Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Fire and Thorns series by Rae Carson

This teen fiction series kicks off with The Girl of Fire and Thorns, and from the very beginning, I was hooked.

Elisa is the chosen one, the bearer of the Godstone, and destined to perform an as-yet unknown act of service. But, from the outside, she seems like an unlikely choice. She grows up feeling inferior, especially to her older sister. And then, of course, circumstances come together to test her mettle and resolve.

Elisa is a likable and self-deprecating heroine – and her vulnerability endears her to the reader. Her ability to uncover and lasso her powers will truly be a matter of life and death – not just for her, but for those she loves, and for her kingdom as well. Reading about her adventures made me want to reread Elske by Cynthia Voigt.

What impresses me most about this series are its well-defined characters and thoughtfully charted plot. The author published an additional book called Girl of Fire and Thorns Stories, which was made up of three novellas. Each of the three short stories added additional context and back story – and each was an incredible stand-alone reading in their own right.

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