Book Review: The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

Published September 30th, 2012
Greenwillow Books
410 pages (Hardcover)

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. (From Goodreads)

Oh.  My.  God.  I'm dying.  DYING!  This book was pure amazing-ness!

My biggest complaint with The Girl of Fire and Thorns (review) was the slow pace for the first half of the book.  That was not the case with this book.  Right from the start, the pace is great and I had a nearly impossible time setting it down. 

Then there is the romance that develops here (AND I'M SO HAPPY ABOUT IT).  Poor Elisa, she just deserves some happiness and a man that isn't dead (yet...).  The characters in this series are just plain fantastic.  The growth that we see throughout features all the characters, not just our main cast.  

I love the complexity of the world-building.  I felt like I had been transported to an ancient land for the whole friggin' book.  I seriously didn't want to leave either.  It all culminates a cliffhanger ending that I'm still not over.  

I'm not a high fantasy fan most of the time, but asdfghjkl; !!!  READ THIS BOOK!  

Much love, Samantha