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The Girl of Fire and Thorns  By Rae Carson (Fire and Thorns #1)
Release Date: September 1, 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow
Pages: 423
Genre: Young Adult
Buy this book: Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 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.

i was pleasantly surprised by The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. I first heard about it online through several blogs and most of the reviews were very good. When I finally did get my hands on it I have to say that it was a slow read at the beginning. It took me a while to finish but when I did the overall story arc was very satisfying. The characters are very endearing and the protagonist Elisa is a character who I really felt I could get behind. She wasn't whiney as some characters tend to be. She was relatable and surprisingly real leaping off the page instantly. Being in her head wasn't a bad place to be and seeing her world through her eyes was different and great.

The grand love affair (a spice in any great novel) is also a bit of a surprise. I really enjoyed the twists and turns especially the way it was all resolved in the end. 

I do recommend this book and I have to say... Rae Carson tells an intriguing story and I followed her till the end.