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Graceling Realm #2
Fuego
Treinta años antes de que tenga lugar la aventura de Katsa en Graceling...
Al otro lado de las montañas al este de los Siete Reinos, en una tierra rocosa y asediada por la guerra que se llama Los Vals, Fuego es la última de su especie—los humanos monstruo—en el reino. Es una joven de diecisiete años, preciosa en cuerpo y mente. Tiene una cabellera de color rojo brillante que ondea al viento como una llama y posee el mismo poder que tenían sus congéneres de leer la mente y ejercer su influencia silenciosa sobre los humanos. Pero ese poder hace que la mayoría de los habitantes de Los Vals no confíen en ella, que la odien, que la aparten, que la teman. A diferencia de su padre, Fuego se niega a utilizar esos poderes en su beneficio, una actitud que sólo le reporta problemas con quienes quieren que lo haga. Cuando estalla una conspiración para derrocar al rey, Fuego deberá elegir entre ser fiel a sus principios y el amor por un príncipe a cuya mente no tiene acceso.
Al otro lado de las montañas al este de los Siete Reinos, en una tierra rocosa y asediada por la guerra que se llama Los Vals, Fuego es la última de su especie—los humanos monstruo—en el reino. Es una joven de diecisiete años, preciosa en cuerpo y mente. Tiene una cabellera de color rojo brillante que ondea al viento como una llama y posee el mismo poder que tenían sus congéneres de leer la mente y ejercer su influencia silenciosa sobre los humanos. Pero ese poder hace que la mayoría de los habitantes de Los Vals no confíen en ella, que la odien, que la aparten, que la teman. A diferencia de su padre, Fuego se niega a utilizar esos poderes en su beneficio, una actitud que sólo le reporta problemas con quienes quieren que lo haga. Cuando estalla una conspiración para derrocar al rey, Fuego deberá elegir entre ser fiel a sus principios y el amor por un príncipe a cuya mente no tiene acceso.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2009
3372 people are currently reading
113819 people want to read
About the author
Kristin Cashore
18 books17k followersKristin Cashore grew up in the northeast Pennsylvania countryside as the second of four daughters. She received a bachelor's degree from Williams College and a master's from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College. She currently lives in the Boston area.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 12,717 reviews
October 17, 2022
Czytałam przedpremierowo, nie wiem co takiego jest w tych książkach, ale sprawiają mi niesamowicie dużo radości!!
December 10, 2025
"She made a bad monster, and a worst human."Fire's world is full of monsters. They are similar to regular animals only more beautiful and dangerous than any other creature.
Their pelts are mesmerizing - rich hues of midnight blues or forest greens or sunset oranges.
That combined with their nearly psychic powers allow for monsters entrance lure their prey to their untimely deaths.
Fire is one of those monsters but she's far more deadly, she's a human monster. Her hair contains the most beautiful shades of reds, auburn and magenta, her beauty is beyond renowned and her mind can ensnare all but the strongest willed humans.
"It's hard to wake from a nightmare when the nightmare is real."
But.
She doesn't want this.
She hates how her beauty entrances even herself, how her best friend has grown possessive over her littlest gesture and how despite all she can do, she's constantly shuffled off to the side.
When a mysteriously empty-headed archer attempts an assassination, Fire soon finds herself en route to the king in the company of a very distrustful prince and his guard.
For the first time, she's alone - will she break free of convention or be stuck hiding inside herself forever?
Absolutely loved this pseudo sequel/prequel/companion novel to Gracling.
It has some elements from the first book (namely, the Big Bad evil Gracling - the one that controls minds through the sound of his voice) but this novel is set in a completely different country and set several decades before Graceling.
Normally, I'm a bit bitter when book two contains no principle characters of book one but I am definitely making an exception in this case.
Really enjoyed it!
Audiobook Comments
"It was a hurting tune, resigned, a cry of heartache for all in the world that fell apart. As ash rose black against the brilliant sky, Fire's fiddle cried out for the dead, and for the living who stay behind to say goodbye."
The reading was really well done. It wasn't a full production like book one, but the reader did a great job of characterization and tone.
The 2018 ABC Reading Challenge - F
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October 23, 2015
My head hurts from crying but other than that, so very good!! Loved this book!
February 8, 2010
Granted, I went into this book annoyed with Cashore's anti-marriage, pro-casual-sex message in Graceling, but the book never got interesting enough to overcome those messages. Okay, I didn't finish it, but if 222 pages into it, I'm bored and nearly shaking with rage at Cashore for using a YA story as a thinly veiled piece of propaganda, I doubt the end of the book will redeem itself. This isn't even YA, it's adult high fantasy, but these days publishers market everything as YA, and so it's sold and read as YA where Cashore forces her stories around some unhealthy and harmful messages instead of letting her characters and story grow organically.
This world full of monsters so beautiful people throw themselves at the monsters in lust and the monsters can control everyone's mind to make them do whatever they want was not a world I wanted to believe in. Plus, Fire is way too much like Katsa, but less interesting, more whiny, and the whole society more promiscuous. The book is congested with: friends with benefits (incidentally an 17-year-old with a guy several years older than her whom she doesn't even like and knows he's sleeping with every other girl in the country), a whole society sleeping around and fathering illegitimate children all over the place, lots of uncontrolled lust, people and animals throwing themselves atKatsa Fire because she's on her period, rape (from all that uncontrolled lust), murder, that whole village plunder and destroy stuff, and the happy mention of her father saying that just because Katsa Fire is beautiful he would never act out on that lust because he loves her, so throw a little incest into the mix. I don't know of a single, healthy relationship in the whole book, at least the part I got through. And the very worst of all of this is these things have nothing to do with the storyline.
The story was so slow developing and the characters one-dimensional that never gained my sympathy. So I'm making up my own ending, which I've hidden under a spoiler tag since apparently it's pretty closer: It doesn't really matter to me. The characters and story didn't grab my attention; it's the messages that did.
This world full of monsters so beautiful people throw themselves at the monsters in lust and the monsters can control everyone's mind to make them do whatever they want was not a world I wanted to believe in. Plus, Fire is way too much like Katsa, but less interesting, more whiny, and the whole society more promiscuous. The book is congested with: friends with benefits (incidentally an 17-year-old with a guy several years older than her whom she doesn't even like and knows he's sleeping with every other girl in the country), a whole society sleeping around and fathering illegitimate children all over the place, lots of uncontrolled lust, people and animals throwing themselves at
The story was so slow developing and the characters one-dimensional that never gained my sympathy. So I'm making up my own ending, which I've hidden under a spoiler tag since apparently it's pretty closer: It doesn't really matter to me. The characters and story didn't grab my attention; it's the messages that did.
Read
August 27, 2017Watch my review here:
https://youtu.be/RuBRXzb7Cgo
https://youtu.be/RuBRXzb7Cgo
August 7, 2020
Oh wow, me from 10 years ago loved to moralize! Do I care that teenagers and young people in their twenties sleep around and are in open relationships in this book? No. But I did get annoyed yet again that nobody was using birth control, when it was available in this world. And the number of illegitimate children was just ridiculous, from story-telling POV. Also, was there a point to Fire being on her period all the time? Some things were just overdone and over the top.
3.5 stars is where I still stand I think. I liked character development and the proto-progressiveness in this YA fantasy. But the climactic battle of wits here was over-thought and overcomplicated. I've read this book now 3 times, and not once was I able to follow the ball part. This is something Cashore needs to watch out for. If I remember it right, Bitterblue was where Cashore's writing became so convoluted, that it wasn't enjoyable anymore. I will give Bitterblue another chance and see if my perception of it has changed.
________
3.5 stars is where I still stand I think. I liked character development and the proto-progressiveness in this YA fantasy. But the climactic battle of wits here was over-thought and overcomplicated. I've read this book now 3 times, and not once was I able to follow the ball part. This is something Cashore needs to watch out for. If I remember it right, Bitterblue was where Cashore's writing became so convoluted, that it wasn't enjoyable anymore. I will give Bitterblue another chance and see if my perception of it has changed.
________
November 8, 2018
Well, this was a pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed Graceling back in the day, but it had been a few years since I read that so I wasn't sure what to expect... I was BLOWN AWAY!
I fell in love with the world with the monsters and politics, the characters, the romance - all of the relationships Fire has/develops in this book, actually.
Fantastic. Itching for a re-read already.
I fell in love with the world with the monsters and politics, the characters, the romance - all of the relationships Fire has/develops in this book, actually.
Fantastic. Itching for a re-read already.
September 24, 2009
Fire is a monster. Monsters in her homeland are creatures of brilliant colors, each with abilities, that feed on humans and animals (there are even monster insects!) and each other. They have a tremendous attraction for human beings, one of extreme passion which leads to murder, clutching, or attack, depending on the human, which is why Fire has led much of her life isolated in the house of her hated monster father, who died several years ago. Her only friends are Archer and his father.
And then everything goes pear-shaped. A strange bowman with an empty head shoots Archer. Fire brings him in, but he escapes, and is murdered in turn. The realm is in chaos, and the crown is calling on Fire to use her mind-probing skills to find out what spies are withholding. Fire doesn't want to do it--she feels she must live her life in expiation for her father's existence and her own--but she must go to the capital to face the issue herself.
It's an incredibly complex book. Fire is in the position of holding off one brother who is driven to possessive passion by her monster looks, while another brother distrusts her and she cannot tell what the third thinks of her at all. She's in an ethical tangle over entering the minds of others, but she has to do it to survive, or people would tear her to pieces. She has her own dark secrets, for someone who has lived in the country all her life. And her best friend, the only one who wants nothing from her, is a horse named Small.
Cashore's writing is more polished than GRACELING, and Fire is a very different person from Katsa. The book is REALLY good. Reading it made me very, very happy!
