-recommendations.
I was so excited to read a story about a princess who is fat, and where her fatness is not the major plot point. Unfortunately, by the mid-point of the story her body has been whittled away, her appetite is "appropriately" bird-like, and she becomes conventionally attractive. This is so frustrating.
This book was an absolute page turner for me! So many moments I found hard to walk away from the book and needing more! Such an intereting premise with the godstones, which made this read more intriguing.
I found myself getting completely caught up with the characters, and really rooting the princesson, hating Alejanro, and wanthing more time with Humberto (I am still sad about that).
But what I loved the most about this book is how the Main character really discovers herself as she climbs over each obstacle in her way. And how he became stronger and thought better of herself in the end and truly believed in her self. I believe she truly found her faith. In god, in herself, in life.
I found myself getting completely caught up with the characters, and really rooting the princesson, hating Alejanro, and wanthing more time with Humberto (I am still sad about that).
But what I loved the most about this book is how the Main character really discovers herself as she climbs over each obstacle in her way. And how he became stronger and thought better of herself in the end and truly believed in her self. I believe she truly found her faith. In god, in herself, in life.
We need diversity in our books, and here's a really good example of it. A non-Westernised fantasy featuring characters of colour with non-Christian religion playing a prominent part in the tale. A great leading character who learns and develops in a realistic and believable manner through the course of the story. I've already asked the library for the other two books in the trilogy.
4.5 This was a such a great fantasy so much different than other YA fantasy's. Elisa was such a strong and smart female protagonist I loved how she developed as a character she became more confident and it was awesome. Excited to read the next 2 books!
I kind of wished I liked this more than I did.
While the story has many things in common with other YA fantasy books, there are a few unique aspects which make the story stand out more:
- The main character, Elisa, is a fat girl. Her relationship with her body and food changes over the course of her novel. It's a believable portrayal, without overdoing it. Her personal character growth always comes first and is pivotal for the character arc.
- Religion plays also a central role. Elisa is very religious; praying and studying the religious scriptures is part of her routine. There is a lot of discussion on what's her role in life and how she can fulfil her destiny as a bearer. I am very interested to see how much more we learn about in the next two books.
- In the same vein, I enjoyed the entire aspect of the Godstone, the past bearers and their service. It made the story more interesting and complex and adds another to Elisa's character.
-Elisa's relationships with her potential love interests. While I wasn't invested in the main love story in this book, it is certainly nice to see male-female interactions that are well rounded. They talk to one another, there are more than two emotions involved and the author considers the complexity of their situation.
While the story has many things in common with other YA fantasy books, there are a few unique aspects which make the story stand out more:
- The main character, Elisa, is a fat girl. Her relationship with her body and food changes over the course of her novel. It's a believable portrayal, without overdoing it. Her personal character growth always comes first and is pivotal for the character arc.
- Religion plays also a central role. Elisa is very religious; praying and studying the religious scriptures is part of her routine. There is a lot of discussion on what's her role in life and how she can fulfil her destiny as a bearer. I am very interested to see how much more we learn about in the next two books.
- In the same vein, I enjoyed the entire aspect of the Godstone, the past bearers and their service. It made the story more interesting and complex and adds another to Elisa's character.
-Elisa's relationships with her potential love interests. While I wasn't invested in the main love story in this book, it is certainly nice to see male-female interactions that are well rounded. They talk to one another, there are more than two emotions involved and the author considers the complexity of their situation.
I actively disliked this book that I almost gave up several times. I heard other reviewers say that it picked up after about of a third. A third went by, then a half... still nothing but at that point I just needed to finish to see if there were any redeeming qualities. The last 70 pages or so were readable, but that’s not saying much. I don’t understand the love.
I love the idea of a fantasy YA novel with an overweight female protagonist. There's so much potential for important lessons about loving one's body indiscriminately and finding self-worth without losing weight to do it. Strong, heavy ladies are a scarce (if not invisible) character, which--much like in the fashion industry--for some reason tries to convince us that we're the exception and not the standard. A YA novel with a great story that embraces the diversity of human size is a welcome addition to the genre.
Unfortunately, this is not that book. It begins that way, though. Elisa carries the Godstone and is this generation's "chosen". Every 100 years a child is chosen on its naming day and destined for greatness, marked by a blue gem that's embedded in their navel like a treasure troll. Elisa is fat. Her sister is thin and beautiful, and she's constantly comparing herself to her. People whisper about her. When she travels to another kingdom, the maid deliberately brings her clothes that are far too small for Elisa out of spite. Every one of Elisa's thoughts is something that us fat ladies think. She hates being fat, and feels conflicted about being chosen by God but somehow being fat, as though it's a punishment or something, and mutually exclusive.
