Crown of Embers Review and Giveaway!
By Rae Carson
Published by Harper Teen
Published on September 18, 2012
Source: ARC from Publisher
Summary taken from Goodreads:
In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.
Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.
This was such a fantastic book. I admit, I enjoyed the first book, but with some reservations. I have to say- the reservations that I had about the first book were completely gone in Crown of Embers. Rae Carson writes with confidence and the ease of someone who has 30 books under their belt.
This second book takes up a few months after the first ends. Elisa is the queen of her country. But although she was a hero in her own country, there are many who want to see her gone- even in her own castle. She has very few people she can trust. I absolutely love that a majority of this story is about Hector and Elisa. It was so fantastic to see such a slow developing love story. Rae Carson wrote the kind of love story that makes you want to read faster in anticipation of what is coming. She takes her time with the characters, not rushing into something, but developing a slow simmering passion between the two main characters. I loved it! I wondered at the end of the first book if Hector would become a love interest for Elisa and I am so glad that is the route the author went. I found myself waiting excitedly for every time these two characters had scenes together- they oozed passion and longing... and restraint.
So much happens in this book. The first half of the book takes place in the palace and in Elisa's kingdom, and the second half is much more of the traveling adventure in the first book. I don't want to give away any details but I will say- this book was action packed! The last chapter will absolutely make readers shake their book and howl in anguish (I personally threw my copy ha ha!) This is absolutely a trilogy and there is a massive cliffhanger at the end of the book- full of drama and everything that Rae Carson is so good at writing! If you haven't read this series yet- get on it! This is one of the best fantasy series that I have read- it absolutely is up there with Poison Study, Shadow and Bone, and all my other favorite fantasy series.
Want to win an Advanced Reader's Copy of Crown of Embers? (Yes, it is mine- no it wasn't too badly damaged when I threw it across the room in rage lol!) US/CA only please 13+ All my normal rules apply!
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