Fire (Graceling Realm, #2)

by Kristin Cashore

[clementine]

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.