Fire by Kristin Cashore

Series: The Seven Kingdoms Trilogy, Book 2

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Copyright: 2009

Pages: 352

Rating: 5 / 5

Synopsis:


Fire, Graceling's prequel-ish companion book, takes place across the mountains to the east of the seven kingdoms, in a rocky, war-torn land called the Dells. 

Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans. 

Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story. 

Wondering what makes it a companion book/prequel? Fire takes place 30-some years before Graceling and has one cross-over character with Graceling, a small boy with strange two-colored eyes who comes from no-one-knows-where, and who has a peculiar ability that Graceling readers will find familiar and disturbing...

Review:

After the awesome debut that was Graceling, I wanted to get my hands on anything that was Kristin Cashore. And the wait for Fire was well worth it. Fire is the prequel to Graceling, in that is set 30 years before and has one cross over character that you’ll recognize at once. The book is based in the lands beyond the Seven Kingdoms, where there are creatures called monsters who are beautifully coloured and can mesmerize you. Fire is the last of the human monsters, but one who understands the effect of her beauty on others, and who understands the difference between right and wrong.


The book is based in a land at war with its neighbours and a kingdom shaped by the late king, and his trusted advisor Cansrel, who was Fire's father. Fire tries to use her monster powers to help with the war when asked. She struggles to use her powers now, when she's been trying not to all this while, and the attraction she feels for the king’s brother isn’t helping.

This book, for me, was a lot better than Graceling, and I absolutely loved Graceling. It is a lot more mature, and I felt it covered a lot more emotions and situations. Each character has its own distinct personality, and you'll feel for all of them. Nash, the weak-minded king smitten by Fire; Brigan his stoic brother; Brocker, the man who brought up Fire and Archer, her first lover and friend. I loved em all.

I loved Fire as a character. Gorgeous in body, she was gorgeous in mind as well. She cared about those around her, and despite the brave face she showed the world, had her own little insecurities. Cashore has created a breathtaking world, with vivid characters and an even paced storyline. You will feel a part of this book while reading it, and live through all of Fire's experiences. You'll love the time with Brigan, and your heart will go out to Archer.

Go. Read.

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Graceling - Kristin Cashore

471 pages

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult
Awards: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature 2009

Rating: 5/5

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight; she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug. She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po. She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace--or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away. . .a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.

Wow. Just wow.
This book was such a joy to read.

Gracelings are children gifted with special abilities and distinguished by their different coloured eyes. . Graceling is about Katsa, a girl ‘graced’ with the ability to kill. Extremely well. She’s her uncle, the king’s, enforcer – not something she enjoys at all. He makes her feel like a thug and a brute, and Katsa sometimes imagines herself to be the savage everyone thinks she is. But Katsa also sees the injustice of the kings and takes it upon herself to use her abilities to help where she can. On one such mission she meets Po. Prince Po. Prince of one of the other seven kingdoms, and also a Graceling who is a good fighter.

Both Gracelings understand how the other feels, with the uncomfortable stares and fear they arouse in people, and form a bond. Po and Katsa become sparring partners and then fast friends. When Po asks her why she doesn’t refuse being under her uncles’ control, Katsa begins thinking and making changes, which lead her to some hard decisions. ( "When a monster stopped behaving like a monster, did it stop being a monster? Did it become something else?") Their trail leads them to Po aunt’s kingdom and what follows is a secret that has the power to ruin all the 7 kingdoms.

This is a lovely story of fragile friendship with its own ups and downs and the strength of character that shines through from these two. You cannot help but love Po. (Despite his name) Katsa is someone who finds it hard to let people in, but cares for those she’s close to. It is heartbreaking when Katsa and Po finally discover their feelings for each other and share them. She has this weird thing about never getting married, which didn’t make sense seeing as she loved Po and agreed to be his lover but not his wife. Katsa has control issues.

There were no frivolous descriptions or filler in this book. Everything written worked towards giving the reader a sense of the characters frame of mind or what was happening around them. Cashore can make you picture a situation and the surroundings with a few short words, and get you completely involved in whats happening. There's whole cast of characters that you connect with. I loved Raffin, Oll, Bitterblue and even Giddon.

This book didn't have the typical ending with everything just falling in place, there was more left to do and still problems to overcome, and i was glad for that. Read this book. There's a reason this won a award people. There's 2 more books coming soon:

Fire, Graceling's prequel, is out in Ocotber 2009 and Bitterblue has no release date yet. Find out more here

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