Book Recap: The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

Cover Inspection:
Ugh.
This is probably the only thing I dislike about the book.

SUMMARY (book description based on GoodReads):

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.

BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	2.0
Plot	4.0
Writing	3.5
Characters	4.0
Ending	4.0
Overall Rating	4.0 Excellent (97% to 100%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:

The story is set in a fantasy world.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

The main character is Elisa, the bearer of the Godstone and now, a queen. Elisa rules with both her heart and head. She is intelligent and well-studied. Although only in her teenage years, she commands respect. She's a natural leader.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:

Queen Elisa's story continues as she searches for the source of the Godstone's power.

LOVE:

I absolutely loved the fact that the story has a Hispanic influence - names, customs, and others. It gave the story an uncommon and exotic atmosphere. Plus, the story is an adventure. Elisa and her friends journey to search for the source of the power of the Godstone. They fought assassins. They braved hurricanes and tornadoes. They faced so many challenges. There were also some amazing political scenes in this book. It's actually entwined with governance as Elisa dealt with taxes and skirmishes. Being a young queen, she is new to it all. But she attempts, always in good faith to do what she thinks is proper.

The story is narrated in the first person in Elisa's POV. With this, we get a view of how Elisa's mind works. Elisa matured in this second book. Gone is the Elisa who is insecure about the way she views herself. She developed confidence as she dealt with her life as queen and the bearer of the Godstone. Truly, she uses her intelligence and her power to negotiate to rule. She thinks before she acts. Interestingly, she is well-versed in the Belleza Guerra (a book quite similar to Sun Tzu's Art of War) and the Scriptura (equivalent to the Bible). And she uses the knowledge from both books to govern. She is one amazing character, and I love her. 

The first part may be all politics, but the second half is pure adventure. It's pretty much like the desert adventure in the first book, only with more romance and... more Hector!

Speaking of Hector... hmmm... 

Suffice it to say that I want one for myself. Heh. 

Hector is so sexy. Like Elisa, he is a natural leader, a natural strategist. What's more is that his men love and respect him. Hector may exude power, but what stands out the most is his humility. Moreover. I loved Elisa and Hector's relationship. Elisa has a number of allies, but Hector is the greatest. Humberto is Elisa's first love, but Hector is her true love. In this story, Hector stepped up from being just a king's guard to being the queen's confidant, friend, and sweetheart. There were a few scenes of the two of them that are so cute.

Hector turns to me, his gaze fierce. “Majesty, if I sense danger, I’ll hustle you away, against your will if necessary.”

“And if that happens, I promise to be only temporarily enraged.”

And another one...

“I’ll look into it, Majesty.”

“And please stop calling me Majesty in private. It makes me grit my teeth.”

He nods with exaggerated solemnity. “I’d hate for you to ruin your teeth on my behalf.”

But there were also scenes, where the heat and the chemistry between the two is just... smoldering.

NO LOVE:

I just can't name a thing! 

Okay, there's one.

The book cover.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:

Storm, the Invierne. He's a minor character, but I liked him. He speaks his mind about everything without regard as to who he is speaking to. Don't get me wrong, he isn't exactly rude. He has manners when he thinks you deserve it. He's very frank with Elisa. He tells her what she needs to hear, not what she wants to hear. Plus, Storm provides some comic relief. I was amused by his quick retorts.

MUSINGS:

I have to admit that I didn't like the first book as much. It was just an average fantasy read for me. The first book lacked magic and romance. But this book compensated for that. It's filled with magic. It's filled with romance (filled with Hector, really). The Crown of Embers just blew me away. I have nothing more to say except that I loved this book. If you didn't like the first book, set that thought aside, and give this book a chance. It might just surprise you.

DOODLES:

Haven't found a trailer.

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:

Rae Carson

SIMILAR READS:

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

CONTENT REVIEW:

profanity: mild
violence: moderate
sexual content: moderate
mature themes: moderate (talk of birth control, a beheading scene - no details)
age recommendation: 14+