Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson - ESSENTIAL

Carson, Rae The Girl of Fire and Thorns. Greenwillow Books, 2011. Pgs. 432. 

Language: G Violence: PG, Sexual Content: G

Ella is the chosen one. Inside her belly lies the Godstone, a rare stone that only one person every so many years has within them, and with it, they have magical powers. If only she could learn to use them. Lacking self-confidence, Ella didn’t look forward to her sixteenth birthday. To make matters worse, her parents arranged her to secretly marry a handsome and worldly king. On the way back to his castle, her group is attacked by perditos and her maid is killed. Forced to take up a new lady-in-waiting as well as try and find a way to gather up the courage to sleep with her new husband, Ella’s arrival at her new home is scary to say the least. Soon after her arrival, she is kidnapped by her new lady-in-waiting, Cosmé and her brother, she soon learns that these two are part of a group of revolutionaries who firmly believe Ella and her Godstone can save them. Ella has no idea how to control her powers that soon emerge however. Can she save the revolutionaries and herself? Will her new husband ever find her?

An engrossing, thrilling fantasy adventure. The characters and plot are well-developed. The mix of magic and adventure is well-mixed. Readers who like fantasy, adventure, magic, and mystery will enjoy reading this book.  

MS, HS. ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: Jessica Moody, Library Media Specialist, Olympus Jr. High.