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. (Goodreads summary)
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Other than the fact that I fully expected this book to be amazing, I didn’t really have any expectations for The Crown of Embers. In fact, I didn’t even read the blurb before picking up the book, so I hadn’t really a clue what direction Rae was going to take Elisa & Co. in this time around. Sometimes I enjoy being surprised by an author, putting my faith in the fact that he or she is a fantastic storyteller and being willing to go wherever the author chooses to take the story.
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This was definitely one of those times.
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Rich, luscious and immense in scale, The Crown of Embers boasts both a story and world that is utterly captivating. It was the same with The Girl of Fire and Thorns, hence my expectations for “amazing” coming into this second book. The Crown of Embers is grand, adventurous, sweeping and epic. There’s a lot of story here – a lot of ground covered, both figuratively and literally. And yet while it’s a story that’s large and grand, it’s also incredibly intricate. Rae’s attention to detail, her gorgeous descriptions, her artful prose, the little intrigues, the delicate machinations of the court, even down to her characters’ minor physical mannerisms – it’s just so well done and brings a great deal of realism and depth to both her characters and world.
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Elisa. Her time with the rebels has prepared her well for leadership; but in the wake of her husband Alejandro’s death she suddenly finds herself the full and rightful queen of Joya d’Arena. Not exactly a situation she’s fully prepared for. Once again, she’s thrown into circumstances that requires her to adapt… and quickly, because there are those that would see her deposed and/or her power weakened. And this time, she doesn’t just have a handful of rebels looking to her for guidance, but an entire kingdom depending on her for their livelihood, well-being, and safety. A daunting prospect, to be sure. And because of all this, Elisa finds herself constantly battling insecurities old and new, those nagging feelings of inadequacy, doubt in her abilities, fighting her personal loneliness, never knowing who she can trust, always needing to be aware of the image she projects. Her fears and need to be seen as a strong ruler lead to some decisions that are questionable, causing her to be a ruler that’s being led by political advantage rather than a queen ruling by conviction of character.
Elisa has always been a person aware of her personal failings, and she’s always felt that she as a person has never been enough, and I love how Rae has continued Elisa’s personal journey toward self-realization, self-confidence, self-empowerment, and self-love. Even though there are so many other things swirling around the edges of this story, this is what the Fire & Thorns series is really all about. Elisa recognizing herself for who she is, being confident in it; becoming who she’s meant to be on her own terms, throwing off the burden of other people’s expectations and following her heart and conscience. Being her own person, even when bound by duty. It’s a truly beautiful journey.
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Hector. What can I say about Hector? That I love him, might be a good place to start. I’ve loved Hector since the beginning. (Go #TeamMustache!) In The Girl of Fire and Thorns, he’s this kind, understanding, wonderful man who I completely idolized. In The Crown of Embers he’s still all of those things, yet Rae’s humanized him mainly by giving him more page time and by giving the readers a chance to know him better. Hector’s a man of amazingly steadfast character, with exceptional judgment, unwavering loyalty. He’s quick thinking, incredibly self-sacrificing, has a wonderfully wry sense of humor – a leader who inspires fierce loyalty and confidence in those that follow him. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s also rather dashing and handsome (even sans mustache). In short, he’s rather amazing. But he’s also just a man, and this second book lets the reader peek through the cracks in Hector’s armor, so to speak, and it makes me love him all the more.
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Romance. Let me just sum it up with the following:
“<swoony sigh>… What the?!…<determined smile>”
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Bits ‘n bobs…
Characters. Many key characters are back in The Crown of Embers, and several new players are introduced – including one… no two… that I really love and hope to see more of in The Bitter Kingdom.
Ximena. I’ve found the portrayal of Elisa’s relationship with her nurse Ximena to be one of the most interesting in the series. Ximena has always been a little over-zealous, a little too devout, a little heavy-handed when it comes to the safety of her young charge. But Elisa is now both a queen as well as the bearer, and this will inevitably change the dynamic of their relationship.
Love vs. duty. Always love when this conundrum comes into play – when affairs of state collide with matters of the heart. You know it’s about to get interesting, people… <dun dun dun>
Godstones, Gates, and the edge of the world. Oh my! The world! Omigosh, the world! Rae has created a world that dances so closely to eras, customs, religions and traditions from our own, and yet it is so clearly and definitively fantasy. In The Crown of Embers the reader is given an even deeper glimpse into the history and workings of Elisa’s world and source of power. It. Is. Fascinating. And left me wanting more, more, more.
Overall. The Crown of Embers far exceeded my expectations of “amazing,” and left me stunned, happy, sad, swooning, fist-pumping victoriously and, of course, absolutely dying for The Bitter Kingdom.
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Author: Rae Carson
Title: The Crown of Embers
Series: Fire & Thorns (Book #2)
Published: Sept. 18, 2012 by Greenwillow Books
Format: Hardcover, 410 pages
Website: www.raecarson.com
Source: Purchased (audio) & library loan (Kindle)
My rating: 
Happy Reading!
So, I actually really was not a huge fan of The Girl of Fire and Thorns either time I read it, though, obviously, I really, really wanted to like it. I decided to listen to The Crown of Embers anyway, and did like it much more.
