Thursday, July 25, 2013

ARC Review: The Bitter Kingdom

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson
5/5 stars
Greenwillow Books, 2013
448 pages
YA Fantasy
Scheduled to release August 27

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I liked The Girl of Fire and Thorns and The Crown of Embers well enough but I wasn't as passionate about this series as other bloggers had been. Still I hoped to end the series strong so I was pleased to receive an early copy of this conclusion to the trilogy. Well, if you looked at my rating, you will see that I was well-rewarded by taking that chance because this book blew me away! I'm going to share a few non-spoiler points as well as a marked spoiler at the very bottom to hopefully explain how this book won me over.

Though most of the narrative is told from Elisa's perspective, as occurred in the first books, this one also brings in a few chapters narrated from Hector's point of view. I adore dual narration and really loved it here. Because my e-copy showed which chapters he narrated in the index, I could easily access how long it would be until the next entry and looked forward to each and every one. Which is not to say that I don't like Elisa's narration; I just happen to like the variety provided by Hector.

Another plot element I actually liked was the journey-Elisa and her crew have to travel a lot in this book and though that is not ordinarily the kind of story I like, it really pleased me here. Especially exciting was when they were caught in a snowstorm and decide to seek safer passage through mines (it was so Fellowship of the Ring). There was just so much action and it kept me glued to the pages.

But I guess what I liked the most was Elisa's confidence, which has been growing rapidly since her introduction as a shy mousy thing. She knows her rightful place as ruler and that she has the capacity to conceive and execute fantastic daring plans. She can fight, she can love (I promise you Hector fans some good things!), she can strategize-it's amazing! Right after Elisa comes spunky new character Mula, a little girl whose heartbreaking past will be only a dark memory as she gets to embark on an amazingly bright new future.

Overall: An excellent conclusion to this fantasy series. Usually my favorite book in a trilogy is the first but in my opinion, this finale demonstrates such tremendous growth on the part of its characters while also amping up the tension to almost unbearable stakes throughout the course of the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope you'll be finishing this series!

SPOILER:

So near the end Elisa's godstone falls out because she has fulfilled her purpose. First I loved that she didn't die because she had friends to share the burden-so many other Chosen had lived in isolation and couldn't finish but she built those relationships and invested in them and was rewarded. Then second she has to try to face her enemy without that power. But then it turns out she doesn't need it because she is anything but ordinary even without the stone. Oh, I just loved it!

END SPOILER:

Other Opinions:
Book Labyrinth
Paranormal Indulgence
Pure Imagination

28 comments:

  1. So I skipped over the spoiler part of your review because I haven't read this book yet but I was so glad to see you gave it 5 stars and that you thought it was better than the first book. I loved The Girl of Fire and Thorns and thought it was absolutely amazing (and I liked Crown of Embers though it wasn't quite as good) so I am really really excited to pick up The Bitter Kingdom and think I will bump it up on my TBR list. I will be really sad when I've turned the last page though. Great review!

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    1. It really felt like a satisfying conclusion, wrapping things up, giving closure to these characters, and I obviously really adored it.

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  2. Oh and I'm glad to hear that we will get to hear from Hector. I usually enjoy dual narration because we get to know the other character better and it can really help with the pacing of a story.

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    1. Dual narration does totally help with pacing! I never thought of it that way but especially in this case, I read the book faster than I expected.

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  3. SUCH a fantastic story! And I loved what happened with the Godstone, too. She deserved a good ending -- not death.

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    1. I found that spoiler so satisfying, which is why I had to mention it. I was just astounded that it occurred, though in hindsight it shouldn't have been so surprising because it makes sense why Carson made that decision.

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  4. I read the first book and liked it, but I haven't gotten around to reading the next one because I wasn't sure if it'd be any good. So now that you've said that the third is actually your favorite, I'm definitely going to read the last two books. Especially since what you said happens with the godstone in your spoiler resolves one of the major issues I had with the first book.

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    1. Ooh excited to see what you think-I just love how this wrapped everything up! I'm also glad that you can move forward with the knowledge that that point is addressed in this book :)

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  5. I'm reviewing this soon. I'm a big fan of the trilogy overall -- love it!
    I don't think this was my very favorite of the three books, only because I felt Elisa showed the most growth in the first two books and that this book was mostly a tying up of loose ends.

    PS I agree with you on the spoiler. To me, that was the oddest aspect of the trilogy and I was happy with that development.

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    1. Looking forward to your review! I see what you mean about growth-I guess I'm used to some unsatisfying conclusions but this one hit all the right spots for me. I think Elisa still did some growth in realizing what she can contribute as an individual and her savvy negotiating with her sister and Cosme was pretty amazing.

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  6. I've not started this trilogy, but I've been really wanting to check it out :) Great review!

    Janina @ Synchronized Reading

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    1. Now would be the perfect time to start-get through books 1 and 2 and be ready for the release of the third in August!

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  7. I read the first book, and really like it. I am hoping that my library will carry this one too. I know the carry the second one. I am happy that you enjoyed it so much. Awesome review.

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    1. If they have the first two, they really ought to get the third (can you request that they buy it? My library allows requests and usually buys all the YA I suggest.)

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  8. Love the sound of her journey and confidence.

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    1. It was SO good! I liked how she started so unsure of herself and slowly but surely over the course of the trilogy, she has developed such confidence!

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  9. I LOVED the first two so I'm really really excited to read this one! I'm glad that you liked this final one so much. I'm so excited that there are Hector POV's, this is gonna be great!

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    1. Oh yeah, I think fans of the beginning of the trilogy will love this end! Hector's voice was very much appreciated (especially if you really ship the couple :)

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  10. YES!! SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS BOOK!! And I totally loved the Hector chapters as well. I just love that man in general, but he did add another perspective and I appreciated that.
    I loved how confident Elisa was as well!! She's really grown as a person and it showed in this book! And Mula! I love that little girl!
    When my shiny finished copy gets here I'm so gonna reread it :)

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    1. Wasn't Mula amazing? I really wanted to spend more time talking about her but didn't want to get too spoilery.

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  11. YES YES YES! Totally agree on your assessment (your spoiler section especially), and so glad that you loved this as much as we did. :D

    Can't wait to read more from Rae Carson.

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    1. Yay-we agree! I am very interested to see what Carson will do next-continue in fantasy or try another genre, perhaps?

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  12. I LOVE THESE! Gah, I just want to re-read them all in a row once this one is released. Hectorrrrr. I love him, I love Elisa, and their relationship is just so epic and perfect. I love how much they treat each other with respect. <3

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    1. I think I would enjoy a reread of the trilogy as well (not sure if I have time though) just to trace Elisa's development and the romantic relationship as well.

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  13. Need to start this series. It's sometimes nicer when the last book is the best but I agree it's usually the first

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    1. It feels so rare to me but I love that it worked out in this case. Definitely good for the author to end on a strong note and it makes me more enthusiastic to recommend it and get people into the series.

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  14. No way, I didn't even realise the 3rd book was out. I liked book 1 and I honestly can't remember if I've read book 2, oops, I know I have it. So glad you loved the final installment!

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    1. Not quite out yet-due in August but my e-copy was going to expire so I figured I'd start the buzz now!

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