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The Girl of Fire and Thorns Rae Carson Books

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The Girl of Fire and Thorns Rae Carson Books

I just finished reading Girl of Fire and Thorns for the third time. This is a fantasy series that has stayed with me over the years, to the point that when I come back to fall into the world Rae Carson has created anew, it is like returning to an old friend.

Carson constructs a lush and unique fantasy world, with characters that are well fleshed out, relate-able, and above all inspire readers to invest in their story. Fantasy lovers will find themselves equally bemoaning Elisa's lack of confidence and cheering her on as she discovers just what she is capable of when she begins believing not only in God but in herself. It is by far one of the best coming of age stories I have ever read. Even knowing what will happen, even expecting the events to come, Carson's words still transport me with each read.

If you are looking for a story that will leave you gasping in anticipation, deeply invested in the characters, and yearning to know how such a heroine can possibly overcome such insurmountable odds.... look no further.


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The Girl of Fire and Thorns Rae Carson Books Reviews

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.
Every once in awhile I break outside my normal genre and seek something different. I saw this book and the 'finalist' award and over 800 reviews. . . Young adult, coming of age, fantasy, and I thought why not. I have a son and husband that enjoys epic fantasy and I'll share.

Once I started, once the plot picked up, when Elisa is kidnapped, then I was hooked. This is the story of a 16 year old princess, the second daughter and not the heir. She is pushed into a diplomatic marriage, sent into a court of intrigue, struggling to survive. It doesn't help that her outward appearance is that of a dowdy always shoving food in her face and never having the breath or energy for exertion. Yes, she is fat as the young prince tells her.

Out of all the things that happen to Elisa, she's never tortured. She faces life head on and comes up with valid solutions. It's amazing how those around her stop and listen to her advice, this 16 year old girl, when she's barely experienced life. This story is her awakening, her purpose and coming of age. I was so involved with the characters I invested in the second book and couldn't put it down. Now that I'm sleep deprvied and dealing with a mild headache I think I'll pause before buying the final book. From the reviews it looks as captivating. Oh and three prequels. !! So nice to hit a series that is complete and no waiting. Highly recomended. - Dan's Wife
TL;DR For the short version, I had many problems with this book, but I enjoyed the slight uniqueness of the plot. I didn't like the character development or the writers voice. But, I'm intrigued enough to read the second book to see how it progresses (even though the writer gave no clue as to what conflict could present itself in the future). 3/5 star review.

I have so many thoughts on this book. I wanted to like it so badly, and I gave it the biggest shot I could.

Starting off, I couldn't find a way to really connect with Elisa. Which I found highly disappointing, as a woman who used to be a girl that wasn't the slimmest and didn't have the highest self-confidence. But, Elisa just felt flat, lacking, and predictable. I could see where the author was trying to go with Elisa, and I appreciate that. I'm glad she wasn't perfect, and I'm glad she had self doubts. But, it felt all too smothered by the never ending imagery of Elisa eating this, scarfing down that, dreaming of a scone, and not being able to focus on anything without somehow mentioning food, or the way the food was prepared, or how it smelled, or how it tasted. I would say a quarter of this book talks about the food Elisa eats or desires to eat. Okay... I absolutely love food, but even so, I couldn't get over how everything had to be bookmarked by food. At times I didn't mind it, and a bit here and there would have been enough to enforce the point of Elisa's obsession with food. It just felt more of like a girl with an eating disorder than anything, but we saw nothing into Elisa's mind as to why she ate, other than a love for food. Her inner turmoils flitted back and forth between degrading herself because of her weight, and then thinking of how much she wanted food. The only other thing we know is that she felt inferior to her older sister and that she was destined for service. I wanted to know more to be able to connect with her, to understand further why she felt the way she did.

Later in the novel, I wanted to see, rather than be told, as to why Elisa's character development occurred. I felt as if her character was frustratingly underdeveloped. One minute, I thought she was growing, and becoming more sure of herself and her tasks at hand. And then she would just relapse back into the girl we saw in the beginning, even as the author seemingly tried to just remove aspects that made her who she was at that time.

As far as other characters, I like a few better, but they still felt shallow because Carson wrote in a way that the reader knows only about the other characters by what the main character says or thinks. I wanted to SEE and not be TOLD (by Elisa) why characters were who they were, and why their actions would matter. It also felt like the side characters were there mainly as plot devices.

I didn't love the authors writing style. Her word choice just seemed off to me. It wasn't beautiful writing (there were a few nice lines). For instance, when Alentin talks about the abundance of gold his people have, he says "The hills vomit a bit of the stuff every year during the flash floods" Yes, it does the job, and gets the imagery across, but vomit a bit of the stuff, really? And there were other lines that made me feel similarly. I'm hoping her voice develops in the second book, which I've heard better ratings for.

Onto what I did like. . . Overall, I actually enjoyed a bit of the plot. It was full of plot holes, but I thought the idea behind it, with the godstones and the riddle-like meaning behind them, was unique and it kept me coming back to the story, to see where it would go. The plot stumbled along, and we don't even have a good idea of what the second book could even cover other than more war. But, I can't ignore that I actually thought the idea was interesting (even if I was slightly disturbed that the stone was in her "navel"-- what, does it resemble a really large belly ring?). I also enjoyed that Carson played around with the idea of deeds done through and for God's will, and the slight hint at the struggle that Elisa faced with this consideration. Additionally, I enjoyed the setting Carson writes to and the Hispanic influences that we see throughout the story.

I was left wanting more from The Girl of Fire and Throns. I wanted more cleverness from Elisa. I wanted to see more plotting, and not just sudden instances of clarity where she would rattle off her plans. I want to know what made her come to them. I wanted more character development from all around. I wanted more insight into Elisa, and more meaning to her transition into a self-assured woman. I wanted to be shown, and not told the important parts to other character's development. I wanted more movement in the plot (there was a lot of walking, even for a desert setting). I wanted a more developed romance. I'm not sure I would even consider this to have a true romance. I understand it's a young adult novel, but I've had many young adult authors blow me away with the depth of connection between characters. I also wanted much more information about the magic system (for the lack of a better word).

In the end, I don't regret having read The Girl of Fire and Thorns, and I'm interested in reading the sequel. The story itself was interesting, I just wanted more.
I just finished reading Girl of Fire and Thorns for the third time. This is a fantasy series that has stayed with me over the years, to the point that when I come back to fall into the world Rae Carson has created anew, it is like returning to an old friend.

Carson constructs a lush and unique fantasy world, with characters that are well fleshed out, relate-able, and above all inspire readers to invest in their story. Fantasy lovers will find themselves equally bemoaning Elisa's lack of confidence and cheering her on as she discovers just what she is capable of when she begins believing not only in God but in herself. It is by far one of the best coming of age stories I have ever read. Even knowing what will happen, even expecting the events to come, Carson's words still transport me with each read.

If you are looking for a story that will leave you gasping in anticipation, deeply invested in the characters, and yearning to know how such a heroine can possibly overcome such insurmountable odds.... look no further.