And then everything goes pear-shaped. A strange bowman with an empty head shoots Archer. Fire brings him in, but he escapes, and is murdered in turn. The realm is in chaos, and the crown is calling on Fire to use her mind-probing skills to find out what spies are withholding. Fire doesn't want to do it--she feels she must live her life in expiation for her father's existence and her own--but she must go to the capital to face the issue herself.
It's an incredibly complex book. Fire is in the position of holding off one brother who is driven to possessive passion by her monster looks, while another brother distrusts her and she cannot tell what the third thinks of her at all. She's in an ethical tangle over entering the minds of others, but she has to do it to survive, or people would tear her to pieces. She has her own dark secrets, for someone who has lived in the country all her life. And her best friend, the only one who wants nothing from her, is a horse named Small.
Cashore's writing is more polished than GRACELING, and Fire is a very different person from Katsa. The book is REALLY good. Reading it made me very, very happy!
February 1, 2010
Disappointing.
Having read and loved Graceling, I was greatly anticipating Fire and was unfortunately very let down. Fire never gripped me, I never came to care about her, or even like her much.
There are a lot of things about this book that bothered me. The character of Archer, the friend with benefits, seems out of place in a YA novel. There was an awful lot of casual sex and making babies and confused parentage.
And, seriously, she has to walk around with an armed guard because she's having her period? All of that info went nowhere, it didn't add to the story and wasn't neccessary to the plot.
Fire's relationship with Brigan didn't ring true. It didn't have anything to base it on other than he was kind to her and she couldn't get in his head. Where have I read that before?
I didn't quite understand the whole monster world. Where did they come from?
There wasn't any real tension to the book, nothing she was striving toward or away from, it all just sort of sits there, nothing really memorable about the whole story. It seems like a lot of lead up to nothing.
The whole plot with the archers coming after her and Leck kidnapping her fizzled.
I can't even recommend this one to fans of Graceling, sorry to say.
Having read and loved Graceling, I was greatly anticipating Fire and was unfortunately very let down. Fire never gripped me, I never came to care about her, or even like her much.
There are a lot of things about this book that bothered me. The character of Archer, the friend with benefits, seems out of place in a YA novel. There was an awful lot of casual sex and making babies and confused parentage.
And, seriously, she has to walk around with an armed guard because she's having her period? All of that info went nowhere, it didn't add to the story and wasn't neccessary to the plot.
Fire's relationship with Brigan didn't ring true. It didn't have anything to base it on other than he was kind to her and she couldn't get in his head. Where have I read that before?
I didn't quite understand the whole monster world. Where did they come from?
There wasn't any real tension to the book, nothing she was striving toward or away from, it all just sort of sits there, nothing really memorable about the whole story. It seems like a lot of lead up to nothing.
The whole plot with the archers coming after her and Leck kidnapping her fizzled.
I can't even recommend this one to fans of Graceling, sorry to say.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2022
There is this big jerk of a kid that is an animal or monster torturer in the beginning of the book. Luckily, he's only in a little bit of the book toward the end. I wanted to be a giant to step on his sorry arse!
Moving on . . .
I have mixed feelings about this book so I'm just going to go with I liked it but didn't love it. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Let me put up my spoilers sign before I forget. Sigh. . . . .
So, I was thinking Archer was going to be my love interest in the book until. . .
1. He's all in Fire's business when she talks to any of the guards.
2. He's always harassing her to marry him.
3. He tells Fire he will quit sleeping around if she would just marry him.
DUDE! I WOULD DROP-KICK YOU OFF THE ROOF! And Fire too for that matter for still sleeping with him!
But, I digress.
It took me a minute to like Brigan. He was a jerk a bit at first but for good reasons. Then he started to fall in love with Fire and she with him. I was hoping there was going to be a big ole wedding but there wasn't unless I missed it while stomping on people and drop-kicking people of roofs. <--- that was a big ole run on sentence
Brigan had a sweet little girl named Hanna that I loved too.
Fire met Brigan and King Nash and other peeps when she journeyed from her home with Archer to meet everyone and do some stuff.
Fire lived in her own house and Archer and his father, Lord Brocker in the other house. They protected each other.
Anyway, all kinds of things went down and war is brewing and spies everywhere trying to kill everyone. Fire can read minds and change peoples minds or destroy them if she wants. She's part monster. <--- Heh! I'm not even explaining all of that, you can read the book. This does make men fall at her feet with desire and rape on their minds! I mean, really? She is also attacked by other monster animals because they desire her blood. Thus, we get to read continually in the book about her damn time of the month and how they had to kill extra raptor monsters to keep her safe. I have never heard about a woman's period so much in my life!
I did like Fire though even with the few faults she had and I loved her horse, Small. He was a great horse and friend to her.
So there was a lot of people coming and going and fighting and some evil peeps killed someone that I didn't want to die even if they made me mad. There were several attempts on Fire's life.
Overall I liked the book and some of the characters. I did love Fire's guards, Musa and Mila. They were good women guards that ended up as friends too. There were a few other people I liked too.
So, onto the next book and hopefully it will be good too. I like that these are stand alone books. I liked Graceling better than this one, lets see what I think about Bitterblue =)
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
Moving on . . .
I have mixed feelings about this book so I'm just going to go with I liked it but didn't love it. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Let me put up my spoilers sign before I forget. Sigh. . . . .
So, I was thinking Archer was going to be my love interest in the book until. . .
1. He's all in Fire's business when she talks to any of the guards.
2. He's always harassing her to marry him.
3. He tells Fire he will quit sleeping around if she would just marry him.
DUDE! I WOULD DROP-KICK YOU OFF THE ROOF! And Fire too for that matter for still sleeping with him!
But, I digress.
It took me a minute to like Brigan. He was a jerk a bit at first but for good reasons. Then he started to fall in love with Fire and she with him. I was hoping there was going to be a big ole wedding but there wasn't unless I missed it while stomping on people and drop-kicking people of roofs. <--- that was a big ole run on sentence
Brigan had a sweet little girl named Hanna that I loved too.
Fire met Brigan and King Nash and other peeps when she journeyed from her home with Archer to meet everyone and do some stuff.
Fire lived in her own house and Archer and his father, Lord Brocker in the other house. They protected each other.
Anyway, all kinds of things went down and war is brewing and spies everywhere trying to kill everyone. Fire can read minds and change peoples minds or destroy them if she wants. She's part monster. <--- Heh! I'm not even explaining all of that, you can read the book. This does make men fall at her feet with desire and rape on their minds! I mean, really? She is also attacked by other monster animals because they desire her blood. Thus, we get to read continually in the book about her damn time of the month and how they had to kill extra raptor monsters to keep her safe. I have never heard about a woman's period so much in my life!
I did like Fire though even with the few faults she had and I loved her horse, Small. He was a great horse and friend to her.
So there was a lot of people coming and going and fighting and some evil peeps killed someone that I didn't want to die even if they made me mad. There were several attempts on Fire's life.
Overall I liked the book and some of the characters. I did love Fire's guards, Musa and Mila. They were good women guards that ended up as friends too. There were a few other people I liked too.
So, onto the next book and hopefully it will be good too. I like that these are stand alone books. I liked Graceling better than this one, lets see what I think about Bitterblue =)
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
February 6, 2010
So. Where do I begin?
Perhaps I should begin with my rating. One star seems harsh, truly, but goodreads describes that rating as, "Didn't like it." And that is an accurate description, for I simply didn't like the book.
Thus I'm sticking with one star.
And now for the book itself: I was hyped for the day I would actually get my hands on it and presumably storm through the whole thing in six hours, as I had done with Graceling. This anticipation was fueled by the raving reviews (on goodreads and elsewhere) which called it EVEN BETTER than it's companion, DIFFERENT, BETTER WRITTEN, STUNNING, BOUND TO "WOW" YOU -
Well, all I can do is wonder if others had read this book with their eyes closed.
Please, all ye who read this rant and disagree with me, don't think of me as being accusatory; it's just that, plowing my way through the book, that was one of the thoughts which ammounted to my overall disbelief. Different? Fire is a mirror image of Graceling. Same plot. Same characters. Same nuances. Except, it seems, it is Graceling with the good sucked out of it. Katsa, in the first book, was spirited and interesting. (With her temper, she reminds me somewhat of Thirrin of the Icemark - possibly the best, strongest, and most genuine female protagonist I have come to encounter. Kudos, Mr. Hill, for everything.)But Katsa did have some sort of ridiculous internal battles along the way, which I placently accepted, so long as there were heads to bash and throats to slit and all that general badassery was involved. Take away the ability to kill ten men with a toothpick in under thirty seconds, and you have Fire. Brigan was a sort of mofified version of Po, Archer was Giddon, and so on and so forth. (Leck, incidentally, was completely unnecessary. So he gave us a prologue and killed some people. Great.) It mollifies me at the amount of connections I can make between the two books, and this shows me that Cashore is limited in her ability to weave characters, because eventually they all start reflecting one another.
I had expected for Fire, the most imporant persona in the book, to be a sort of Katsa, if not having immense strength in body, then in spirit.
SHE. IS. NOT. A. STRONG. LEAD.
Even if she were not a lead, she would still be a completely useless and annoying brat. She whines, she mopes. She cries. (Not that crying is a bad thing, but she cries for absolutely no purpose.) She seems to hardly do anything herself, and constantly rely on other characters to help her. She has no pride, she allows herself to be waited on by a team of armored bodyguards, and cannot survive alone - such a pity, because that was what made Katsa so admirable. Perhaps Cashore intended them to be different, simply by making Fire weak? But she is not. Where did the author intend Fire to go, whom was she trying to impact?
