chrissie_whitley's reviews
1547 reviews

I am unsure what to say about this book that hasn't already been said, other than to say all the 4-star and 5-star reviews are correct. This book is full of deep and multi-layered characters. It has a wonderful story. The fantasy aspect is interesting and melds with the real-world aspect beautifully. But, the best thing about this book - and the thing that elevates the entire series - the trilogy - is that Taylor's writing is heavenly (take that pun, if you'd like) and poetic, but never over-the-top. Taylor never drones on too much or says too little. The language is beautiful, the dialogue is never unrealistic, the characterization always shows, instead of tells, who the character is, and isn't that what makes a great book?

Karou is a fantastic main character, and she's only the beginning. Every secondary character is just as interesting - hell, even the tertiary characters are there with purpose and come alive as real, and believable beings.

I'm glad this was one of those trilogies that had already been fully published by the time I decided to read it.... I don't know how I would've handled having to wait for the release of the next book.

My only complaint is the cover. It makes it look more juvenile and less sophisticated than it is.

I loved the weirdness, the otherness, of this book.

See now, this is what I had wanted out of [b:Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children|9460487|Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, #1)|Ransom Riggs|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1472782916s/9460487.jpg|14345371], which I didn't really like (at least not enough to continue with the series, which is a rarity for me). This reminds me of a wonderful mesh of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and an abbreviated version of The Breakfast Club.

I loved the examples of acceptance and understanding in this book.

This is a simple, short book told so well. It's amazing how much story there is in this thin novel. The characters and their oddities and their interactions are shining examples of such damned enjoyable fiction. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect out of this book - or this series for that matter. I went to the library with my son, but without any idea in my head of what book to get next. I had neglected to plan ahead and hadn't even looked through To-Read list. I lingered in the Young Adult/Teen section (as I tend to enjoy these books more), and grabbed this one, thinking I'd seen it somewhere in the Goodreads realm. (My signal on my phone inside the library was garbage, and I didn't want to take the time to get checked out on a computer to find my list.)

I was so thoroughly surprised by this book. The main character, Elisa, is interesting and very likable. Though, I admit to being a little wary of her at first. I wasn't sure if her being overweight was just some gimmicky characterization that was without reason or if it was founded in making the character whole. I thought Elisa was a surprisingly sympathetic and lonely young woman. Her weight was an issue with her, though not overly so. She seemed to accept this about herself and she seemed to eat because of emotional issues. She was left largely alone as a child and had few companions and no real friends. She found solace in food. She felt welcome and at home in the kitchens. She was treated lovingly and was paid her due attention there from the servants and her governess and lady's maid. Plus, aside from her studies, being lonely also often means you are bored. Boredom and sadness are often reasons people overeat... forget about all the other things she'd have to contend with... being in a royal family.

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one.

Elisa has been chosen by God and marked with a Godstone, which is a gemstone of sorts that is in her navel. That got me worried at first, too. A belly button jewel? But, as it was treated so reverently, I took a moment to think about it, and realized I was okay with this. After all, our connection to life is first through the umbilical cord, connecting us to our mothers. Mothers are the givers of life, thus it made sense when I looked at it from that angle. Why not the belly button? Sure.

As the princess second in line to her kingdom's throne, she is married off to a neighboring kingdom and weds King Alejandro on her sixteenth birthday. He is a widower with a young son, and has a few years on Elisa. He is, however, a rather ineffective King, and Elisa shows her competence early on. Or, at least her potential for competence as a ruler. Having read so many books where we have to wait patiently for our young heroine to come into her own - and sometimes she never does - before she can be a great ruler/leader, I really loved this book for the adeptness and capability of this young Elisa. She was intelligent and quite adaptable for the situations. She was level-headed and a quick thinker. But, her youth still showed. She was inexperienced and self-conscious, and afraid of her decisions being the wrong ones.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was spectacular, and had some really supreme world-building. We weren't bogged down in an unnecessary history lesson of this made-up world, and the descriptions weren't overrun or running wild, overtaking the plot. It was concise and still somehow poetically written. From Carson, we get a beautifully rich world with fully-fleshed out characters and peoples.