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.
Why in the world did it take me so long to pick up this book? Seriously, someone should have been hounding me every day until I read it. Girl of Fire and Thorns was one of those books that I started on a trip to see family and didn't end up actually seeing much of my family. It totally consumed me and I just wanted more. So naturally, when I had more of the story I waited almost a year to go back into this beautiful world (I know, I make perfect sense). I was a little worried I wouldn't remember the first book well enough to just jump into the second one, but it wasn't long before the memories came flooding back. This is a fantastic sequel in a series I've come to completely adore.
I'm a little obsessed with Elisa as a heroine. Thinking about where she was at the beginning of book one and where she is now is just incredibly impressive. She's managed to find a voice and even better, she's learning how to use it. She's the queen of a country in turmoil and she really has to deal with establishing her authority, figure out who to trust, learn how to keep everyone happy while still doing what needs to be done, and try not to get killed. It's a big job and she has setbacks, but we all know she can rise beautifully to the challenge. She's inspiring, because even with the advantage of the godstone, she's not a natural heroine - she rises to the task of being heroic.
So I was totally loving on Humberto in book one, but good heavens, Hector stole my heart. Here's one of the great things about fantasies: they don't rush their romances. They go so slow it's almost painful, but it just makes every little touch, a few spoken words, an intense glance to turn you completely inside out. Hector brought all my cells to attention every time he was on the page, just waiting for him to do some small thing to make my heart pound a little faster. He's one of those strong silent types, but he's just the one reliable constant in this book and I adore him for it.
This book had a killer ending, which to be honest, I was a little disappointed in Elisa and her strong mind to not see coming herself. However, some paths you just have to take for yourself, even if you know it's going to turn out badly and I guess I have to let Elisa do that on her own. Still this book is a slow, strong build clearly leading into a third book where things are going to get real (crazy, really fast). This is in no way a bridge book, it's just the middle climax in an fabulous series, which is exactly what it should be. And on second thought, maybe it's good I waited so long, because the third book is out so soon and I'll just be able to know how it all turns out. Thank goodness. This series makes my skin tingle and I'm so nervous for Elisa, but I really do have faith in her (and Rae Carson) that her ending is going to be just as epic as her beginning and middle.
