The Crown Of Embers, Rae Carson

Book: The Crown of Embers
Author: Rae Carson Her Site
Series: Fire and Thorns (#2)
Genre: Fantasy/YA Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Moral: 4/5

In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.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.

There is something thrilling about a sequel. The first book was adventurous, but the second book is merely meant to build up for the third. Well, that's how it works for trilogies. Rae Carson is the perfect case, but even though this book was ultimately meant to build up for the next one, it was absolutely, deliciously epic. As many people have stated before me, Elisa's mental growth is something to marvel over. Not often in a book can an author so vividly display what it really means to grow up.

The Plot:

Rae Carson has woven a fast paced plot, that kept me on my toes. It wasn't speedy, like some novels, it was more like a steady stream. It was interwoven with action and a hint of suspense that I rather enjoyed. I was delighted by the decisive twists and fell in love with Rae Carson's style.

The Characters:

They did not disappoint. In fact, they did the opposite of that. I mentioned the amazing main character, Queen Elisa, and her entertaining maturing. Also, there is Hector. He was cliche. Yes, he was very cliche. The mysterious, protective, handsome friend who turns into more than a friend. Even though I'v read it before, Carson managed to write a beautiful romance. Mara, who was Elisa's best friend, continued to delegate happily, along with many of the characters from the past book. All of them were flawed, and I mean that in a good way. They were interesting and enjoyable.

The Setting:
The Crown of Embers, like book one, ranged through many unique places. In book one, you had rolling hills, the desert, the palace, etc... In book two, you have that and more. There is the whole sailing experience that is so rich and cliche in this time period. Also, I felt that the palace was nicely elaborated. There wasn't too much time taken from the plot to go into major detail, but I had an undeniable sense of where the story was taking place.

The Standout:
The thing that really stood out to me was the kingdom. The politics, the ruling and the people. It is curious how kingdoms work, and I think Rae Carson developed her kingdom magnificently. There was a very evident mental battle for Elisa to rule her kingdom. The base of the story was actually her trying to be a good queen, while maintaining some sort of sanity. Behind the curtains, you have all these lords and dictators trying to get more power, and they are willing to do anything. So not only do you get to watch Elisa deal with this, she also has to worry if she can even trust her own friends. Than you have the armies. Elisa needs a bigger personal guard to be safe, but the lords don't want her to have too much power so they are unwilling to fund it. Elisa needs to keep peace between the different lords and herself if she wants to remain in power. It is all so enticing, watching her try to be herself and a queen at the same time. Actually, that was my favorite part. I hope we get to see more of this in book three!

The Moral:
Elisa is strong, even when she doesn't believe it. She makes the hard decisions and does whats right, and I loved that! There wasn't sex, but there was talk. You know how against it I am, and I was disgusted at how she thought it was so thrilling to take birth control "just in case"! Ugh! How old are you, seventeen? Just wait alrighty! Thankfully, there wasn't any need for the birth control. Elisa made mature decisions. 

So yes, I would recommend this to everyone. An amazing sequel and a fabulous read!