Book Review: The Crown of Embers

The Crown of Embers

By: Rae Carson

Published by Greenwillow Books

Release Date: September 18, 2012

Genre: YA fantasy

410 pages 

Buy it on Amazon, IndieBound

 or Barnes and Noble
Source: ARC tour hosted by
 Citrus Reads



Visit our other post about this series:
Review of book 1, The Girl of Fire and Thorns

My thoughts: 

Happy Book Birthday, Rae Carson! The Crown of Embers, sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, releases today. We decided to celebrate by sharing our review.

This truly is an awesome read. I remember going into it a little worried that it wouldn't live up to the standard set by book one. I am quite happy to report that I was not disappointed; if you read and loved the first book, you will love this one as well. The only reason it's not a 5 for me is because I saw one particular plot point coming- oh, but it's SO worth reading to get to that point!! 

In this installment, Elisa is quite grown up and doing her best to rule her country. She finds, however, that she is still lacking that special something that makes a good ruler great. She undergoes several trials and another grand adventure before she finds what she is looking for. Elisa's transformation was a favorite feature in book 1; this time her growth is much more subtle, yet just as profound. The strength of this female lead character is one of the main reasons that I recommend this series to girls. We need more heroines like Elisa.

For those fearful that the romantic elements will be lacking after the death of King Alejandro, don't fret. Elisa searches for a new match in this book, and finds the perfect man for her in a rather unexpected place. I'll say that this character will be featured as a Book Boyfriend in the near future, because I think he's a much better match for Elisa than either of her men in book 1.

These books are sweeping grand adventures. One of my favorite things about reading them is that the exposition lends nicely to visualization; the story is told very cinematically, so it's easy to "see" the story as you read. I very much enjoy experiencing the contrasting landscapes as Elisa travels. Some movie exec is going to look very smart when they option these books.

Fans of Maria V. Snyder's Study series will love this one. I certainly did.

Summary 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.