The Crown of Embers (Girl of Fire and Thorns Series #2)

by Rae Carson

Overview

“Carson joins the ranks of writers like Kristin Cashore, Megan Whalen Turner, and Tamora Pierce as one of YA’s best writers of high fantasy.”—Locus Magazine

The second book in Rae Carson’s award-winning and New York Times–bestselling trilogy! Betrayal, love, and untold power fuel the heroic adventure of a seventeen-year-old princess turned warrior-queen. Fans of Tomi Adeyemi, Kendare Blake and Sarah J. Maas will be riveted.

She does not know what awaits her at the enemy’s gate.

Elisa led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as queen should be secure. But it isn’t. Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from foreign realms and even from within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one remains uncertain.

To conquer the power she bears, Elisa must journey from the hidden catacombs beneath her own city to treacherous seas and a long-forgotten island. With her go a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man with whom—despite everything—she is falling in love. If she’s lucky, she’ll return. But there will be a cost.

Don’t miss The Empire of Dreams, Rae Carson’s action-packed return to the world of The Girl of Fire and Thorns!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062026538
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/23/2019
Series:	Girl of Fire and Thorns Series , #2
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	279,505
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	HL730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Rae Carson is the author of two bestselling and award-winning trilogies, as well as the acclaimed stand-alone novels Any Sign of Life and The Empire of Dreams. Her debut, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, was named a William C. Morris Award finalist and an Andre Norton Award finalist. Walk on Earth a Stranger was longlisted for the 2015 National Book Award and won the Western Writers of America Spur Award. Her books tend to contain adventure, magic, and smart girls who make (mostly) smart choices. Originally from California, Rae Carson now lives in Ohio with her husband. www.raecarson.com

What People are Saying About This

Rachel Hawkins

“There are books you like, and books you love, and then there are the ones that make you go past ‘love’ and straight into, ‘I think I may need to marry this book.’ The Crown of Embers was that type of book for me. I adored it.”

Editorial Reviews

There are books you like, and books you love, and then there are the ones that make you go past ‘love’ and straight into, ‘I think I may need to marry this book.’ The Crown of Embers was that type of book for me. I adored it.” — Rachel Hawkins, author of the New York Times bestselling Hex Hall series

“Rae Carson has proved she’s a master and has shaken up the YA genre. . . . Nothing is held back.” — USA Today

Praise for The Girl of Fire and Thorns: William C. Morris Award Finalist Andre Norton Award Finalist “Romantic, lush, and thought provoking.” — Booklist

Praise for The Girl of Fire and Thorns: “Fans of Tamora Pierce’s “Beka Cooper” series will find a kindred spirit in Elisa as she experiences great adversity and heart-wrenching loss.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for The Girl of Fire and Thorns: “Carson’s mature writing style, thoughtful storytelling, appealing characters, and surprising twists add up to a page-turner with broad appeal.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher

There are books you like, and books you love, and then there are the ones that make you go past ‘love’ and straight into, ‘I think I may need to marry this book.’ The Crown of Embers was that type of book for me. I adored it.

Rachel Hawkins

Praise for The Girl of Fire and Thorns: William C. Morris Award Finalist Andre Norton Award Finalist “Romantic, lush, and thought provoking.

Booklist

Rae Carson has proved she’s a master and has shaken up the YA genre. . . . Nothing is held back.

USA Today

Rae Carson has proved she’s a master and has shaken up the YA genre. . . . Nothing is held back.

USA Today

Praise for The Girl of Fire and Thorns: William C. Morris Award Finalist Andre Norton Award Finalist “Romantic, lush, and thought provoking.

Booklist

Carson’s sequel to her debut, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, is a superb fantasy built around an exceptional heroine. Just months after leading her adopted country to victory against the sorcerers of Invierne, 17-year-old Queen Elisa has to deal with spies, a possible traitor in the palace, and pressure from her own council to marry or cede power to a regent. Additionally, the Inviernos are back, and they want her to sacrifice herself willingly to them, or they will rain destruction and death on her people. Dodging attempted assassination and kidnapping, Elisa is pulled by the mysterious Godstone embedded in her navel to find the zafira, the soul of the world and the source of its magic, embarking on a gripping journey that ramps up the tension and sets up the finale. Carson avoids the dips that often haunt bridge books: expert pacing and well-drawn characters are masterfully integrated with Elisa’s continued growth as she deals with the shifting political situation, resulting in a dramatic and gratifyingly romantic novel that smoothly follows its predecessor. Ages 13–up. Agent: Holly Root, Waxman Leavell Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Intelligent and thoughtful Elisa must negotiate diplomacy, religion and personal desire. Her Majesty Queen Lucero-Elisa became sole ruler of Joya d'Arena through luck (both good and bad), wise strategic decisions and the holy magic of the Godstone embedded in her navel (The Girl of Fire and Thorns, 2011). Keeping her kingdom, on the other hand, will require diplomacy, political acumen, mercy--and deception. Elisa must fight everything from assassination attempts to rioting mobs, all while defending her country against the terrifying foreign sorcerers with "pale peach" skin and "hair the syrupy gold of honey," who only recently brought fiery destruction on her nation's capital. Elisa, deeply pragmatic and deeply religious, is required repeatedly to make intelligent, unselfish choices for the good of her nation. The lush details of this magical world are thoroughly intertwined with the profound religious faith of both heroes and villains, where each revelation leads to a crack in Elisa's worldview. Those who find no YA fantasy complete without a steamy romance will be thrilled by Elisa's growing passion for her best friend and closest adviser--who is, of course, completely off-limits. Though this series entry moves somewhat slowly, newly discovered mysteries about this fantasyland's history--not to mention the torments of unresolved sexual tension--will have readers clamoring for volume three. (Fantasy. 13-16)

Kirkus Reviews