Fire by Kristin Cashore

Just east of the seven kingdoms we all came to love in Graceling, is a land called the Dells. In the Dells, beautiful creatures named monsters inhibit the valleys, mountains, and everywhere in between. While these creatures resemble normal animals, such as cats, dragonflies, fish, etc. they have brilliantly colored and they have the power to manipulate human’s minds’.  


Some of these monsters even come in human form, but now seventeen-year-old Fire is the last one left. Like all monsters she is unfairly gorgeous and attracts all the men, but she also shares the ability to control people’s minds, which can get her in some serious trouble. While many people are drawn towards Fire, many others detest her and frown upon all she does. Thankfully a family takes in her, becoming the only family she really knows.  


When political issues begin to rise and powers from the north and south start to conspire against King Nash, him and his brother Brigan have no choice but to call in the help of Fire. Together they learn to put aside their vast differences and try their hardest to dispel the ideas of King Nash being overthrown. Through it all they encounter war, several conspiracies, and worst of all – a small boy with strange two-colored eyes and an unusual ability that Graceling readers will find eerily familiar.


Wow, just wow! This book was just plain phenomenal and honestly it is quite difficult to put in to words how wonderful I thought this was. The characters were so real and I could literally feel the wind in my face and hear the birds overhead. The plot was also extremely interesting and I loved the connections it made to Graceling – although it is not necessary to have read Graceling before hand.  


I very much enjoyed Fire’s spitfire attitude and independence – as I believe it is essential for a strong female character to posses these traits. Her attitude quickly grew on me and I found myself cheering for her along her journey and tearing up along side her sorrows. I also loved the few connections that it made to Graceling. They were subtle, yet obvious at the same time and just made me smile. They also made me go “so that’s why this happened.”  


With a fast paced, action packed plot, fantastic characters, and seamless writing there is no way you could go wrong picking up Fire. It will take you to the mystical world of the Dells and leave you there even after the last page despite the fact that you'll never want to leave. This has definitely become one of my favorite books and dare I say that it is better than Graceling!