Review: The Crown of Ember by Rae Carson

The Crown of Ember by Rae Carson
Publication Date: September 18, 2012 by Greenwillow Books
Series: Fire and Thorns, #2
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!







She does not know what awaits her at the enemy's gate.
Elisa is a hero.
She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country's ruler should be secure. But it isn't.
Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from foreign realms and even from within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.
To conquer the power she bears, once and for all, Elisa must follow a trial of long-forgotten—and forbidden—clues, from the deep, hidden catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her go a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man whom—despite everything—she is falling in love with.
If she's lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost.

WARNING! This may contain spoilers from the first book. So if you haven't read it, or you do not want to know what happens, then don't read this review. Fair warning!


WHAT I LIKED

• Everything!!! Oh my gosh this book was so much better than The Girl of Fire and Thorns, and that's saying something since I really enjoyed the first book too! Right from the beginning, literally the first ten pages there was non-stop action. Oh man I felt terrible for Elisa. I would say at least four times someone tried to kill her, it was that bad. Now that everyone knows that Elisa is the chosen one, enemies from all over the place want her dead. Even people who you think are on her side want her dead. Elisa can trust NO ONE!
• I loved Elisa! She truly grew into herself and became a stronger woman. Along with trying to prove herself a good queen to her kingdom, she is trying to figure out why and how she is the chosen one for God. She cannot figure out what her purpose is but she didn't give up. She was very smart and witty when it came to difficult situations. She knew how to solve problems, or get out of sticky situations when things arose. (I seriously wish I had her tenacity!) Plus, she was always brave. Had there been someone attempting to kill me more than once I would have gone into a depression or hid like a big scaredy cat lol. But no, she takes the bull by the horn and faces her fears. Elisa seriously is the whole package. She also has a very strong sense of wisdom and compassion for her people and friends. She follows her instincts, allowing her to see potential threats and who her true friends are.
• Then comes Hector. Hector, Hector, Hector. Why must you be so wonderful and nerve wracking at the same time?! I absolutely LOVED Hector! He was the best guardian for Elisa, always protecting her and defending her to the death. He was also very sexy and dreamy. That Man sure has a way with words to a woman. SWOONS! He also knows the ways to a woman's heart. I loved the chemistry build up between he and Elisa. They grew to love each other and boy did the love between them spark! I had myself fanning at times. Through their grief, they learned to trust one another unconditionally and that is how they began to fall in love.
• The side characters. I really enjoyed the side characters Mara, Tristan, and Belen. They brought out some of the comedic humor when things got too serious. Mara and Tristan turned out to be really great friends for Elisa. I'm glad she had a few people who she could trust or turn to for advice. Mara was funny when she brought up a certain subject about sex. She definitely had me cracking me up at those times.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

• As much as I love Hector, I also wanted to wring his neck! He could be so frustrating at time when he was choosing duty over his love for Elisa. I wanted to go in there and yell at him to screw devotion and just kiss her already!!! Okay rant over lol.
• I'm still confused who these Inviernos are and what their history is with the godstones? The author did not delve into it that much and it left me a little frustrated on what's going to happen.

FINAL VERDICT

Would I recommend this book? That's a abso-freaking-lutely hell YES!! Sorry got carried away. This book has action, adventure, romance, everything you want in a book. This book far surpassed its predecessor and I cannot wait to finish the conclusion of this series. If you want to read an awesome fantasy series with a strong leading lady, then I really recommend this to you. I have to find out if Elisa and Hector survive because they have to be together! I also want to find out who these Inviernos are more and why they want Elisa as a living sacrifice to the godstone? The Bitter Kingdom, here I come!

Favorite quote:
"I told you I wouldn't let it interfere with my work. But every time you smile at me, and especially when you look at me the way you're looking at me right now, everything disappears. His thumb sweeps across my bottom lip, down my chin. His voice is low and dark as he says, When it happens, I'm not guarding you anymore. Your enemy could come up behind me, and I would never know, because all I'm thinking about is how badly I want you."
Hector talking to Elisa