The Crown of Embers

As you might remember, Rae Carson’s The Girl of Fire and Thorns was a perfect fantasy read for me. I screamed, I squeed, I cried, I fangirled…I was pretty much the physical embodiment of exclamation points over it. Yes, it WAS that good and The Crown of Embers immediately became one of my most anticipated titles of 2012. Friends and I tried to track it down at BEA, I missed it at ALA by a day, and then, when I actually got the book in my hands on release day, work and real life got in the way so I didn’t get the chance to read it until recently, TWO WEEKS later. Agony, let me tell you! Anyway, enough personal anecdotes, The Crown of Embers was astonishing and, hello, yes, much gushing ahead!

First off, Rae Carson’s pacing was so show more energetic and intense. A LOT happens in The Crown of Embers, and it was easy to see that the stakes were much higher from the first chapter. From there on out, it was a complete adventure with Elisa, Hector, and everyone else and, HOLY CRAP, things got crazy! There were twists and turns, political drama, and so much danger. I was glued to the pages and only stepped away from the book when absolutely forced to. Needless to say, The Crown of Embers had my heart racing with every page turn.

Next is Elisa. MY QUEEN. I am so, so proud of her growth. She has so much weight on her shoulders, and it would be so easy for her to crumble under it, but instead she grows and matures. She demonstrated so much determination and courage, both in standing up for herself and her kingdom, and I continue to look forward to cheering her on. Trust me, Elisa is a character to admire.

And then, of course, there’s the romance. I won’t say a lot about it, but excuse this outburst here and now: OHMYGODOHMYGOD, SUCH PERFECTION. No, really, Rae Carson knows how to build a relationship based on mutual respect and admiration and I was completely crazy over it. I held my breath during their scenes because their chemistry was so palpable and, gah, more of this in my reads, por favor.

Basically, The Crown of Embers is such a quality read and I wish I could put this series into the hands of everyone I know. If you haven’t read it yet, please do so that I can have more people to gush with. Filled with great writing, adventure, romance, and a fierce heroine, this is one fantasy series that I cannot recommend enough. show less

Much like the Girl of Fire and Thorns, I enjoyed this book. Once again, I found myself going back to the idea of Christianity and faith. Religion is such an essential aspect of these novels, yet I do not feel as if I am being hit over the head and forced to believe. Instead, I see it as one character's personal relationship with the faith and how she deals with others and their take on HER faith. The most obvious of this is her nursemaid, who ends up being one of her biggest obstacles, not only in faith but in love, all in the name of trying to do what is best for Elisa.
I also enjoyed the romantic side of this novel more than I did the first. Elisa and Hector's relationship is one of gradual trust, admiration, respect and eventually show more love. It did not just dive in head first, which in many of the young adult novels, and let's be honest, many of the adult novels, is most often the case.
Finally, Elisa's personal challenge in the Crown of Embers is having belief in herself to be the woman and ruler that she needs to be. She needed to move past relying on others and start relying on herself, not on her godstone, but on herself. Her growth was quite enjoyable to experience.
Onto the final novel of the trilogy. show less

***Second in a series - spoiler warning for The Girl of Fire and Thorns.***

As the new queen, Elisa knows she has to be a strong ruler in the midst of turmoil at court. She's shown her mettle in battle, but still doesn't know why she is the Godstone bearer of this century, and what great service that means she must perform.

I really enjoy this series because Elisa is such a fresh and interesting character. She isn't your average kick-butt heroine. She does what she has to do, but she's sometimes unsure of herself and struggles with her conscience over her actions as ruler and as a person. Though it had been awhile since I read the first book, I didn't feel at all lost picking this one up as important plot points were reintroduced subtly show more and as-needed throughout the story. And then there's the pacing, which is pitch-perfect, pageturning without getting frantic. I started reading it before bed a couple of nights ago, and before I knew it, I had read for a couple of hours and was over 100 pages into it. It's just that hard to find a stopping point, because I want to know what happens next to the characters I've come to love. show less

I just love to read a book that is crawling with tropes, but does all the things I've come not to expect when I read this genre. It's honestly marvelous.

