Review: Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

From Goodreads:

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

*****

I don't even know where to start with this book. It was fabulous, and at the same time it kind of made me pull away a bit and ask, "What?"


Elisa is the chosen one. She literally has a Godstone in her navel. This stone is almost like a link to God, and it directs her in some of her more challenging moments. The Godstone means that she has been chosen to do something amazing! But she has no idea what, and she doesn't know if her task will ever be completed. Many of the Chosen don't live long enough to complete their tasks. 


On her 16th birthday, Elisa marries a kind and handsome man who is the king of a neighboring country. When they reach his kingdom a few weeks later (with much trial and hardship), Elisa soon learns he means to introduce her merely as a "guest" and wishes to keep their marriage a secret. A marriage that was nothing but a contract for more troops in a war that is fast approaching. 


And thus begins an epic tale of a girl who must overcome her self-doubts and find the courage to save a nation. And yes, I mean epic.

I read this book a month ago, and I can still see the story in my head. It was that good. The author does an amazing job of giving the reader enough detail so that we can see what's going on, but not so much that I'm flipping the pages looking for dialogue. 

Elisa is the kind of character that grows naturally, and yet she still has her self-doubts and lack of confidence, even though she's slaying the dragon. Hypothetically speaking. I thought she was so real, she could have been the girl next door instead of the girl of fire and thorns....:)

Battles and war are always a little difficult for me to follow because there is always so much history shoved into a tiny little space. However, with The Girl of Fire and Thorns, the war history was only a tiny bit tiresome, so that's pretty good. 

I sometimes had a hard time figuring out who was the bad guy and who really was good. There were a few times I thought a good guy was about to betray Elisa, and he never did. That's a little confusing as a reader. I like a surprise, but I don't want to be constantly on guard for something that never happens.

This is a very, very sweet love story as well. And that was one of my most favorite and least favorite parts of the book. I won't say more because it will give away too much.

This was a clean book with battle violence. If you're like me, you'll be heavily invested emotionally. This is apparently a trilogy, and you can bet your bottle rocket I'll be reading the other books in the series.

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (September 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• Amazon.com
• Goodreads.com
• Souce: Publisher via Netgalley

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Review: Meant to Be by Tiffany King

Krista Miller feels like she has lived her entire life in a glass box with her every emotion on display. She can’t help feeling like a defect as her sensitivities have made her socially inept. She doesn't even have any friends...except the boy that visits her every night in her dreams.

Krista’s emotions are put to the test when a move to California triggers a devastating change to her fantasy world. The comfort of the boy's presence has now become a recurring nightmare as he is taken from her by an unseen force every night.

Struggling to appear normal, Krista enrolls in a new school and finds it to be nothing like she thought. Her new life is sent spiraling out of control from a strange connection with a boy, Mark, who claims to know all her secrets, as well as finally making a friend. One who understands her better than she though.

As Krista begins to explore the emotions that Mark evokes in her, secrets about their mysterious past and their predestined purpose threatens to separate them just when they have found each other.

--

I thought this book had a fantastic concept. An awkward teenage girl with strange abilities and a true love she’d never met…except in her dreams. The characters were well-rounded, the climax was awesome, and I couldn’t put the book down. I had to know what was happening! I think I finished it in one day. Maybe two…

Although I was enjoying the story, I felt really confused during most of the book. I felt like I should have known what was happening, but I couldn’t figure it out.

At the end, I was left with a few questions, but I think that was on purpose. I’m excited for the release of the sequel.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (March 28, 2011)
• Language: English
• Source: giveaway for review
• Amazon
• Goodreads

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Review: Die for Me by Amy Plum

Kate's life turned from normal to abysmal when her parents are killed in a car accident. Returning to their father's heritage, and their only surviving family members, Kate and her sister, Georgia, move to Paris to be with their grandparents.

Kate's days are filled with novels, museums, and the crushing ache of mourning and depression, until her eyes lock with Vincent's across a cafe terrace. He's gorgeous and kind and, amazingly, seems genuinely interested in Kate. The closer she gets to him, the more she becomes aware that she's opening herself to potential heartbreak and pain.

