Fire by Kristin Cashore

Fire is labeled as a companion to Graceling.  It actually takes place before Graceling and there is only one character that is in both of the books.  As far as location, it is in the same world, but not anywhere we heard of or knew about in Graceling.  It is a world called The Dells and there are no gracelings there.  They have monsters.  It appears that every species of creature (leopards, bugs, birds, mice, humans, etc) have a monster version.  The monster version is always brightly colored.  For example, a monster kitten may be bright blue with yellow streaks and purple eyes.  The other difference is that the monsters have an ability to lure their prey in with their beauty and control their minds.  The more intelligent the monster the more control they have over someone’s mind.

There is only one human monster left and her name is Fire.  She is very beautiful.  She lives in a house near the estate of her only friends, Archer and Brocker.  Brocker is Archer’s father and Fire also considers him like a father.  Archer is obsessed with Fire and they have what appears to be a “friends with benefits” type of relationship. 

Fire is attacked in the jungle outside the compound where she lives.  This isn’t something new, but it is strange in its own way and sets off a string of events.  Archer and Fire journey to the queen’s house.  At the same time, King Nash (who is the queen’s son) and Prince Brigan (who is the commander of the king’s army) are also visiting the queen.  This is Fire’s first encounter with the king and the prince.  They have vastly different responses to her.  King Nash proposes immediately and Prince Brigan attacks her.  Prince Brigan’s mind is different though, he has learned to protect himself from monster mind invasion.

This meeting triggers the rest of the story.  Fire ends up in the royal city as a monster advisor who is trying to help the king and royal family determine who are loyal and who is a traitor for there are two factions of people who are trying to overthrow King Nash.  There are too many side stories to cover a synopsis of the entire plot.  It was very good, but I didn’t like it as much as Graceling. 

The main reason that I didn’t like it as much was because I didn’t like how little time Fire spent with her love interest.  (It appears this might be a spoiler if I revealed who it is because of the way it is revealed to the reader, although I will say I had it figured out.  *smugly smiles while typing this*)  The romance was still believable and I enjoyed the time it took to develop, but I just wished they had gotten to spend more time together instead of stolen moments here and there. 

Another reviewer pointed out that there was a lot of sleeping around and until you get to the end you don’t fully understand that truth until you learn who is this person’s father and that person’s real father.  I didn’t like that either. 

Overall, I really enjoyed learning about the monsters.  I loved Fire and her love interest.  The world of the Dells was amazing.  It is a bit pricey for a kindle book at $9.99 and therefore if you can get it from a library I would recommend that. 



It appears that there is another cover
for this book, possibly for another
country but I like it as well so I am
including it.



Favorite Quote: This isn't so much a favorite quote but one of my favorite parts:



At this Fire smiled, and held the handkerchief out to Musa.  "Thank you."

"It's not mine, Lady,  It's Neel's."  Fire recognized the name of one of her male guards.

"Neel's?"

"The commander took it from Neel and gave it to me to give to you, Lady."



Graceling by Kristin Cashore

5 Stars
A graceling is someone who is born with or develops eyes that are two different colors.  Being a graceling means that person will possess some extraordinary talent.  Throughout the book we are introduced into the wide array that graces can take.  But just for example, it could be swimming, mind reading, telling the weather, or fighting (or many others).    

At the start, Katsa, is on a mission to rescue a Lienid prince from the dungeons of another king.  Katsa takes out 18 guards single handedly and the rest of her crew grab the prince as they make their getaway.  Katsa runs into another  Lienid on the way out.  They race back to their own nation with their stolen prince before Katsa’s king will notice she is gone and Katsa wonders if she was wrong to have let the other lienid live. 

On one hand Katsa is the strong arm of King Randa, forced to do his dirty work against people who might only disagree with him.  On the other hand, Katsa is the founder and leader of a group called The Council.  The Council works throughout all seven kingdoms to right injustices.  Katsa’s grace is killing and she feels she is a monster.  We see her transformation throughout the book, but the following quote shows her thought process as she starts to rethink being under King Randa’s control:

“Katsa didn’t think a person should thank her for not causing pain.  Causing joy was worthy of thanks, and causing pain worthy of disgust.  Causing neither was neither, it was nothing, and nothing didn’t warrant thanks.”

Katsa has met her match in Po, the lienid she met at the beginning.  He is graced in fighting and is the best competition that she has in fighting.  They practice together and grow to be friends.  Katsa agrees to go with Po to uncover the plot to kidnap his grandfather.  The plot is so much more dangerous than they could have imagined as Katsa’s grace cannot help them.  She if forced to flee from the first adversary she can’t best. 

This story was fast paced and never boring.  I liked watching the friendship grow between Katsa and Po.  It was so sad in places I almost cried.  Katsa grows so much as a person.  I absolutely loved her.  Usually the heroine will annoy me at some point, but Katsa never did.  She did make me laugh though.  I do wish she would reconsider her pledge to never marry.

My only regret is my stupid book allowance won’t let me buy the next book in the series until November (boo to husbands who thinks that food and electricity are more important than books!) 

Favorite Quote:

Katsa practically spit back at him.  “Do you imagine that I need a guard to protect them from the soldiers of Monsea?”

“No,” Ror snapped.  “I have no doubt that you are more than capable of bringing the Monsean queen and my son and the rest of my sons and a hundred Nanderan kittens through an onslaught of howling raiders if you chose.”