Say it Like I read it: Review of THE BITTER KINGDOM (Fire & Thorns #3) by Rae Carson

(Blurb from Goodreads.com)

Elisa is a fugitive.

Her enemies have stolen the man she loves, and they await her at the gate of darkness. Her country is on the brink of civil war, with her own soldiers ordered to kill her on sight.

Her Royal Majesty, Queen Lucero-Elisa né Riqueza de Vega, bearer of the Godstone, will lead her three loyal companions deep into the enemy's kingdom, a land of ice and snow and brutal magic, to rescue Hector and win back her throne. Her power grows with every step, and the shocking secrets she will uncover on this, her final journey, could change the course of history.

But that is not all. She has a larger destiny. She must become the champion the world has been waiting for.

Even of those who hate her most.

The way I read it ~

This is me at 1am, after reading all day and experiencing one of the best journeys in storytelling everrrrrrrrrr .

And yes, I could not fall asleep afterward. Who could sleep after such awesomeness?

Okay.... enough gushing. Review time.

The Bitter Kingdom made me happy!

(well maybe just a little more gushing)

The Crown of Embers (Part 2) leaves you with an ending that truly stumps you, leaves you in a broken mess and running out to buy the third book if you had not already.

I loved the progression of this book. It never felt rushed, it was never bogged down my unnecessary details and descriptions. I got a clear and precise picture of all that was happening which left me room to enjoy what I was reading. This was a perfect piece of fiction, for me at least. I don't know about the rest of the world. But this girl right here thought this story was perfect.

And the true beauty of it all was that it wasn't a perfect story. Confused? Well, the perfection came in the form of exquisite writing skills by Rae Carson and her ability to craft the right words and weave them together. But by no means did everything go right in this story. Where would be the fun?

I enjoyed the scope of Elisa's journey this time. You clearly pity her in the beginning of (The Girl of Fire and Thorns), as she was just finding herself and in this book her personality had developed, taken some hits, been put through the ringer. This time she was rude, sarcastic and a little bossy. But she was a Queen and I did not feel the arrogance she sometimes displayed was overdone. There was a wonderful supporting cast of characters that gave tiny bits of enjoyment and plausibility to what was going on in the plot and personally to Elisa. It seemed to me they were all selected specifically by the author to portray these roles which is a weird concept for book characters but they all worked. Their personalities were completely different but they each supported the whole story. Sometimes like not knowing too much about a character and discovering little quirks on your own and deciding for yourself if you should trust them or not. It was never always apparent who would be friend or foe at given points. This made it all the more exciting.

The Bitter Kingdom answered a lot of the questions the second book brought pertaining to the history of this world and Elisa's part in it. She became so much stronger than even I anticipated (which I LOVED) She had real womanly problems along with her power struggle and to see her accept her faults and face her insecurities made her all the more enjoyable. It made her realistic.

And I must mention the romance. Some of you might gag. But it positively had my heart doing crazy flip-flops and twisty turns. I loved it all. And it was not the annoyingly shallow - puppy kind of love. This was 'Intense, real world, real situation, fighting for our lives, heartburn, can't sleep, can't live without you' kind of love. It wasn't all honky dory. It was never clear of it would ever work out. I was rooting for it since the last book and Thank the heavens!!! it finally went somewhere.

I LOVE HECTOR!!! Hector was just deliciousness wrapped in armor with a title.

I love when the hero appears out of nowhere; unassuming but with grace and tact and sarcasm. I have to admit. I did not see him coming at all. There wasn't even a 'hint, hint' in The Girl of Fire and Thorns. None. Nada. Or maybe there was and I rolled right past it.

But there he was, loving Elisa from a distance.

Their romance was never easy, probably not until the very end. So many obstacles they had to face and overcome, I felt for them. And I will say Hector stepped up to the plate magnificently. Thank you Rae Carson for a hero that admits he's man enough to bow to his queen.