And Cashore had tried to impact her readers, I really think she tried. Throughout Fire's epiphanies (usually after she ends up storming out on some character on another - she does that a lot), Cashore tries to send across messages. But the thing is, a) they're so naive that it's not worth the trouble, Cashore, or b) they never get to the reader at all, because Fire is a sort of pitfall in the many heroines of literature. What was I supposed to have learned, that one shouldn't be ashamed of one's parentage? That it really can't be helped that society will see a person as someone else, no matter how different their heart and intentions are? "Be yourself" - is that what is put across here? Fire discovers that she can use her nature for good in the end, she really can! Well, jolly good for her. Fire can't get over death; she can't get over truth. By the end I was screaming, GET UP, WOMAN. GET A GRIP. AND GO SAVE THE WORLD. Really, I was so desperate to see her take control for once and ride out to meet the looming army with a battle standard in hand, the dawn glinting on her silver helm. I was that much saddened.
But moral lessons aside, I was extremely irritated - make it vexed, by some point - about some of the technicalities. The sex lives of all the different characters accounted for, oh, let's say, half the plot. Most of the book was spent running around discovering who slept with whom, who sired whom, and who killed their respective fathers and how. I mean, come on, the whole "I am your father," "REALLY?!" thing has gotten so old, and Cashore drops that bombshell a few times in the book. Incidentally, yes, Cashore, Fire's great secret I figured out ten chapters before you finally gave it away.
It ran like a great big midday TV soap opera. There was too much sleeping around, too much desire to sleep around, and inability to stop oneself from sleeping around. Also in the realm of irritating lay Fire and her seriously annoying menstrual necessities, the whole impregnation and contraception aspect, and too much talk of having children, not having children, and being pregnant. Countless times I had smacked the book against my forehead, howling WHY IS THIS NECESSARY TO THE PROGRESSION OF THE PLOT?
Beneath all these different feels lurks a sort of hideous impression about what Cashore may have implied in this book. She asks, somewhere towards the middle, "What is the point of a woman monster?" and it seems to me she answers it. If she truly believes something like that, then I should like to take the book itself and smack someone with it, preferrably her. Of course, I could be completely wrong, so I'll keep this suspicion to myself. But it seemed to me as though the book, which was supposed to be feminist, went way, way, way in the other direction.
The writing, by the way, was not that good. Not much description, and not much unique brilliance. It does not shine. An exception I made for the fiery persona in Graceling, but here it only underlines the Fire's flaws.
Signing off, I'll now take my leave.
Perhaps I should begin with my rating. One star seems harsh, truly, but goodreads describes that rating as, "Didn't like it." And that is an accurate description, for I simply didn't like the book.
Thus I'm sticking with one star.
And now for the book itself: I was hyped for the day I would actually get my hands on it and presumably storm through the whole thing in six hours, as I had done with Graceling. This anticipation was fueled by the raving reviews (on goodreads and elsewhere) which called it EVEN BETTER than it's companion, DIFFERENT, BETTER WRITTEN, STUNNING, BOUND TO "WOW" YOU -
Well, all I can do is wonder if others had read this book with their eyes closed.
Please, all ye who read this rant and disagree with me, don't think of me as being accusatory; it's just that, plowing my way through the book, that was one of the thoughts which ammounted to my overall disbelief. Different? Fire is a mirror image of Graceling. Same plot. Same characters. Same nuances. Except, it seems, it is Graceling with the good sucked out of it. Katsa, in the first book, was spirited and interesting. (With her temper, she reminds me somewhat of Thirrin of the Icemark - possibly the best, strongest, and most genuine female protagonist I have come to encounter. Kudos, Mr. Hill, for everything.)But Katsa did have some sort of ridiculous internal battles along the way, which I placently accepted, so long as there were heads to bash and throats to slit and all that general badassery was involved. Take away the ability to kill ten men with a toothpick in under thirty seconds, and you have Fire. Brigan was a sort of mofified version of Po, Archer was Giddon, and so on and so forth. (Leck, incidentally, was completely unnecessary. So he gave us a prologue and killed some people. Great.) It mollifies me at the amount of connections I can make between the two books, and this shows me that Cashore is limited in her ability to weave characters, because eventually they all start reflecting one another.
I had expected for Fire, the most imporant persona in the book, to be a sort of Katsa, if not having immense strength in body, then in spirit.
SHE. IS. NOT. A. STRONG. LEAD.
Even if she were not a lead, she would still be a completely useless and annoying brat. She whines, she mopes. She cries. (Not that crying is a bad thing, but she cries for absolutely no purpose.) She seems to hardly do anything herself, and constantly rely on other characters to help her. She has no pride, she allows herself to be waited on by a team of armored bodyguards, and cannot survive alone - such a pity, because that was what made Katsa so admirable. Perhaps Cashore intended them to be different, simply by making Fire weak? But she is not. Where did the author intend Fire to go, whom was she trying to impact?
And Cashore had tried to impact her readers, I really think she tried. Throughout Fire's epiphanies (usually after she ends up storming out on some character on another - she does that a lot), Cashore tries to send across messages. But the thing is, a) they're so naive that it's not worth the trouble, Cashore, or b) they never get to the reader at all, because Fire is a sort of pitfall in the many heroines of literature. What was I supposed to have learned, that one shouldn't be ashamed of one's parentage? That it really can't be helped that society will see a person as someone else, no matter how different their heart and intentions are? "Be yourself" - is that what is put across here? Fire discovers that she can use her nature for good in the end, she really can! Well, jolly good for her. Fire can't get over death; she can't get over truth. By the end I was screaming, GET UP, WOMAN. GET A GRIP. AND GO SAVE THE WORLD. Really, I was so desperate to see her take control for once and ride out to meet the looming army with a battle standard in hand, the dawn glinting on her silver helm. I was that much saddened.
But moral lessons aside, I was extremely irritated - make it vexed, by some point - about some of the technicalities. The sex lives of all the different characters accounted for, oh, let's say, half the plot. Most of the book was spent running around discovering who slept with whom, who sired whom, and who killed their respective fathers and how. I mean, come on, the whole "I am your father," "REALLY?!" thing has gotten so old, and Cashore drops that bombshell a few times in the book. Incidentally, yes, Cashore, Fire's great secret I figured out ten chapters before you finally gave it away.
It ran like a great big midday TV soap opera. There was too much sleeping around, too much desire to sleep around, and inability to stop oneself from sleeping around. Also in the realm of irritating lay Fire and her seriously annoying menstrual necessities, the whole impregnation and contraception aspect, and too much talk of having children, not having children, and being pregnant. Countless times I had smacked the book against my forehead, howling WHY IS THIS NECESSARY TO THE PROGRESSION OF THE PLOT?
Beneath all these different feels lurks a sort of hideous impression about what Cashore may have implied in this book. She asks, somewhere towards the middle, "What is the point of a woman monster?" and it seems to me she answers it. If she truly believes something like that, then I should like to take the book itself and smack someone with it, preferrably her. Of course, I could be completely wrong, so I'll keep this suspicion to myself. But it seemed to me as though the book, which was supposed to be feminist, went way, way, way in the other direction.
The writing, by the way, was not that good. Not much description, and not much unique brilliance. It does not shine. An exception I made for the fiery persona in Graceling, but here it only underlines the Fire's flaws.
Signing off, I'll now take my leave.
July 5, 2018
fortunately, jenn awwww yeeaahhhh is literally half my size. go on - look at my shoulders - i am like a mighty moose to her delicate deer:
there is no way she can make good on that threat.
so i am just going to say it: i liked this book less than i liked graceling.
bring it, tiny creature.
and from a critical standpoint, there is nothing wrong with this book. it has a fine story arc, good character development, a good array of both descriptive and action sequences - i would say that the pacing is a little slower than in graceling and can get bogged down in a bit too much detail, but that's not necessarily a deal-breaker, although unusual for YA lit.
so my gripe is woefully lowbrow. ready? i just could never get into the character. the idea of mind control is awesome, and this book makes important moral points about its use, but i don't want to read YA philosophy books, i wanna read about girl power and magic and murderous justice!
(although, for the teens, also good points about pregnancy - if you can't live with the results, take precautions. pleeeease stop making babies - the teen mom phenomenon where girls are getting knocked up just to be on teevee is gross)
but it doesn't have the kickass factor of graceling - this is all chilly analytical restraint and good judgment and guardedness. it is like watching someone play chess. you have to respect the skill involved, but really, i would rather be watching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFV0Uv...
i find her emotional responses bland - the man she loves beds every woman in his path, and she shrugs it off without jealousy. not only can i not relate to this, but i cannot respect it.
but then, vengeance runs deep in me.
and i don't need to fall in love with my characters - i am all about appreciating the antihero, but i have to be able, at least, to respect them and their path. self-sacrifice is great and all, but you're a superfine babe with the power of mind control - seriously. after a point, the mind control becomes irrelevant, right??
she needs no additional powers.
but this is all sound und fury und nonsense. for whatever reason, i just was not able to get into this book, despite several really cool scenes. part of it was trying to fit this world into the previous book: so this world has "monsters" but not "gracelings" but why?? and how do they really differ? part of it was the grotesque nature of all the male characters: grope-y king, slutty archer, sadist dad, reading the minds of a million would-be rapists. part of it was the stifling of a beautiful, powerful butterfly under this overdeveloped guilt for things not her fault. flaunt that shit - you aren't your daddy just because you are gorgeous. good on you for being a clara barton there for a while, but take down that hair, dollface. drop it like it's hot etc etc.
do we need another sassy gay friend intervention?
so - yeah - not at all painful to read, but it is no threat to my still-monogamous relationship with Ashfall.
now i run away, having learned lessons from goliath....
come to my blog!
there is no way she can make good on that threat.
so i am just going to say it: i liked this book less than i liked graceling.
bring it, tiny creature.
and from a critical standpoint, there is nothing wrong with this book. it has a fine story arc, good character development, a good array of both descriptive and action sequences - i would say that the pacing is a little slower than in graceling and can get bogged down in a bit too much detail, but that's not necessarily a deal-breaker, although unusual for YA lit.
so my gripe is woefully lowbrow. ready? i just could never get into the character. the idea of mind control is awesome, and this book makes important moral points about its use, but i don't want to read YA philosophy books, i wanna read about girl power and magic and murderous justice!
