Fire (Graceling Realm, #2)

by Kristin Cashore

A breathtaking, marvelous Graceling Realm book from New York Times bestselling author Kristin Cashore.

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. This edition includes an article by and an interview with the author. 

Look for Kristin Cashore's highly-anticipated return to the Graceling Realm, Winterkeep!

“There are some books that stick with you for years, and Kristen Cashore’s Fire is one of them. Thoughtful, steamy and completely original, Fire is YA fantasy at its absolute best.”—Sabaa Tahir, author of New York Times bestselling Ember in the Ashes on Fire

* "There aren't enough words to describe how awesome this book is." —Top Pick, Romantic Times, starred review of Fire

A New York Times bestseller
YALSA, Best Fiction for Young Adults
Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Winner
5 starred reviews

• ISBN10: 014241591X
• ISBN13: 9780142415917
• Publish Date: 25 January 2011 (first published 24 September 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Penguin USA
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 512
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780142415917

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating : 5 STARS!

I loved this so much. Literally. So. Much.

Such a fantastic book. Plot, pacing, prose... character & world development... ALL EXTRAORDINARY!

So in love with Fire & Brigand ugh ship them so hard!

[Leigha]

A young woman comes to terms with herself in this young adult fantasy romance.

I fell in love with Fire several years ago when I initially read it. My public library recently purchased the audio book version of it, which I immediately borrowed. The narrator is perfect for the story, but she did have trouble making the male voices indistinguishable from each other. It’s a character driven novel focused on the low fantasy setting and political machinations of the kingdom. The plot is slow. While I am never bored reading it, I could see the potential for it to be boring to others uninterested in the characters or setting.

I absolutely adore the characters in this book, particularly Fire. Her strengths, weaknesses, and insecurities change as she moves into a more active role within the kingdom. The other characters are as complex as Fire herself. A wonderful innate chemistry exists between all the characters, a delightful ebb and flow, not found in many other books. I especially love the romance built between Brigan and Fire. It’s slow and steady. They get to know each other before any romance begins between them. I am all about friends turning to partners to lovers. Bring it on!

tl;dr A character driven novel with a low fantasy setting, political machinations, and romance.

[Kait ✨]

every time I read this book I am just reminded of cashore's insane ability to remove my heart from my chest, expose it to all the beauty and sadness in the world, and gently put it back wrapped in love and light and hope.

I just love this book so much and if you want to dissect it or discuss its problems I am probably not the right person because all I've got is love

[nannah]

Thinking of Fire as a standalone with no connection to Graceling . . . I love it! When I try to connect it to Graceling, I'm confused and more irritated than anything . . .

Book content warnings:
animal torture
rape
sexual harassment
gendered slurs
suicide

This was so different from Graceling in so many ways. In my opinion, it was a change from night to day, in the best possible way. Instead of even taking place in the "Graceling Realm", this novel takes place in an entire different world, with different rules, royalty, and political systems. Most of all, the writing is like someone either ran in to take Kristin Cashore's place, or some amazing editor came in and reworked all of Kristin Cashore's stilted dialogue and awkward sentences. There was great flow!

What I loved:

The improved dialogue and prose. It's so much more natural. I actually feel for the characters, and I was looking forward to seeing what happens to them. I loved the chemistry between the main two, and the female characters really stood out on their own. Again, if I hadn't known this was supposed to be a companion to Graceling, I wouldn't have connected the two at all. And knowing my opinion on that one, that's . . . a good thing.

What I didn't like:

So this book takes place in an entire other world than the first book. And it STILL isn't a place for any POC or LGBT people (except in a mention). That's disappointing, to say the least. And WHY did she want to create a story for young adults with so much gross sexual harassment and rape? The names are also very similar to Katsa's world (Nash, Musa, Po, Leck, etc.). All shows a lack of creativity. Speaking of, the "monsters" also reveal lack of creativity, as they're all "raptor monsters", "bug monsters", "mouse monsters". I guess it might be fine for some readers but it just feels unfleshed to me?

I feel like Kristin Cashore tried to portray Cansrel with bipolar disorder. I mean, "periods of rage and melancholy"? That's pretty specific - and pretty negative rep, because though he had a complicated relationship with the protagonist, his daughter, he's not a very good character. As a bipolar person, I'm kind of upset; we're always painted as the bad guys, or in this hard to deal with, unstable light.

