TEEN: Fire and Thorns - Rae Carson

Release Date: 29/09/11

BOOK BLURB:

Princess Elisa is a disappointment to her people. Although she bears the Godstone in her navel, a sign that she has been chosen for an act of heroism, they see her as lazy and useless and fat. On her sixteenth birthday, she is bartered off in royal marriage and shipped away to a kingdom in turmoil, where her much-older-and extremely beautiful-husband refuses to acknowledge her as his wife. Devastated, Elisa decides to take charge of her fate and learn what it means to bear the Godstone. As an invading army threatens to destroy her new home, and everyone at court maneuvers to take advantage of the young princess, Elisa becomes convinced that, not only is her own life in danger, the whole world needs saving. But how can a young girl who has never ridden horseback, never played the game of politics, and never attained the love of a man save the world? Elisa can't be sure, but she must try to uncover the Godstone's secret history before the enemy steals the destiny nestled in her core.


REVIEW:

If you love a story of magic, of adventure with a good dash or romance then this could well be the book for you. What Rae does in this rerelease is present a title that is about friendships, allegiances and above all else a lead character that’s learning that you have to adapt and change as the world goes on around you. It’s cleverly written, the cast is outstanding and I absolutely enjoyed a lot of the secondary characters who really brought the foreign lands to life. Finally add to the mix a wonderful sense of prose that really brings the reader into the world and it’s a title that was a lot of fun from start to finish. It’s going to be interesting to see how it develops from here in future instalments.