But more importantly, it could mean risking her life.

Vincent and his kindred are Revenants. Undead who sacrifice their lives over and over to save humans from death and pain. And their sworn enemies have had centuries to perfect hone in on their Revenant hunting skills.

Kate must decide if her safety is important enough to leave Vincent being, or if a life without Vincent is really worth living.

***

To be honest, I was a little hesitant about reading a book about the dead dying over and over, but I was beyond pleasantly surprised. I was so intrigued by this book, I finished it in 2 days. Kate's pain at losing her parents completely destroys her, and she's seemingly an empty shell, just putting one foot in front of the other. After meeting Vincent, she at least has something to keep her moving and occupied during the day. But then their little attraction grows stronger, and stranger. Kate's immediately plunged into the fascinating world of the undead. The revenants jokingly call themselves zombies, but it's nothing like the stereotypes.

There was just a little cautionary content (they may be immortal, but the Revenants still die, after all. And not all the deaths are clean).

The descriptions of Paris were beautiful, but sometimes a little distracting. The characters were fantastic. Sometimes when a book has so many important characters all rolled together, it's difficult to keep their personalities separate. I did not find that to be the case here.

Bottom line? Very intriguing read that is part pain and death, part heart-melting love story. Definitely worth reading.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (May 10, 2011)
• Source: Publisher (via NetGalley)

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Review: Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

Alex is not your typical teenage kid. He's an assassin, an elite killer sent to stop the world from being invaded.

Willow is not your typical teenage girl. Not only is she a gifted mechanic, she also has psychic capabilities.

Living in a small town with her Aunt and mentally void mother, Willow is shocked to discover that Alex has been sent to kill her. And he's not the only one who wants her dead.

Alex is the best of the best, so why doesn't he follow orders? Something about this mission isn't right. Willow may seem like the enemy, but she doesn't act like one. In fact, it's almost like she doesn't realize who, or what, she is.

When Alex decides, against his better judgement, to save Willow instead of kill her, they are plunged into a cross-country journey to flee the enemy and find a way to stop them for good. Along the way, something neither of them expected, or wanted, happens. They fall in love.

Now Alex must do whatever he can to keep Willow safe. In this war, the enemy is deceivingly beautiful, the victims are oblivious to their destruction, and the odds are impossible.

***

The Pros: This was a highly intense, fast paced, must read book. The story was fascinating and disturbing. The characters were entertaining and the dialogue was just about perfect.

I read this book in a day, which is not a huge feat for me, but the book is over 400 pages long. I stole every spare second to finish the story because I just couldn't stop.

The Cons: There was a lot of taking the Lord's name in vain and using it as an expletive. Multiple times on nearly every page, and it went past irritating and became offensive. There was a little more swearing than I appreciate. Alex tends to drink more than I think is appropriate for a seventeen-year-old boy.

The Middle Ground: This book is dripping with romance. The attraction between Willow and Alex is almost instantaneous, but they both fight it for a while. Once they realize it's a losing battle, the walls come down and the flood gates open. Most of the time it's sweet and perfect, but sometimes it's just irritating.

I try not to include spoilers, but this is probably a spoiler. So stop reading if you want to be surprised.

The enemy is Angels. They have come to earth to feed off of humans, feed off their auras and energy. The humans are then grateful they've been touched by an angel. After, they have Angel Burn, a condition where their body deteriorates via cancer, MS, and a slew of other medical conditions (including instant death by massive heart attack or stroke). At first, I was wildly uncomfortable with the idea that angels are evil. But the further into the story I got, the more I realized that these beings may look like "angels," but they're really a sort of alien. There is no mention of them coming from heaven. They're not, in any way, connected to God or heaven or religion. Oddly, that made me feel a lot better.

Bottom Line:

Overall, I highly recommend this book. Fantastic supernatural read. Especially if you're into a good mix between action/adventure and paranormal romance.

This book was provided by the publisher, Candlewick, via NetGalley. I received no compensation for my time or review. Pin It