The Girl of Fire and Thorns Stories

Girl of Fire and Thorns #0.5-0.7

by Rae Carson

A paperback edition of three novellas set within the world of the New York Times bestselling Girl of Fire and Thorns series, previously available only digitally: The Shadow Cats, The Shattered Mountain, and The King’s Guard.

The Shadow Cats is told from the perspective of Elisa’s older sister. Discover how their sibling rivalry looks from Alodia’s viewpoint, and find out why Alodia agrees to marry her sister off to King Alejandro of Joya de Vega.

The Shattered Mountain revolves around Elisa’s best friend and handmaiden, Mara. Before she meets Elisa at the rebel camp in The Girl of Fire and Thorns, she suffers her own tragedy. Her village is destroyed and she must lead the few young survivors to safety.

The King’s Guard centers on Hector, Commander of the Royal Guard and Elisa’s true love. Set years before The Girl of Fire and Thorns, it shows us fifteen-year-old Hector as a new recruit. He must prove himself—and he discovers a secret he must keep forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Novella, Short Stories, Audiobook, Fiction, Anthologies

253 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2014

About the author

Rae Carson was born in 1973 in California and now lives in Arizona. She developed an enthusiasm for storytelling in her earliest childhood. She studied social sciences and worked in various industries after graduating from university before she realized her dream and became a writer. The Girl of Fire and Thorns is her debut novel.

In her own words, she "write[s] books about teens who must do brave things. [Her] books tend to contain lots of adventure, a little magic and romance, and smart girls who make (mostly) smart choices. [She] especially love[s] to write about questions [she doesn't] know the answers to."

Has also published as Rae Carson Finlay.

Reviews

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 3 out of 5]

[2.5 stars] This compilation of three short stories would’ve been exponentially more enjoyable had I read it with the series instead of waiting several years. Considering how little I remembered of the side characters, the first two stories were entertaining enough and I’m sure they added a bit of good backstory. However, the final book (Hector’s story) didn’t really give me any of the feels I wanted even though it was the one I was most looking forward to. I’d long ago learned my lesson about waiting too long to get back to a series, but this experience just helps reinforce how important momentum is to my reading feng shui.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

Other books you might like:

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice collection of shorts, it’s give us a look into the early life of three characters.

The Shadow Cats - 3*

I wish I’d read this before the trilogy.

While there’s nothing really new here it gives us a look at Alodia and Elisa. We understand a little more why Alodia is so harsh with her and why Elisa feels as if her sister hates her.

This turned out to be a nice quick read.


The Shattered Mountain - 3*

This is the story of how Mara found her way to the rebellion.

We’re with her when her village is attacked by the Invierno we watch her rescue the children and help them escape. We see the steel in her as she suffers loss and pain but pushes on.

I liked Mara in the series and this she shines in the novella.


The Kings Guard - 3.5*

Hector was one of my favourite characters from the series, well once he’d shaved his moustache off of course.

This takes us back to when he was was fifteen years old and trying to get into the Royal Guard. It’s hard enough anyway especially when some people feel he doesn’t deserve to be there. Then he gets called away before he’s even had a chance to prove himself.

We’ve seen Hector as a man but here we discover that even as a boy he was brilliant, loyal and hardworking.

This is my favourite of these novellas.

[Judith]

ONE OF THESE STORIES IS ABOUT HECTOR
I'M OKAY
I'M FINE

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compellation book with three short stories in it expanding the world of Fire and Thorns. It can be read anytime after the first book of the series to open up the world and the understanding of a few of the characters a little more.

The Shadow Cats - ✰✰✰

Is from Alodia's PoV and is set prior to Elisa's wedding to Alejandro. She and Elisa travel to a distant part of the kingdom that has been sorely neglected for a wedding. When they get there they get more than they bargained for as many think the land is cursed.

Alodia needs the wedding to happen in order to maintain strong ties with this part of the kingdom. But when she finds out what is causing all of the issues she may have bitten off more than she can chew.

The Shattered Mountain - ★★★★★

Mara has been through a lot by the time she makes it to the rebel camp. I always like Mara in the main series she is strong, brave and willing to do so much for the rebellion and Elisa. This is the story of the attack on her home, how she survived and what it cost her.

