Sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns. And oh my it was wonderful. I just want to hug this series!

In this book, Elisa is struggling to assert herself as queen and not appear weak. There are assassination attempts on her life. She has to learn more about her Godstone. And of course, there was the love story with Hector. So slow, so gradual, so compelling! I need to learn to write my love stories slower. And I love that we get just a little glimpse more into the world of the Inviernos. It sounds as if the next book will have even more.

I loved every single thing about this book. The pacing. The slow unveiling of knowledge. Seeing old characters show up and learning more about them. The way Elisa has grown so much but is still herself, without ever revisiting ground from the old book. I love Rosario’s development, and the natural way that Hector’s feelings for Elisa are revealed. I love all the rituals and religion.

I remember, years back, wondering why modern-day books couldn’t involve religion without it being a conflict for the reader. In this one, religion is just a given for the narrator. It’s simply there. There’s no questioning it, but there’s never any pushing of it on the reader, either. It helps, of course, that it’s a fantasy religion. But at the same time, the book is so steeped in religion that it COULD feel intrusive. But it doesn’t.

I will definitely need to own these books!!!!!