Fire by Kristin Cashore

Fire (Graceling Realm, #2)

by Kristin Cashore

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells.

The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.

This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she has the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.

Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City. The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.

If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

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This romantic companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save one. You don't need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven't, you'll be dying to read it next.

Reviewed by clementine on

5 of 5 stars

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I just honestly couldn't find anything wrong with this book at all. Some of the reviews on Goodreads are negative about things that I loved; specifically, I'm reading some critical things about the nature of Fire's relationships, i.e. that she refuses to get married and that she sleeps with more than one person without being married. GASP.

I actually loved that about her, and it's one of the reasons why Cashore's romances don't irk me the way to so many YA romances do. I often feel that they're forced, unbelievable, and condescending, like, "Oh, you're a teenager? Here's a badly-written romance for you! By the way, the guy is this boring, archetypal girl's first love, and they are going to get married." Cashore's, however, don't seem at all like an afterthought, and the female characters are always so in control of their relationships. They don't need a man to complete them; their relationships are on their own terms, and they never compromise.

The relationships in general are really wonderful, not just the romantic ones. Seeing how Fire developed friendships with Hanna, Clara, Garan, Musa, etc was such a joy, because it all seemed completely natural and subtle. I could feel the love they all had for one another.

Fire herself is such a kickass heroine. The tough, badass female character can be really hard to get right, but Fire was the right balance between strong and flawed. I loved her inner turmoil and the slow transformation she went through. She felt so real, so human. She was one of the most realistic characters I've read this year.

I absolutely love Cashore's worldbuilding. Wow, guys. I wanted to live in that world, and I didn't want the book to end, because I didn't want the world to stop existing in my imagination. I think one of the most amazing things is how much of the world is implied. Cashore writes descriptions really beautifully, but she didn't have to spell out every single aspect for me to imagine it vividly.

Man, I feel like I could write about this book forever, but it really boils down to the fact that it was, in my eyes, perfect. I truly couldn't have asked for a better reading experience. I was absolutely charmed by Graceling, but Fire blew that out of the water for me. I would love a sequel, and I never say that.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 19 August, 2012: Finished reading
  • 19 August, 2012: Reviewed