Review: Fire & Thorn Trilogy by Rae Carson

Book 1: The Girl of Fire and Thorns
Author: Rae Carson 
Hardcover: 423 Pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books

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. 

Book 2: The Crown of Embers
Author: Rae Carson 
Hardcover: 410 Pages

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

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.

Fantasy genre is my favorite. The first Saga I ever read was Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time. Those who are into that genre know the significance. I was introduced to Rae Carson by a friend of mine. She retweeted one of her tweets. Her first novel was in reduced price. I downloaded it from Amazon. 

Last week, I wanted to read something. And I found "The Girl of Fire and Thorns" on my new purchases. I started reading it without having a clue what is this story about. It is the third time I am doing this, and I was surprised again in a very good way. 

Rae Carson created a very beautiful universe. Her lead heroine sixteen year old Princess Lucero - Elisa is the most wonderful female character I have ever read for a very long time. We can see her metamorphosis throughout the book. It is remarkable. In the beginning of the book, she is a naive teenager. In the end of it, she is a mature girl - woman, who has encountered death, destruction, changed her mind for the world, made friends but also have felt the loss of loved ones. 

The most challenging thing for a writer is to make their characters humanlike, believable but also wiser in the end of a story. Rae Carson's Elisa reminded me my favorite quote from E. E. Cummings' "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." 

In "The Crown of Embers", this metamorphosis continues. Elisa is now a seventeen years old Queen and has to find the courage to become the Queen her new town needs. She is trying to be diplomatic, clever, but politics in a Royal court is not that easy. Decisions have to be made. Decisions that lead to the death of several people. Decisions that deceive her loved ones. But still, she has to take those steps in order to understand who she is and what she really wants. 

From the beginning of her life, everyone told her that she had a destiny. That God selected her to service Him, as a champion. She is the one who can save other people's lives. That responsibility is in her shoulders an enormous weight she cannot stop thinking about. In the end, she realizes where her true power comes from. In the end, she is ready to face not only herself, but also all the others, friends or foes.

I am now, waiting patiently for book 3 "The Bitter Kingdom" to come out this August. When I will read it, I will update this post with my thoughts on the ending! Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Book : The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Paperback : 313 Pages
Publisher: Dutton Books

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

I started this story out of the blue two days ago. I haven't read its summary. I didn't know what I should expect next. That is not typical me. I really want to have an idea beforehand. 

The first pages of the story were really strong and I was captivated. What can you say about a realistic story of teenagers who have cancer? You cannot say much. Mostly because you cannot understand how they feel. And that is the best of this story. For once we get an idea / glimpse how those persons feel, their fears and all those negative emotions that linger around them.

I laughed in some places, I got teary into others, but when I finished the last chapter I had this feeling of reading something that mattered. No, matters to me dearly. It is too early to put it into words at the moment but that is true. ( I finished the book three hours ago.)

Those who read my reviews, know that I don't like to reveal things from the plot. It is beautiful written. Mr Green is a very talented author. I felt that every word he used was needed. I was impressed by his usage of words that we don't usually read in the genre. I am not familiar with his other work, but I will definitely read another story of his.

I highly recommend you to read it when you are in a such state of mind, where you won't stop reading it due to its theme. I have to warn you though. Even if, you are not in that state, you will want to know what happens next...

Book Review: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Book: Shadow of Night
Author: Deborah Harkness
Hardcover: 592 Pages
Publisher: Viking Adult

"Together we lifted our feet and stepped into the unknown"—the thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller A Discovery of Witches Deborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782. Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens. Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season.

There are some stories that stay with you forever. All Souls Trilogy is such a story for me. When I finished ADoW, I was waiting patiently and was wondering what is going to happen next. Is Diana going to succeed in timewalking back to Elizabethan England in 1590? When finally the book was out. I saw that the answer was yes and I was at peace. 

In this book we get to see not only some very famous people from that Era, as friends of Matthew, but we get involved into their web of lies, secrets and everyday life. I was really shocked to see how it helped the plot and throughout the book I was really impressed by some parts. 