I love Mara's heart in this.

The King's Guard - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 1/2 stars)

How can you not adore Hector? He is everything that a hero should be stoic, sweet, honorable, trustworthy, loyal and honest. It seems that he has been that way his whole life. Hector is trying to join the royal guard to do that he must leave everything behind from his life except three personal items. He must also endure some hazing as the Kings friend and the youngest recruit. The Queen is pregnant and ill, in desperation Hector is sent on a mission that will help the King and Kingdom in case she doesn’t make it.

Honestly this story was so different from what I thought it was going to be. I mean that in the best way possible it was just more. While it isn’t necessary to read the novella for the series it was a fascinating look into a turn of events that happened before GoFaT. I didn’t see the twist coming until it smacked me alongside my head. This is where Hector was really set on his path to become the Lord Commander at such a young age and you could clearly see why by the end of the story. The Queen, Rosaura was so gentile and kind it is tragic that child birth weakened her so much that she would die so young.

[Awa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit boring

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I read this book. These are definitely one (three actually) of the best novella's I've ever read. I am so glad and happy to know the backstories of these three amazing characters. I feel like I know them so well now. I hope the side characters of each of these novella's will make an appearance in the series. I know some already have in the first book (and I might have missed some). I highly recommend these novella's if you've read The Girl of Fire and Thorns

[Birdie]

Since this is a bind-up of 3 novellas I'm not going to give this a rating I'll just rate each individual short story and give a small review.

THE SHADOW CATS-- 2/5
I found this one to be the most boring and disappointing out of all three novellas mainly because Alodia is my least favourite of the main bunch of characters in this series. I really didn't like seeing the way she viewed and belittled Elisa in her head, it just made me hate her and want to take back the good feelings I began to have for her at the end of the third book. Besides hating her and her narrative, I found this story to be boring and dry. It does reveal some of the reason for Elisa being given to Alejandro but it didn't reveal the full reason which was what I was expecting. I will say that I enjoyed getting to know Zito, that was probably the most interesting aspect. Overall, this novella was a bit disappointing.

THE SHATTERED MOUNTAIN-- 4/5
It's no surprise I loved this novella because I love Mara so much. I sobbed so much reading this because she had to push through some awful things to get to where she was when she met Elisa. I really enjoyed getting to see her learn to lead and accept herself and grow as a person, without needing Julio as a crutch. This novella was so heartwarming but also so sad because of all the terrible things she and the kids had to deal with. It was a great background story for Mara's character and makes me love her even more. Overall, this was a great novella and I really enjoyed it.

THE KING'S GUARD-- 5/5
Is it any surprise that I absolutely loved this novella and found it flawless? No, because I love Hector so much he is such a precious cinnamon roll OH MY GOSH. Honestly, I think this novella was also amazing because of how many things it set up for the first book in the series. Hector learns so much about the royal family/palace in this book and while I guessed what was going to happen right before it was revealed, I was still completely shocked and had to stop reading for a second because it was such a good plot twist. I never saw it coming when I originally read the trilogy. It just makes me love Rosario even more and consequently dislike Alejandro more. I also really liked how in this novella we get to see how Hector formed friendships with Lucio and Fernando, some of my favourite characters from the last 2 books especially. I also liked getting to see Felix (Hector's older brother) with his wife aboard the ship because they were never together in the trilogy. She's one heck of a woman and her scolding Hector was the highlight of my life. The line Hector said at the end about his three personal items being his love for his kingdom, king, and queen made my eyes a little misty because YAS that's my precious cinnamon roll you go Hector!!! Overall, I really loved this novella and it was obviously my favourite out of the three XD. <3

To be honest, I don't think the first two novellas are necessary to read to fully understand the series because not many new, important things happen in them. I'd just suggest reading them if you're like me and can't get enough of this world after the third book ended. I will say that I recommend reading The King's Guard after maybe the first book because it does have an important discovery in it, although, the discovery isn't really related to Elisa and her journey with the Godstone, it pertains more to the whole heir situation in the palace with Alejandro and why Hector is known as a man of few words.

