Author: Rae Carson
Published: September 20, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: Fire and Thorns #1
299 pages (galley)
I decided to put up the cover the publisher is intending to use instead of the version I actually read because, well, the book isn’t going to be published with the original cover anyway so this will make it easier to find the book in bookstores, if you want to buy this when it comes out. While I like the old cover a lot more aesthetically, this new cover makes much more sense — it’s more fantasy-ish. The old cover featured a pretty, skinny girl on the cover which really didn’t make sense because the protagonist is supposed to be, well, the opposite of a pretty, skinny girl. So this cover is much better in that regard.
The Girl of Fire and Thorns is a fantasy YA novel that centers around 16 year old Princess Elisa. Elisa appears to be not that special first because she describes herself as a “sausage” and being unattractive. However, what does make her special is the fact that she carries the Godstone in her navel. God chooses one bearer every four generations to bear the Godstone and Elisa is the chosen one.
Elisa is not 100% sure what it means to be the bearer of the Godstone though. Previous bearers have some sort of special duty to fulfill, but Elisa does not really have much confidence in herself in doing anything amazing. She gets married off to the king of an allied kingdom — for the Godstone, not for her. Her new husband is pretty nice, but is indecisive and cowardly, which really doesn’t bode well for the kingdom given the fact that another kingdom wants to start a war soon. They hope that with the Godstone on their side, God will favor them in the war. But then Elisa gets kidnapped by revolutionaries who think the Godstone can help save their people. During her kidnapping, Elisa learns much and more about what it means to be the bearer of the Godstone, and how she can help save her father and husband’s kingdoms from the invaders.
I didn’t really start getting into the story until Part 2 (there are 3 parts, with Part 2 being the longest part). Part 1 was alright though a bit slow, but I think it got much more excited once Elisa got kidnapped. Even though Part 2 started off a little oddly — Elisa doesn’t seem to be frightened of her kidnappers at all, she just goes along with their plans — Part 2 was full of action and when it’s made clear just how high the stakes are, so there is more tension and excitement. It’s also when Elisa starts breaking out of her shell a bit and becoming more directive and confident, so in that sense, she also became a more admirable character during that time. She does some pretty cool things, and I loved how she took initiative despite being the kidnapee.
I really enjoyed the overall story. The best thing about this book, in my opinion, is the Godstones and magic system. I personally felt it was very unique, and I appreciated it wasn’t super complicated or anything, so it was easy to understand. Honestly, it was one of the things that really hooked me into the story — the idea that God plants a blue gem in a chosen one’s belly button isn’t something I come across everyday.
There are a few things I felt could have been better in the book. Elisa, for example. She’s not unlikeable by any means, but she’s not very interesting. She’s very much a Mary Sue and a very devout follower of God so she seems too perfect, almost. I did like the fact that she wasn’t a perfect, beautiful little princess though.
The romance in this book was kind of awkward to me. Elisa falls in love with one of her kidnappers, which reminded me of the Stockholm syndrome. I know it’s probably real love and not crazy-reverse-psychology-love, but I couldn’t help but keep thinking of that syndrome because of the situation she was in. I didn’t feel much chemistry between Elisa and the kidnapper, but it wasn’t forced, at least. It just felt a bit hollow.
There’s also something about the writing; it is in first person, but I do not feel like I am reading Elisa’s thoughts a lot of time. She gives off the impression that she’s somewhat omniscient through the writing … I don’t really know how to describe it, but it seems to me that third person may have suited the story even better.
So, overall, the plot and story were my favourite parts, while Elisa remains a character I have mixed feelings towards. This isn’t a must-read, but I think if you typically enjoy YA fantasy, you will probably find this an enjoyable read. A million thanks for HarperCollins for allowing me this e-ARC.
My Rating: 3/5
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