Fire (Graceling Realm, #2) in Mock Newbery 2026

Oct 08, 2009 Sandy rated it it was ok

Shelves: teen, adult, fantasy, romance, fantasy-classic, sex, girly

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 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. ...more

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May 30, 2009 Claire rated it liked it

Shelves: a-7th-and-8th-grade-middle-school-t, high-school-and-beyond, adults-reading-ya-lit

This is a good, solid fantasy. Readers of Graceling know Katsa''s land- one where gracelings are eminently talented folks who are given over as a tribute to their king to use as he sees fit. If someone slips, slides or falls through tunnels from Katsa's land one could find themselves in the land Fire inhabits.
This is a land of free folk and Monsters. Monsters are beings of compelling beauty; a colorful form of the natural creatures around them. Monsters can take over the minds of people and cau ...more

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Nov 20, 2009 Jennifer rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I work with a bunch of enablers. Every time I think that I'm free of distractions, a co-worker plops a literary "present" on my desk, and I'm caught up in another world -- none of which helps my ability to write essays!

Fire was the latest hit of crack. Kristin Cashore's first book, Graceling, was a light, fluffy YA fantasy that I loved beyond all reason. This prequel doesn't have quite the nuances or mesmerizing newness of the setting created in the first book... but it's still pretty good.

Basi I work with a bunch of enablers. Every time I think that I'm free of distractions, a co-worker plops a literary "present" on my desk, and I'm caught up in another world -- none of which helps my ability to write essays!

Fire was the latest hit of crack. Kristin Cashore's first book, Graceling, was a light, fluffy YA fantasy that I loved beyond all reason. This prequel doesn't have quite the nuances or mesmerizing newness of the setting created in the first book... but it's still pretty good.

Basically, we see a world filled with "Monsters", brightly colored versions of animals that attract people with both their beauty and their mind-changing skills. Being a monster is complicated. You've gotta lure your prey in, but you've also gotta watch out for bigger, meaner monsters who want to eat you due to your monster-ness. Also, there seem to be a population boom with monster!raptors. They're everywhere. I wonder if the monster version of raptors have an easier time breeding than their normal raptor brethren. It doesn't quite make sense, but I'll allow for some suspension of disbelief. It's a fantasy novel, after all.

Of course, in this novel, there has to be a monster human! Turns out she's the last! And she's sad! And she pushes away those whom she loves and love her! And everyone either wants to love her or kill her! Because she has red hair!

Okay, it's a bit cheesy, and I honestly didn't quite understand why she and Archer, her bff from childhood and sometimes lover, couldn't work things out. Besides that whole "Archer loves Fire but he continues to go out and screw every available maid in the kingdom" thing. But that's okay, because a moodier and better prince came into the picture, Brigan. And he's a pretty kick-ass character despite his propensity for being sad and self-sacrificing. Fire and Brigan work well together. Evidently they're less emo together than they are apart. And they hate each other at first, which is my favorite kind of romance. I guess I like a lot of conflict.

We have political intrigue, a civil war, and lots of monster kitten action. Oh, yeah, and then we get to see more about Leck as a kid, everyone's favorite animal abusing king from Graceling. Turns out he's just as charming as an infant, killing his own dad in the prologue. Nice!

Is this book deep and meaningful? Not particulary, despite its serious overtones about the problems of ultimate power. But is it amusing? Absolutely. Did I want to read it again immediately? Yes. Fire is a guilty pleasure that I could whole-heartedly recommend to others. ...more

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Aug 04, 2009 Kim rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 18, 2010 Nancy rated it really liked it

Shelves: childrens-ya-books, summer-reading-2010

I kind of wish I'd taken more time after Graceling before I started this book. That way I might have been able to separate the stories and characters better in my mind. It's hard for me to give an opinion of Fire without comparing it to Graceling. There are definite similarities between the two books, but Fire is a story of its own.

I liked the character Fire herself. I liked that her great mental power was off-set by physical vulnerability.

I was a little put off by the many plot twists related t ...more

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Jun 30, 2010 Laura rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, adventure, ya

Fire is the only remaining human monster in the Dells, which means she was born with unnatural beauty and telepathy she can use to control other people. She fears her power because her father used it to control and abuse others, and the book is mainly her struggle to accept herself and her gift. This book includes just enough backstory on King Leck to connect it to the people and places of "Graceling", but it definitely stands just fine on its own. YA, 9th and up.

4/4/13
Listened to it on audio th ...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Dolores rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, series, magic, ya, action, strong-heroine, adventure, romance, monsters, paranormal

A beautiful book. Cashore is an incredible writer. This one is nearly 500 pages long and I read it in one sitting. I swear I never looked up once. You are so completely pulled into her world and the incredible characters she creates, that you are actually sad when the book ends. There are 7 kingdoms here--keep going!

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Feb 03, 2010 Beth marked it as abandoned · review of another edition

Shelves: try-again-someday

Blerg!! I really wanted to like this one but I just couldn't get into it. I think I've just been too distracted in the car and couldn't focus on the story. Will try this one again someday. ...more

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