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shadow Cats (Fire and Thorns, #0.5)

From Alodia's POV. It takes place before Elisa marries Alejandro, and offers insight into the sisters' relationship, which I particularlly appreciated, being an elder sister myself. I'd had a hard time with how cold and indifferent Alodia came across in the full installments of this series.

It's just a really good novella.

The Shattered Mountain (Fire and Thorns, #0.6)

From Mara's POV. This is the story of how her village was destroyed, and how she came to join the rebels. It really fleshes her out as a character, but it is not a happy story.

Again, a really good novella.

The King's Guard (Fire and Thorns, #0.7)

In which a 15 y.o Hector is sent on a mission by Alejandro during his King's Guard training.

Oh, so many royal secrets . . .

Obviously this was fabulous. B/c Hector.

[Emmy Ruijven · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5

[Kaugummiqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 Sterne! Geschichte 2 und 3 haben mir sehr gut gefallen, Geschichte 1 war dagegen etwas schwach.

Inhalt

In The Shadow Cats erfährt man von Elisas Schwester Alodia, der rechtmäßigen Thronerbin von Orovalle. Ihre Gedanken und ihre kühle Haltung ihrer jüngeren Schwester gegenüber werden deutlich, ebenso wie ihr Wunsch, ihr zukünftiges Königreich vor den Feinden zu schützen, die sich langsam aber sicher erheben. In The Shattered Mountain erlebt Mara, später eine treue Freundin von Elisa, wie ihr Dorf von Inviernos niedergebrannt wird. Zusammen mit einigen Kindern und ihrem Geliebten kann sie entkommen. Doch sie alle sind geschwächt und sie wissen nicht, wohin der Weg sie führen wird. In The King's Guard tritt der fünfzehnjährige Hector entgegen allen Erwartungen bei der Königsgarde bei, um zu zeigen, was er wert ist. Doch schon nach kurzer Zeit wird er von seinem König und Freund Alejandro für einen geheimen und wichtigen Auftrag fortgeschickt und muss sich beweisen - auch vor sich selbst.

Meine Meinung

Da ich von der Reihe Fire and Thorns von Rea Carson begeistert war, wusste ich, dass ich die Kurzgeschichtensammlung besitzen musste. Ich wollte mehr aus der Welt erfahren, welche die Autorin erschaffen hat. Vor allem die Kurzgeschichten aus der Sicht von Mara und von Hector haben mich besonders gereizt, da ich beide Charaktere sehr mochte (Hector ist sowieso einfach nur toll ♥). Zeitlich sind die Geschichten vor der Haupthandlung angesiedelt, man kann sie also getrost vorab lesen, aber ich glaube, dass der Aha-Effekt einfach größer ist, wenn man die Kurzgeschichten erst im Anschluss liest.

The Shadow Cats
Die erste Geschichte ist aus der Sicht von Elisas älterer Schwester Alodia geschrieben. In den Büchern kam sie immer kalt und unnahbar herüber und man spürte stets eine gewisse Distanz zwischen ihr und Elisa. Immer schien es, dass Alodia neidisch auf den Godstone ihrer Schwester war. In dieser Kurzgeschichte besucht Alodia als Repräsentantin ihres Vaters eine Hochzeit, von der sie sich zukünftig ein starkes Bündnis erhofft. Doch die Hochzeit steht unter keinem guten Stern. Das Brautpaar, obwohl einander zugetan, befürchtet, die Vermählung absagen zu müssen, da eine grausame Bestie ihr Unwesen treibt, Menschen anfällt und das Land verdorren lässt. In Alodias Gedanken eintauchen zu können war sehr interessant, denn sie ist sehr berechnend und kühl. Das Wohl ihres zukünftigen Königreiches liegt ihr am Herzen, daher tut sie alles, um Vasallen und Unterstützung zu gewinnen. Doch trotz ihrer Distanziertheit schafft sie es dennoch, so etwas wie Liebe zu empfinden. Da ist zum Einen der Eunuch Zito, ihr engster Vertrauter und bester Freund, ihre Schwester Elisa, die sie mal mehr, mal weniger schätzt, und das kleine Mädchen Lupita, das sie kurz vor der Hochzeit kennen lernt und von der unheimlichen Bestie getötet worden zu sein scheint. Gemeinsam mit Zito begibt Alodia sich auf die Suche nach der Wildkatze und macht eine erstaunliche Entdeckung. Plötzlich merkt man als Leser, dass Alodia doch nicht so unnahbar und kalt ist, wie sie zuvor immer gewirkt hat. Sie ist zwar stark und mutig, aber auch verletzlich. Die erste Hälfte der Geschichte war leider etwas dröge, auch wenn man ein paar Gute Einblicke in Alodias Denken bekommen hat. Erst die zweite Hälfte war spannend und auch interessanter, wobei sie auch etwas unlogisch war. An sich hat mir die Geschichte gut gefallen, von den dreien war sie jedoch die schwächste.

