Wow. This was really, really, really good. 
 When it comes to YA fantasy, authors tend to fall into the same tropes over and over again. European-based realms? Magic system that everybody knows about but only a few chosen can practice? A heroine that's lithe and kind and strong? Multiple eligible young men vying for the attention of the heroine? Everything ends happily ever after? I don't even know how many books I've read that follow this basic format. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, but that's all the more reason that I was so impressed with The Girl of Fire and Thorns. Rae Carson twisted the genre to suit her own needs and not only that, but she did it beautifully. 
 First, the book takes place in a Hispanic-influenced culture with Central/South American names and food and traditions. (Sidebar: The food descriptions are really incredible. Reading this book made me crave tacos, but I want to eat tacos basically ALL OF THE TIME, so that's really not saying a whole lot.) 
 Next, there's some indication of magic, but the religion--based on Catholicism--is the reigning system of power in this world. For Elisa, our heroine, it raises concerns about faith and purpose and God's will. There were some seriously deep questions brought up. Mainstream YA tends to shy away from religion and doesn't often portray it in a positive light. (Not always! Just often!) I LOVED how TGoF&T dealt with the topic. 
 And, well, then there's our princess Elisa. Elisa is overweight and petty and kind of weird. She's crazy smart about war and religion, but she just doesn't get people. She seems like she'd be more suited to whining about her older sister on livejournal instead of leading a nation because, oh yeah, she has a jewel in her bellybutton that means that she's God's chosen. I'm not going to say much about her character growth other than to acknowledge that she definitely figures a few things out and I love how she learns the lessons. 
 When it comes to romance, she gets married off to guy probably twice her age as a treaty between kingdoms. It's certainly not traditional. There are some intriguing twists, though, and you should just read it to find out for yourself. 
 Finally, let's get Lemony Snicket on the phone because this story is one unfortunate event after another. Even still, it never comes across as being unhappy or depressing. Kudos to Rae for never holding back. For instance (and this is gross and I'm sorry), there's this one part where Elisa gets kidnapped while she's going to the bathroom and Rae Carson never lets you forget that her main character is not only being forcibly removed against her will, but that she's doing so with urine-soaked pants. It's all at once uncomfortable and true to life and a really great detail. 
 Bring on the sequel! 
 {4.5 stars}