For example, the whole part with Philippe at Sept-Tours is by far my favorite. And not because Philippos is indeed of Greek origin! Mostly because he was so smart and precise that he was always ahead of everyone. 

Matthew got his closure. Diana learned a lot not only for Philippe but also about Matthew and that helped them along the way to understand their deep feelings. Consequently that solified their relationship even more by the end of the book.

As per usual I won't say more about the plot. Of course, there are more in this book that I love and I haven't shared with you. For now, I will only say that along with Philippe, my second favorite is Gallowglass. When you read about him, you will understand why. I do hope that we will see more of him in book #3 but also  more information of what happened in the present, when Diana and Matthew were trying to find the witch that would help Diana with her magic. 

The only thing I would like to pinpoint is that Deborah Harkness is indeed a storyteller. She can create the scenery, the atmosphere even a pseydo-character, for all those real and historical figures she used in SoN. And that is her magic too. Also, I was not familiar with Elizabethan England or alchemy before reading these series. But even though of my ignorance, I had this feeling that I was taking a very good peak from that Era. 

Finally, for all those people who are still children in their hearts, this story is for you. You will laugh, hate, cry and love the characters even more in the end of the book. Just give it a try and you will be mesmerized. 

And when you will finished it. "Enjoy the Club that waits for Book #3."

You can also read my review on "A Discovery of Witches"

Book Review: A Discovery Of Witches By Deborah Harkness

Book: A Discover Of Witches

Author: Deborah Harkness

Hardcover : 592 Pages

Publisher: Viking Adult

The leather-bound volume was nothing remarkable. To an ordinary historian, it would have looked no different from hundreds of other manuscripts in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, ancient and worn. But I knew there was something odd about it from the moment I collected it.

Duke Humfrey’s Reading Room was deserted on this late-September afternoon, and requests for library materials were filled quickly now that the summer crush of visiting scholars was over and the madness of the fall term had not yet begun. Even so, I was surprised when Sean stopped me at the call desk.

“Dr. Bishop, your manuscripts are up,” he whispered, voice tinged with a touch of mischief. The front of his argyle sweater was streaked with the rusty traces of old leather bindings, and he brushed at it self-consciously. A lock of sandy hair tumbled over his forehead when he did.

I loved this book the first time I read it, and I loved it even more this (second) time too. Although the first time I read it within 24 hours this time I prefered to enjoy myself, so it took me four days. I really like books that have history elements. Deborah Harkness is a historian of science herself making this book a very pleasant trip for someone who doesn't know at all details about alchemy and 15th century history and arts.

Mrs. Harkness created a very interesting universe where the lead heroine is Diana Bishop a witch who prefered to cut ties with her past after a traumatic experience and focused entirely to her studies in the academic field. When Diana discovers a lost manuscript a lot of other creatures enter into her life. 

Which are those creatures? Other witches, vampires, daemons and finally the unaware humans. 

What happens when the first creature that makes his presence known is a very charming but bossy French Vampire? Matthew le Clemort is not a vampire you want to overstep. He is a doctor but also a warrior and the only one who can protect her. 

Diana is trying to understand what all these creatures want from her, but also who she really is. She has to realize that some gifts in life are given for a reason, even though some she didn't ask for . Matthew will help her along the way but they will face a lot of difficulties because their relationship is forbidden by an ancient agreement. When the wrath will fall upon them, they will realize that they have to stand their grounds and to fight back. 

You can find more about A Discovery of Witches at Deborah Harkness' Official Website 

Reviews By Author

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Carson Rae: Fire & Thorn Trilogy (26-04-2013)
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Green John : A Fault in Our Stars (14-03-2013)

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Harkness Deborah : Shadow of Night (29-10-2012)
Harkness Deborah : A Discovery of Witches (08-07-2011)

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Lawson Angel & Gold A Kira: Odin's Murder (12-09-2013)

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