The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Author: Rae Carson
Series: Fire and Thorns #1
Publication Date: September 20, 2011
Source: Purchased

Summary from Goodreads: Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.Elisa is the chosen one.
But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.
Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.
And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.
Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.
Most of the chosen do.

Rating: êêêê

Review: Loved this book! It was really hard to put this book down. The very first thing that stuck out to me and made me really love this novel was the main character, Elisa. I love that she not the typical heroine. She does not have the perfect body and lacks self confidence. I also love how she changes and develops throughout the novel and doesn't even know it. 

While Elisa clearly steals the show and is my favorite, the book has an awesome cast of characters (and if you continue to read the series, you will notice characters continue to grow on you). 

The world building is decent, the descriptions of the landscape make envisioning the setting easy. The religion and the Godstones are interesting. There is clearly a complexity in this world that needs to be explored. 

The pacing was perfect - Elisa's journey and greater purpose drive the book forward.