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

The Crown of Embers

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
4/5 stars
Greenwillow, 2012
410 pages
YA Fantasy

Source: Library

Warning: SPOILERS for book one

This sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns has been highly anticipated by many including myself. However after reading some disappointing second books this year, I was nervous to pick it up despite reassurances from Jen Ryland among others. In the end, I liked this book well enough but immediately after finishing it, I started reading The Friday Society and, well, I liked that one a lot more.

I just had trouble clicking with this book. It's not a bad second book; in fact, it has a lot of positives but it didn't spark my interest. Once I finally had it in my hands, I opened it eagerly but I almost had to force myself to continue to the next chapter.

What I still liked was Elisa, who is now ruling as queen after the death of her husband. She is very timid, as a foreigner not prepared for reigning in her own right and faces many trials, both internally and externally. Her greatest strength, although she doesn't seem to realize it initially, is her heart and compassion. She mostly wants to give people second chances and she wants to trust them even when they are in suspicious circumstances. Even those who hurt her in the first book have a chance at redemption.

Something I had mixed feelings about was the romance. Don't get me wrong, I quite like Elisa's romantic interest (I love how honorable he is and committed to her as queen as well as a person) but I found her dithering over him annoying. She kept saying she couldn't marry him, she couldn't be with him but for those who have read the book, what does she end up doing?

The part I liked least was how long it took for anything to really happen (I felt). Early on it seemed that Elisa would go on some kind of quest, leaving her palace. I love court intrigue but quests are fun as well so I spent a lot of time waiting for that part. Once it did finally happen, I was very happy and loved the intense magical action during those scenes. Yes, there is a lot of buildup and okay maybe Elisa almost gets assassinated pretty early on but then she has to recover and it just wasn't as page-turning as I would have liked.

Cover: I like that it's darker than the first since the situations are getting darker as well.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Greenwillow Books, 2011
422 pages
YA; Fantasy
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC from Amazon's Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

Garnering comparisons to Kristin Cashore and Tamora Pierce as well as rave reviews throughout the blogosphere, I was very excited to dive into this book as I hoped for a fast read in an atmospheric world with an outstanding main character.

Unfortunately the beginning was very slow with a main character who is very convinced of her unremarkable personality and who left me convinced of same. Still she is a princess with a gem in her belly button, having been chosen for a mysterious duty, as have others in previous centuries according to an ancient prophecy. The jewel marks her as the hope for many but also puts her in danger as she learns when she embarks on a new life, secretly married to a king of a neighboring country.

When Elisa arrives, she is comfortably ensconced but unfulfilled as some scheme against her, openly and secretly. After a frightening event, she is pushed far beyond her limits and begins to dig deep into her inner resources to discover great strength and to save her people.

Actually once that event occurred, the book became a lot more interesting to me because that's when Elisa finally starts doing stuff. I understand the need for setup and how those earlier scenes paid off later in the book. But Elisa was so passive and boring at the beginning. I guess it's hard for me to care when a character is so convinced of her worthlessness; I tend to start to agree. But thankfully she does start to kick butt, using her physical abilities, her brain, and her kind heart to help.

At the beginning the other characters interested me more but as Elisa, rightfully, overshadowed them, I didn't become any less interested in them. I became invested in most of them, shocked at some of their actions, and grieved by some of their goodbyes.

The other really fascinating element of this book is the focus on religion. Elisa comes from a very conservative, rigid variation while she marries a king whose country is a bit more liberal in their interpretations of texts for the same religion. Then there are their opponents who are considered barbaric but also seem to worship in a similar fashion. I loved the incorporation of religion and the importance of faith for Elisa and the other characters. I am also fascinated by interpretations and translations of the Bible so seeing some of the characters here engage in the same work with their sacred texts was delightful and really helped distinguish this book from some other fantasy.

Overall: A slow beginning that does pay off with lovely prose and exciting action. Not a cliffhanger but still leaves you eager for further adventures.