Elisa, who I couldn’t stand in the first one, improves so much, and I was so thankful for that. Rae Carson seems to have very intentionally given her a character arc where she begins as annoying and insecure, but grows into the powerful character who’s learning how to love herself, as you so deftly pointed out.
Hector! Oh, swoon. Especially now that he’s shaved his mustache. #TeamNOmustache
Their romance in here, I was on freaking tenterhooks. If I could have, I would have been one of those gifs going NOW KISS. :-p
We did get more of a view into the history of the godstone, it’s true, and, thankfully, with less religious stuff than in the first book. Hurrah!
Did you not like TGoF&T because of the religious stuff? Just curious.
I thought there was a lot of religious stuff in this book too. But I don’t typically mind that kind of thing. 
I LOVE when characters undergo a lot of growth throughout a series. < – One of my favorite things. It’s probably what’s connected me so strongly to this series
Hector. Oh yes. Oh swoon. #TheTeamThatWasFormerlyTeamMustache. LOL
And yes, I know what you mean about wanting to shove their heads together so that might just KISS ALREADY! lol It was well done romantic tension.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting Christina!
Gorgeous review, m’dear! Well said!
Why thank you, m’dear. 😉
The first book didn’t get my attention. Perhaps it was because of the cover or something, I honestly don’t remember. But when second books are this good, that means the series’s on to something! Plus, I won’t lie: this time, I do like the cover (if because it’s more catchy or because my tastes have changed, I cannot say…)
Thanks for sharing, Dani!
LOL… this is actually the UK/AUS cover. I like it better too… the girl on the US covers just doesn’t feel like Elisa to me. Plus, this was the only hi-res cover I could find for the slideshow. 😉 lol I hope you give this series a try! 😀
LOVE this review! It’s making my heart swell with love for this series all over again. I agree so much with your comment about Elisa, and how the core of the series is about her personal growth as a woman, leader, etc. It’s my favorite thing about this series; Rae Carson nails rich, deep character development like no other! <3
It’s true. Rae really does a fantastic job creating such real, well-rounded, fully-conceived characters. and I love how there’s a romance central to the story as well as it being about Elisa discovering herself as an individual. Romance and self-discovery don’t have to be mutually exclusive and Rae blends the two SO WELL.
The first book was pretty good, but now you’ve gone and made me move this sequel up quite a few notches on my wishlist! Great review…I love how you highlight the main characters/plotline that readers will be looking for! Thank you!!
Thank you Cordelia, and I really hope you get the chance to read it soon! 😀
Thanks for this review! I want to read this series so badly but I just haven’t gotten around it it yet. Your reviews makes me think Im going to move it to the top of my TBR list!
Oh, it’s SOOO good, and I hope you do! Thanks for commenting, Christina! 😀
the cover really made me interested.. thanks for the review!
Thanks
Yes. The covers for this series are beautiful.
Eep how I love this series!! Elisa really matures and grows and she’s someone I totally respect. It’s awesome Rae Carson created such a real, flawed, heroic character.
And yeah, the romance in this one is so perfect!!
ME TOO! I’ve just never encountered a character quite like Elisa. She remains one of my favorites. And the romance… ? Excuse me while I swoon. Seriously. #TeamFormerlyKnownAsMustache
Thanks for the great review! I’ve read a lot of great reviews for this book and I know it’s in my TBR pile… gotta go dig it out 😉
Dig, dig, dig! And then read, read, read! 😉 I hope you get the chance to pick it up very, very soon!
I actually wasn’t a huge fan of the first book, but this one BLEW. ME. AWAY. I think part of my issue with the first book (and hence my utter adoration for this one) was that I wanted so badly for Elisa to have a romance with Hector, but he was totally brushed aside in Fire and Thorns. But this book…it was so incredible, easily one of my all-time favorite books. And I am so beyond excited for the conclusion to this series!
Yes. Hector. Oh my…. le sigh….
*Slight spoilerishness ahead if you haven’t read Girl of Fire & Thorns*
But I love that she was just laying the groundwork for their relationship in GoF&T. I love that Elisa had a first love and a loveless marriage and she learned things from both of those relationships. I love that she’s a little older, a little more mature, and a little wiser because of it, because I don’t think she’d be on equal footing, or ready for a relationship, or even as close to Hector otherwise. You just usually don’t see the romance develop in YA like it has in this series and it’s another reason I love it so much…. despite the fact that it did make GoF&T a bit frustrating for me as well. lol
I totally agree–Elisa and Hector wouldn’t have worked unless she had matured through her experiences in the first book. I had just been worried during the first book that I built Hector up in my mind and loved him too much and he was going to wind up playing a totally insignificant role in the books lol. But Rae Carson has done such an amazing job at slow, realistic character development, and I have to give her major props for that, since most YA books rely on sudden revelations to make their characters mature. I’m just dying for the third book now!!
Yes, I totally understand that worry, and I absolutely love Rae’s gradual character development. It’s an investment, but in return you get some of the most amazing characters in YA lit and a fantastic story. Seriously, this series is one of my all-time favorites. Ever. And yes, The Bitter Kingdom cannot come soon enough. But in the meantime, we’ll have the two upcoming novellas to tide us over. YAY!!!!!
Beyond amazing. I must start cracking on this series.
Yes, please do read it. It’s EXCELLENT! Thanks for the comment, Anne!