Author: Rae Carson
Source: Borrowed from my Library
Elisa is the chosen one.
But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.
Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.
And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.
Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.
Most of the chosen do.
My Take:
Going into this book, I really didn't know much about it besides what the synopsis told me. I remember seeing it very active in the blogosphere months ago, but I don't remember the thoughts or comments that people had written.
We start off in this book meeting Elisa, essentially a chubby, not good at anything (except war strategies!), low self-esteem Princess. The mystifying part about Elisa is that she has a Godstone, a blue gem, in her belly button. The stone means that she is a "chosen" one. What God has chosen her to do, she hasn't a clue.
In the first few pages of the book, she turns 16 and gets married to a King in an arranged marriage. She goes back to his kingdom, only to be introduced as a guest. The marriage is a secret! (I'm all, "what the what?!?!" about this)
Alejandro travels for a month to get his son...with another woman *gasp* while Elisa stays behind. At this point, I'm just as confused as Elisa. She finds him attractive, wants him to feel something for her, all the while left behind as a "guest", still uncertain of her future and what the Godstone means for her.
Shortly after his return, Elisa is kidnapped. She is taken to people who believe that she is meant to save them from the ongoing war. While Elisa is with these people, she becomes strong-minded. She has some great war ideas and the people are willing to help and do whatever is needed of them.
While all of this is going on, there's a loooooove blossoming! Elisa and one of her kidnappers, Humberto, kind of develop feelings for each other. There is a part...I had tears. Tears! Read. You will, too! I hope there's something secret in the next book. I'm not sure I could stand no...I'll stop there! Read it!
The most amazing part of this book is the character development. Wowzas! Elisa's growth and transformation were amazing! The world building was pretty great, too.
I'm not a big religious person and sometimes, too much of it in a book can take away some of my reading enjoyment and sometimes even make me just put it down. This book was filled with so much about God, but not scripture and such. It was more of Elisa finding the path that God had planned for her by giving her the Godstone. That girl did a whole lot of praying! Thankfully, it was not a turn off for me! It WAS the story.
I will definitely be ready and look forward to reading the second book in the series: The Crown of Embers!
Kudos to Rae Carson for using "hollers" a few times! Woo! Woo! :)
My Rating:
I really did enjoy this book! I wish I could rave and rave about it and give it 5 Mickeys/stars, but I didn't love it that much. I can't quite pinpoint the reason why.
I would definitely recommend this book and will continue with the series!!!
I would definitely recommend this book and will continue with the series!!!