The Shattered Mountain
Die zweite Kurzgeschichte wird aus der Sicht von Mara geschildert, die in der Reihe eine enge Freundin und Vertraute von Elisa wird. In der Haupthandlung erfuhr man, dass Mara viele Narben trägt, aber weshalb, wurde nicht wirklich behandelt. In The Shattered Mountain erhält man Antworten. An dem Tag, als Mara und ihr Verlobter Julio aus dem Heimatdorf fliehen und heimlich heiraten wollen, wird das Dorf von Inviernos überfallen und niedergebrannt. Mara und Julio trennen sich, um die Kinder aus dem Dorf zu retten und die Feinde von der Flucht abzulenken. Die Rettungsaktion gelingt, doch alle sind stark geschwächt und Julio erscheint zudem nicht am verabredeten Treffpunkt. Mara mochte ich in der Hauptgeschichte schon sehr gerne, wobei ich gerne mehr über sie erfahren hätte. Dazu hatte man nun die Gelegenheit. Man wusste schon, dass sie viel Schreckliches in ihrem kurzen Leben durchmachen musste, doch es nun schwarz auf weiß zu lesen war teilweise heftig. Die Flucht der Gruppe, bestehend aus ein paar Kindern und Jugendlichen, hat mich sehr gefesselt und bestürzt. Mara als Älteste übernimmt die Verantwortung und Führung, gleichzeitig spürt man ihre Angst, da Julio nicht auftaucht. Ich habe richtig mitgefiebert, denn den Flüchtenden liegen viele Steine im Weg und immer wieder passieren Unglücke, weswegen die Kinder immer schwächer werden. Mara als Protagonistin war sehr überzeugend und ich nahm ihr alle Gedanken und Taten ab. Ich habe es bewundert, wie sie alles versucht hat, um die Kinder durch zu bringen. Ihre Liebe zu Julio hat mich ebenfalls berührt. Wer die Haupthandlung vorher gelesen hat, der wird wissen, was passiert, aber es hat mich sehr traurig gestimmt und ich musste tatsächlich ein paar Tränen verdrücken. Besonders gut gefallen hat mir aber das Ende der Kurzgeschichte, in dem einige Parallelen zur Haupthandlung zu finden waren. Die Geschichte hat mir sehr gut gefallen.

