“You know that moment when you go to the library or your favorite bookstore and you say to yourself "I can't possibly get something today. I have way too many books sitting on my desk begging to be read." So you're casually browsing the stacks when you come across the "NEW BOOKSHELF" section and the bright, shining covers of the recently published books are being flaunted to the world. And then, of course, you can not resist picking up a copy of the one with the prettiest cover? Needless to say, I know this feeling pretty well. I have this awkward addiction to new books. Secretly, everyone does though.
Because I picked it up mostly because it was new, I barely glanced at the first page when I made my decision to read it. I was definitely in for a surprise when I found out that it was grounded in religion. More so the belief and faith in God than a specific religion, but still, a big part of the plot is based on Elisa's belief in herself and the part of herself (the Godstone in her naval that marks her as the chosen one) that is connected to God. The exceptional thing about this novel was that when it came to the religion aspects it was skillfully written, but not shoved down your throat. I love finding books like that. It's quite beautiful when characters and real people as well can rise up and do incredible acts of kindness and bravery all because of their strong conviction in a higher power.
I was also pleasantly surprised when I found myself beginning to love this book and it's wonderful use of figurative language. All aspects of it book had me smiling with pride at the author's great storytelling. Especially when I could have sworn that the book was about to end and then it immediately swerved in another direction when I flipped to the next page.
I was more than a little confused when I discovered that books one, two, and the prequel had all been published in 2012. I suppose this means I'll have immediate access to the next in the series which is good but I've never come across a series where most of the books had been picked up by a publisher all at the same time.
As for the romantic bits in the story, I noticed that they were pretty perplexing as well. First I assumed that Alejandro, the mysterious king that Elisa marries, was the guy for her. Then as the novel progressed and we met a new cast of character's that lived in the desert I began to fall in love with Humberto. Then two really large events in the story happened including those guys that I can't say because it would be the largest spoiler of all time and the author led me to believe that Lord Hector would be the future love interest. It was all very tangled but, as romance usually is, cute.
Finally, let's discuss Elisa's character. I definitely liked her. From the beginning though, I wavered slightly. At the start of the book Elisa thought she was nothing. Not worthy of Alejandro and his beauty and certainly not worthy of the Godstone and the intimidating prophecy that spoke of her great achievements in the face of adversity. I try to practice the art of confidence in my everyday life and I respect people who are confident with themselves. This is why I grew to love Elisa in the end. She overcame her difficulty's with weight and self-worth. She actually ended up overcoming an army. Her new found resolve and spunkiness were just what the story needed to form a perfect conclusion.”
Lauren wrote this review Sunday, January 27, 2013.
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