I finished Fire, the “prequel” to Graceling by Kristin Cashore, over the weekend. And, I have to say that, even though it is hard to beat a first book in any series, Fire did just that. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Graceling, but I couldn’t put Fire down. Maybe my opinion is unfair since the books are about completely different characters, and I just happened to like the ones in Fire more, but I also think that Kristin Cashore developed more as a writer in her 2nd novel. In any case, here are some of the many reasons why I loved this book. The Protagonist: One reason I liked Fire so much (and more than Graceling) was because the leading lady was so likable. Katsa, from Graceling, is stubborn when it comes to love, and thinks that that falling in love means losing her true identity. While she changes some throughout the book, and I respect her opinion, sometimes I was bored by her lack of romantic side. Fire, (the protagonist of Fire) on the other hand, puts herself out there, which I think takes more courage and certainly was more interesting to read. Also, Kristin Cashore’s depiction of Fire’s inner struggle made it even more interesting to read. While Katsa is blind to her own beauty, Fire is not ignorant and knows exactly how her “monster” beauty affects others. The twist is that she can manipulate peoples’ minds also, and one of the main story lines of the book is how she comes to terms with her power and how far she will go to use it. The fact that Fire sees her beauty’s effects and chooses to do something about it, or use them for good use, makes her far more likeable to me. Katsa thinks she can just cut her hair off and solve all her problems. (I don’t know why this bothered me so much, but I think it has something to do with my mom’s threats of cutting all my hair off if I don’t keep it out of my face… :P
Katsa vs. Fire
Who would win?!?
The Plot: I won’t write any spoilers, but another reason I loved Fire was because there was a… wait for it… drum roll… LOVE TRIANGLE!! Woo!! Every teen girl loves to read about a good love triangle, am I right? But the reason this one was so good was because it felt fresh, not like a Jacob/Edward repeat, and it didn’t feel FORCED. When I was reading it, I didn’t say in my head, “Oh, I bet Kristin Cashore put this love triangle in to make her book more appealing and exciting to teenage girls.” Either way, I still would have eaten it up, but that just made it even better.
Another thing I loved about the plot of this book was that it took a single character from Graceling and wove him into Fire’s story, in a way that you learn more about him, but that it was still its own book. Anyone could have picked up Fire without having read Graceling and enjoyed it for what it is, a good fantasy novel, which brings me to my final point…
The Writing: Kristin Cashore’s writing was just great in this novel. Her description of the setting and history of her fantasyland the Dells was actually enjoyable to read and not boring. She creates an original setting, plagued by unique brightly colored monsters and riddled with underground tunnels, that feels new and exciting to read about.
Overall, I would definitely give Fire 5 out of 5 stars, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy or adventure, (or a good love triangle!!)
Check out these "book trailers" for Kristin Cashore's two books. But don't let them influence you on whether or not you will read the books, (because I know the first one is a little creepy at first...)
To read more reviews on Fire, click here and here. The first is an Amazon book page, which I love because it includes professional reviews like The School Library Journal, but it also includes reviews from costumers. The second is a link to a Book Review blog, and since its name is "Persnickety Snark" I was surprised to see that it agrees with my opinion. Kristin Cashore has also created a list of praise and rewards her novel has received.
wow these books look great lizzy! i may have to borrow one from you sometime
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