(although, for the teens, also good points about pregnancy - if you can't live with the results, take precautions. pleeeease stop making babies - the teen mom phenomenon where girls are getting knocked up just to be on teevee is gross)
but it doesn't have the kickass factor of graceling - this is all chilly analytical restraint and good judgment and guardedness. it is like watching someone play chess. you have to respect the skill involved, but really, i would rather be watching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFV0Uv...
i find her emotional responses bland - the man she loves beds every woman in his path, and she shrugs it off without jealousy. not only can i not relate to this, but i cannot respect it.
but then, vengeance runs deep in me.
and i don't need to fall in love with my characters - i am all about appreciating the antihero, but i have to be able, at least, to respect them and their path. self-sacrifice is great and all, but you're a superfine babe with the power of mind control - seriously. after a point, the mind control becomes irrelevant, right??
she needs no additional powers.
but this is all sound und fury und nonsense. for whatever reason, i just was not able to get into this book, despite several really cool scenes. part of it was trying to fit this world into the previous book: so this world has "monsters" but not "gracelings" but why?? and how do they really differ? part of it was the grotesque nature of all the male characters: grope-y king, slutty archer, sadist dad, reading the minds of a million would-be rapists. part of it was the stifling of a beautiful, powerful butterfly under this overdeveloped guilt for things not her fault. flaunt that shit - you aren't your daddy just because you are gorgeous. good on you for being a clara barton there for a while, but take down that hair, dollface. drop it like it's hot etc etc.
do we need another sassy gay friend intervention?
so - yeah - not at all painful to read, but it is no threat to my still-monogamous relationship with Ashfall.
now i run away, having learned lessons from goliath....
come to my blog!
March 4, 2012
Okay, I don't often write reviews, because as an author I always feel weird giving a critical opinion of other authors' work. I think it's because I sort of feel like other authors are my coworkers, all of us working and writing to make people fall in love with reading, so who am I to publicly say what is or isn't right?
But I can't help myself in this case. I feel rather as though I fell as inexplicably and inextricably under this book's spell as its characters fall under Fire's. I had no chance against its beauty! And now I have to shout my love from the rooftops.
To be honest, for the first few chapters I rolled my eyes every five minutes, because seriously, who gets away with writing about a heroine who is objectively the most beautiful woman in the world, one of a kind, loved and desired by everyone who meets her, blessed with fiery red hair and gifts for music and archery and horseback riding, and--to top it off--able to control the thoughts and feelings of those around her? It seemed like the epitome of Mary-Sue-ness.
Yet, I kept reading. I told myself it was out of devotion to the first book, but really, I couldn't have stopped myself.
The writing is beautiful, and Fire herself is at the same time so damaged and SO strong, that I fell completely head over heels. Finishing this book was heart-breaking, truly--and it's been ages since I met characters I was so loathe to leave when the book ended. I honestly spent the entire last 100 pages of the book just sobbing wildly off and on until I finished.
I swore up and down when I finished reading GRACELING that it was impossible for me to like the sequels better. Kristin Cashore has made a liar out of me. I wish there was a sixth star for me to give this book.
And if someone doesn't give me BITTERBLUE pretty much IMMEDIATELY, I may have to start taking hostages.
But I can't help myself in this case. I feel rather as though I fell as inexplicably and inextricably under this book's spell as its characters fall under Fire's. I had no chance against its beauty! And now I have to shout my love from the rooftops.
To be honest, for the first few chapters I rolled my eyes every five minutes, because seriously, who gets away with writing about a heroine who is objectively the most beautiful woman in the world, one of a kind, loved and desired by everyone who meets her, blessed with fiery red hair and gifts for music and archery and horseback riding, and--to top it off--able to control the thoughts and feelings of those around her? It seemed like the epitome of Mary-Sue-ness.
Yet, I kept reading. I told myself it was out of devotion to the first book, but really, I couldn't have stopped myself.
The writing is beautiful, and Fire herself is at the same time so damaged and SO strong, that I fell completely head over heels. Finishing this book was heart-breaking, truly--and it's been ages since I met characters I was so loathe to leave when the book ended. I honestly spent the entire last 100 pages of the book just sobbing wildly off and on until I finished.
I swore up and down when I finished reading GRACELING that it was impossible for me to like the sequels better. Kristin Cashore has made a liar out of me. I wish there was a sixth star for me to give this book.
And if someone doesn't give me BITTERBLUE pretty much IMMEDIATELY, I may have to start taking hostages.
March 11, 2021
Prequel to book 1 and I am amazed how the author created two different worlds in these two books and yet managed to link them in a very subtle way.
Our protagonist, Fire, is beautiful and dangerous. She can read others' thoughts, and can also control them. When one is unable to decide what they're thinking are their own thoughts or is it someone entirely, that does make the situation scary. And now you know how dangerous she is. But author showed us a different, softer side of her to readers. Yup, she is powerful but vulnerable too, she is kind hearted, doesn't like to temper people's mind. While I loved the female protagonist, it was the male lead and the secondary character that disappointed me. First one did not want anything to with her and second one did not want to share her with anyone else. And both had one thing in common that they both wanted to protect here, like she needed anyone to help her.
The other thing that bugged me was absence of an enemy. There were but not a significant villain who could take the center and really put resistance to Fire. With a heroine this powerful, book certainly failed to have a worthy opponent.
All in all it was a mediocre book.
Our protagonist, Fire, is beautiful and dangerous. She can read others' thoughts, and can also control them. When one is unable to decide what they're thinking are their own thoughts or is it someone entirely, that does make the situation scary. And now you know how dangerous she is. But author showed us a different, softer side of her to readers. Yup, she is powerful but vulnerable too, she is kind hearted, doesn't like to temper people's mind. While I loved the female protagonist, it was the male lead and the secondary character that disappointed me. First one did not want anything to with her and second one did not want to share her with anyone else. And both had one thing in common that they both wanted to protect here, like she needed anyone to help her.
The other thing that bugged me was absence of an enemy. There were but not a significant villain who could take the center and really put resistance to Fire. With a heroine this powerful, book certainly failed to have a worthy opponent.
All in all it was a mediocre book.
July 23, 2020
4 stars. Fire is set in the Dells, a land beyond the borders of the Seven Kingdoms. The Dells have no gracelings, but plenty of colorful monsters. Fire is the last remaining human monster, renowned for beauty; she lives in fear of both others and of herself.
Cashore’s worldbuilding is incredible, with complex politics and an interesting narrative around discrimination and sexism. The political drama here, unfortunately, got a bit boring in places for me? Cashore’s books have always succeeded primarily because of their character work and introspection, not their plotting, but this book’s plot just did not have me vibing.
Fire’s character is undoubtedly the strength of this novel. She’s more mentally strong and fierce in her convictions, rather than physically strong as Katsa was. She’s just as wonderfully complex as the other two heroines. Unfortunately, I personally didn’t connect with her nearly as much as I did with Katsa and Bitterblue. Considering the strong impact of character work on Cashore’s books, my lack of connection to Fire really hampered my enjoyment of this book.
That being said, I still absolutely think Fire is worth reading. All three of these books are worthy favorites; it just depends which heroine you happen to like best. And therein lies the brilliance of Cashore’s writing. This entire series is brilliant and gets a high recommendation from me.
also here are the receipts.
Cashore’s worldbuilding is incredible, with complex politics and an interesting narrative around discrimination and sexism. The political drama here, unfortunately, got a bit boring in places for me? Cashore’s books have always succeeded primarily because of their character work and introspection, not their plotting, but this book’s plot just did not have me vibing.
Fire’s character is undoubtedly the strength of this novel. She’s more mentally strong and fierce in her convictions, rather than physically strong as Katsa was. She’s just as wonderfully complex as the other two heroines. Unfortunately, I personally didn’t connect with her nearly as much as I did with Katsa and Bitterblue. Considering the strong impact of character work on Cashore’s books, my lack of connection to Fire really hampered my enjoyment of this book.
That being said, I still absolutely think Fire is worth reading. All three of these books are worthy favorites; it just depends which heroine you happen to like best. And therein lies the brilliance of Cashore’s writing. This entire series is brilliant and gets a high recommendation from me.
also here are the receipts.
April 3, 2016
Boring. Predictable. Vague. Sooo bad and Sooo boring!
The only thing that I liked was the connection with the first book. However, even though we have the same world, we have such different characters!
We have a long and dark introduction. A little boy with a lot of power and little responsibilities showing how cruel he can be in his world. I thought it would be one of those books that play with your mind but it was basically just the introduction. Meh.
Then we get to the main heroine, Fire. She has all this power and she refuses to use it because she is good and yadayada. Which is okay when you are not in life-death situations. So she has a bunch of guards protecting her because, oh, she is such a fragile woman.
So, you are expecting me to say that she finds her inner powerful self and I went all "you go girl!"? Well, not here. The story was basically about her boring life. She spends more than half of the book having periods and it would be okay when we got somewhere with it, but it never added anything to the plot. She was annoying and weak. Everybody loved or hated her because of her looks and she had a friend with benefit that was more like a rabbit, leaving kids everywhere. But wait, she liked a guy that WAS NEVER THERE!!! The love interest here was so plain and uninteresting.
One day he goes out because the kingdom is at war and when he comes back she "discovers" that she likes him. But when he asks her if she wants to go home with him, she just wants to stay in her room awau from him... What a lovely couple.
There were some tentative plot twists which I found just so predictable. Some were just there to make Fire have emotions and more letters on the page. It wasn't so irrelevant and I really think it could be better developed.
