Review: Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
Series: Fire and Thorns, #2
Published: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 410

The second book in Rae Carson's award-winning The Girl of Fire and Thorns fantasy trilogy, perfect for fans of Game of Thrones and Kristin Cashore. Tamora Pierce called the first book, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, "A unique and engrossing read!" A seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.In The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Elisa won the war. She saved her kingdom. But no one prepared her for how hard it is to recover from a battle, or to rule a people who still don't trust her. She's still fighting—against assassination attempts and more—and her enemies lie both outside her court and within it. So Elisa will cross the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. With her go a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume to Rae Carson's ambitious trilogy.

*Beware spoilers for Girl of Fire and Thorns!*
I must say, this series is quickly becoming a high fantasy favorite for me. I adored the first book. I felt as if Carson had so much courage for tackling a book with A) A heroine who is not only plain, but obese. B) Writing a high fantasy book with God (not ‘a’ God, not ‘Gods,’ but God. and C) sacrificing characters for the development (not shock factor) of a story.

Honestly, I never imagined to connect to Elisa as strongly as I did. But here’s the fact: Elisa’s insecurities are our insecurities too. Her eating pastries to deal with pain is the equivalent to someone else’s locking themselves away, or lashing out at others, or even inflicting physical pain. Elisa’s journey to transcend all of that, though, is what makes me love her. She is exactly the kind of heroine that inspires people to do something more. And I’m perfectly happy to say that The Crown of Embers is a continuation of Elisa’s journey as she now struggles to come to grips with ruling a country that she is not a natural born citizen of. Elisa is a war hero ruling in a (temporary) time of peace. She feels ignorant and powerless to bring about the change that she knows Joya d’Arena needs. While I admit that I enjoyed her growth much more in the first book, I do love how this comes full circle.

Now, I have no idea if Rae Carson has any religious affiliation, or just found the concept interesting to write about. But she does a great job writing about it. Religion is a big part of my life, and it fascinates me how similar ideas extend across cultures and time. The fact that Elisa’s culture also endorses it in such a familiar way, is, well, refreshing to read in YA. A lot of the time, I feel like it is a taboo that is either, never mentioned, or or brought up in the one sentence, “Yeah, religion is cool, but I’ve never connected to it.” So kudos to Carson, and the questions she raised in this book concerning religion. Elisa’s relationship with God is a constant in this book, and I love that. Does she question herself sometimes? Yeah. Does she doubt Him sometimes? Yeah. But she still moves on, and still has the courage to…well, that ending is something, guys.

Now, my biggest problem I had reading. I’m still hung up on Humberto. Silly, right? I admire Carson so much for being able to sacrifice him like she did because it truly contributed to plot and character development. But I mist him so-freaking-much. And honestly, that nagged in the back of my mind as I read this, which probably hindered my ability to enjoy this book. And I did enjoy it. Hector is fantastic (if not Humberto), and I think Storm may be a new all-time-favorite of mine. ButistillmissHumberto! Pathetic, right? But don’t let my personal feelings get in the way of enjoying a incredibly well written, inspiring, and yes, tough, book. It’s the kind of book that changes people, and inspires them to go out and do something-truly, the best of YA Literature.