Goood morning! I’ve been to the gym already. There is coffee ready and waiting for me to enjoy at my leisure. It’s a beautiful day and, of course, the perfect day to have a little book talk.
As you all may know, I’m a girl. As such, I enjoy reading books with female leads. I like to analyze them, see if they’re believable, and ponder whether they accurately portray what it means to be feminine. You know, the stuff everyone does when they read. Some female leads are weak—they simper, whine, can’t defend themselves, etc. Eww! Others are portrayed as masculine in an effort to make them seem strong. Also Eww! Does a woman have to be masculine to be strong? I say no—but that’s a different post for a different time.
My point in all of this crazy rambling is that the series I’m bringing to you today has a female lead that is one of the best portrayals of strong femininity that I’ve ever read.
The Fire and Thorns trilogy by Rae Carson follows Elisa, a girl destined to be queen and chosen as an infant for some unknown deed of greatness. Elisa is overweight, overlooked, and under appreciated. We meet her as she is being wielded as a pawn by her father and married off to a king she’s never met.
On the journey to her new home, Elisa saves her new husband’s life and realizes that there is more surrounding their arranged marriage than she suspected. Plunged into a game of political intrigue, the lines between enemies and friends become blurred and someone has to make a decision. The young queen is that someone.
Elisa rises to every challenge, defends those she loves, conducts herself with honor, and fights like a soldier. In writing this character, Rae Carson never diminishes Elisa’s femininity in an effort to make her “stronger.” Instead, her femininity becomes her greatest strength. She is cunning, wise, unafraid of sacrifice, and never loses her empathy and compassion. In short, she is the kind of girl I’d want my little girl to read about.
This is a fantasy series and I was a bit skeptical at first, but the world Carson created was very believable and she never left me feeling as though she was grasping at straws. I’d recommend this for anyone, high school age and up. Elisa remains one of my favorite protagonists ever.
So read it and let me know what you think. 😉
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Who is your favorite fictional heroine?
Have you read these books?
kaelaprall.com 
I like it. When I am done reading the several other books I have lined up, I will take a look.
Cool! They were fast and action-packed. Definitely fun to read.
I’ve never heard of them but I’ll certainly check them out! They seem really interesting!
I hope you enjoy them! This series remains one of my favorites!
What do you recommend for a good age to read? My 11-year-old has talked about wanting to read. She also wants to read Hunger Games, though started and stopped–wasn’t ready for yet.
Though here is a series she is enjoying. Have you read? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439709105/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0439554012&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0Q8N79NM0JJZWYWNABS4
Good job the gym and coffee 🙂 Off to a great start.
I haven’t read the Inkheart series. Is it good?
If it were my 11 year old, I’d hold off on these books for a few years. There are some romantic themes that would be a little mature, although they aren’t graphic or lascivious.
Has she read the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis? Beautiful fantasy that I still reread every few years and appropriate for all ages.
Hello my lovely! I thought of you tonight as I tried to download “The Fault in our Stars” from the library and they were, of course, all checked out. Maybe I’ll try this series while I’m waiting!
Do! I think you’ll love it! Also, try For Darkness Shows the Stars. A tribute to Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I loved it and will talk about it on here soon! 🙂