The Crown of Embers

Author:  Rae Carson

Series:  Fire and Thorns, Book 2

Year:  2012

Publisher:  Greenwillow

Pages: 410

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Wow!  Talk about a book that definitely does not suffer from middle book syndrome. The Crown of Embers never slacked up. It was non-stop action. I absolutely loved the entire cast of characters (both old and new). And the love story - can we just say that when Rae Carson finally gave Elisa love she did it with complete flair and absolutely took my heart away.