September 19, 2012

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson Blog Tour: Review and Interview

Welcome to my stop on The Crown of Embers Blog Tour!
~~~
Review
The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
Release Date ~ 9/18/2012
Format ~ ARC
Publisher ~ Greewillow 
Source ~ Publisher
Purchase It!
In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.
Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.
   To put it bluntly, I think Rae Carson should become queen of everything effect of immediately. She's that god of an author. In The Girl of Fire and Thorns she took us for a wicked wild ride through her amazing world. And compared to The Crown of Embers, The Girl of Fire and Thorns is a toddler trying to play with the big boys. Rae Carson has took one of the best books ever and wrote a sequel even better. Plus The Crown of Embers has a sea voyage to a mysterious, magical island. Everything's better with sea voyages and mysterious, magical islands.

    Even though Elisa was a gem of a character in The Girl of Fire and Thorns, she becomes a "godstone" of a character in The Crown of Embers. In The Girl of Fire and Thorns she lacked a lot of confidence and in The Crown of Embers she really takes control of the situations. Simply put, she's one badass chick.

   Even though A Girl of Fire and Thorns had a decent romance, The Crown of Embers has a romance that seems as though it's written in the stars. Hector is a great guy, and it was painful to watch himself struggle with the impulse to get romantic with Elisa. I may or may not of found myself yelling "DAMN IT, HECTOR!! WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR HONOR!! THIS IS KILLING ME!!", LOL.

   The end of The Crown of Embers felt like the ending of part one of a two part Doctor Who episode. As you Whovians know, the doctor has took control and though there is still a big problem to be solved, you're confident the Doctor has it all under control. Then the familiar theme song begins and you're like "WOOT WOOT! Oh crap... waiting for the next episode is going to suck!" That's what the ending of The Crown of Embers feels like, just replace every time I said "The Doctor" with "Elisa".

   In other words, The Crown of Embers makes readers wonder if it's humanly possible for a book to get any better.
Cover Comments:
I like this cover much better then the cover for The Girl of Fire and Thorns. The blue is a really nice touch!

~~~
Interview
What do you have to say about the growing popularity of high fantasy?
BRING IT! The truth is that high fantasy has been popular for a long time; authors such as Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, George R.R. Martin, and David Eddings have dominated the bestseller lists. But the thing that fills me with So. Much. Excitement. is watching this trend filter into the young adult market. YA novels aren't shelved by genre. And as a group, readers of YA are generally open-minded and unintimidated, so they'll read anything. This means that high fantasy is now mainstream, and people who don't usually browse the adult science fiction and fantasy section of their bookstore are finally able to find high fantasy novels and give them a try. 
Is there anything you just have to do before you get into writing mode?
I absolutely, positively, no question about it must TURN OFF THE INTERNET. When I do that, it's amaaazing how much I can get done. 
What's your favorite part of being an author?
I love loving what I do. It's the greatest feeling ever. I spent years dragging myself out of bed to go to dayjobs I couldn't have cared less about. It was exhausting and soul-crushing. I'm grateful for all my previous jobs; paying the bills is a reality of life, and in hard times like these, having a job--any job!--is something worth celebrating. But being able to do what I love AND pay the bills is amazing and wonderful and puts me in the top 1% of luck recipients in the world.
If you could pick any fictional character to add to your books who would it be?
Padmé Amidala from the three Star Wars prequels. Those movies were terrible. But as a character, Padmé had so much unrealized potential. I'd love to put her in my books and give her a chance to finally shine.
If your house was burning down and you could pick one book to save, which would you pick?
I would grab THE TWELVE, which is the sequel to Justin Cronin's THE PASSAGE, because I just started reading it and I neeeed to know what happens next.
What can fans of GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS expect for CROWN OF EMBERS?
More danger, more magic, and a LOT more romance.
Describe CROWN OF EMBERS in three words! GO!
Secret passageways rock.
Thanks for the fantastic interview Rae!
About the author:
I write books about teens who must do brave things. I'm originally from California, but I moved to Ohio to marry my husband, who is the smartest and therefore sexiest man I know. We live in Columbus with my teenaged stepsons, who are awesome. My books tend to contain lots of adventure, a little magic and romance, and smart girls who make (mostly) smart choices. I especially love to write about questions I don't know the answers to.
Find Rae on her: Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads 
Follow that tour!
9/10 One Page Reviews— This or That
9/11 Pure Imagination— This or That
9/12 Candace's Book Blog— Interview 
9/13 Two Chicks on Books— Character Interview, Hector
9/14 Books with Bite— Interview
9/17 Laura's Review Bookshelf— Interview 
9/18 Short and Sweet Reviews— Guest Post
9/19 The Non Reluctant Reader— Interview
9/20 Book Chic— Interview 
9/21 Good Books and Good Wine— Interview 
9/24 Short and Sweet Reviews— BONUS TRACK! Author Interview

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for the comment, I love and appreciate each and every one! As of March 2012, The Non Reluctant Reader is an awards-free zone. I'm honored to be considered, but do not currently have the time to pass the award on. Comments are the best award I can receive though! If the comment requires a reply, please be sure to check back for one. If it is a feature/meme leave a link to your post and I will stop by and comment if I get the chance!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 
Blog Design by Imagination Designs all images from the Under the Dappled Shadows kit by Lorie Davison