Fire by Kristin Cashore

Book Details
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Paperback, 480 Pages
2011, Firebird
ISBN: 9780142415917
Series: Book 2 of Seven Kingdoms Trilogy (prequel)

Synopsis
It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her. Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don't need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven't, you'll be dying to read it next.

Review
I was prepared to dislike Fire from the start. I enjoyed Graceling, but my interest lied with Katsa and Po's relationship rather that the world they lived in. The idea of a prequel (which I don't usually like) in the same world, but with completely different world-building, and all new characters just did not appeal to me. People kept telling me how great Fire was. Eventually I caved and read it, but in all honesty I read it so I could tell them all how wrong they were.

Yeah, they were right. Should have seen that coming. Fire took a long time for me to get into, partly because of my reluctance to read the book in the first place and partly because it took me a while to grasp what Fire was. In Fire, there are normal animals and there are monster animals. The monster animals have abilities that go beyond their normal counterparts. Fire is a monster human and has mind control abilities. Her monster-ness also makes her so attractive that people (usually men) either hate her instantly, or they become overcome with lusty feelings for her. I understood all that. What I didn't understand was how she was a monster human. Sure, her dad was one too, but how did he become one? Or even the animals? There was no explanation to it and it distracted me from the book until I realized that is was just another form of supernatural, much like I can understand vampires or werewolves without having to know their specific origin mythology in each instance.

About a hundred pages into Fire, I really started enjoying the book. Fire is a great character. Her struggle against the power of her abilities and the way it's linked to her feelings about her father is interesting. More than that, her relationships with both Archer and Brigan were the highlight of the book for me. Kristin Cashore definitely has a way with character romance, because the couplings in her books are the main reason I enjoy them so much.

Beyond romance, Fire's interactions and relationships with people were amazing. With Brigan's family, her guards, even the prisoners she interrogates, Fire shines as a thoroughly unique character. Her ability to care for others makes her who she is much more so than her monster abilities.

Surprising me completely, Fire ended up being even better for me than Graceling. Having gone into the reading ready to dislike the book, Fire wowed me. I loved all the characters, and Fire's abilities were definitely intriguing. I hadn't planned on reading Bitterblue whenever it's finally released, but I will now.

Rating

Links

Kristin Cashore's
Website