The writing style was awesome but the story was just lacking too much for my taste. A lot described people and places that just passed and never appeared again. It felt so unnecessary. Most of the pages were irrelevant to the story and were just there to make the book bigger. I was always waiting for something to happen.
The other thing that annoyed me was the marriage factor and how relationships are treated. Not only in this book but in the first one too. Everybody slept with everybody. They all cheated. They were all bastards. I don't remember one real happy couple who didn't slept with somebody else! There's no background to make the characters believe that marriage is a bad thing but it's treated as something really bad that I just felt like the author wanted to push her beliefs over me.
To sum up, it was too boring. I just got to the end because I wanted to know if something interesting was finally going to happen. Well, it didn't.
The only thing that I liked was the connection with the first book. However, even though we have the same world, we have such different characters!
We have a long and dark introduction. A little boy with a lot of power and little responsibilities showing how cruel he can be in his world. I thought it would be one of those books that play with your mind but it was basically just the introduction. Meh.
Then we get to the main heroine, Fire. She has all this power and she refuses to use it because she is good and yadayada. Which is okay when you are not in life-death situations. So she has a bunch of guards protecting her because, oh, she is such a fragile woman.
So, you are expecting me to say that she finds her inner powerful self and I went all "you go girl!"? Well, not here. The story was basically about her boring life. She spends more than half of the book having periods and it would be okay when we got somewhere with it, but it never added anything to the plot. She was annoying and weak. Everybody loved or hated her because of her looks and she had a friend with benefit that was more like a rabbit, leaving kids everywhere. But wait, she liked a guy that WAS NEVER THERE!!! The love interest here was so plain and uninteresting.
One day he goes out because the kingdom is at war and when he comes back she "discovers" that she likes him. But when he asks her if she wants to go home with him, she just wants to stay in her room awau from him... What a lovely couple.
There were some tentative plot twists which I found just so predictable. Some were just there to make Fire have emotions and more letters on the page. It wasn't so irrelevant and I really think it could be better developed.
The writing style was awesome but the story was just lacking too much for my taste. A lot described people and places that just passed and never appeared again. It felt so unnecessary. Most of the pages were irrelevant to the story and were just there to make the book bigger. I was always waiting for something to happen.
The other thing that annoyed me was the marriage factor and how relationships are treated. Not only in this book but in the first one too. Everybody slept with everybody. They all cheated. They were all bastards. I don't remember one real happy couple who didn't slept with somebody else! There's no background to make the characters believe that marriage is a bad thing but it's treated as something really bad that I just felt like the author wanted to push her beliefs over me.
To sum up, it was too boring. I just got to the end because I wanted to know if something interesting was finally going to happen. Well, it didn't.
January 26, 2021
Ok, SO...the only thing that I really liked about this book was the romance mostly because I’m a sucker for any sort of romance. Also Fire. Most everything else that I didn’t enjoy can just be drawn back to me liking Graceling way more (plus The Dells just doesn’t really compare for me place/worldbuilding-wise...not a personal fan) but I’m interested in book 3!
October 27, 2009
Not bad. Not as good as Graceling, but interesting enough. Probably a 2 1/2 star effort. I had originally given it three, but was so worked up by the time I was done typing the rant below that I had to change it (please consider that when looking at the rating). Will probably appeal just fine to the same crowd that liked Graceling - unless they become bothered by the same things I am. And good Lord, was I bothered. Considering how excited most people seem to be by this book my difficulties with the book are probably largely personal.
I've got a lot of beefs with this book. I'm not sure exactly what my expectations were for this one anymore, but this book definitely didn't meet them. And there were a number of problems, described below in no particular order.
First of all: There are WAY too many similarities to be found to Graceling in terms of characterization. Both books feature fairly obnoxious female main characters who a) possess some sort of strange supernatural gift that they really don't want and that stigmatizes them from the rest of society, b) are completely absorbed in thier own problems, c) have refused to marry, and d) have an incredibly convenient connection to the local royal family that they aren't particularly proud of. The difference is that in Graceling, Katsa was fiesty and interesting. Fire, while somewhat interesting (if you like soap operas, see below) just agrivated me. Both books also feature really excellent male romantic interests who are way more engaging from start to finish than the main character and who also happen to be youngest princes who have great fighting skill but no interest in ruling. It really bothers me that when it comes down to it, the two central characters of both books are just variants of each other. Doesn't show a lot of growth at all on Cashore's part.
Speaking of not-so-stellar writing, allow me to complain about Fire's structure. Just as in Graceling, this book takes about 200+ pages to introduce all of the major players and their back stories. Then we break into the main plot. When we finally get to the war that we've been building up to for the first 300+ pages (well, actually just the middle 100 pages since the first 200 were all stupid introduction) it's hardly touched on at all except as a tool for Fire to a) figure out that she really does love Brigan and b) be incredibly, obnoxiously whiny about how awful war is. In Fire, many of the chapters follow a certain pattern: a) Fire recalls some memory of her awful father, which b) somehow relates to something else happening to her in the present, which often leads to, c) a starteling revelation. While not a bad formula to use, it gets old after a few hundred pages.
But back to obnoxious similarities between Fire and Graceling. Despite the ages of the main characters in both books, they aren't really teens. They're adults in their teen years. This didn't bother me so much in Graceling when I first read it, but it's so painful in Fire. Both Katsa and Fire are WAY too knowledgable about the world around them and they're making such adult decisions with such maturity and it never once seems out of place for the setting. Well, at least until the book's final 150 pages or so, when plenty of splendid melodramatic angsty scenes appear in which Fire whines about how awful the world is and then learns her lesson by talking to and/or observing another (more adult!) character who of course knows better. While reading Fire, I wondered if it wasn't for Graceling, if Fire would have been marketed as an adult book - with teen appeal for sure, but its tone and characterization have a much more "adult book" feel.
My biggest problem with this book, and a big part of the reason why I feel it was so adult: I was incredibly bothered by the way that sex was handled in Fire. ALL of the sexual power was given to men and women were their toys who apparently can't say no 9 out of 10 times when a man wants them. It angered to no end that Fire was so victimized because "oh, poor me, I'm so beautiful that men fall all over themselves for me, which I hate, but I'm just a woman so what even can I do about it? It would be different if I was a man..." - over and over and over again. It got old. Just like Katsa and Po, Fire and Archer became lovers the moment their relationship turned romantic. Ditto for Fire and Brigan. Archer did nothing but piss me off with his womanizing, and it angered me to no end that Fire knew about it while she was still sleeping with him, and put up with it. Even Clara, the spymaster-princess and easily the strongest female character in the book, falls for that stupid man's spell and ends up knocked up. Lord. I'm also incredibly peeved that while Fire is 17, every man she sleeps with is a good five years older than her - and they're easily among the youngest of the adult characters. I realize that this is fantasy and such age differences and the maturity level of certain 17-year-old characters is typical of traditional fantasy, but it drives me nuts.
My final rant: The book is a total soap opera. Really, the plot is driven more by characters than by plot, and even then not so much by character growth. It's more about who's really who's father than anything else. Entertaining enough I guess, and probably one of the only reasons I kept reading after 200 pages, but not the tone I wanted after so much immediate action in Graceling.
So yeah...the book's fine if you like soap operas, where pretty much each of my other beefs with this book would be acceptable. A huge disappointment for me though. And it made me dislike Graceling more because of all of the stupid similarities that taint my memories of the first book. Damn.
I've got a lot of beefs with this book. I'm not sure exactly what my expectations were for this one anymore, but this book definitely didn't meet them. And there were a number of problems, described below in no particular order.
First of all: There are WAY too many similarities to be found to Graceling in terms of characterization. Both books feature fairly obnoxious female main characters who a) possess some sort of strange supernatural gift that they really don't want and that stigmatizes them from the rest of society, b) are completely absorbed in thier own problems, c) have refused to marry, and d) have an incredibly convenient connection to the local royal family that they aren't particularly proud of. The difference is that in Graceling, Katsa was fiesty and interesting. Fire, while somewhat interesting (if you like soap operas, see below) just agrivated me. Both books also feature really excellent male romantic interests who are way more engaging from start to finish than the main character and who also happen to be youngest princes who have great fighting skill but no interest in ruling. It really bothers me that when it comes down to it, the two central characters of both books are just variants of each other. Doesn't show a lot of growth at all on Cashore's part.
Speaking of not-so-stellar writing, allow me to complain about Fire's structure. Just as in Graceling, this book takes about 200+ pages to introduce all of the major players and their back stories. Then we break into the main plot. When we finally get to the war that we've been building up to for the first 300+ pages (well, actually just the middle 100 pages since the first 200 were all stupid introduction) it's hardly touched on at all except as a tool for Fire to a) figure out that she really does love Brigan and b) be incredibly, obnoxiously whiny about how awful war is. In Fire, many of the chapters follow a certain pattern: a) Fire recalls some memory of her awful father, which b) somehow relates to something else happening to her in the present, which often leads to, c) a starteling revelation. While not a bad formula to use, it gets old after a few hundred pages.
But back to obnoxious similarities between Fire and Graceling. Despite the ages of the main characters in both books, they aren't really teens. They're adults in their teen years. This didn't bother me so much in Graceling when I first read it, but it's so painful in Fire. Both Katsa and Fire are WAY too knowledgable about the world around them and they're making such adult decisions with such maturity and it never once seems out of place for the setting. Well, at least until the book's final 150 pages or so, when plenty of splendid melodramatic angsty scenes appear in which Fire whines about how awful the world is and then learns her lesson by talking to and/or observing another (more adult!) character who of course knows better. While reading Fire, I wondered if it wasn't for Graceling, if Fire would have been marketed as an adult book - with teen appeal for sure, but its tone and characterization have a much more "adult book" feel.
