The Bitter Kingdom (Fire and Thorns, #3)
This was a great ending to a great series. Rae Carson sets a standard for writing competency that other lesser YA authors would be wise to measure themselves up to. It might not sound like a compliment when I say that Rae Carson's best quality as a writer is her dependability, but it is. While her writing style doesn't really lend itself to WOW moments, and those she tries to create fall somewhat flat, the underlying strength of her characters, her prose, and her world-building provides such a good foundation that her stories flow along smoothly even without the kick of a WOW moment.
And honestly, that might be kind of the point here.
The Bitter Kingdom concludes Elisa's arc in a very satisfying manner. Elisa and her companions journey into enemy territory to rescue the scrumdiddlyumptious Hector, wrapping up plotlines as they journey back to ELisa's kingdom. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say while none of the resolutions were earth-shattering, they all made sense and fit in with the overarching themes of Carson's story.
The focus of the Fire and Thorns was never the war or the political alliances or the religion and mysticism. It was Elisa. Her growth from the first book is kind of astounding, and even more astounding is Carson's ability to have her main character grow and change so gradually that we barely notice it as it's happening. It's only after something happens to call attention to it that we realize, hey, something's different here.
And I absolutely loved that
If you like YA and/or fantasy, this is definitely a series you should check out. It's smart and well-written and it's got a good head on its shoulders, even if it isn't as flashy as others. Looking forward to Carson's next series very much.
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