The worldbuilding seems a little lacking, especially when it comes to these monsters. "Predator monsters tended to overlook the charms of a face and a body if they saw no interesting hair . . ." Does this mean it's all in the hair? The rules of these monsters confuse me, and nothing's well defined.

But overall, I did enjoy reading this, despite some flaws. It was so much improved from the first installment that I still can't believe their from the same trilogy!

[angelarenea9]

Review to come...

[Rinn]

Also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.

Whilst it’s listed as the second book in the Graceling series, Fire is in fact a prequel, drawing in a couple of characters from the first book, and set at least thirty or forty years before the events of Graceling. And whilst it is a fun read, it’s nowhere near the enthralling story that Graceling was.

The story is set in the Dells, separated from the other kingdoms featured in the series by a mountain range. The people of the Dells have not heard of Gracelings. Instead, their country is full of monsters – normal animals, distinguishable by their appearance and manner. Coming in a variety of colours and with a much more aggressive temperament as well as powers of mind reading and influence, the Dells are full of dangers. And once in a while, a human monster is born: that’s where Fire comes in.

A beautiful young lady, with a head of flaming red hair, Fire is strong like Katsa (the Graceling protagonist). And like Katsa, she has an unusual power that a male relative wants to use to his advantage. Cansrel, Fire’s father, is a monster like her, and tries to train her in his ways. But again, like Katsa, Fire resists becoming the monster that she is portrayed as and sets out to prove herself.

I really think Kristin Cashore has a talent for character development. Even those that we do not see often have a clear and strong presence, with many a character withholding a secret ready to be revealed at the perfect moment. The connection between the characters also feels believable – the clear case of brotherly love between Nash and Brigan, the sweet, lifelong friendship between Fire and Archer.

What I like about Cashore’s books is her unabashed way of approaching sex and relationships in young adult fiction. Fire has a casual relationship with her lifelong friend Archer, who is turn is a bit of a womaniser. Sex is not used as a weapon. It is used as it should be: to make someone feel good, as a tool of pleasure, and as an act of expressing love. Neither sex nor relationships are ever portrayed in an unhealthy manner by Cashore, making these characters in a fantasy world feel a whole lot more realistic than many of their ‘real world’ counterparts from contemporary young adult fiction. And as I wrote in my review of Graceling, the relationships are believable because they grow over time, rather than being a result of insta-love. And that, my friends, is how romance should work.

However, the story just wasn’t as gripping as that of Graceling. There just wasn’t enough going on for me in comparison and the plot wasn’t as clear set – but I’ve awarded it a solid four-star rating as I very much enjoyed it, and to tell the truth my expectations were high in comparison to the first book. I can’t wait to move on to Bitterblue, which will reunited me with some more familiar characters.

Also, Cansrel was Fenris this time. Why do I keep linking Fenris (from Dragon Age II) to this series?!

[nitzan_schwarz]

2013 cleaning my shelves challenge

JUST POSTED ON MY BLOG! 

Confession: originally, I read Fire the last of the three books, despite it being the second published. I was just so invested in Katsa and Po that I was more interested in their future rather than a past they weren't alive in yet. 

When I finally read it, I closed the book wanting to hit myself for waiting so long. 

Fire starts by giving us a very disturbing look into Leck's childhood, who we find out has been evil since the very beginning. When you want to cover yourself in something warm and safe from a toddler, it says something.

Moving from that fun little experience we're introduced to the monster Fire, a human beautiful beyond description who can invade and control minds. People either hate her or admire her to destruction, and with an infamous monster father created from the same mold as Leck, the hatred is palpable. 

The thing Fire is most afraid of in the entire world is herself. She is scared to death she'll become something like her father because of her powers and abilities. But she's a dutiful, driven, loving person, who will do anything for those she loves. And so, when she's asked to do something for the king- she accepts.

That's where the real story starts. Before that, we get to know Fire, her routine, the dynamics she shares with those around her and her past, through beautifully done flashbacks that are never boring or meaningless. 

If this book excels in anything (and it excels in many things), it's in making you know Fire inside and out, on all her layers. It's in making you live inside Fire to to point of tearing up at the things she feels - without the need for anything truly "tragic" to happen.