The King's Guard
Hector ♥ Muss ich mehr sagen? Eine Kurzgeschichte, in der Hector der Protagonist ist. Und dann dazu noch ein niedlicher Fünfzehnjähriger. Das kann nur gut werden. War es auch. Die dritte Kurzgeschichte ist die längste von den dreien und sogar noch einen Ticken besser als die zweite. Es war total interessant, die Beweggründe zu erfahren, weshalb Hector unbedingt bei der Königsgarde beitreten wollte. Als Favorit des Königs, da er mit ihm befreundet ist, hat er es bei seiner Aufnahme nicht leicht und wird von den anderen Rekruten, aber auch von den Ausbildern geschnitten und ungerecht behandelt. Ich fand es faszinierend, wie er trotz allem beherrscht und ruhig blieb, obwohl er manchmal eine dicke Lippe riskierte. Dadurch konnte man gut nachvollziehen, warum Hector so wurde, wie er sich in der Haupthandlung auch gibt: ruhig und bedacht, bei passender Gelegenheit aber auch schlagfertig und spitzzüngig, aber treu und ergeben denen gegenüber, die er liebt. Als er nach nur einem Tag bei der Königsgarde einen Auftrag für Alejandro erledigen soll, ist er zunächst nicht begeistert, da dies seine Favoriten-Position stärkt und ihn bei den anderen noch unbeliebter macht. Für den Auftrag werden ihm die Rekruten Lucio und Fernando zur Seite gestellt, die man auch aus der Haupthandlung noch kennt. Der Auftrag ist prekär und muss unter größter Geheimhaltung ausgeführt werden und schon bald merkt man, dass es Leute gibt, die nicht wollen, dass der Auftrag gelingt. Andere bekannte und unangenehme Gesichter aus der Haupthandlung tauchen auf und lassen einen misstrauisch werden. Es geht gegen Ende der Geschichte recht übel zur Sache und ich wusste nicht, ob ich lachen oder weinen sollte, da eine Szene sehr heftig war. Rea Carson geht mit ihren Figuren jedenfalls nicht sonderlich zimperlich um, was man auch schon in den anderen Kurzgeschichten feststellen konnte. Jedenfalls kommt ein Geheimnis zu Tage, mit dem ich zunächst nicht gerechnet hätte, obwohl es sich schon nach einiger Zeit erahnen ließ, was den Leser einen komplett neuen Blick auf die Haupthandlung werfen lässt - und auch auf Hector, der dieses Geheimnis mit sich tragen muss. Mein Respekt vor ihm ist jedenfalls gestiegen, da seine Liebe, Treue und Loyalität wirklich bewundernswert sind.

Fazit

Alle drei Kurzgeschichten waren sehr angenehm und schnell zu lesen und haben mir gefallen, wobei die erste Kurzgeschichte leider am schwächsten, dafür aber auch kürzesten war. Es war sehr interessant, mehr Hintergrundinformationen über Mara und Hector zu erfahren, da man die Figuren nun viel besser versteht und noch mehr schätzt als sowieso schon. Die Sprache der Autorin war wie gewohnt sehr schön zu lesen, da sie einen sehr bildhaften und ausgefeilten Schreibstil hat. Insgesamt vergebe ich, mit Tendenz nach oben, sehr gute 4,5 von 5 Sternen !

[❀ Tina ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

[Mel (Daily Prophecy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

HECTOR.

That's enough for now.

Review will follow.
4.5 stars.

Edit:

I'm not reviewing this book on my blog, so I'm going to write down what I have to say over here. The first story shows some more of Elisa's sister and I liked that we got to see her POV. We only know her as the 'better' sister who hates Elisa, but now we get to see that's not true. She values Elisa at the end of the story and I loved to see that development in their relationship.

THERE IS A HECTOR STORY. I mean, what more do I need to say before you pick this book up? This story alone is worth this book. We see how he claims his role and it's HECTOR.

And then there is a story about Mara, which was incredibly interesting and sad to read.

[Anna 'Bookbuyer' · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were some really interesting short stories. Sometimes if I can't get into the main series I still love to read the novellas.

The first one was really interesting. I thought the princess was really strong and that her sister was also strong but in a different way. I am curious to see how all these characters are in the main story.

I felt bad for the poor eunuch guy. But glad that he and the princess have such a strong friendship.

I had never realized that these short stories have a bit of a Mexican or Latin American feel to them. There were some words that I didn't completely get but thanks to my French I was able to have a good guess.

I was very mad at the father in the second novella. He was a real piece of work. I'm glad that he died.

I was really sad that Julio died though. He and Mara were a really cute couple. Mara was really strong and was able to lead all the children to safety.

In the third novella. I really liked Hector. He was a smart young man and very reliable.

I was horrified at what Isabella's father had done to her. To disfigure her like that takes a truly sick mind. I'm glad that the king and queen will raise the baby. :)

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shadow Cats - 3/5
The story in this novella couldn't keep my interest and other than finding out that Alodia maybe wasn't as horrible as she was made out to be, I didn't get much more out of this.

The Shattered Mountain - 4/5
This was my favourite novella out of this collection. I loved that this was from Mara's POV and really enjoyed seeing more of her back story.

