The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one.
But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.
Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.
And he’s not the only one who needs her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.
Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.
Most of the chosen do.

Jillian’s Review:

I’m so excited to review this novel because I LOVED it and I’m a picky reader so it’s difficult for me to really love a book. I loved everything about this book: the warm setting, the beautifully detailed descriptions, and the wonderfully realistic people. It was beautiful.

I LOVED that poor Elisa feels like a fat, dumpy, disappointment of a princess, not to mention a failure as the bearer of the Godstone. Elisa is amazingly strong but she doesn’t know it until she travels through a scorching desert and heads a band of war-ravaged people. She has so much growth in this story, more so than the average YA novel, but even from the beginning she’s lovable and endearing.

This was a rich story with just a hint of fantasy, which made the ending a bit over-the-top. That being said, it was still a phenomenal read. If you read one book this year, make it this one.