My biggest problem with this book, and a big part of the reason why I feel it was so adult: I was incredibly bothered by the way that sex was handled in Fire. ALL of the sexual power was given to men and women were their toys who apparently can't say no 9 out of 10 times when a man wants them. It angered to no end that Fire was so victimized because "oh, poor me, I'm so beautiful that men fall all over themselves for me, which I hate, but I'm just a woman so what even can I do about it? It would be different if I was a man..." - over and over and over again. It got old. Just like Katsa and Po, Fire and Archer became lovers the moment their relationship turned romantic. Ditto for Fire and Brigan. Archer did nothing but piss me off with his womanizing, and it angered me to no end that Fire knew about it while she was still sleeping with him, and put up with it. Even Clara, the spymaster-princess and easily the strongest female character in the book, falls for that stupid man's spell and ends up knocked up. Lord. I'm also incredibly peeved that while Fire is 17, every man she sleeps with is a good five years older than her - and they're easily among the youngest of the adult characters. I realize that this is fantasy and such age differences and the maturity level of certain 17-year-old characters is typical of traditional fantasy, but it drives me nuts.
My final rant: The book is a total soap opera. Really, the plot is driven more by characters than by plot, and even then not so much by character growth. It's more about who's really who's father than anything else. Entertaining enough I guess, and probably one of the only reasons I kept reading after 200 pages, but not the tone I wanted after so much immediate action in Graceling.
So yeah...the book's fine if you like soap operas, where pretty much each of my other beefs with this book would be acceptable. A huge disappointment for me though. And it made me dislike Graceling more because of all of the stupid similarities that taint my memories of the first book. Damn.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2009
Having read and loved Graceling, Fire by Kristin Cashore had a lot to live up to. I should have known that it would exceed my expectations and then some, quite possibly trumping its predecessor.
Fire is the last remaining human monster living in a war torn kingdom called the Dells. Once filled with beauty and wealth, the Dells have fallen into ruin by the hands of her monster father, Cansrel and his human conduit, King Nax. Though both have been dead for several years, the kingdom remains in a vulnerable state, as neighboring kings are attempting to conquer the lands and steal the crown from young King Nash and his commander brother, Brigan.
As a monster, Fire has the ability to read and control minds; however, due to her fear of becoming the monster her father was, she has spent years denying her power and has attempted to disguise who she is to protect both herself and those around her. When Fire is attacked by a mindless poacher, Fire travels to Queen Roen in search of answers and aid, but a fateful meeting puts her in the direct path of the very two people she has tried her best to avoid, Nash and Brigan. Knowing all the power Fire posses and the potential that power could have in saving his kingdom, Nash calls on her to use her power for the greater good. But when does power become destructive? And who can tell when the lines have become blurred? What follows is a beautiful story about embracing who you are and conquering your fears.
I found Fire’s world to be well drawn, expertly woven and colorfully written. Each character is a delicious shade of gray, possessing both light and dark tendencies; much like we do in life and Cashore does a remarkable job of creating a realistic royal family in a fantastical setting. Fire was an extraordinarily heroine that I found very relatable in spite of her monster nature. A story of love and loss, hope and fear, forgiveness and passion, Fire provides a wondrous journey through a magical land that you won’t soon forget.
Fire is the last remaining human monster living in a war torn kingdom called the Dells. Once filled with beauty and wealth, the Dells have fallen into ruin by the hands of her monster father, Cansrel and his human conduit, King Nax. Though both have been dead for several years, the kingdom remains in a vulnerable state, as neighboring kings are attempting to conquer the lands and steal the crown from young King Nash and his commander brother, Brigan.
As a monster, Fire has the ability to read and control minds; however, due to her fear of becoming the monster her father was, she has spent years denying her power and has attempted to disguise who she is to protect both herself and those around her. When Fire is attacked by a mindless poacher, Fire travels to Queen Roen in search of answers and aid, but a fateful meeting puts her in the direct path of the very two people she has tried her best to avoid, Nash and Brigan. Knowing all the power Fire posses and the potential that power could have in saving his kingdom, Nash calls on her to use her power for the greater good. But when does power become destructive? And who can tell when the lines have become blurred? What follows is a beautiful story about embracing who you are and conquering your fears.
I found Fire’s world to be well drawn, expertly woven and colorfully written. Each character is a delicious shade of gray, possessing both light and dark tendencies; much like we do in life and Cashore does a remarkable job of creating a realistic royal family in a fantastical setting. Fire was an extraordinarily heroine that I found very relatable in spite of her monster nature. A story of love and loss, hope and fear, forgiveness and passion, Fire provides a wondrous journey through a magical land that you won’t soon forget.
September 15, 2022
For a book that came out in 2009, Fire is a surprisingly incisive indictment of rape culture and victim blaming. Yes it's a YA fantasy novel, though it is certainly more mature in themes, content, and character experiences than YA typically is.
I imagine it's the kind of book that might make some readers uncomfortable, especially if they don't understand what the book is intended to do. Because Fire is a "monster" whose beauty makes people desire her, and because has the ability to manipulate minds, she is often treated with a blend of desire and hatred. When boundaries are crossed it's "her fault" and the book explicitly draws the connection between sexual assault, control, and anger. It tackles the sexualization of young girls when even her father warns her she can't be too affectionate with him. It also deftly shows us the complexities of sexual consent, how it can be withdrawn, and how relationships that start good can become toxic and controlling. There is a LOT here to unpack, and all of it is woven into the narrative rather than didactically explained.
As a novel, this is slower paced and more unevenly paced than Graceling. It is a prequel novel that can be read as a standalone and it is extremely character driven and spends the bulk of its time on court politics and interpersonal interactions. For readers expecting something with a lot of action akin to Graceling, you will be disappointed until quite late in the book. For those reasons I didn't love it quite as much as the first book, but I do love what this book is doing. It's brilliant and holds up really well.
I imagine it's the kind of book that might make some readers uncomfortable, especially if they don't understand what the book is intended to do. Because Fire is a "monster" whose beauty makes people desire her, and because has the ability to manipulate minds, she is often treated with a blend of desire and hatred. When boundaries are crossed it's "her fault" and the book explicitly draws the connection between sexual assault, control, and anger. It tackles the sexualization of young girls when even her father warns her she can't be too affectionate with him. It also deftly shows us the complexities of sexual consent, how it can be withdrawn, and how relationships that start good can become toxic and controlling. There is a LOT here to unpack, and all of it is woven into the narrative rather than didactically explained.
As a novel, this is slower paced and more unevenly paced than Graceling. It is a prequel novel that can be read as a standalone and it is extremely character driven and spends the bulk of its time on court politics and interpersonal interactions. For readers expecting something with a lot of action akin to Graceling, you will be disappointed until quite late in the book. For those reasons I didn't love it quite as much as the first book, but I do love what this book is doing. It's brilliant and holds up really well.
February 20, 2019
4 stars!!!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟
“It was courage and strength, and something else too, as if he were standing with her, as if he’d taken her within himself, letting her rest her entire body for a moment on his backbone, her mind in his mind, her heart in the fire of his.”
When I first started to read Fire, I was confused because it did not fall in line with Graceling. It took place outside of the 7 kingdoms in a place called the Dells. There are no Gracelings in the land of the Dells. Though, there is magic here - the land is full of monsters of impossible shapes and colors. Humans in this land bend their wills to the monsters because of their beauty. The monsters have the ability to trick, impress, and control the minds of the people/prey.
We follow MC Fire, who is the last of her kind and a human monster. Anyone who looks upon Fire- falls under a fog.
They become obsessed with her, long for her - love her and some even want to kill her bc of her unworldly beauty. It is a sort of curse for Fire- but she has the ability to read and change the minds of people around her. Her father was the last King’s advisor, a cruel human monster named Cansrel who abused his beauty and power by bending everyone to his will. Fire struggles with living down her fathers legacy. When war and assassinations begin, King Nash and his brother Brigan, beg for Fire to use her talents to help. Fire finds it hard to say no. She then leaves her life in the Dells for the first time to travel with Brigan’s army.
I was nervous going into this but Fire is a completely different novel than Graceling – an even better novel, at that. I found the writing to be so much better. It was whimsical and beautiful. It felt almost like I was reading a fairy tale. It was so descriptive to read. The story flowed nicely, with a few info dumps here and there. Honestly-there were a few dull moments but I totally was able to overlook them bc I wanted to know what was going to happen with the story.
Besides Fire, the other characters were also more developed than those in Graceling – Archer and Brigan were my two favorites for different reasons. Of course, I had a ship..
and that baby sailed and I'm so happy for it!!! There’s also a familiar character in this book – a boy with two different colored eyes with a huge influence on people.
The world building in Fire far surpassed Graceling as well, in my opinion. There is a ton of action in this installment as there is a war brewing. There is also murder, and plot twists- along with political conspiracies and tactics. Also, I think the Romance subplot of Fire, was well done here and much more believable than that of Graceling.
On the whole- I fell in love with the prose and beautiful world of Fire. I was a huge fan of the action and the romance. This is a book you take your time with and read slow. A book that you can literally soak up the grand lushness of it all. Absolutely recommended to all.
🌟🌟🌟🌟
“It was courage and strength, and something else too, as if he were standing with her, as if he’d taken her within himself, letting her rest her entire body for a moment on his backbone, her mind in his mind, her heart in the fire of his.”
When I first started to read Fire, I was confused because it did not fall in line with Graceling. It took place outside of the 7 kingdoms in a place called the Dells. There are no Gracelings in the land of the Dells. Though, there is magic here - the land is full of monsters of impossible shapes and colors. Humans in this land bend their wills to the monsters because of their beauty. The monsters have the ability to trick, impress, and control the minds of the people/prey.
We follow MC Fire, who is the last of her kind and a human monster. Anyone who looks upon Fire- falls under a fog.