The King's Guard - 3.5/5
This novella was kind of boring at first and I really didn't care to find out just how much of an asshole Alejandro actually was. It wasn't until the end that the connection to the main books was revealed and that was what redeemed this novella somewhat.

Overall rating: 3.75/5

[Marina]

A great collection of short stories that allows fans of the series to see the origin stories of some of the characters. They're not necessary to read in order to read the main series, but they're a nice touch and I recommend checking them out.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a novella’s. All just perfect. Perfect action and characters.

[Gunjan (NerdyBirdie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bind-up: mindblowing.

If I had to list this in order from most favorite to least favorite would be: The King’s Guard, The Shadow Cats, and then The Shattered Mountain.

I guess I’ll talk about each novella separately:

The Shadow Cats is the first novella in the bind-up series. I liked this a lot. Mostly because it was funny to read how Alodia thinks. And she has her moments. But it was also so different, because, people, our badass Queen Elisa is completely useless from Alodia’s point of view! But in The Girl of Fire of Thorns we see that Elisa isn’t useless.

The Shattered Mountain is the second novella in the bind-up series. I liked this one, because I felt that Mara was always a strong. It was great to see her lead, and her backstory was so sad.:D

The King’s Guard is the final story in the bind-up. THIS IS MY FAVORITE OUT OF ALL OF THEM! I loved Hector, and I can tell that he’s the same person in The Girl of Fire and Thorns and just as loyal—as always! If Hector and Elisa weren’t married then I would’ve taken him.

Obviously if you’re a fan of this series then you’ll love this! I loved all the stories and the way they were written! So now I’m officially caught up on everything Rae Carson has ever written and am pumped up for her next book! :D :D :D

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fire and Thorns series is one of my favourites and one of many things I absolutely adored about the series is the way Rae Carson wrote her characters. All her characters felt so REAL, and i'm so glad that we get to learn more about some of them. Each of these stories made me love the characters even more and reignited my love for the world that I was introduced to in The Girl of Fire and Thorns. Of the three, my favourite was definitely The Shattered Mountain (Mara's story).

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing style, pacing, you name it. Carson does everything right.

The Shadow Cats: I liked that we got a little bit of Alodia's perspective and now it's clear to me that the sisters would have gotten along better had their mother lived and/or had a competent father.

The Shattered Mountain: Mara is great, as usual.

The King’s Guard: Hector had a lot more to do with Rosario than meets the eye.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book made me realize how much I miss the world of The Girl of Fire and Thorns. I love Rae Carson's writing so much and hope that there are more books set in this world. It was pleasure reading from Hector's, Mara's, and Alodia's perspective.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Brianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed all three stories.. but now I yearn for more from this world!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO. GOOD. And all I want now is to reread the entire series.

[Satangan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read this book from yesterday (12/30/2018) evening until this morning (12/31/2018) to finish it. I never planned on nonstop reading, but I came to love this book. At first, I held off on reading because I had other books to read and almost didn't want to read it. I had checked this book out from my local joint-use library and I was in the teen/supernatural section of the library. I ended up picking this book by random and I wanted to read something new. Also, the cover was really beautiful to look at and the paperback book was so smooth that it felt brand new. Although, it started off slow for me. I gradually came to like the book more as I continued on reading and the further I got into the book the more I wanted to read it. The book had three separate stories that were each so wonderful to read with an inspiring adventure and motivational ending. As each section ended, I was happy and satisfied with the ending. But, I was left with the feeling of wanting more to the story.

I now fully agree with the reviews that were stated in the first page of this book by others. Especially the review by Veronica Roth, author of the nationally best-selling Divergent:
"Intense, unique. . . . Definitely recommended."

I can't wait to read the other books that go along with this series. It is really interesting to read.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

paperback edition of three novellas set within the world of the New York Times bestselling Girl of Fire and Thorns series, previously available only digitally: The Shadow Cats, The Shattered Mountain, and The King’s Guard.

The Shadow Cats is told from the perspective of Elisa’s older sister. Discover how their sibling rivalry looks from Alodia’s viewpoint, and find out why Alodia agrees to marry her sister off to King Alejandro of Joya de Vega.

