Comments on: Fire by Kristin Cashore

By: ali

ali — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:03:58 +0000

I liked fire better than graceling. The plots seemed VERY similar to me, though…SPOILER: fearsome, slightly indestructable woman with self-confindence issues attracts men who want to protect her but ultimately falls in love with an amazing man who can actually take care of her (to some extent) while allowing her to express herself as she sees fit. One part of the love suffers a devastating injury/loss. A young girl is protected. Heroine wanders through winter cold, barely surviving. etc.
However, I enjoyed Fire a lot more than graceling. She felt more real to me (could be the “women” issues discussed, could be the greater sense of vulnerability) and more relatable.
And, now, I go to clean up a whole container of hot cocoa that Henry dumped all over the floor. Maybe I’ll do some escapist reading with “Catching Fire” after!

By: rachel

rachel — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:43:32 +0000

hmm… i can’t edit. i meant to say that fire seemed a lot more poetic than graceling, which i appreciate. another fantastic story, but told in an even more amazing way.

By: rachel

rachel — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:42:08 +0000

i loved fire. a lot. more than most any book i’ve read this year. i think it’s in my top 5 of all time, although i am having a really hard time deciding why.

i think it was the leaning horse that got me. fire seemed a lot more poetically written than fire. also, though this doesn’t really have anything to do with my love for this book, i loved the way kristin explored the implications of casual sex. it was so unexpected in a modern-day novel. i have already read it twice through this month.

By: Kayla

Kayla — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:43:16 +0000

I have this sitting on my shelf and I keep wondering whether to pick it up or not, I’m glad you liked it! Hopefully I’ll read it soon!

By: Jenni Elyse

Jenni Elyse — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:15:09 +0000

You could read either first, honestly. Out of the two, I like Graceling more. However, they’re so loosely based off each other that the order doesn’t matter.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:00:22 +0000

My question is: If I haven’t read either, which one should I read first?

By: Violet

Violet — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:26:50 +0000

I really liked Fire too! *Minor Spoilers Ahead* Hooray for another fabulous heroine from Kristin Cashore! I loved Fire’s strength, intelligence, and selflessness. And I was constantly impressed by her courage. I liked that in addition to her admirable personal resolve, she also had a very relatable tenderness & insecurity at times. And I liked that she had some uniquely feminine issues to deal with too – like PMS & a biological clock that was at odds with her personal commitment. One of my very favorite things about books by fabulous authors like Kristin Cashore & Tamora Pierce is the way their heroines’ openly and maturely explore dilemmas & concerns about universally-relevant topics like menstruation, sexuality, and contraception.

And frankly, seeing a heroine’s prospective suitor listen to her & react in a compassionate, attentive way toward her concerns & feelings can be far more endearing than almost anything else they might possibly do. Deliciously handsome suitors who spend their days practicing their phenomenal archery & sword-fighting skills shirtless can certainly seem lovely & entertaining, but at the end of the day I’ll take the man who is sensitive to your PMS-induced mood swings & has a healer standing by to ease your cramps & headache please. :) On that note, how wonderfully lovable was Brigan? Kind + thoughtful + intelligent + devoted to his family & his country = awesome & swoon-worthy.

The only complaint I have about the book is that it was a little too predictable at times, and a couple of the twists seemed a tiny bit too convenient. Still, I would highly recommend it & I definitely look forward to reading both Fire and Graceling again soon.

Jenni – I agree that the concept of the monsters was just as intriguing as the Graces. I found it very interesting to hear about the early years of the crossover character. Fire’s interactions with him were excellent in the way they perfectly illustrated the differences between her sense of ethics & his.

Ouisa – I have to say that I was hugely surprised by how much I genuinely did love Archer despite his glaringly unlikeable behavior at times. I was very happy with Fire’s choices regarding both men, and I did not adore Archer as I did Brigan. But I did really understand & sympathize with Fire’s love for & history with Archer. And I actually found myself stopping at times to marvel at how much Kristin’s carefully crafted story managed tug at my heartstrings when it came to Archer. I bawled my eyes out over that boy on more than one occasion during my first read of Fire.

By: ouisa

ouisa — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:15:02 +0000

Besides Twilight, I vote for the Hunger Games!

By: Becca

Becca — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:54:16 +0000

Oh!! I’ve been wanting to read Fire. I liked Graceling and I’ve heard Fire is even better, so I’m excited.

By: ali

ali — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:44:10 +0000

I call “borrow!”