Fire (Graceling Realm, #2) in YA and Beyond

Jun 03, 2021 Bror (Abrar) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 *

Before anything I want to say that there should be trigger warning for scary kids, I'm more afraid of children in horror stories than crazy clowns and this book prologue had the worst, if anyone knows me well enough they would know that I don't get easily scared but I'm afraid of psychological abuse more than anything in life and this just was so much, from there on I just had this eeire feeling for the rest of the book.

This book felt like so much but not enough at the same time, a bit of ...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Wendy rated it it was ok

I started reading this book on the heels of Graceling, which I quite enjoyed (although it definitely had its drawbacks). I was utterly disappointed, and at several points in the book I wondered if I would actually be able to make it through the whole thing. Last night I managed to power through about half of the novel, mostly so I could put it behind me and start on something enjoyable (I know, I know, I just should have let it go).

I didn't mind the general story arc, even though it does drag o I started reading this book on the heels of Graceling, which I quite enjoyed (although it definitely had its drawbacks). I was utterly disappointed, and at several points in the book I wondered if I would actually be able to make it through the whole thing. Last night I managed to power through about half of the novel, mostly so I could put it behind me and start on something enjoyable (I know, I know, I just should have let it go).

I didn't mind the general story arc, even though it does drag on a bit. I liked finding out where Leck had come from and that this other land existed across the mountains from the Seven Kingdoms. I didn't mind the characters - even the unlikeable ones are fairly well-written and believable. Some people have said that Fire's relationship with Brigan happened too quickly, but it happened over months, during pre-wartime, so that's fine with me too. What really got to me was the less-than-obvious feminist 'undertones' (or obvious themes) that weren't really discussed but just taken for granted. This is a medieval setting so I'm not shocked and appalled that girls are having sex at 15 (though since this is YA, I don't know that this is appropriate), but the way that no-strings relationships, abortion, and illegitimate children are just assumed, and not addressed, bugs me. Spoilers about abortion and self-sterilisation follow. (view spoiler) There's also that I really didn't need to hear about Fire's 'monthly bleedings', especially because the blood attracts other monsters so she has to hide inside! I don't think this was really that necessary to the story, and I can't imagine how much more work it would have been for Cashore to work the travel, action, and sex around times when Fire wasn't bleeding.

The other major thing that bothered me was some of the writing and naming of things. I know this is supposed to be for YA readers (although that's questionable), and the protagonist is a teenager, but when Fire starts thinking about a bookshelf's bookshelfness, I nearly put the book down forever. I also really didn't like the term monster for the mind-addling versions of regular animals. I didn't mind the concept, but the word bugged me from the very beginning. She had such a great word in Graceling, why couldn't she have come up with something better than monster lady. I also didn't like Fire's name, which didn't seem to fit with the world. Nobody else was given a noun as a name, except for Archer, and his was a nickname. Then there's Lord Mydogg. I couldn't read this without thinking, "What's up, my dog?" every single time. It was quite distracting. Another small aside was that I found it weird that she named the months of the year the same names we do. Why would they have July and August, etc?

All in all, this book did not make me want to read the next one in the series, which is a pity. I think that the world she created was generally well fleshed out (although I can't imagine how there were raptor monsters, rats, lions, etc in Fire's world and not in Katsa's). I won't be rushing to read the next Cashore book. ...more

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May 04, 2014 Minna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

Fire was such a breath of fresh air. I started it after trying out and giving up on another book where beauty is an important part of the main character, but I was just turned off by it in the other book. It's funny, because many attributes of Fire might add up to form a picture of a Mary Sue - "I'm so beautiful, it's like a curse," powers no one else in the kingdom has, strange-colored hair, multi-talented (she's a musician and an archer). Instead, what I read was an intricate journey about gri Fire was such a breath of fresh air. I started it after trying out and giving up on another book where beauty is an important part of the main character, but I was just turned off by it in the other book. It's funny, because many attributes of Fire might add up to form a picture of a Mary Sue - "I'm so beautiful, it's like a curse," powers no one else in the kingdom has, strange-colored hair, multi-talented (she's a musician and an archer). Instead, what I read was an intricate journey about grief, family, self-acceptance/forgiveness, and learning how to do right when there are no easy choices.

And there really are no easy choices. Fire has done awful things in her time (won't spoil the big one that looms in the background of her characterization throughout the book). But which is worse: using your power to do something horrible to a few people, or sitting back and letting these people unleash evil and destruction on the world? Fire doesn't take a black and white view to this, and the answer is genuinely difficult to live with - and she must make the choice over and over as she gets embroiled in the buildup to a civil war, trying to help the royal family keep power.

Something I want to note is the bulk of the cast. There were a lot of characters, and they were all so skilfully drawn - I never found myself mixing them up or getting lost. They had their own motivations, viewpoints, ways of dealing with things. And so many side characters had journeys of their own, as well, and I enjoyed that. The ending /is/ a bit Lord of the Rings-esque - you know what I mean: a whole lot of epilogue-esque scenes, each of which could conceivably be the end. But I didn't mind at all, because they were tying up loose ends, both in Fire's journey, and in the journeys of the people - so many people! - she, and I, have come to love over the course of the book.

I am also endlessly sad about one of the deaths, still surprised at how many revelations there were regarding parentage etc., and still have the heebie-jeebies over the single crossover character from Graceling. (I wonder if he'll be the only crossover character in Bitterblue, too?) ...more

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May 07, 2012 paudesilva rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favorites, 2013-reads

I want to unsaid that previous status about Archer being an asshole. Ok, it was unfortunate of him to have died, but his relationship with Fire was a weird one.

FIRE, the second book of the Graceling Realm series-- superbly as awesome as the first book. The idea of beautiful monsters was fascinating-- whether in the form of a human or with an animal. The love story between Brigan and Fire was the perfect definition of forgiving, passionate love. I love this book, i love the world that has been cr ...more

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