Oh, My Godstone

"I think sometimes when we find love we pretend it away, or ignore it, or tell ourselves we’re imagining it. 
Because it’s the most painful kind of hope there is."
--Rae Carson, The Bitter Kingdom

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 448 pages

Publication Date: August 27th, 2013

Source: Bought
Goodreads
Previous Books in Series: Girl of Fire and Thorns & Crown of Embers

Goodreads Description

The epic conclusion to Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns trilogy. The seventeen-year-old sorcerer-queen will travel into the unknown realm of the enemy to win back her true love, save her country, and uncover the final secrets of her destiny.

Elisa is a fugitive in her own country. Her enemies have stolen the man she loves in order to lure her to the gate of darkness. As she and her daring companions take one last quest into unknown enemy territory to save Hector, Elisa will face hardships she's never imagined. And she will discover secrets about herself and her world that could change the course of history. She must rise up as champion-a champion to those who have hated her most.

My Thoughts

Oh. My. Godstone. WHERE do I begin? I can’t…I just can’t. If you’ve seen my previous reviews (which I did very early in my blogging so pardon all the awful) or have seen Book Bangin, you know…you KNOW how much I love this series and Hector. Reading the final book in any series is bittersweet but this series in particular I was reading with excitement, entusiasm, and also trepidation. I had this feeling the whole time while reading that I was being torn in two different directions. On one hand, I couldn’t read fast enough. On the other, I didn’t want it to end. Every page I turned brought me closer to the conclusion. The end. The closing gate on this amazing series and these unforgettable characters…le sigh. I will try my best to put into words why I loved this book. Here I go…

Our characters continue to grow and surprise me at every turn. Every single one of them I love and adore and want to put in a cage and keep them away from all future harm and danger. Elisa, Hector, Mara, Belen, Storm and a few new faces never cease to amaze me with their depth of character and complexity. They are courageous, selfless, brave, intelligent, cunning, supportive, and filled with love. They love each other SO much that the lengths they go to in order to take care of one another is inspiring. While Elisa’s journey is our main POV, the periphery characters are just as important to me. Mara and Belen and Storm complete a perfect pentagon of amazing characters.

Elisa and Hector. I don’t even know what to say. Perfection? Beautiful? Heart-warming? ALL OF THE ABOVE! Their scenes had my heart racing, my chest pounding, and my fingers itching to read ahead to make sure they were okay. I didn’t, of course. I always hate myself when I flip to a random page and see something I shouldn’t so I refused to do it to myself. Thank Godstones. But for serious, I won’t ruin any plot but I LOVE them. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Hector is a top book boyfriend and I adore him.

Focusing on Elisa for just a moment because anyone who reads these books can comment on the tremendous growth Elisa makes. I won’t dwell on this for too long. Elisa’s journey of self-discovery and acceptance is beautiful. I think young women everywhere can relate to her insecurities and her journey to love herself as much as those around her. Elisa is a role model for girls of all ages and I would recommend this book to my sisters, my friends, my younger cousins, and, hopefully, one day my own daughters.

The political turmoil is still running rampant in Joya d’Arena and I LOVED this aspect of the story. The decisions Elisa is forced to make truly show what it means to be a queen. There are decisions that I, as a commoner, would not have made, but as Queen, it was the best decision for her country. She really proves to be a fantastic and decisive and selfless ruler. The focus on Invierne was also a welcome plot twist and I loved reading about the enemy that has been threatening our Elisa for the past 2 books. I loved where the story went and how it weaved and flowed and developed. I thought it brought everything around full circle and didn’t leave any loose ends to be pondered.

I love how love, sacrifice, faith, duty, and the fight for the greater good was explored in this book and throughout the novels. Faith to believe that a higher power exists and that there is a greater plan involved. I can never get over how powerful it is to read about love and sacrifice for those around you. The Royal Guard is an area that I loved reading about. They loved Elisa and would do anything to protect her. It is just so inspiring reading about this kind of commitment and love to one’s country and ruler.

Ok, I think I have flailed enough. I loved this book. I LOVE this series. If you haven’t read it yet, you really need to get on this. This book is fantasy as its best. The story telling is breathtaking. The characters become your friends. Read this, read this, read this.

Should You Read This? Please see above paragraph.