They become obsessed with her, long for her - love her and some even want to kill her bc of her unworldly beauty. It is a sort of curse for Fire- but she has the ability to read and change the minds of people around her. Her father was the last King’s advisor, a cruel human monster named Cansrel who abused his beauty and power by bending everyone to his will. Fire struggles with living down her fathers legacy. When war and assassinations begin, King Nash and his brother Brigan, beg for Fire to use her talents to help. Fire finds it hard to say no. She then leaves her life in the Dells for the first time to travel with Brigan’s army.
I was nervous going into this but Fire is a completely different novel than Graceling – an even better novel, at that. I found the writing to be so much better. It was whimsical and beautiful. It felt almost like I was reading a fairy tale. It was so descriptive to read. The story flowed nicely, with a few info dumps here and there. Honestly-there were a few dull moments but I totally was able to overlook them bc I wanted to know what was going to happen with the story.
Besides Fire, the other characters were also more developed than those in Graceling – Archer and Brigan were my two favorites for different reasons. Of course, I had a ship..
and that baby sailed and I'm so happy for it!!! There’s also a familiar character in this book – a boy with two different colored eyes with a huge influence on people.
The world building in Fire far surpassed Graceling as well, in my opinion. There is a ton of action in this installment as there is a war brewing. There is also murder, and plot twists- along with political conspiracies and tactics. Also, I think the Romance subplot of Fire, was well done here and much more believable than that of Graceling.
On the whole- I fell in love with the prose and beautiful world of Fire. I was a huge fan of the action and the romance. This is a book you take your time with and read slow. A book that you can literally soak up the grand lushness of it all. Absolutely recommended to all.
June 19, 2016
Me after reading this:
This was so much better than Graceling. Is it even possible to love all the characters in a book. I laugh, cried, fell in love, fell out of love, hated, stop hating, became understanding and never wanted this wonderful read to end. I can't wait to receive my copy of Bitterblue tomorrow. As soon as I get it I'm going to start it.
This was so much better than Graceling. Is it even possible to love all the characters in a book. I laugh, cried, fell in love, fell out of love, hated, stop hating, became understanding and never wanted this wonderful read to end. I can't wait to receive my copy of Bitterblue tomorrow. As soon as I get it I'm going to start it.
February 23, 2016
2,5 stars
Strong female lead my ass.
Ooookay miss double standards.
I'm not saying that this isn't true since Archer loves to sleep with everyone (the whole fucking point of his character).Isn't it so amazing to show how he sleeps with two girls at the same time,while he's in love with Fire,and they both get pregnant? Ahh,just the story I was hoping for.
It's not only that her beauty,which is mentioned in every single page,attracts everyone and makes them either kill themselves or you know,rape her/kill her (??),it's also that her blood,especially while she's on her period,which is,naturally,something we all want to know about,attracts other monsters. Yippee fucking yay.
Three reasons I'm giving this book 2,5 stars:
-World-building
-Brigan & Garan.
-
Strong female lead my ass.
“I don't want to love you if you're only going to die.”
“Roen snorted. "You two have the strangest relationship in the Dells."
Archer smiled slightly. "She won't consent to make it a marriage."
"I can't imagine what's stopping her. I don't suppose you've considered being less munificent with your love?"
"Would you marry me, Fire, if I slept in no one's bed but yours?"
He knew the answer to that, but it didn't hurt to remind him. "No, and I should find my bed quite cramped.”
Ooookay miss double standards.
I'm not saying that this isn't true since Archer loves to sleep with everyone (the whole fucking point of his character).Isn't it so amazing to show how he sleeps with two girls at the same time,while he's in love with Fire,and they both get pregnant? Ahh,just the story I was hoping for.
It's not only that her beauty,which is mentioned in every single page,attracts everyone and makes them either kill themselves or you know,rape her/kill her (??),it's also that her blood,especially while she's on her period,which is,naturally,something we all want to know about,attracts other monsters. Yippee fucking yay.
“It made Fire so angry, the thought of such a medicine, a violence done to herself to stop her from creating anything like herself. And what was the purpose of these eyes, this impossible face, the softness and the curves of this body, the strength of this mind; what was the point, if none of the men who desired her were to give her any babies, and all it ever brought her was grief? What was the purpose of a woman monster?”
“I'm a thousand years old,' Fire said, 'just like you.'
"Hmm," Brigan said. He didn't ask her what she meant, which was for the best, because she wasn't exactly sure.
“Beauty has rights that plainness never will.”
Three reasons I'm giving this book 2,5 stars:
-World-building
-Brigan & Garan.
-
“Your horse is named Small."
"Yes.
"Mine is named Big."
August 26, 2017
Update (August 2017): Oh y'all. I never updated this with my latest collection pictures. Well... ya girl managed to find ARCs of Graceling, Fire, Bitterblue, Jane, Unlimited (purple), Jane, Unlimited (white)... and UK Bitterblue.
Aaaaaaaand I bought the lovely Italian version of Fire! Plus the Catalan version of Graceling. Gorgeous, right? Don't tell my wallet. D:
********
It has been YEARS since I read this book. I read it back in 2009 (or maybe early 2010?), before I was blogging, when I was a wee little teenager. I'm now a blogger/reviewer, and I've been trying to track down the ARCs for Cashore's books. I got Bitterblue's (it's the most recent, and many people still had their ARCs of Bitterblue), but Fire and Graceling ARCs are incredibly rare and difficult to find. BUT.
BEHOLD.
*crying*
I just need to find Graceling's ARC! I say "just need to" like it's a simple task. SIGH.
I read this book four years ago (ish), before I was reviewing/blogging. Still my all-time favorite book. If you asked me to recommend ONE book, or save ONE book from a fire, or keep ONE book of mine forever, it would be this one.
:)
Aaaaaaaand I bought the lovely Italian version of Fire! Plus the Catalan version of Graceling. Gorgeous, right? Don't tell my wallet. D:
********
It has been YEARS since I read this book. I read it back in 2009 (or maybe early 2010?), before I was blogging, when I was a wee little teenager. I'm now a blogger/reviewer, and I've been trying to track down the ARCs for Cashore's books. I got Bitterblue's (it's the most recent, and many people still had their ARCs of Bitterblue), but Fire and Graceling ARCs are incredibly rare and difficult to find. BUT.
BEHOLD.
*crying*
I just need to find Graceling's ARC! I say "just need to" like it's a simple task. SIGH.
I read this book four years ago (ish), before I was reviewing/blogging. Still my all-time favorite book. If you asked me to recommend ONE book, or save ONE book from a fire, or keep ONE book of mine forever, it would be this one.
:)
February 8, 2009
If you're a fan of Graceling, this companion novel set over the mountains to the east of the seven kingdoms will satisfy. The main narrative starring Fire (a half-human/half-monster young woman) is framed by the story of a particular young Graceling who has the ability to control others completely... you'll recognize the future King Leck immediately. Fire has a similar talent, but because of her monster blood she can actually sense what people are thinking rather than simply order them around. Her distinctive monster hair is all colors of red and orange, mesmerizing and enraging people in turns in this strange land so near and yet so far removed from the kingdoms we grew to know so well in Graceling. Fire's story is wrapped around her changing relationship with childhood friend (now lover) Archer and an impending war in which she must navigate various intrigues, and, eventually, face Leck again.
This book has a LOT more romance/violence/shades of sexuality than I remembered in Graceling. Plenty of interpersonal drama will make this especially appealing to readers who might not otherwise crave high fantasy. Just as Graceling drew fans of Tamora Pierce and her strong female characters, Fire will definitely do the same. Cashore is wonderful at world-building and shows off her talents to best advantage in this follow-up which will be one of the most-requested books of 2009.
This book has a LOT more romance/violence/shades of sexuality than I remembered in Graceling. Plenty of interpersonal drama will make this especially appealing to readers who might not otherwise crave high fantasy. Just as Graceling drew fans of Tamora Pierce and her strong female characters, Fire will definitely do the same. Cashore is wonderful at world-building and shows off her talents to best advantage in this follow-up which will be one of the most-requested books of 2009.
November 5, 2012
2.5 stars So much hand-wringing and so little story. "Don't look at me, I'm too beautiful!"
Ugh. Such a disappointment after GRACELING.
Ugh. Such a disappointment after GRACELING.
January 9, 2017
I adore it when writers have so fully fleshed out their fantastical worlds that they are able to build a novel around an entire previously unseen section in an entirely new era!
This is the second installment in the Graceling series and, set a few decades before the events that occur in Graceling and sharing only one of the same characters, can almost be read as a standalone novel.
Upon finishing Graceling I immediately begun this with less than an hour's break in between and was initially disappointed. I had formed a bond with the first set of characters and had misplaced expectations that I would be spending the entirety of the three books of this trilogy in their company. These feelings soon dissipated, however, as I realized that this new cast was just as lovable.
The world Fire inhabits is geographically close to Katsa's, their feisty feminist attitudes are very much aligned and so are their positions in society. But that is where the similarities stop.
Fire's world is a far more dangerous and feral place to live, with monster animals haunting her every move and a society of people who distrust and despise her status as the last living human monster.
The particulars of what exactly a monster is, is never fully explained, however. And this seemed to be a running theme of the book. I dually loved every moment of reading it and felt a step behind the plot the entire time. Perhaps it was the abundance of characters or that I was still partially still caught up in the previous plot, but I continually seemed to be slightly slow in grasping the particulars of the narrative. I think it says something about the power of the book, as a whole, and the beauty of the writing that I can still give it four stars after stating that.
Overall, this is a powerfully written and action-dominated book, with a set of lovable and authentic characters, set in a flawlessly created, vast and varied world that I can't seem to get enough of!
This is the second installment in the Graceling series and, set a few decades before the events that occur in Graceling and sharing only one of the same characters, can almost be read as a standalone novel.
