Title: Fire
Author: Kristin Cashore
AR Quiz Number: Not Applicable
ATOS Book Level: Not Applicable
Interest Level: Upper Grades (UG 9-12)
AR Points: Not Applicable
Word Count: Unknown
Topic – Subtopic:
Series: Prequel to Graceling (2008)
Description: (From Kristin Cashore’s Blog)
Fire, Graceling’s prequel-ish companion book, takes place across the mountains to the east of the seven kingdoms, in a rocky, war-torn land called the Dells.
Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored– fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green– and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans.
Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story.
Wondering what makes it a companion book/prequel? Fire takes place 30-some years before Graceling and has one cross-over character with Graceling, a small boy with strange two-colored eyes who comes from no-one-knows-where, and who has a peculiar ability that Graceling readers will find familiar and disturbing…
Fire comes out in October 2009 from Dial Books for Young Readers (in the U.S. and Canada) and Gollancz (in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand), and its list of foreign publishers is growing. Please note that the Dial cover shown above (the red one) is the cover for the ARC and may change with the final book.
Librarian’s Review:
Fire is set in a world called the Dells, which is in a state of turmoil and war. I will say that I have NOT yet read Graceling, Cashore’s first novel, so I have no comparison to make in that regard but Graceling is definitely going to be on my “to be read” list. The book begins with a disturbing prologue that tells the story of an evil child which is is very unsettling. We then are introduced to Fire, the namesake of the tale who is half human, half monster. Not an ugly monster, but beautiful because in the Dells monsters are exquisitely beautiful and terrifying creatures. They can enter the minds of others and have power over their thoughts and feelings. Fire is the daughter of a particular terrifying and cruel monster named Cansrel and even though she does not take after his cruel nature, she lives in the wake of his evil legacy.
Because of Fire’s talents of sensing thoughts and feelings she is drawn into the mix of political intrigue and is needed by the royal family, although they fear and distrust her. Fire is in a position of power and has much responsibility and at the same time is going through the pain of trying to figure our her place in the world. She finds herself having a particularly strong connection to Brigan, a warrior who is also a prince in the kingdom, even though she cannot enter his particularly strong mind.She is plagued by sadness, loss, the inability to trust, fear of loving someone and losing them.
There is a lot of interpersonal drama and battles with inner demons in addition to the action of the battles and fights. There is the element of coming into one’s own and finding your place in the world. The relationships are very mature and complex. The world that Cashore builds can be confusing to those who aren’t into the political intrigue and strategies of war but she is very original. Although there are no dragons in the Dells, fans of Eragon and other epic fantasies will enjoy this story. Fans of Tamora Pierce will enjoy the strong female lead.
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