The Crown of Embers is the second book in Carson's Girl of Fire and Thorns series, and when we reunite with Princess Elisa, she's on unstable ground, politically speaking. Despite her triumph at the end of The Girl of Fire and Thorns, her kingdom remains in turmoil. It is suffering economically, and political intrigue is afoot. Externally, the world is closing in around her, and internally, Elisa doubts her abilities to lead. If only she could harness the power of her Godstone more effectively....

That's where we begin in The Crown of Embers. Elisa is overwhelmed, grieving, young, and show more lost. I loved her journey in this book because not only was it a journey book where once again we partake on a quest of sorts, but it was also an internal journey of personal growth and confidence. Where The Girl of Fire and Thorns took us across the desert, The Crown of Embers takes us underground and across the sea. Atmospherically, this is a much different book than the first book was, showing the vastness of Rae Carson's worlds and her skill at world building. Like in book one, her journey challenges her physically, mentally, and emotionally and she is forced to take on challenges above her skill set and needs to survive them. One of the things I really like about Rae Carson's writing is that she not only challenges her characters, but she allows them to struggle. Elisa doesn't overcome her obstacles lightly - there are consequences to her actions and she often comes out of scrapes with injuries. Even the magic has consequences here, which as a fantasy reader is so important to me and is becoming more and more difficult to find.

If you haven't already gathered this from raving reviews of Walk on Earth a Stranger and Like a River Glorious... I adore Rae Carson's writing and this year she's shot to the top of my favorite authors list. Her ability to take tired worlds and stories and make them fresh without falling into systematic traps is simple wonderful.

I'm struggling to find something to criticize about The Crown of Embers. I thought the twists were good - maybe not surprising, but completely satisfying. The writing was stellar, the character growth was steady and believable not only for Elisa, but for Mara and Hector and characters around her. The romance may have felt a little instalove-esque, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing or inaccurate. For one, Elisa turns seventeen at the beginning of this book. She's young and has had so much pain and instability. The emotional attachments she makes... made a lot of sense to me, and I sense that it will be a driving factor in the ongoing series rather than a tryst that distracts from the plot. The speed of the developing romance may irk some, which is why I mention it. For my part, though, I thought it was fine.

All in all, The Crown of Embers was a fantastic second book in the series. I liked it better than The Girl of Fire and Thorns and I'm so excited to have now TWO of Rae Carson's series that I'm reading, because I would read her grocery list honestly, I just love her characters, story structure, and world building so much. If you are a fan of popular fantasy series like the Grishaverse and Throne of Glass, this series is fantastic. Lighter on the romance, but with another impressive, strong, and flawed protagonist who's bound to take her world by storm. show less

This book was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did. After the ending of The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Elisa is a Queen trying to rule. But she is only seventeen and her age and her place of birth undermine her authority. The Lords of her Quorum try to outmaneuver her at every step, trying to prove her incompetence, coaxing her to consider appointing a regent or marry for an alliance. On the other side, there are multiple assassination attempts on her in her own capital, and the question remains if the enemies are outside or within. Amidst all this, there is also the pull towards fulfilling her destiny as God’s Chosen One. Will she be the Queen she wants to be? Will she survive? Who should she trust?

The show more character development of Elisa is amazing in this book. Most of the first half, lots of things are happening around her and she is young and vulnerable and not in control. The intrigue and betrayals and politics of the court stifle her confidence but she starts asserting herself once she is out of the capital. She makes plans, decides what she wants to do, proving to herself that she can be the Queen she is meant to be. Her growth is remarkable and the ending was awesome.

Hector – I didn’t see this coming. He was Elisa’s good friend in the first book but it grows into so much more. They trust each other, want to keep each other safe and respect each other immensely. I can’t speak much more without spoilers but their romance and their conversations are just intense, angsty and so full of love, it’s adorable.

