It's time to start trying to catch up on this back log of reviews. I finished this one a while ago (a long while ago) but hadn't gotten around to reviewing it yet. Let's fix that, shall we?
About the Book
Title: The Bitter Kingdom
Author: Rae Carson
Series: Fire and Thorns #3
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 449
Edition Read: Kindle
Dates Read: January 24-31, 2022
Blurb: The champion must not waver.
The champion must not fear.
The gate of darkness closes.
Elisa is a fugitive.
Her enemies have stolen the man she loves, and they await her at the gate of darkness. Her country is on the brink of civil war, with her own soldiers ordered to kill her on sight.
Her Royal Majesty, Queen Lucero-Elisa né Riqueza de Vega, bearer of the Godstone, will lead her three loyal companions deep into the enemy's kingdom, a land of ice and snow and brutal magic, to rescue Hector and win back her throne. Her power grows with every step, and the shocking secrets she will uncover on this, her final journey, could change the course of history.
But that is not all. She has a larger destiny. She must become the champion the world has been waiting for.
Even of those who hate her most.
Review
I always think that writing a series must be really hard, especially when trying to tie up all the loose ends in a way that makes sense and makes your readers happy. This one did not disappoint. I am still completely in love with Rae Carson's writing and this series was an absolute joy to read from start to this wonderful finish.
The characters in this series are beautifully written, but I absolutely love our heroine. Elisa has grown so much from The Girl of Fire and Thorns - is it strange to say that I'm so proud of her? Not only has she matured and gotten stronger, she has this wonderful way of drawing people to her and gaining their trust, loyalty and respect - because she shows them loyalty and respect in kind. I love that about her. Speaking of love and loyalty, I absolutely cannot say enough about how much I love Hector. He is devotion personified, much deeper and more caring than a lot of your YA fantasy boys. There's no fluff, just solid dependable-ness that makes you wish you had a Hector of your own.
The side characters draw you in as much as the mains do - I particularly loved learning more about Storm and his magic, especially once he let his guard down enough to work with Elisa. Watching their . . . not really friendship, but relationship . . . change throughout the series as they learn about each other's differences and grow to trust and respect one another was really lovely to see.
Everything about this entire series - the world building, the magic, all of it - was one of the best I've read in a while. If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend that you do. You can read my reviews for The Girl of Fire and Thorns (book #1) here and for The Crown of Embers (book #2) here.
GoodReads rating: 5 stars
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