  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 08/01/2011 Gr 7 Up—This compelling first book in a medieval fantasy trilogy features Elisa, a 16-year-old princess, as she grows from an inexperienced girl who is forced to marry a weak king for political reasons into a confident and capable young woman, destined to be a respected leader in her own right. Shortly after her birth, Elisa received a magical Godstone in her navel, a sign bestowed every 100 years on a chosen one. Despite this, she feels inadequate when compared to her older, more beautiful sister so she eats to compensate for it. She's also very clever, particularly in the strategies of war, but all that most people see is her ample size. The only person who respects her is young Lord Hector, her husband's personal guard. Shortly after her wedding, she's kidnapped and forced to endure an arduous journey through the desert that toughens her. One of her kidnappers is a young man who falls for her and she for him. His people hope that she, as the Godstone bearer, can save them from their constant war against a neighboring enemy. This fast-moving and exciting novel is rife with political conspiracies and machinations. Elisa's maturation and physical transformation echo Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Princess Ben (Houghton Harcourt, 2008). Fans of Tamora Pierce's "Beka Cooper" series (Random) will find a kindred spirit in Elisa as she experiences great adversity and heart-wrenching loss.—Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton - Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 10/01/2011 In 16-year-old Elisa, first-time novelist Carson has created a fascinating and credible heroine who battles her way through her own timidity and self-doubt to discover her abilities to love, lead, and suffer loss without denying her future or her faith. Set in an alternative premodern Iberian- and Christianity-hued Saharan-like world, Elisa’s adventures include an arranged marriage, a politically and religiously inspired kidnapping, hand-to-hand combat with knife and wits against men trained for battle, the traumatic death of her beloved, and the care of a six-year-old boy. She, as well as the central drama of this promising series starter, depends on the guidance of the holy gem she carries in her navel: the Godstone, which marks her as one whose service shows forth through history-changing practice as well as belief. Carson presents a thorough theology (complete with holy texts), complex characters, dramatic landscapes, royal courts, and a range of difficulties solved through wisdom rather than accident. Romantic, lush, and thought provoking. - Copyright 2011 Booklist. Bulletin for the Center... - 11/01/2011 Princess Elisa of Orovalle is meant for great things-she must be, since she was born with a Godstone, “warm and alive but blue and faceted, hard as a diamond,” in her belly button. It chills to warn her of danger, and it warms when she prays, but it is not until her hasty, politically motivated marriage to hunky King Alessandro of neighboring Joya d’Arena that she begins to learn the true scope of her destiny. Suddenly, she’s swept up in an intertwined web of court intrigues, ethical rebellions, religious sectarian differences, and a border war that has, unbeknownst to most, already begun. Elisa is a steely, quick-witted heroine, putting her theoretical knowledge of battle strategy and politics to practical use almost immediately, and responding with courage and integrity to an endless string of physical, moral, and spiritual challenges. In this way, the book recalls the heroine-centered adventures of Tamora Pierce and Kristin Cashore, and it is genuinely gratifying to watch Elisa harness her own talents and earn her place in the world. Unfortunately, her intense hatred of her own body-she is a “sausage” in the opening chapters, then rejoices when a kidnapping and desert march result in weight loss-and complete lack of self-worth due to that factor alone is myopic and seems to be tacked on to her character for the sole purpose of giving her vulnerability. In addition, the elision of magic and religion can be confusing, setting up contradictions in the world-building that have yet to be resolved. Nevertheless, the large cast of characters is well drawn, the romantic entanglements are unexpected, and the grand sweep of the plot will propel readers forward through this ambitious fantasy-adventure epic. CG - Copyright 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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