The Girl of Fire and Thorns

So I don't usually read high-fantasy, but I gave this one a shot and I'm certainly glad I did. The Girl of Fire and Thorns really surprised me. Elise, the protagonist, defied the gorgeous-model-like-looks that many YA novels feature, and starts off, in fact, as a rather overweight teenager with a remarkably low self-esteem. That in itself caught my interest and following her story and watching her develop as a character was a real treat. I'll admit that some of the more fantastical elements took a little adjusting, but The Girl of Fire and Thorns surprised me with many-a-plot twist that I definitely didn't see coming (which is a rare thing, I might add) and actually got me to exclaim out loud while reading...twice.

In my book, that means I really enjoyed it, and thusly I recommend it to you.