I also loved Mara’s character. She and Elisa develop a great friendship and I want to appreciate how both of them discuss their personal lives and are so confident about their bodies and sexuality. I really really adore female friendships and this bond is special. Storm was a surprise. I was skeptical about him for the most part but I might just have started to like him towards the end. I hated Ximena in this book. I couldn’t believe that she refused to see Elisa as anything other than the God’s vessel here to fulfill her destiny. She really got what was coming to her.

The ending is both terrifying and exhilarating at once and I am very excited to see Elisa kick some ass in the next book and finally achieve what she deserves. show less

I'd recommend this trilogy for fans of books like Incarceron or Matched, who just love to lose themselves in a breathlessly romantic, rich fantasy world.

It was satisfying to watch Elisa's relationships (romantic and otherwise) mature in this second installment. I continue to appreciate the religious and spiritual aspects to this world, since those are so lacking in most modern fantasies. Much about this story reminded me of Bitterblue, as both young queens must figure out how to rule effectively while being true to themselves, and without the full support of their advisors. One of my biggest complaints about Girl of Fire and Thorns was that the Invierne were an unsubtle enemy. I'm glad to see them start to get some depth and sympathy as show more the tale progresses. show less

I kind of knew this book would be a treat to read. But I did not anticipate how much. The first in the trilogy, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, was a surprise treat - "caught me off-guard great" I wrote. This second book was all that... again, which is remarkable.

Elisa is so... un-assuming. Even as queen, the story follows her thought pattern and as she questions herself, I grew more concerned that she might be right. She's trying to be a strong queen, but she doesn't really know how and her attempts feel clumsy, but there's just no right answers. When things start falling apart, it is so real and so... unavoidable.

I could hardly put the book down. Elisa grasps for her kingdom, but it slips from her hands. So slowly, so agonizingly show more sweetly, she falls in love. Everything that happened in Fire and Thorns just make each moment that much more fleeting, more treasured because of her acceptance of fate. I love her calculating thoughts as she faces her destiny... rises up to the challenge of being queen... accepts her heart. Elisa is so real.

Always there is that distinct UN-greatness, too. Her Godstone is great, but it's lodged in Elisa's belly-button and embarrasses her as much as increases her. She has to be humble and embrace her weaknesses if she has any hope of succeeding and I just love the juxtaposition of it.

Some of the story is told from Hector's point of view, too. His character unfolds slowly revealing his childhood, his hopes for love, his respect for his family, his incredible sense of honor. As he allows himself to love, he is put in a difficult position. He will save Elisa's life at the cost of his own without a moment's hesitation, but his focus on her starts effecting his ability to protect her. He recognizes how love eclipses his senses putting her in more danger.

What are these lovers to do? The choices they make are costly. Lives are at stake and there's always the weighing of that cost. Other, minor characters, are also essential. They do what is best - or what they think is best - and each decision brings consequences and leads to more difficult decisions. *rubs hands gleefully* It's amazingly complex, fast-paced... a perfect book to follow The Girl of Fire and Thorns. There is not so much a cliffhanger ending as much as... all these choices leading to a surprising climax that requires another book to answer.

If I have learned anything from Carson's first two books, it's that anything can happen to anyone at any time. Those "cute" coincidences where things "just work out" that I see in stories? Yeah... not so here. Nope. Here the sand actually rubs raw, the bad guys are skilled assassins that get their targets, blood flows and gets sticky and messy, and it takes time to recover from injuries. (Imagine!)

My Rating: 4.98 - I love the characters, I love the situations, I even love hating the bad guys. I was frustrated right along with Elisa and Hector when they were frustrated. The world-building cracks me up sometimes like the Godstone - there's always an element of casual reality in the midst of epic drama that is so unique. Carson's writing style continues to catch me off guard. I expect to be able to set it aside and am surprised to find my knuckles gripping my Nook fiercely unwilling to stop reading until I gallop to the end. show less