Title: The Girl of Fire and Thorns
Author: Rae Carson
Published by: Greenwillow
Book Publication date: August 21, 2012
Pages: 448
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Grade: 95%
Rating: ★★★★★
Buy the Book: Here
Summary:
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, and 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 her to be 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. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.
Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. It was very interesting and very different. Though, the entire time I read this book, a little voice inside me screamed: JOAN OF ARC!
I absolutely love the history of Joan of Arc (a Catholic Saint). Joan believed she heard the voices of Archangel Michael, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine tell her how to follow God's plan and in the process helped the French win many battles in the Hundred Years War (Very much like Elisa's Godstone in The Girl of Fire and Thorns). She was later captured by the English and heavily interrogated with insane questions that all tried to prove she was a witch hearing demons rather than the Angels she swore she heard. In the end of this tragic story, she is burned at the stake for her beliefs. Which makes me wonder if at the end of this trilogy young Elisa dies in some form.
Grading
Character Development:
Grade: 4/5 = 20 pts
I gave The Girl of Fire and Thorns 4 out of 5 because while the character Elisa is superb in her creation, I feel the other characters could have shown their colors too (I would love to see Ximena's true personality shine through instead of just her loving mother figure, who will do anything to protect her baby cub, as she is simply portrayed). However, Elisa in herself has shown mental growth, shown a body type other than fit / skinny (huge plus!), that she is fallible, and because there were others with the Godstone in the story, it isn't a typical Mary Sue character.
Tone / Writing style:
Grade: 5/5 = 15 pts
I absolutely adored the writing style. It was very fresh and I could definitely hear the Author's unique voice shine through. I could also see through her writing that she really cares about her characters (except for King Alejandro, not sure if she simply didn't care for his character or in this first installment he has served his purpose to the plot and no longer needed him. I plan on reading the next two books in this series and I would love to see if she does continue on with his character).
Plot:
Grade: 5/5 = 15 pts
Click here to see spoilers
Like I mentioned before, I love the history of Joan of Arc. This plot very much reminded me of her story. Both started out at a very young age (I do believe Joan started her quest from God in her early teens and she was executed at the tender age of 19. Elisa is 16 when she marries the King and shows the beginning of God's plan for her); both Joan and Elisa were destined by God to fulfill a great task; also, both girls prayed to a higher being and received a response from Him or Her (Joan was given visions and heard voices while Elisa's Godstone reacted with temperature).
The one thing I really liked about The Girl of Fire and Thorns is the main subplot. The subplot starts when young Elisa is kidnapped by her temporary maid, Cosmé, her brother Humberto, and a few other travel companions. Humberto shows Elisa great kindness and flattery, even though Elisa is so self-conscious about her weight. Elisa is tormented with guilt and dejection because while she is already married to King Alejandro and longs for his love, she knows he will never love her due to her looks. She starts to enjoy Humberto's presence and quickly falls for the rebel, starting the upward arc of this plot.
As the plot thickens we see the tension between the two as both want to act upon their feelings, but King Alejandro poses almost as a dark cloud becoming the internal conflict that causes them to remain apart. When Humberto finally confronts Elisa about their relationship he learns that Elisa has accepted her place with the King and knows the marriage is strictly business even though she wished it to be otherwise in the beginning. The tip of the plot comes with Humberto's death, which poses as a dramatic and life changing experience for Elisa. Even though that was such a terrible experience for the main character, I enjoyed how she overcame this depressed state with anger and I believe she truly grew from this experience which almost made her a bit hardened and very relatable.
Theme(s):
Grade: 5/5 = 10 pts
The most obvious theme is the power of Religion. Actually, I have to compliment Rae Carson on how she handled putting Religion into her book while making it friendly for most Religions. What I mean is that she didn't just cater to Catholics, Islamic, Judaism, or any monotheistic religion but created a generic God that could, in essence, fit anyone's beliefs (of course assuming everyone believes in a monotheistic religion).
Click here to see spoilers
I think an overlooked theme would have to be Strength. Elisa had to have the mental strength to accept her destiny and her likely death. She had to have the spiritual strength to accept that her husband may never love her and her love may never marry her. Later on, she needed the same strength to overcome both of their deaths.
Joya had to show the two armies they were stronger than they actually were. In fact, they did rise to the occasion and did display that strength and ultimately saved them (well the ones that lived).
Unpredictability:
Grade: 5/5 = 10 pts
Click here to see spoilers
While reading The Girl of Fire and Thorns, I was shocked that Elisa was kidnapped and forced to play a leading and active role in the battles. I was expecting her to be similar to Eva Perón who was the first lady of Argentina. Eva Perón does "nothing, for years," according to her people, even though she did a lot. She doesn't take credit for until later on in her life. This sounds more like how I visioned Elisa would become: behind the scenes, telling King Alejandro her thoughts on the war, and not getting a leading role until he announced their marriage (this looks to be very well down the road before this point). Making this a more political book than the action packed book that it was. Of course, this turn made this book much more exciting!
It shocked me that King Alejandro died from his wounds. I was expecting him to be in the next book innocently tormenting Elisa with his newly found desires of her, now that she lost some weight during her adventures (that scumbag). However, it does make sense that the Author chooses to kill King Alejandro. Throughout the book, while he is the start of the path of her great task and sets her into place, he holds her back from what she needs to do. It was almost as if she felt obliged to be a submissive wife even though she "has steel" in her spirit. It pleasantly surprised me that she turns out not having to be that submissive wife for very long. This thought process disintegrates the moment she realizes she loves Humberto.
Food For Thought:
Grade: 5/5 = 10 pts
The Girl of Fire and Thorns definitely left an impression on me. When I got to the end I wanted to read more. I wanted to find out how Elisa runs the country that barely knew her (and she, it). It made me wonder if I was in her shoes how would I handle it and if I would be strong enough to be like her.
Ending:
Grade: 5/5 = 10 pts
Click here to see spoilers
It surprised me that King Alejandro died. Besides that point, I am happy that Elisa finally realized her worth in this story (Given that many people told her otherwise the entire time), and realized she did rise to the occasion when it called for it. In this final chapter, she shows yet another step of maturity that is beyond her years. It makes me wonder if she will let this power corrupt her or because she did experience love she will rule with kindness and mercy. This is a perfect example of the famous quote from The Dark Knight: "you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
The thought of this book is completed and leaves no unanswered questions, which is why I am giving full points.
Setting:
Grade: 5/5 = 5pts
The setting is constructed beautifully. The setting relatable and presents in a way where you feel you are right there next to the characters seeing it along with them.
...A moment later, the thrashing storm of sound resumes, followed by another unsettling hush. The terrifying afternoon stretches on in darkness while we are buried and unburried several times. Even more terrifying is the sure knowledge that the storm will erase all trace of our passing, that Alejandro will never find me now…
-(Chapter 14 page 114 of the Kindle Version)
This is a perfect example of how intricate the setting is. It clearly shows the fear, the desperation, the thrashing storm of sound, and the unsettling darkness the sandstorm delivers. Sure I would prefer more of the author showing us how she felt rather than telling us, (for example to describe terrifying she could have wrote: A shiver went up and down my spine and my heart practically stuttered in my chest at the knowledge that the storm will erase all trace of our passing. My Alejandro will never find me now...) however, it was beautiful none-the-less.
[ This is the first book of The Girl of Fire and Thorns series. Second book review and third book review.]
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