The Girl of Fire and Thorns audiobook

Dude. You guys. Best YA high fantasy I’ve read in, well, a LONG time. And one of the few 5 star ratings my stingy ass has handed out so far this year.I did the old, “I’ll just read a couple of chapters before bed” nonsense and....yeah. Read it in one sitting. The writing was engrossing, the plot moved along at a decent pace, and the characters were all layered and grew/developed throughout the story. I also loved that the main character - although still a "chosen one" trope character - was not a cliched, archetype. She was described as fairly insecure.Not all that pretty.And, as the book explicitly states - I'm not just being a bitch here (for once) - FAT. Which was cool to see. It's nice to have more varied and realistic characters playing the "hero" character these days, a character that used to be traditionally reserved solely for the perfect, hot (or hot but doesn't realize they are hot *eye roll*) character...especially as applied to female protagonists. That said...I must say this. I got a little nervous that I wasn't going to be able to finish this book. And here's why.I've discussed this before in another review somewhere - and I'm just too lazy to rehash it right now - but I've struggled with an eating disorder since my early teens. I have had it basically under control (or as much as you can "control" such things) since my mid-late 20's, but every now and then, something can start to trigger old habits. And boy did this book start triggering me like none other. As I said, the main character is fat. And who cares. Not me. However, there is almost constant mention of her eating and thinking about eating. And, not just eating, but unhealthily-bingeing-and-eating-my-feelings-style eating. Now, for people who don't have eating disorders or know someone with one, it can be very difficult to understand. It seems silly and vain and should be solved with a simple, "Oh, just eat something," right?Not so much.Once you get in that mental space, it's very difficult to get out. Like, we are talking simple shit having the potential to trigger months/years of backsliding for me, as lame as that sounds. So lame.So silly. SO legit. But anyway. I don't want to beat a dead horse here or bore you with bullshit. Long story, short: The constant talk of eating here started to make me a little nervous and I could feel once dead mental baggage start to rear up a bit; but thankfully, the story eventually moved forward from the constant mention of food, etc. The Author Notes at the end - which I really enjoyed reading also - delved into why exactly Carson made her MC the way she did (as applied to weight and appearance) and I really appreciated her commentary. But anyway, enough bullshit TMI no one cares about. This is a great YA fantasy with a really great female MC and I would recommend it highly if you are interested in this genre.

“And God raised up for Himself a champion. Yea, once in every four generations He raised him up to bear His mark.” What better way to take a break from stupid reality things like essays and demanding classes than a YA fantasy book about war, prophecy, an unlikely heroine and mouth-watering food? Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleasantly surprised! “Lucero-Elisa. Heavenly light, chosen of God. His words suffocate me as surely as his embrace. All my life, I've been reminded that I am destined for service.” Destined for service she has yet to discover, chosen for an unknown task that will affect her entire world, princess Elisa is trapped in a prison of expectation and ignorance. When she is forced to marry a king she has never met in order to forge a military alliance, she realizes that being solitary and secluded is not an option anymore, that she needs to use her wit to survive in a court full of rivals and save her people from an enemy who has the resources to destroy them, and herself. For it is the Godstone she bears in her belly, the mark of God that everyone is craving that might determine the outcome of the war. “I loved and lost and survived.” Rae Carson narrated a different story. The story of a girl who was suffocating under the pressure of being God's chosen one, who had to overcome her insecurities and everybody's mocking and stand up for herself and the ones who needed her. The Girl of Fire and Thorns was a coming of age tale that depicted in a realistic, relatable way the struggles of a teenager who ate too much and was not the epitome of beauty or grace, who at first was self-centered and isolated by choice and had to face the real world in order to grow up, become responsible and love herself despite her flaws. Elisa's transformation was astonishing, and Rae's message was plain and simple: first accept yourself and then the others will accept you. All the beauty in the world does not matter if you are rotten inside, if you don't use your brain, if your soul isn't kind.The world-building and the magic system were painted with bright colours, the religion and each culture unfolded naturally and I absolutely loved the court schemings and the war strategies! There was adventure, intrigue and sorcery and plans that didn't work out that made my heartbeat unsteady and I am pretty sure the next books will be even more gripping! The only thing I didn't enjoy was the romance. Yeah, I can hear your jaw dropping! I found it forced, it lacked of connection and the love interest was rather indifferent. I would be grateful if the next books focused on enigmatic Lord Hector who picked my interest even though I hate moustaches!The Girl of Fire and Thorns is the first instalment of very promising series about war, destiny, religion and magic, with many interesting characters and an entrancing plotline! I absolutely recommend it!

DEAR EVERYBODY: YOU NEED TO READ THIS!!! Seriously, what Rae Carson does with this book is brilliant and extremely refreshing! Everything is so honest and genuine and I loved every moment of it.

