The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns, #1) in What's the Name of That Book???

Feb 02, 2022 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult, fantasy, own

I went into this completely blind, knowing only that it was very popular, and that I adore Rae both as a person and as the author of the fabulous Gold Seer Trilogy. This was completely different, although just as hard core (if not more so) and I really loved it. People died! Hot people! Died! Horribly! Creepy men oozed after this girl! And I loved how Elisa went from being simultaneously spoiled and having low self esteem to being such a badass! Such a great girl, that girl of fire and thorns! A ...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Dracolibris rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-lit, 2012, fantasy

Her Higness, Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza, Princess of Orovalle (Elisa for short) is a very special young lady. But it is not her royal blood that makes her so, since she is only the second born princess of her kingdowm and not the heir to the throne. It is not her stunning beauty, because she is actually rather large and plain and has trouble fitting into any kind of fashionable style. No, what makes Elisa special has everything to do with her belly-button, or rather, the Godstone that was magically Her Higness, Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza, Princess of Orovalle (Elisa for short) is a very special young lady. But it is not her royal blood that makes her so, since she is only the second born princess of her kingdowm and not the heir to the throne. It is not her stunning beauty, because she is actually rather large and plain and has trouble fitting into any kind of fashionable style. No, what makes Elisa special has everything to do with her belly-button, or rather, the Godstone that was magically inserted there on her naming day when she was a baby. This Godstone is given to the "bearer" only once every four generations and from that moment it is placed, the bearer knows that at some point in their life they will be called upon to perform a great service in the name of god. But Elise doesn't know what her service may be, or if she ever will, and on the day this book begins she is 16 years old and being married to a man she has never met before- a king from a neighboring kingdom.

Shy, nervous, and full of low self-esteem, Elisa simply hopes her future husband will be kind. But when he turns out to be startling handsome and gentle, she thinks perhaps she could learn to love him. Even when he asks her to keep their marraige a secret when they return to his kingdom, she agrees with the hope that he can possibly, maybe, learn to love her too. However, his kingdom is on the brink of war with an army of over-whelming numbers and brutal savagery and before she even has time to assess the court intrigue and atmoshpere, she is kidnapped one night and taken into the desert by brigands, who hope to use her Godstone to save their little corner of the kingdom from the invading army.

And so begins and epic adventure in which Elisa must discover her talents, both magical and natural and find a way to fulfill her destiny.

With this debut novel, Rae Carson has proven her skill at character development and world builder to such a degree that I am anxiously awaiting whatever her next novel might be. Whether or not it will be a sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns is up to her, but for now, I was wholly satisfied with this novel from beginning to end. I would recommend this novel to fans of Graceling, Tamora Pierce and anyone who appreciates a good fantasy tale. There was no content to be worried about for younger readers, just a few chaste kisses. ...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Jess rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, adventure, morris-award-finalist

This is an absorbing fantasy that really shows off its excellent world-building. It's the kind of story where the landscape, buildings, culture, food, clothing, language, religious traditions, even the weather all come together to create a place that the reader feels should actually exist someplace. Add onto that some excellent plotting and pacing, and things are looking good.

Carson gives you a familiar enough plot - a girl marked from infancy as someone special, but who lacks the confidence an This is an absorbing fantasy that really shows off its excellent world-building. It's the kind of story where the landscape, buildings, culture, food, clothing, language, religious traditions, even the weather all come together to create a place that the reader feels should actually exist someplace. Add onto that some excellent plotting and pacing, and things are looking good.

Carson gives you a familiar enough plot - a girl marked from infancy as someone special, but who lacks the confidence and determination to fulfill that promise until circumstances force her to grow up and come into her own. But there enough unpredictable plot elements and enough flawed and complex characters to keep you on your toes. The romantic subplots, in particular, were pleasantly outside of the usual pattern for fantasy.

Another strength of the book is that it treats Elisa's spiritual life in a complex and believable way. The religion of the book is its own thing, although parallels can of course be made between it and real religions. It adds texture to the world of the story, in the way characters are and are not observant of it, as well as the role it plays in Elisa's growth and ability to become a stronger person.

As other reviewers have pointed out, it is a little problematic that Elisa doesn't begin the bulk of her character transformation (from intelligent but passive) until after she begins her physical transformation (from overweight and lazy to more active, but never skinny). I did see some character development before the events-beyond-her-control that lead to her weight loss - she's begun conversations with the priest, she begins to befriend her stepson and tries to make inroads with her husband and his council. So it's not as if she does nothing until she's skinnier - but the majority of her personality development comes later in the book. So I'm inbetween on this one - I found her a compelling character because of her flaws, although I still think the main strength of the book is in world-building and plotting.