This is all great, because anyone raised in this media-saturated world knows that we're supposed to feel ashamed if our bodies aren't exactly how we're told they should be. It's easy to say "just love yourself" if you aren't warring with a canyon of difference between what you look like and what you're "supposed" to look like. If Elisa can achieve these great things for which she's destined, and do it without having to lose weight, it'll be a huge win and first example in a book I've ever read where the whole "just love yourself" and "who you are doesn't depend on your weight" will actually be put into practice!
Uh. Nope. She loses weight. Now, there are several ways Elisa could have lost weight that would empower readers struggling with the same issue. But, instead of being mindful about eating and exercising, instead of committing to a drastically different lifestyle, instead of trying to break her habits, instead of finding impossible willpower every moment of every day, Elisa is kidnapped and starved. Two things wrong with this: First, the relatable Elisa from the first half of the book is now inaccessible, since readers can't (or shouldn't) lose weight the same way as this character they previously identified with. Second, for those same readers, kidnapping and starvation has the potential to be a remarkable diet. This is super dangerous. In case you did read this book and cheered at her weight loss from the desert trek, there's something you need to know: KIDNAPPING AND STARVATION IS TRAGEDY, NOT TRANSFORMATION.
I say this not because I think the people reading this are stupid. It isn't about being able to intelligently say "Oh my, she lost weight but that is SO not healthy, I should definitely not try that!". It's about all of us being impressionable. Even as an adult, it makes an impression on me.
The focus on her being overweight continues for, I want to say, half the book? After she arrives at her kidnapper's destination, it's only mentioned...fewer than five times between the middle and end of the book, since she lost the weight. Whereas it was mentioned (it felt like) five times per page before she lost the weight. As though the focus of her struggle in the first half actually has nothing to do with the story being told...but if that's the case, why spend so much time on it in the beginning? As I read, I kept waiting for it to come up again, a reason why she was fat, but there was nothing.
I know I make it sound like this is all the book is about, and possibly for the first half of the book this is what 90% of the book is about. While this focus on Elisa's weight/weight loss is my main problem with the story, a secondary fear arose as I read: I feared that I had been tricked into reading Chri-Fi.
As I've said in previous comments, I have no problem with main characters being devout, or being part of a very religious culture. I don't even have that much of a problem with being "chosen", although that always opens comparison to the Christ story. What I dislike about religious fiction is the heavy-handed (pun intended) use of deus ex machina: if God is responsible for everything, what's the story? Why bother rooting for the characters who can't make decisions themselves? How can I invest in a clever character if all she has to do to stop the army is pray? I can accept up to one instance of deus ex machina per story, and even then, it can't be for any major plot points. So this story goes on, with Elisa praying, and you know what? No deus ex machina. Elisa is smart and observant, and she figures out what to do on her own. Her Godstone warns her of danger, but that's a small device that's used in other stories by other means. But while I eventually learned I had nothing to worry about, that it's possibly just YA fantasy with a devout, monotheistic main character, I still spent too much time worrying if her faith was going to be a crutch for lazy storytelling. I'm very glad it wasn't, because that means that my only problem is with the depiction of her weight issues.
If you'll let me forget that she was ever fat, for a moment, the rest of the story is great. It's clever and engaging and imaginative and unique. I loved characters and hated others. The animagi were terrifying. And Elisa finds purpose by becoming the leader of the Malficio. The ending was rushed, after the battle with the five animagi, but I'm assuming that's because there's more to the story to be explored in the rest of the series.
So the crux of my review is this: either her fatness mattered greatly or not at all. If it mattered greatly, it shouldn't have basically disappeared from conversation and description halfway through the book when she lost weight, and there should have been some indication as to HOW it mattered. If it mattered not at all, why bother focusing on it so intensely for so long?
Perhaps the answers are in the next books in the series, but I don't see myself continuing.
2.5 stars. Rounded down to 2 because I really, really wanted to be able to root for a young woman who didn't have to lose weight to gain confidence or fulfill her destiny.
