Review: The Crown of Embers

The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns #2)
by Rae Carson
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Goodreads summary:
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.


What I thought:
In the first book (you can read my review on Goodreads), I didn't like Elisa's character until about half-way through. As I began reading this one, I was expecting her to be the no-nonsense, blunt, confident, and strong person she was at the end of that book. Unfortunately, I felt that she backtracked a lot! I realize that she is young, only seventeen, but it just seemed she went back to everyone walking all over her, including those she didn't like, respect, or trust, acting like nothing had happened. This was pretty disappointing to me. I do wish that Hector or her nurse and guardian would have guided and encouraged Elisa more, if that's what she needed. Although, I still would have wanted her to stand more on her own. Once Elisa leaves the capitol, I liked her a lot better. Now if she could just be that person when she is back home as queen!

I still loved Hector! He is his sure, loyal, intelligent, and strong self. He plays such a huge role, not only in the plot, but in Elisa's own character and her coming of age. The plot was really well played. You're never quite sure who is the villain and who to trust.

I felt like the first two-thirds of the book was three stars, but the ending was five stars. I still think it was worth a read and I will be reading the last book, The Bitter Kingdom, which comes out in August to find out the conclusion of Elisa's story.

Content: Some innuendo, brief and non-descriptive sexual content
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication date: September 18th 2012 by Greenwillow Books
Source: Library
Rating:









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