Jaime's Review of The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns #2)

Rae Carson

Hardcover: 400 pages

Release Date: September 18, 2012

Publisher: Greenwillow Books (Harper Teen)

ISBN: 0062026518

Source: ARC from the San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review

Rating: Obsessed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Goodreads.

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.

I have never in my life finished a book and picked it back up to re-read it. Not until now! The Crown of Embers was an amazing book! Rae Carson took what she did in The Girl of Fire and Thorns and kicked its ass!  Rae Carson has become one of my favorite authors of High Fantasy right up there with Maria V. Snyder (my favorite of all time!).

I loved TGoFaT don’t get me wrong but, TCoE was a gazillion times better  one of the main reasons I think so is Hector. I fell in love with him in book 1 and there just wasn’t enough of him. Book 2 there’s plenty! I did many happy dances and swooned a lot lol J

Oh and yeah the story? Amazeballs! Within the first 90 pages there’s an assassination attempt, treachery, a death, back stabbing, and Elisa has to start meeting suitors to marry. I mean it was pure craziness! And it went on being amazing from there I could not put this book down! Not even the second time!

Most of the characters from the first book are back the only ones we don’t see are Cosme and Elisa’s sister and dad. But Ximena (who annoyed the hell out of me), Mara, Alentin, Belen, Hector (of course swoons), and some of the Conde’s we met are back. Also there’s the introduction of new characters Felix, Tristan, and Storm whom I absolutely loved! They all had a different part to play and they made the story even better! Oh and I’ll just say one more thing before I get to the passage I decided to share. The ending and I don’t mean just the last few pages I mean the last 1/3 of the book made my heart soar, ripped it to shreds, pieced it back together, and then tore it apart again. And if that wasn’t enough it also gutted me for good measure!

Ok so another really hard choice of passages I had like 20 or so marked lol ;) but of course I chose one between 

Hector and Elisa! It’s a little mean but it’ll make you want more *evil grins*.

“And please stop calling meYour Majesty in private. It makes me grit my teeth.”

He nods with exaggerated solemnity. “I’d hate for you to ruin your teeth on my behalf.”

“If that happened, I’d have no choice but to follow the general’s lead and order your execution.” I make a vague gesture and say, “Off with his head!” And then my face burns with my own crass inappropriateness.

But Hector chuckles deep in his throat, and I feel it all the way down to my toes. Softly he says, “My life has ever been yours, Elisa.”

My limbs tingle and heat fills my cheeks as we stare at each other.

I snap back to myself. He’s talking about his duty. Of course his life is mine. He is Queen’s Guard, after all, sworn to jump in front of a crossbow bolt if that’s what it takes to save me.

Carefully I say, “You’re a good friend, Hector. And I’m grateful to have you at my side.”

His gaze drops to the ground, and his chest rises and falls with a breath. “Always.”

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