Unfortunately, this is not that book. It begins that way, though. Elisa carries the Godstone and is this generation's "chosen". Every 100 years a child is chosen on its naming day and destined for greatness, marked by a blue gem that's embedded in their navel like a treasure troll. Elisa is fat. Her sister is thin and beautiful, and she's constantly comparing herself to her. People whisper about her. When she travels to another kingdom, the maid deliberately brings her clothes that are far too small for Elisa out of spite. Every one of Elisa's thoughts is something that us fat ladies think. She hates being fat, and feels conflicted about being chosen by God but somehow being fat, as though it's a punishment or something, and mutually exclusive.
This is all great, because anyone raised in this media-saturated world knows that we're supposed to feel ashamed if our bodies aren't exactly how we're told they should be. It's easy to say "just love yourself" if you aren't warring with a canyon of difference between what you look like and what you're "supposed" to look like. If Elisa can achieve these great things for which she's destined, and do it without having to lose weight, it'll be a huge win and first example in a book I've ever read where the whole "just love yourself" and "who you are doesn't depend on your weight" will actually be put into practice!
Uh. Nope. She loses weight. Now, there are several ways Elisa could have lost weight that would empower readers struggling with the same issue. But, instead of being mindful about eating and exercising, instead of committing to a drastically different lifestyle, instead of trying to break her habits, instead of finding impossible willpower every moment of every day, Elisa is kidnapped and starved. Two things wrong with this: First, the relatable Elisa from the first half of the book is now inaccessible, since readers can't (or shouldn't) lose weight the same way as this character they previously identified with. Second, for those same readers, kidnapping and starvation has the potential to be a remarkable diet. This is super dangerous. In case you did read this book and cheered at her weight loss from the desert trek, there's something you need to know: KIDNAPPING AND STARVATION IS TRAGEDY, NOT TRANSFORMATION.
I say this not because I think the people reading this are stupid. It isn't about being able to intelligently say "Oh my, she lost weight but that is SO not healthy, I should definitely not try that!". It's about all of us being impressionable. Even as an adult, it makes an impression on me.
The focus on her being overweight continues for, I want to say, half the book? After she arrives at her kidnapper's destination, it's only mentioned...fewer than five times between the middle and end of the book, since she lost the weight. Whereas it was mentioned (it felt like) five times per page before she lost the weight. As though the focus of her struggle in the first half actually has nothing to do with the story being told...but if that's the case, why spend so much time on it in the beginning? As I read, I kept waiting for it to come up again, a reason why she was fat, but there was nothing.
I know I make it sound like this is all the book is about, and possibly for the first half of the book this is what 90% of the book is about. While this focus on Elisa's weight/weight loss is my main problem with the story, a secondary fear arose as I read: I feared that I had been tricked into reading Chri-Fi.
As I've said in previous comments, I have no problem with main characters being devout, or being part of a very religious culture. I don't even have that much of a problem with being "chosen", although that always opens comparison to the Christ story. What I dislike about religious fiction is the heavy-handed (pun intended) use of deus ex machina: if God is responsible for everything, what's the story? Why bother rooting for the characters who can't make decisions themselves? How can I invest in a clever character if all she has to do to stop the army is pray? I can accept up to one instance of deus ex machina per story, and even then, it can't be for any major plot points. So this story goes on, with Elisa praying, and you know what? No deus ex machina. Elisa is smart and observant, and she figures out what to do on her own. Her Godstone warns her of danger, but that's a small device that's used in other stories by other means. But while I eventually learned I had nothing to worry about, that it's possibly just YA fantasy with a devout, monotheistic main character, I still spent too much time worrying if her faith was going to be a crutch for lazy storytelling. I'm very glad it wasn't, because that means that my only problem is with the depiction of her weight issues.
If you'll let me forget that she was ever fat, for a moment, the rest of the story is great. It's clever and engaging and imaginative and unique. I loved characters and hated others. The animagi were terrifying. And Elisa finds purpose by becoming the leader of the Malficio. The ending was rushed, after the battle with the five animagi, but I'm assuming that's because there's more to the story to be explored in the rest of the series.
So the crux of my review is this: either her fatness mattered greatly or not at all. If it mattered greatly, it shouldn't have basically disappeared from conversation and description halfway through the book when she lost weight, and there should have been some indication as to HOW it mattered. If it mattered not at all, why bother focusing on it so intensely for so long?
Perhaps the answers are in the next books in the series, but I don't see myself continuing.
2.5 stars. Rounded down to 2 because I really, really wanted to be able to root for a young woman who didn't have to lose weight to gain confidence or fulfill her destiny.