Upon finishing Graceling I immediately begun this with less than an hour's break in between and was initially disappointed. I had formed a bond with the first set of characters and had misplaced expectations that I would be spending the entirety of the three books of this trilogy in their company. These feelings soon dissipated, however, as I realized that this new cast was just as lovable.
The world Fire inhabits is geographically close to Katsa's, their feisty feminist attitudes are very much aligned and so are their positions in society. But that is where the similarities stop.
Fire's world is a far more dangerous and feral place to live, with monster animals haunting her every move and a society of people who distrust and despise her status as the last living human monster.
The particulars of what exactly a monster is, is never fully explained, however. And this seemed to be a running theme of the book. I dually loved every moment of reading it and felt a step behind the plot the entire time. Perhaps it was the abundance of characters or that I was still partially still caught up in the previous plot, but I continually seemed to be slightly slow in grasping the particulars of the narrative. I think it says something about the power of the book, as a whole, and the beauty of the writing that I can still give it four stars after stating that.
Overall, this is a powerfully written and action-dominated book, with a set of lovable and authentic characters, set in a flawlessly created, vast and varied world that I can't seem to get enough of!
December 13, 2012
When an author's second novel far surpasses her already critically acclaimed debut novel, you know there’s something special going on. Kristin Cashore is such an author, and FIRE is such a book. Not since Robin McKinley has an author written so convincingly of a politically charged fantasy world.
The protagonist, Fire, has the cursed gift of absolute beauty and attractiveness, and many times during the course of the book, she brings up the question, “How does gender factor into the reaction to beauty?” For Fire constantly encounters men who want to do unspeakable things to her at the very sight of her, while her equally attractive father had people falling at his feet, eager to do his bidding. Call it fantasy for sure, but FIRE contains a lot of gender politics that could make for interesting discussions, even in the classroom.
Kristin Cashore deftly unfolds Fire’s past into her present story, which helps readers slowly understand and appreciate her judgments. Even so, FIRE is an intensely emotional read, especially at the end. Its ability to affect me so strongly is one of the things I like best about it, though. The romance between Fire and Brigan is less developed than the one between Katsa and Po in GRACELING, but Kristin gives depth to all the characters, not simply the protagonist and her love interest, and I’d much rather have three-dimensionality in all my characters than in just the two main ones.
It’s difficult to say this for sure right now, but if you had to read only one hard fantasy YA book this year, FIRE just might be the one. It’s blend of fantasy, romance, political intrigue, and feminism will appeal to all fantasy lovers, and then some.
The protagonist, Fire, has the cursed gift of absolute beauty and attractiveness, and many times during the course of the book, she brings up the question, “How does gender factor into the reaction to beauty?” For Fire constantly encounters men who want to do unspeakable things to her at the very sight of her, while her equally attractive father had people falling at his feet, eager to do his bidding. Call it fantasy for sure, but FIRE contains a lot of gender politics that could make for interesting discussions, even in the classroom.
Kristin Cashore deftly unfolds Fire’s past into her present story, which helps readers slowly understand and appreciate her judgments. Even so, FIRE is an intensely emotional read, especially at the end. Its ability to affect me so strongly is one of the things I like best about it, though. The romance between Fire and Brigan is less developed than the one between Katsa and Po in GRACELING, but Kristin gives depth to all the characters, not simply the protagonist and her love interest, and I’d much rather have three-dimensionality in all my characters than in just the two main ones.
It’s difficult to say this for sure right now, but if you had to read only one hard fantasy YA book this year, FIRE just might be the one. It’s blend of fantasy, romance, political intrigue, and feminism will appeal to all fantasy lovers, and then some.
August 10, 2017
You can find my review of Fire on my blog too!
This was the most gorgeous romantic fantasy I’ve read in a while. And want to know what the last one was? — Graceling!! Kristin Cashore is just so good at writing these beautiful, deep relationships that stem from trust and acceptance.
It’s been 24 hours since I’ve read this book and I just. can’t. stop. thinking about it! How much these two characters cared for each other makes me so happy.
No insta-love here, folks. Just a beautifully slow progression from less than friends to lovers.
Fire takes place many years before the events of Graceling, and involves all new characters except for one. Fire lives in the Dells, a place so divided from the Seven Kingdoms that they don’t even know each other exist.
Within the Dells there are monsters — animals with bizarre, unnatural colorings: bright blue kittens, orange raptors, purple mountain lions. There are even monster humans — and Fire is one of them, and the last of her kind.
Fire has fiery red hair and intangible beauty that makes any onlooker go mad. She also possesses the rare ability to control minds, an ability that could be very useful to her kingdom as it is on the verge of war.
That’s when Prince Brigan arrives, asking Fire to come to King’s City to use her powers to undercover the plans of enemies and traitors. But Fire fears becoming the monster her father was, and she may let her doubts get in the way of everything — even true love.
The romance aspect of the plot is significant, but progresses slowly and organically. The other side of the plot is the impending war. There’s lots of talking about the armies, enemies, attacks, traitors, planning and plotting, etc.
If you find a war setting boring, you may not enjoy this book because it is a large portion of the plot.
What I love about this series is that Kristin Cashore always incorporates powerful women/feminist themes into these fantastical stories. In a “war” setting one would expect to see mostly men, especially in this medieval time period. But in the Dells, woman are in the army, and some are even ranked very highly. It was refreshing to see some strong female characters in not so typical settings.
Additionally, Kristin Cashore is one of the few YA authors who actually mentioned a woman getting her period. I know a lot of people thought the multiple mentions of this was redundant in the book, but I just appreciated it was mentioned in general.
I know some people have an issue with how the women act in this book — have sex with multiple men, get pregnant, cheat with or on, etc — and they say Kristin Cashore is spreading the message that these types of behaviors are “okay”. For me, I didn’t really see it that way. I think that this is simply just a different world, a different time period — people act differently, have different viewpoints on marriage and casual sex, etc. But if these aspects are ones that you’d be upset by, I would recommend not reading this book because they come up quite a bit. There are also mentions of acts of rape, but no graphic scenes.
As for the characters, I really loved them, even the less significant ones. The main protagonists are so strong and multi-layered, I loved learning about their life and watching them overcome difficult points of their life. Fire shows a lot of strength and will power throughout the book, and her love interest was endlessly charming, considerate, and understanding — I loved them both so much.
Overall, I was worried about not liking this book because it was all new characters, but I absolutely loved it — equally as much as Graceling! I love romance in fantasy and this was just done so perfectly. I also loved this new world full of monsters and beauty, and the many side characters we met along the way. Although I don’t usually like war settings in books, I liked this one because it wasn’t too heavy and overly detailed, and was mixed in well among the romance. Overall, I’m loving the Graceling Realm so far! I cannot wait to start Bitterblue
This was the most gorgeous romantic fantasy I’ve read in a while. And want to know what the last one was? — Graceling!! Kristin Cashore is just so good at writing these beautiful, deep relationships that stem from trust and acceptance.
It’s been 24 hours since I’ve read this book and I just. can’t. stop. thinking about it! How much these two characters cared for each other makes me so happy.
No insta-love here, folks. Just a beautifully slow progression from less than friends to lovers.
Fire takes place many years before the events of Graceling, and involves all new characters except for one. Fire lives in the Dells, a place so divided from the Seven Kingdoms that they don’t even know each other exist.
Within the Dells there are monsters — animals with bizarre, unnatural colorings: bright blue kittens, orange raptors, purple mountain lions. There are even monster humans — and Fire is one of them, and the last of her kind.
Fire has fiery red hair and intangible beauty that makes any onlooker go mad. She also possesses the rare ability to control minds, an ability that could be very useful to her kingdom as it is on the verge of war.
That’s when Prince Brigan arrives, asking Fire to come to King’s City to use her powers to undercover the plans of enemies and traitors. But Fire fears becoming the monster her father was, and she may let her doubts get in the way of everything — even true love.
The romance aspect of the plot is significant, but progresses slowly and organically. The other side of the plot is the impending war. There’s lots of talking about the armies, enemies, attacks, traitors, planning and plotting, etc.
If you find a war setting boring, you may not enjoy this book because it is a large portion of the plot.
What I love about this series is that Kristin Cashore always incorporates powerful women/feminist themes into these fantastical stories. In a “war” setting one would expect to see mostly men, especially in this medieval time period. But in the Dells, woman are in the army, and some are even ranked very highly. It was refreshing to see some strong female characters in not so typical settings.
Additionally, Kristin Cashore is one of the few YA authors who actually mentioned a woman getting her period. I know a lot of people thought the multiple mentions of this was redundant in the book, but I just appreciated it was mentioned in general.
I know some people have an issue with how the women act in this book — have sex with multiple men, get pregnant, cheat with or on, etc — and they say Kristin Cashore is spreading the message that these types of behaviors are “okay”. For me, I didn’t really see it that way. I think that this is simply just a different world, a different time period — people act differently, have different viewpoints on marriage and casual sex, etc. But if these aspects are ones that you’d be upset by, I would recommend not reading this book because they come up quite a bit. There are also mentions of acts of rape, but no graphic scenes.
As for the characters, I really loved them, even the less significant ones. The main protagonists are so strong and multi-layered, I loved learning about their life and watching them overcome difficult points of their life. Fire shows a lot of strength and will power throughout the book, and her love interest was endlessly charming, considerate, and understanding — I loved them both so much.
Overall, I was worried about not liking this book because it was all new characters, but I absolutely loved it — equally as much as Graceling! I love romance in fantasy and this was just done so perfectly. I also loved this new world full of monsters and beauty, and the many side characters we met along the way. Although I don’t usually like war settings in books, I liked this one because it wasn’t too heavy and overly detailed, and was mixed in well among the romance. Overall, I’m loving the Graceling Realm so far! I cannot wait to start Bitterblue
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