Truly honorable death, the only honorable death, is one that enables life. I enjoyed reading this book but not in the way I expected. The characters were very realistic and the concept of the Godstone was very unique. The story moves at a good pace and I look forward to seeing where Rae Carson takes this story. This book, in my opinion, had enough potential to be left as a standalone but there are 2 more books and I am genuinely interested in seeing how our protagonist grows into the position she reaches at the end of the book. There was definitely a lot growth in the protagonist’s personality but the growth was not unrealistically fast or like an epiphany to think differently, the arc in her personality was fitting because of the hardships she endures which led her to grow as a person. Once I finished the book, I thought back on how our protagonist was thinking about herself and the people around her in the first quarter of the book and the maturity and understanding in her actions and thoughts at the end of the book was miraculous. Our protagonist, Elisa is the bearer of a Godstone, a bearer is chosen once in every century and they are believed to be destined to a litre of service. It's Elisa’s sixteenth birthday which also happens to be the day she is to wed King Alejandro. She believes marrying him and completing this ‘peace treaty’ she was never told about, is her act of service. She is very mistaken. Turns out the people who told her everything she knows about the Godstone were holding out on her. There is so much she has yet to learn about her role as the bearer and the responsibilities that come along with it. There are people out there who want the Godstone from her, and they will stop at nothing to take it from her.Elisa is the bearer of the Godstone, and in that she is blessed, but in every other aspect of her life she believes she remains unimportant. Her sister, Alodia, has always been the favored one, she is the heir to the throne and deals with all the political aspects of her kingdom along with their father. But in the first chapter, it is clear that more than anything Elisa vies for her sister’s competence, grace, and beauty. She is clearly jealous of her sister and in her jealousy she assumes her sister hates her. Watching her become her own person, growing to her full potential is very interesting. She sees past her jealousy of her sister and realises her love for her and accepts it. I enjoyed watching her find people she can trust and making friends(in very unlikely circumstances, mind you). She realizes her true purpose and finds meaning in her life which also paves a path for her to self-acceptance. I look forward to reading more books by Rae Carson and I rate this one 4 stars.

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING.This book has a very strong female character.And guess what??SHE IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER FEMALE CHARACTERS.Probably one of the first maybe only books that have a girl who isn't that skinny, and perfect little 'ordinary' girl.No, this book has a wonderful girl who loves sweets AND WILL ACTUALLY EAT THEM DAILY BECUZ SHE LOVES THEM, NOT BECUZ SHE WANTS TO BECOME A SKELETON.So to all u peoples out there........... u is beautiful So screw body image, eat all the cake ya wantBut besides this, Elisa, (the pastry loving-princess), bears an amazing power. (ooh la la)That's right, folks. You've got an all in one character that you'll absolutely love. ;)So......basically...................-amazing MC-Hot but imperfect dudes. (why else would i pick this up?)-OVERALL U WILL DIE BECAUSE..................YOU WILL DIE. 0_0Yah.

I recommend this for fans of Tamora Pierce, Kristin Cashore, and my own high fantasy. This is a transformation story that teens and adults can believe in. Never condescending.

Reread time with Jessica*chanting* please hold up, please hold up. please hold up. I loved this series the first time through. So lets do it all again. I'm really hoping it is just as good.Whew and it did hold up well. I'm going to stick with my 4 star rating and since I knew some of the bigger plot points I was able to focus in a little more on a certain Captain of the Guard. Hector, you are amazing.Original Review I will preface that I was a little worried about this book when I started. It seemed like there would be some religious intonations and sometimes that can get a bit preachy and be a total turn off for me. I will say that wasn’t the case at all. The Godstone is a part of the story but Elisa is the story. I can truthfully say I never felt preached to or at.The book starts out with the wedding of a princess to a prince. But she isn’t your normal princess or heroine in books. She is timid, fat and so unsure of herself. Elisa was born with a Godstone in her bellybutton and that means that she has a destiny, she has been chosen. But, Elisa doesn’t feel special or chosen and has no idea why this honor was bestowed upon her especially when her sister is the one it seems to have all the beauty and talent. She is married off to a man she has never met and whisked away to his country. This is where the action begins, because even the journey is treacherous. The caravan is attacked on the way to Elisa’s new home and she has her first opportunity in the presence of danger to shine.I loved Elisa in this book, she grew so much. In the beginning she was a little hard to love as a main character because she seemed so weak and pampered finding comfort in food. But right away she starts to grow into her own and become a woman from the little girl she was. I was so intrigued by what the godstone meant and why everyone is trying to hide that Elisa bears it. She has studied the art of war and religious texts all of her life in preparation for whatever her destiny is. She became very interesting and after meeting the rest of the supporting characters I was hooked. Her Journey through this book was fantastic; she was brave and used her mind to win the battles she faced. I think that it was really telling of the characters that recognized her after her transformation; those are the people that really loved her, saw her.Once I finished the book I couldn’t wait to start the next book in the series. I wanted more time with all the characters. Fantastic first book.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! So freaking epic! Elisa is just one of those characters you fall in love with.