The Shattered Mountain revolves around Elisa’s best friend and handmaiden, Mara. Before she meets Elisa at the rebel camp in The Girl of Fire and Thorns, she suffers her own tragedy. Her village is destroyed and she must lead the few young survivors to safety.

The King’s Guard centers on Hector, Commander of the Royal Guard and Elisa’s true love. Set years before The Girl of Fire and Thorns, it shows us fifteen-year-old Hector as a new recruit. He must prove himself—and he discovers a secret he must keep forever. (

[Tomás Saldarriaga Villa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Shadow Cats: [2.5★]
Fue bonito conocer que había debajo de esa coraza de seriedad de Juana-Alodia. Que ella es una persona correcta que se preocupa por su pueblo y hasta por su hermana.
A pesar de esto, la historia no me pareció muy memorable y sentí en muchos momentos que estaba leyendo a la misma Elisa en vez de a Juana-Alodia.


The Shattered Mountain: [4★]
MI FAVORITO SIN DUDA.
Me pareció brutal y desgarradora la historia de Mara, todo lo que sufrió por su papá, por Julio y por ese montón de niños que tuvo que salvar.
Esta historia afianzó mi amor por este hermoso personaje.


The King's Guard: [3.5★]
Fue bonito ir al pasado de Hector para confirmar que siempre ha sido igual de hermoso. Además, también fue interesante conocer a la esposa muerta de Alejandro y conocer el verdadero origen de Rosario.
Sin embargo, el comienzo de la historia me pareció bastante aburrida pero luego de la mitad me encantó.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.75*

I found it difficult to rate this novella collection because it’s 3 different stories. But with that said I felt differently about each one, but my favorite was probably the last one with Hector because I really like his personality and his will to help others.

I also really liked the story about Mara because it showed how amazing she is under pressure and how brave she is. But I also really like her strength when it came to making sure everybody was okay all the time, and that she put them first.

I liked the story of Elisa’s sister the least because it was a little boring compared to the others, but I liked that we discovered what she had been through and that she actually doesn’t hate Elisa but that she’s just trying to look out for her. But at the same time she’s also jealous that Elisa has the Godstone and not herself because she doesn’t believe in Elisa.

[Micheala · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the last two stories but I still don't see what the first story was suppose to do as all it managed was to make me like the sister even less.

The King's Guard was the story I felt was the strongest for explaining things in the actual trilogy Why Hector tends not to speak as much as other characters, and Rosario's birth

The Shattered Mountain was interesting because you see how Mara came to be at the rebel camp. It only really fleshes out Mara's backstory that is briefly touched on in the trilogy.

The Shadow Cats did nothing for me. I think it was suppose to make me understand Alodia and sympathizes with her quickly forcing Elisa into an arranged marriage, however it didn't really tell me much about /why/ she did it (or maybe it just went over my head) and I personally only ended up retroactively disliking Alodia in the main trilogy where as before I was fairly neutral about her.


Overall feelings: It was okay, but not necessary with The King's Guard being the only one that could be argued as truly adding to the series.

[Amy Braun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this series on my TBR shelf for a while and was excited to read some of the short stories that will lay the ground work for the series. I liked aspects of many of them and will look forward to seeing how these stories tie into the main trilogy.

Alodia and Elisa's relationship is definitely not simple and I look forward to seeing how it wraps together.

Mara's story was my favourite, and I truly hope Mara has a bigger presence in the next books. Her backstory is a tragic one, and it had some truly heartbreaking moments in it. I want to see more of her and the young characters she rescued.

Hector's story started a little slow for me, but the finale was great and I can't wait to see how it connects to the main trilogy.

All in all, this was a great introduction to this series and I really look forward to seeing how these all play into the trilogy!

[Zarinah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so good! The only reason it got marked down a notch is because the first story was meh but the other 2 stories were amazing! The shadow cats was just not that capturing but it did set a setting from the village point of view. If you were to read the first story you would think nah this book is for me but get through because story number 2 and 3 are so rich in character, plot, and adventure! I was so captured by the whole world and the great thing is each story was told from completely alternative angle. I think my favorite was the last story because it was fast pace and I truly loved the intelligence of the main character and his character all around was good natured. Excellent short and quick read. Read this book!