I'd recommend this for middle-schoolers and up - especially fans of Robin McKinley, Kristin Cashore, Tamora Pierce and the like. Also, although this is the first in a series, apparantly, and there are still questions to be answered, the main plot points are resolved by the end of the book so you aren't left hanging. I'd read more books in this series, especially to see what other world-building details are added. ...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it really liked it

Shelves: youngadult, magic, fantasy

Escapist fantasy adventure with a girl getting empowered. Not a bit deep, but I LOVED it! Elisa's a princess, plus she's got this Godstone stuck in her navel, so you'd think she'd feel pretty special, right? Not everyone has a Godstone, and a destiny to save the world with it.
But she doesn't, she feels inferior to her older, prettier, and slimmer sister. She feels left out of all the politicking stuff with the king, her father, too. So, she consoles herself with food, lots of it.

That doesn't s Escapist fantasy adventure with a girl getting empowered. Not a bit deep, but I LOVED it! Elisa's a princess, plus she's got this Godstone stuck in her navel, so you'd think she'd feel pretty special, right? Not everyone has a Godstone, and a destiny to save the world with it.
But she doesn't, she feels inferior to her older, prettier, and slimmer sister. She feels left out of all the politicking stuff with the king, her father, too. So, she consoles herself with food, lots of it.

That doesn't stop her from being accepted as a bride by the neighboring king, Alejandro, but as nice as he is to Elisa, one suspects he is only marrying her for the soldiers her father is providing in the ongoing conflict with the scary Inviernos attacking from the north.

Elisa shows she has both courage and intelligence when the king and her carriage are attacked on their way to his kingdom, more than the king. Alejandro looks nice, but he isn't good about acting quickly. She has to be strong, because there's way more danger ahead of her. Before she knows it, she is kidnapped by rebels (but they're loyal, really) and walking through the desert on limited rations, a kind of bootcamp for fantasy princesses.

The ragtag rebels open Elisa's eyes to what's REALLY going on. Plus, now she's got a rocking body to go with her smarts and that Godstone.
I liked that while there was some romance, it's sweet and tentative, appropriate to Elisa's age and inexperience. I liked that the book was really about a girl finding her power, using her brain, and saving the world.

I somewhat object to the fat girl getting fit theme, but as Elisa never gets skinny, but instead gets strong enough to walk all day, and still likes eating delicious food just fine (who doesn't?!) I didn't mind all that much. I did mind being told that Elisa was smart, when I hadn't really seen any reason for the characters who were telling her that she was to say so. Also, Elisa should have been angry about being kidnapped, not an instant convert. But events were moving so quickly, I just went with it.

Awesome fun, this is a real page-turner adventure. If you read this and like it, try The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, which is almost the exact same story. But slightly better, as The Blue Sword has an awesome cat, and a wonderful horse. You can't really beat Robin McKinley. ...more

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Sep 11, 2013 Abigail rated it really liked it

Started off with a wimpy and immature heroine who grapples with her powers, the decisions made for her and that she must make, and slew of deeply effecting tragedies. By the end of this book, Elisa is truly heroic and I felt proud of her amazing accomplishments. This was a fantastically plotted book with so much momentum and with multifaceted and surprising characters and conflicts. I especially liked the way Elisa learns about faith, her destiny, and how to have a relationship with her god. I a ...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Sara ♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, books-i-own, romance, action-adventure, 2012

November 25-28, 2012

This book is REALLY good!! (And, not-really-a-spoiler alert: the entire series is really good... it doesn't go downhill like so many trilogies do these days!) I own the whole series and it's great!!

December 29, 2011 - January 1, 2012

Oh man. I REALLY wish I'd reviewed this book before now. I'm pretty pissed at myself for not doing so! I read it 6 whole months ago! This will not be pretty!

I remember loving it. And I rated it 5 stars back in January. I love how FINALLY a book ha ...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Rachel Piper rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, fantasy, own

I really enjoyed this and struggled to put it down (it was a great motivator to go run, since I own it as an ebook, which I read only when on the treadmill or when I take the train). But I didn't love it quite as wholeheartedly as, say, Finnikin of the Rock, The Thief, Bitterblue and other political fantasies.

Elisa is a great main character who is thoughtful, smart and always tries to do the right thing. But, she's fat, so she doesn't trust herself and nor does anyone else. Because she's fat. N ...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: library-loan, old-reads

I can totally understand why this got so much love... for me, though, it was merely a good, not great, read.

Elisa is fat, not particularly smart, a second daughter and just turning 16. She's also being (rather hurridly) married to Alejandro, King of the neighboring country - she's the price for a treaty between her father and Alejandro that guarantees help as Alejandro defends his country from the Inviernos. The world that Elisa lives in is populated by humans, brought there by God as their wor ...more

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Sep 07, 2013 Sara ♥ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, romance, young-adult, audiobook, action-adventure, 2013

That was super great! The narrator didn't sound like she was the right age at all, but she pronounced all the Spanish and Latiny-type-language everything well, so I forgave her for not being 16. Her male voices were quite good, too.

The story itself starts off pretty... yawwwwwwwn.... slowly. But once you get to Part 2, it's awesome. :)

Now, on to Book 2, The Crown of Embers!! :) I wish I could find the audiobook..... :P ...more

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