Girl of Fire and Thorns/Rae Carson

Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson; young adult, fantasy; 432 pages

Elisa, youngest daughter of the king of Orovalle, has always felt second to her sister. She may be the bearer of the legendary Godstone, and destined for some nebulous sort of greatness, but her sister is witty, beautiful, and heir to the kingdom. Her low self-esteem manifests in an obsession with food and a sort of selfishness that leaves her blind to those around her. When Elisa is traded in marriage to the king of a neighboring country, she resigns herself to a loveless life on the edges of court. But then she's kidnapped, and whisked away to the other side of her new kingdom, where war is brewing, and she may finally be able to fulfill her destiny.

I LOVED this book. For starters, it's familiar and fresh at the same time: parts of this story reminded me strongly of Tamora Pierce and Robin McKinley, but the setting was unusual (a blend of Mexico and North Africa, with strong Spanish influences), and the story was really original. Elisa is married to the king within the first few pages of the book. Not engaged, but actually, permanently married. Which never happens in YA books! At least not at the beginning. From there, the story continued to twist and turn, so that every time I thought I knew where it was going, I was surprised. Elisa is a wonderful character, and I can't wait to read more of her adventures.