Fire is as strong a heroine as Katsa, while being vastly different from her.

And Brigan is as amazing a male character as Po was, for different reasons. I feel like I want to let you guys discover him all on your own. 

Now, if that's not enough to make you want to read this book, what if I told you that the romance is of the slow-burn variety? What if I told you it's sort of a hate to love situation? What if I told you that two people who are uncomfortable with each other on sight learn to trust one another, become friends and eventually develop something more in the most real and believable way that will give you ALL the feels???

And what if I topped that by saying the romance is not the main focus of the story, but a delicious bonus? Thatthe real story is one of self acceptance, forgiveness and repenting? That it's real and raw and human? That consequences exist in this world, for better or worse, and happy endings are not in the cards for everyone? That it's heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, and that the combination is beautiful? 

I really can sing praise of Fire and Cashore's magic with words for days, you know. She is one of the most amazing authors out there to me. Once you get a taste of her writing, you really can't stop.

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[mrs_mander_reads]

I think the way that Kristin Cashore writes and builds a world of her own is fantastic. I loved this book as much as the other two, and really hope she decides to go further.

[Mercy]

Cosa más empalagosa. Graceling será mi favorito de esta saga, ever. Bueno, no me he leído Bitterblue, así que no sé que tal es.
Pero con "Fuego" me imaginé algo diferente. Pero casi sólo gira en torno al romance de Fuego con el príncipe ¿Por qué no se quedó con Arquero? ¡Yo la quería con Él! :(
Otra cosa ¡Yo pensé que la historia era sobre Leck! Me hubiese encantado conocer más sobre él. Como se convirtió en el rey malvado, dominador de mentes, que hizo, cada detalle de su vida. Creo que la historia estaría mejor si fuera sobre Leck u.u

[KitsuneBae]

Here's my review for Fire by Kristin Cashore. For the full details, please visit my blog at Thoughts and Pens


Plot
I want to be blunt about this one but I’ve sighed a lot while reading this book. And to think that I really have high hopes for it. But the story was too predictable like looking from a horse’s linear point of view. To put it more simply, reading Fire was like riding a limousine and travelling on a lonely, straight and cemented road. I hope you understand what I’m trying to say. It lacked the thrill, the nail biting experience, the adrenaline rush, the stress, the pressure, the sweating and all those nasty stuff that should accompany a good read. But no, with Fire, I’ve been treated to a luxurious 10-star (if there’s ever one out there) hotel where everything was so comfortable and spoon-fed to you that you’d sleep or die of boredom. This is what happened to me and guess what; I did gain a significant amount of weight (not that I need more) while reading the book for the lack of exercise and sweating.

Characters
This too. There was something lacking about the characters that I find it hard to relate or empathize with them. The chemistry or the spark between me and them that I was expecting did not happen unfortunately. And what’s with Fire being a monster? Do you know what kind of creature does she remind me of? A veela (if you don’t know what I mean, go and read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) for geez sake… only reinforced but nevertheless, a veela.
The characters of Fire were hero and heroine material but they don’t have that X-factor to be remembered by. Even Brigandelle whom I liked at first but he was like a substandard product that as time passes by, suffered deterioration in quality.

Interactions and Dialogues
If you are looking for humorous conversations or heartfelt banter or quote worthy lines then this book is not for you. The conversations were shallows, the interactions were inauthentic and things just didn’t fit. I hardly felt that Archer and Fire were long time friends with the way they interact. I hardly felt the intensity of Fire and Brigan’s love for each other and no, I did not feel butterflies in my stomach whenever they have lone moments together.
Everything that I’ve read left a hollow feeling in me, leaving me searching for something that I subconsciously know that would never happen. And that frustrated me because I’ve been looking at all the aspects of the book and did not find one single thing that has been worthwhile to my reading endeavors.

Lessons Learned
• Too much expectation will lead you to disappointment- As what happened to me while reading this book.
• Your choices define who you are- As been displayed by Fire who instead of utilizing her monster powers to do evil things, she used it to restore peace in the Kingdom of Dells.
• That sometimes you have to hurt the one you love for the greater good- This was demonstrated to how Fire chose to kill her own father to stop him from creating more deadly chaos.