Review: The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

I have waited for this book since May. And I was even so sure that I would not like it. Because I hated that this character that I loved was killed. But then I started reading this book. And I loved it more than the first book. I even loved the small romance. Which I was sure I would hate. But it was perfect. Truly, perfect. And well written. Upset with myself for not checking the ending enough when I peeked at it :p Because oh. It ends in a cliffhanger. Not all bad, but still awful. And a one year wait..

You should know that by reading this review there will be spoilers for book one. Kind of huge spoilers, who dies, what happens, etc. So if you do not want to be spoiled about book one, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, then you should not read my review :) What you should do then is go out and buy both books, and read them soon ;p Even though the wait for book three will be long and awful. I am still so happy that I read these books. Even more happy that I read this sequel. It really was amazing.

I was unsure if I should re-read the first book before reading this one. I decided not to. Even though I couldn't remember a few details about the people. But I did remember all about the plot, and the main characters. Didn't want to re-read it yet, because it broke my heart. So much death. I hate death. Yet I also kind of love it. Just not the death of Alejandro. That was cruel. Even though Elisa loved Humberto, and he died as well. Both were cruel deaths. But they also made a little sense. Maybe.

I love Fantasy books. Favorite book is Graceling, and these books might remind a tiny bit of it. Not as good, though. But it is perfect in its own way, and I do love this fantasy world a whole lot. And the writing is perfect, which is a huge deal for me. And I fell in love with the characters. Even though The Crown of Embers also broke my heart a bit. Sigh. It was still perfect. A really excellent sequel. There were a few moments I found silly, but I didn't mind much. There is lots of sweet moments.

There isn't really that much happening in this book. It all seems to be leading up to the third book. But even so, I was never bored. And I could not stop reading. This book held me from the beginning until the end. And even now I cannot forget about it. This book starts a few months after the first one ended. Elisa is the Queen. She's having a lot of trouble ruling, though. There is so many awful characters in this book. Who wants to take her place at ruling. They really sucked. Hated them.

But there was this one character I loved. Little Prince Rosario. Alejandro's son. Oh, I missed him. Just wish Alejandro wasn't dead :\ Sniffs. Anyway. Rosario is an awesome character. So wise for his age. But also so broken by his father's death. We didn't see that much of him. Wish we had. I did like Elisa in this book. Much better than I did before. She's grown a lot. Thought she was a much better person. She's more kind and loving, in my opinion ;p Still a bit confused about her God Stone.

Elisa has two maids. Ximena and Mara. I adored Mara. She's young and so amazing. We got to know her a lot. And I loved what we got to learn about her :) She is a true friend, and an amazing character. I did not like Ximena, though. She's so controlling, and I didn't enjoy reading about her. Glad about what happened with her at the end. But hated what she did before it happened. Gah. I did not like her at all. Which kind of sucks, since I seem to have liked her in the first book. Oh, well.

Then there is Hector. Elisa's personal guard. At first I was worried. Because I still wanted Alejandro to rise from the grave.. but I ended up loving Hector. He's such a complex person. Sort of. He's very protective, and kind, and loving. I loved him a lot. He would do anything for Elisa. And oh, I felt sorry for him a lot. And I loved reading about who he was. Just hoping we'll get to see more of that. More of him. There is romance between them. So sweet. But also so damn heart-breaking.

I wanted more. I wanted so much more romance. Once I got used to the idea of Elisa and Hector together :) They really are the sweetest together. The ending is sad. But it also gave me hope for the third book. Sigh. There better be a happy ending. And a lot of romance and heat between them. I need it. Unfair to keep it from me ;p Anyway. Even though there wasn't that much romance, I loved what there was. And I loved the chemistry between them. And their friendship. So sweet.

There is so many other characters in this book. Not talking about them, though. Some I liked. Some I didn't like. Anyway. The plot in this book is amazing. I do not want to spoil it, though.. because like I said, not that much happens. And I don't want to ruin anything for you :) Just know that I really liked that story in this book. Found it to be pretty awesome. And I loved the characters so much. There is a lot of death in this book, though. And a lot of pain. But I did enjoy reading about it. I always do ;p

The Crown of Embers is an amazing book. An stunning sequel. It really is a must read. If you have read The Girl of Fire and Thorns, then you do not want to miss this book. Because it is better than the first one ;) And if you still haven't read either books, then you must do so now :) You won't regret it. Sigh. I just adore Fantasy books. <3 And perfect writing. Anyway. Dying to read the sequel; The Bitter Kingdom. Cannot wait for Fall 2013 :D It will be amazing. I just know it will.

Goodreads - Buy it