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. (GoodReads).
Originality: 8. This monster stuff is cool. I like the neon color of the monsters (which can be anything from tigers to humans to mice) and how they were irresistible to humans but also wanted to eat each other more than anything else.
Absurdity: 7. The politics in this story are super intense and I rolled my eyes at least once and thought "gah, fantasy books, why must you build such insane political allegiances." And do not get my started on the uber-insane web of family reveals. There were literally 3+ bombs about who was whose parent and who killed their respective parent/child.
Level of Paranormal Romance: 10. Fire is desperately attractive to everyone she meets, which inspires constant feelings. And all the main characters are attractive men. Apparently no ugly people are allowed to be princes, although I personally loved her best friend and non-prince named Archer best. Overall I was pleased with how the romance played out, and found the relationships moving.
Level of Harry-Potterness: 8. I did not know it before, but I am a fan of companion novels. Rather than falling into doldrums, this story expanded the world of Graceling (and made me fear the first book's bad guy even more--boy is he scary) and makes me want to know if/how these two places will combine in Bitterblue. The writing here is also often moving, and I might just have to read this book again, Harry Potter style!
(My only complaint is if you are a character in a fantasy book being guarded for your safety, can you PLEASE stop sneaking out at night for introspective paragraphs? SHEESH.)
I haven't gotten to this series yet, but I've heard good things about it!
ReplyDeleteI loved Fire, too, and totally agree about the companion novels. I loved Graceling and was a bit disappointed to learn that Fire took place in a totally different kingdom, but the characters were so compelling that I got over it pretty quickly. You should definitely look forward to reading Bitterblue - I thought it was the best of the three.
ReplyDeleteFire is my FAVORITE book!!! Such a great story, character, everything! I was not as impressed with Bitterblue, but it's fantastic how both Graceling and Fire combine in it in this really unique way.
ReplyDeleteFire is my favorite too! I know some people think she's too child obsessed, but I like that because it appeals to the A in my YA readingness. Plus it's all so visual. And complicated. Bitterblue was good too (how could it not be?), but Fire wins for me.
ReplyDeleteI did like that it was complicated, but I can absolutely see why people would comment on Fire's obsession about babies as a 17-year-old with a lot of her plate. I was thinking though, that Fire is focused on babies and Katsa in Graceling is focused on her sexuality/not falling in love and having a family. Maybe there is a comment hidden in this pair? Interesting....
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