I reeeeeeeeally liked this. This was such a refreshing YA fantasy I didn't realize how much I needed something like this. The premise was interesting and unique and I felt many different feels while reading this story. I would also like to note that (for me anyway) the synopsis does not do this book justice at all. I really expected this to be more of a fluff fantasy and I ended up putting it off for so long because of it. Very much looking forward to continuing!

3.5 stars SPOILER ALERT...Well I don't think I've ever read a book where both the heroines love interests die.. who will she spend forever with now?The storyline of this book is basically about a princess trying to find out what her role is as a bearer and trying to find a way to save her country from inland enemies who want access to the port for whatever reasons and will stop at nothing to get it. It was never answered why the enemy wanted a complete collection of godstones or why they so desperately wanted rights to the docks they only said it was gods will for what they were doing. There was plenty of thrill in the writing and narrative and I loved the descriptions of the desert and Elisa's struggles to adapt to an un pampered life. Yet despite all the hardships thrown at her from the start of her kidnap she was unspoiled and only complained about serious vital things e.g. Lack of food and water. She was never vain and never complained about trivial things like her hair or lack of service etc. I did get on with her yet have got to admit felt a little detached from her and the characters through lack of emotions shown. This was only a small glitch though.There was world building but it was a little scarce in my opinion. It described how god rescued humankind by bringing them into that world in his right hand. It also described how Elisa 's people left the country of Joya to colonise the valleys because they thought joya had strayed from the path of god and they intended to peruse god by studying the sacred texts. There was the description of how a bearer is chosen every century at their naming ceremony when the blue godstone appears with light in their navel. All bearers are chosen by god to perform an act of heroism for him and although it appeared that many bearers didn't complete their service it was thought at the end that all the bearers contributed in little ways to one large deed and Elisa has yet to play her part.I was quite surprised with the ending though I mean how could the author kill off two important characters....I did enjoy the action and unpredictability of this book and look forward to the rest of the series. I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a high fantasy that keeps one guessing and has a different cultural feel.

DNF at 9%. I really wanted to like this book. It's just sad is I begun reading there was just something missing. I don't know what it was. I just didn't really care that much about what happened. And I know I did not read very far but I just didn't care too. It's not a terrible book persay. From where I got to it she's not particularly interesting. And maybe I can't judge because I didn't get part all but I just didn't care. It wasn't like I hated it or anything. I don't know. I definitely wanted to like it though. I just don't really see the point in reading it further if it's not interesting to me though. Though maybe if you read it you might like it.

What do you do when you're born with a sacred, divine gem in your navel? Well, Princess Elise eats and reads and hopes her chosen husband is old and ugly, so he won't be disappointed in her. She wishes she didn't have that gem, because people expect great things of its holder, and she doesn't feel great.Then her wedding happens, and her journey to her new home, in secret in order to avoid bandits, is a trial by ordeal. When she reaches her husband's home, she discovers he's wonderful, handsome, and a reader. And she begins to discover that she too has a talent for leadership. That's really just as well, because the country that is the enemy of his land and hers is on the attack.Don't look at me for more. You'll have to read it yourself!

So I read this one a while back and thought it was amazing. To the point that I sort of harassed a lot of people to read it, and I'm glad they all loved it too.I do see a lot of commentary about this having a 'Christian' vibe to it, and I wanted to say that I totally didn't feel this was Christian-Lit in the slightest. Rather, I thought it was a fun riff on the whole 'Chosen One' sort of scenario that we are all so familiar with in fantasy. Rae Carson's story is basically, "What if the Chosen One...sucks?"ETA - listened to the audio. Just as good on the 2nd round!!

