Book Summary and Reviews of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

by Rae Carson

  • Critics' Consensus (5):
  • Published:
  • Sep 2011, 432 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

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, and 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 her to be 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.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Carson's mature writing style, thoughtful storytelling, appealing characters, and surprising twists add up to a page-turner with broad appeal. Ages 12 up." - Publishers Weekly

"Compelling...this fast-moving and exciting novel is rife with political conspiracies and machinations." - School Library Journal

"Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. Fantasy. 12-14)

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Author Information

Rae Carson

Rae Carson dabbled in many things, from teaching to corporate sales to customer service to architecture, before becoming a full-time writer. This is her first novel. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two stepsons.

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