The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson Series: Fire and Thorns #2
Published by Harper Teen on September 18, 2012
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 410
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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She does not know what awaits her at the enemy's gate.
Elisa is a hero.
She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country's ruler should be secure. But it isn't.
Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from foreign realms and even from within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.
To conquer the power she bears, once and for all, Elisa must follow a trial of long-forgotten—and forbidden—clues, from the deep, hidden catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her go a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man whom—despite everything—she is falling in love with.
If she's lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost.
The Crown of Embers, the second book in the Fire and Thorns trilogy, is a step up from the first book. I didn’t know if that was possible but Rae Carson far exceeded all my expectations.
The Crown of Embers does not succumb to the second book syndrome. It’s not just a filler book. There is so much going on over the course of the book. There’s romance, a great adventure, betrayal, and so much more.
First up, the romance. There were two romantic interests in The Girl of Fire and Thorns and both died. I wasn’t sure where Rae Carson was going to go with the romance after killing both. The new romantic interest isn’t a new character, just a blossoming of a relationship from friendship to romance. Hector is this new interest and he’s by far my favorite. Seeing Elisa and Hector’s relationship slowly start to change was perfect. There was no insta-love between them and I greatly appreciated that.
Then there was the adventure. Elisa is on a quest to find the zafira, the power from the earth which supplies the animagi with their magic. Elisa knows that if she can find this power source, she will be the most powerful person and defeat Invierne. Reaching the zafira will not be easy though. Many dangerous tasks face Elisa and her companions on the quest for the zafira. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book.
As for the betrayal, I won’t give anything away but let’s just say that I didn’t see it coming. I was so broken by the betrayal and I felt beyond torn up for Elisa. Just be warned, it will make you want to scream. And possibly reach into the book and hit someone.
Overall, read The Crown of Embers if you haven’t already. Rae Carson is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine with this series alone.
What others are saying about The Crown of Embers:
Alexa Loves Books’ review: “Clearly, The Crown of Embers is a remarkable book.”
My Life is a Notebook’s review: “It was a solid follow up to The Girl of Fire and Thorns, and it left me screaming for more.”
Love is not a Triangle’s review: “She remains my favorite part of this series, and I continue to be amazed by her growth and strength.”
I had called it with Hector from book 1! I LOVED him then and I loved how he helped Elisa and they were friends. I’m so happy their relationship continued to beautifully.
This was a stunning sequel, so perfect with a plot that mattered and with character development.
You’ll love the third one!
Lovely review 🙂
Me too! I knew Elisa would end up with Hector while reading Girl of Fire and Thorns. I love this series!
That’s why I wasn’t upset when the other guys died! I was like, at least Hector made it!! Also, no love triangle!!
I love Rae Carson. I think her books are absolutely incredible and I know what you mean with the betrayal. My parents were wondering why I was so mad. Great Review!
I just ordered this book from TBD about a week ago and I cant wait!! sounds even better then the first book and that one was a cracker. And I’ve heard enough about how Hector is so swoon worthy. Awesome review and thanks for the heads up about that betrayal bit.. 🙂
If you like this series, maybe try Relic by Renee Collins. I found it totally unique in terms of fantasy.
I just did a review of the whole series over on my blog, i thought the same things as you. Its such a great series, I read the whole trilogy in less than 4 days. great stuff.
This book is my favorite of the trilogy – there’s so much that happens, never a dull moment!
Fabulous review! Hope you enjoy The Bitter Kingdom 🙂
I completely agree. As much as I liked the first book, this one blew it out of the friggin’ water! Hector is awesome, and STORM! I love Storm 😉
I love this series! After reading it I found myself pushing it on all the unsuspecting people around me, flapping my hands and insisting that they read it immediately. All hail Queen Carson. So glad you liked it too!