Fire

Today's post is on 'Fire' by Kristin Cashore and it is a companion to Graceling her first novel. It is 461 pages long. It is published by Dial which is an imprint of Penguin Group Inc. The cover is a lovely red with a bow and arrow on; the lettering are in a gold to stand out from the red but also to hint at the main character. The intended reader is YA. There be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.
This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.
Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.
If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

Review- This is a good next volume in the Graceling series. I know that it says a companion to Graceling but I think it is more of a prequel to Graceling. I think that because Cashore gives the reader the needed information about the world so you could read this one first then Graceling then Bitterblue. I enjoyed the differences in this book from Graceling like in the Dells people are not born Gracelings. That means that everyone who is not a monster is just a normal person. Monsters are not Gracelings. How people know a Graceling is that they have two different colored eyes but Monsters look very different from others. Like there is a monster kitten and he is green with gold stripes. Fire is very beautiful, so beautiful in fact, that people can and do lose control of themselves around her. There is some sexuality in this book but unlike the other books I do not have a problem with it in this one. It maybe because Fire is more self-aware than either Bitterblue or Katsa. She is very honest with herself and the world around her. The villain in both Graceling and Bitterblue is Leck, which is impressive because Leck is dead in Bitterblue and he does not come back from the grave, and the reader gets to see him as a child who is already a monster. Fire is not the real monster in this book, Leck is. Because Fire is not trying to harm people, she just wants to help or be left alone. Leck enjoys causing pain, it is an interesting part of the book when they are interacting. If you have not read this series I would start with Fire then Graceling then Bitterblue.

I give this one Four stars out of Five. I get nothing from my review and I borrowed this book from my library.