So, I almost bought this book about a week after it came out on my Nook, but for some reason I didn't; I got something else. And ever since then it's been at my bookstore, under the high fantasy sign . . . looking at me. I'm not sure why I waited so long to read it, I really wanted to, but sometimes things just get pushed back, I guess. But I wish I'd read it sooner, because it's a pretty awesome novel. 
 First off, I have to say that I really enjoyed Rae Carson's writing. It's very descriptive and easy to read. It's always so easy for me to get absorbed in something where the author beautifully describes castles and magic and things like that. 
 Elisa was probably my favorite part of The Girl of Fire and Thorns. She starts off as a very quiet girl with a LOT of insecurities about herself, despite being the "chosen" one. Even though she knows she has this important task to do in the future, she still feels very unworthy of completing it. Personally, I would be afraid of having this stone, too, because most of the bearers apparently don't live very long lives. Most of them die tragically. She is also overweight for the first third or so of the book, and I appreciated that she wasn't a gorgeous, blonde princess with no flaws. Not that there's anything wrong with people like that, it just made Elisa easier to connect to. 
 As time goes on, Elisa is sort of forced to step repeatedly out of her comfort zone, but her friends give her strength, and by the middle of the novel, she is not the same girl from the beginning. By the end, she changes so much that she could be a totally different person. My favorite kind of main character is the kind that grows throughout the story. 
 She was also pretty dang smart for the situations that she was put in, and she was very easy to root for. I have to say that I was very surprised with how the romance in this novel played out. Shocked, even. I was expecting a love triangle or something, but, no, not really. I can't say anything about romances without spoilers, but . . . jeez. 
 The world builing was very nicely done. I could picture the castles, the desert, the jungle and the towns quite nicely. The only thing that prevents me from giving this five stars is that I wasn't as absorbed in it it as I was with other books I give this rating, too. Also, I'm trying to stop handing out five stars like candy. 
 The Girl of Fire and Thorns was an awesome book I'd recommend to people who like high fantasy.