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.nikihawkes.comFor one reason or another, this book didn’t have much initial cover appeal to me, so I passed it over early on without taking the time to find out what it was about. Foolish I tell you – FOOLISH! It wasn’t until I jumped aboard the Throne of Glass bandwagon that I started noticing the many cross-references between the two series. Then I randomly found and purchased a signed copy of the third book and decided I should probably borrow the first one from the library to see if I even liked it (yes, I’m utilizing the library now for the first time in my entire life… unemployment will do that to you). Anyway, after a massive reading binge, I’ve decided Girl of Fire and Thorns just might be among my all-time favorites – I loved it!!! Books two and three will be telling, but for now, lets suffice to say I’m completely thrilled about how much I enjoyed book one.It had everything I expect from a great YA novel. Heck, it had just about everything I expect from a robust high fantasy novel, too. Great, relatable characters, a unique world filled with interesting cultures, magic, an epic adventure, and fantastic pacing! I laughed, I cried, I yelled, and I seethed – basically, I was completely invested from page one and felt every victory and loss as if they were my own. It’s always nice when a book is written so well that it can draw you out of reality, and this one did so in a way that will stick with me for years.Elisa, the protagonist, is definitely what I would call an atypical heroine. Often, champions I’ve read about in other books start out with a solid set of skills, sporting flaws that are superficial or easy to overcome (such as not knowing how beautiful they are, or being too impulsive… you get the idea). I actually can’t immediately think of a female lead with so many things to overcome as Elisa at the beginning of the book. As a heavily protected Princess, Elisa had very few skills that would allow her to be self-sufficient. What’s more, she was also dealing with the emotional damage of feeling unloved, unwanted, and worthless. These feelings caused her to seek comfort from wherever she could find it… primarily in food. Overcoming these things took no small amount of effort, and because of that, Elisa is my favorite component of this book. She was compassionate, smart, courageous, and adaptable and, although she had magic, it was those endearingly human traits that let her do extraordinary things, touching my heart in the process. I truly loved going on this journey with her, and look forward to seeing where it takes her next!The world building was probably my second favorite element of the story. I love it when authors imagine up multiple cultures, give them some swords and religious convictions, and throw them together and to see what happens. I find it fascinating to see how they develop and react around one another, and I have the feeling I’ve only just scratched the surface of the cultural convictions this series has to offer. And, oh my gosh, the setting! With everything from tropical forests to desert wastelands, the settings were vivid and exciting. I don’t know if this is what the author was going for, but I felt like I was experiencing landscape similar to Central and South America, and it was wicked cool.Overall, this is one of those books I want all of my friends to read because I’m just bursting to talk about it. I liked Girl of Fire and Thorns so much, I immediately ordered it and the sequel in hardcover for my collection. It has similarities to things I’ve read before, but there were enough unique elements to make me feel like I read something fresh and original. If you need me, I will be devouring the second and third books in the series…

Fantasy haters need not apply to reading this book review. If the word worldbuilding has no particular meaning to you, if you have no idea who Tamora Pierce is, if you cringe at the thought of epic fantasy, The Girl Of Fire And Thorns by Rae Carson is not the book for you. If you love a hero journey where a character finds themselves, get on this book stat. If you love when characters die out of left field, hop onto The Girl of Fire And Thorns love train. If you prefer your books to have legit endings, even when they are part of a series, pick up a copy of Rae Carson’s debut.Read the rest of my review here

SERIES RATING AND SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: Book 1: The Girl of Fire and Thorns - 4 STARSBook 2: The Crown of Embers - 5 STARSBook 3: The Bitter Kingdom - 5 STARS How to sum up this trilogy? The Girl of Fire and Thorn has rich world-building, adventurous atmosphere and remarkable character development. Author also has great storytelling skills. It is so nice to have in detail planned out plot without any plot holes or disruptions of the flow of the story. To be honest, writing and story wise I have nothing to rebuke author for. Rae Carson made a forever her fan out of me. So what I liked the most about this series?SLOW BURN ROMANCERae Carson has just officially become my queen of slow burn romance. It's second story I have read by this author and let me tell you...I have never read about any other couple that is not a couple yet (true romance does not blossom until later in the story) but could not help myself but ship them like crazy. Mrs. Carson gives her readers minimum of romance but still keep them super excited about the relationship that is slowly shaping out through out the whole series. It's brilliant! “For love is more beautiful than rubies, sweeter than honey, finer than the king’s wine. And no one has greater love than he who gives his own life for a friend.” INSPIRING HEROINETo make things even better, this trilogy introduced smart, clever and resourceful heroine that depends on her own abilities. A spirited girl whom I grew to love so dearly. A queen with tremendous responsibility whom I admired strongly. A genius strategist and badass sovereign without being a real warrior herself. I wept with her as well shared all her joy. Elisa is one of the best female heroines ever. RELIGION IN POSITIVE LIGHTAnother important thing that I would like to mention is that faith (religion and god) plays a big role in this series. I liked that. So many modern authors are afraid to include religion in their stories. They don't want to offend anyone but they forget how powerful and special story can be with a little bit of religion and faith in it. Religion is part of many cultures all around the world so why should we rob ourselves of it in books? If diversity is the trend in YA literature, than Rae Carson hit the jackpot with strongly religious heroine in this trilogy.MORE REVIEWS ON MY BLOG Reading Is My Breathing