December 3, 2009 11:00 am
Last night, I finished reading Fire by Kristin Cashore. It’s a prequel, sort of, to Graceling with only one cross-over character. You don’t have to read Graceling before you read Fire. But, once you read Fire, you’ll want to read Graceling.
I really enjoyed Fire and it has earned a spot on my Favorites shelf. I thought the story was very intriguing and captivating. There were a lot of elements I enjoyed immensely, such as friendship, betrayal, heartbreak, grief, and love.
Fire takes place in the Dells, a kingdom to the east of the seven kingdoms in Graceling. In the Dells, there are beautiful creatures called monsters. Monsters are like normal animals, but the hair, scales, or feathers of the monsters are brilliantly colored, making them alluring to anyone who sees them. All monsters have the power to control the minds of humans.
Fire is the last human-shaped monster. She’s gorgeous just like the other monsters, but she has the human appreciation to determine right from wrong. She’s despised by many because of the legacy her father, Cansrel, left in the Dells. Cansrel used his power to influence the old king to cause pain, chaos, and mayhem, running the kingdom into ruins and the onset of a civil war. Because of this, she shies away from using her powers, except in self-defense. As the new king of the Dells fights to hold his kingdom together, Fire must decide if she can use her powers to help overthrow the king’s enemies without turning into the monster her father was.
I loved the concept of monsters and their powers just as much as I loved the concept of Gracelings and their Graces. It was interesting to see mind powers from so many different points of view. I loved watching Fire grow into herself and becoming the woman she wanted to be.
I also loved the delicate weaving of the cross-over character into the plot. Even though he didn’t have a huge part to play in this book, I think the effect he had on the inhabitants of the Dells could be used in future books like Bitterblue. (Bitterblue is a sequel-ish book to Graceling that Kristin Cashore’s currently working on.) However, even if she doesn’t tie all three books together through the cross-over character, I still thought his role in Fire was interesting.