Review: Fire

Fire (Graceling Realm #2) by Kristin Cashore
Release Date ~ October 5, 2009
Dial ~ Penguin
ISBN13:  9780803734616
Hardcover personally purchased
Goodreads Synopsis:
She is the last of her kind...

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.

Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don’t need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.
After finishing Graceling, I immediatley jumped into Fire although I was curious to see how I would find it; I knew it was a companion novel and thus doesn't direclty deal with the same characters and events in Graeling, but I was optimistic that Kristin Cashore could lure me in to this new story!

Thankfully, I wasn't wrong about that- and I don't think I could pick a favourite out of Fire or Graceling. I adored them both, but for very different reasons :) But Fire clearly establishes Kristin as an author to be watched and one of the best found in modern YA.

1. A book that stands all on its own:
   Fire doesn't rely on anything from Graceling to make it a great book; it easily stands all on its own as a new favourite, with diverse & fascinating characters and an equally intriguing storyline. Moreover, I was impressed that Fire stood out as a completely separate story from Graceling. I was wary that the storylines and characters would be eerily similar to those found in Graceling and was pleased when I discovered that they weren't! There is one thread that remains familiar between the two, but ultimately the pair give us a fuller sense of the world Fire and Katsa live in. And even the Dells is such a different world from the one encountered in Seven Kingdoms.
2. But it keeps the good elements of Graceling:
   Books like this can also turn out another way, when they strike gold once and then try so hard to be different in the second book that they completely miss what made them so enjoyable in the first place. This isn't the case with Fire. You still have contemporary issues being discussed in a fantasy world, plenty of action, romance, and an high stakes. ALSO: I need to add here that I'm a HUGE fan of natural, slow-building, gradual romances. I found that (and loved it) in Graceling and Fire has that as well, so that's a HUGE win in my books! :)
   
3. A focus on relationships:
   Fire features a large number of extraordinarly complex and interwoven relationships, something that I found particularly interesting to read about and seems to be a partial focus of the story. It's fascinating seeing how these characters interact with one another and how they react differently towards others, and it's these relationships that truly set the stage for the rest of the novel. It's truly a remarkable feat to capture such realistic portrayals of relationships and interactions between people in writing.
4. Fire & Brigan are NOT Katsa & Po:
   It's understandable that a comparison between these four would be made, but I was relieved to find out that they are completely different types of people with rather opposite personalities. Marriage makes Katsa nervous and she's more focused on her actions and what she can actively accomplish; Fire desires commitment and a family more than anything, but she fears it as well and puts a lot of time into thinking things through. Similarily, Po and Brigan are different types of men as well.

But there are a couple of similarities: Katsa and Fire are both unique, and fear this uniqueness they hold more than anything. Po and Brigan show their love by being supportive and encouraging rather than trying to control.

Kristin Cashore's books are so rich in detail and familiarities that it's hard to believe aren't real, and that this is a fantasy world. But the issues she raises (love, relationships, sex, female empowerment, etc.) aren't foreign to us and I think this is where their true impact lies.

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Audiobook Review: Graceling

Graceling (Graceling Realm #1) by Kristin Cashore
Release Date ~ October 1, 2008 (Audio ~ June 1, 2009)
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Audio ~ Full Cast Audio)
ISBN13: 9780152063962
Audiobook purchased from Audible

Goodreads Synopsis:
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.

Fantasy books were my first love when it came to reading, and I grew up on stories bursting with mythology, knights, and princesses (my favourites were those that had characters who could be both a knight AND a princess). Nothing gets my heart pounding and the pages turning like a magical, adventurous fantasy novel!

I first heard of Graceling immediately after reading The Hunger Games a few years ago - I kept getting recommendations for it, but for whatever reason I didn't pick it up until recently. Waiting to read this book until now was one of the biggest mistakes in my reading history! I'm convinced that Kristin Cashore is a genius and this book is proof of that.

1. A richly developed fantasy world:
   This is a must for good fantasy books; I need to buy into the magical world and the best ones have a well-established world with its own rules and norms, but with enough similarities that we can relate to them. Plus, I like books that include MAPS of the fantasy worlds. That's pretty legit for me. And the names of places, things and people should be vaguely familiar but not so overdone that they come off as silly and fake. Graceling easily avoids any and all of these issues and stands as one of a few YA fantasy books that works so well!
2. Familiar problems & issues:
   I don't think it's much of a secret that Graceling delves into some questions regarding the role of women within a society and the obstacles in their way as equal members of society. What may be surprising, however, is how WELL Kristin deals with this and successfully weaves it into the story. I wouldn't call it subtle, but it is oh-so poignant. Katsa is a bit of an anomoly in her world, where women are often mistreated and lack the means to protect themselves; but as she slowly begins to recognize how problematic this is and ultimately questions if she can do anything about it. It's striking, and resonates so well because of how familiar it is to us.
3. Katsa & Po's friendship:
   I love Katsa, and I love Po! Even separately, they were fantastic characters that I found amusing and amiable. But it's the way that they played off each other and slowly grew closer together that truly sold me on them as characters and their role in the story. Here's a couple you can't help but root for the whole way through; and most of all, I loved seeing a respectful male lead who wants to encourage the heroine and do everything he can to help her in the way she needs and respect her decisions.

So, I've now joined the ranks of Graceling/Kristin Cashore fans. I'm KICKING myself for waiting this long to have read it, and I've moved on to Fire already :) Graceling is a thought-provoking and addictive read, one that will leaving you craving more. I could honestly say so much more about this one, but I'm going to save it for a spoiler-filled review, coming soon :) Perfect read for anyone looking for a heartbreaking, emotionally touching, thought provoking read.

This one has a well-deserved new space on my favourites shelf; and I can't wait to finish off Fire and then get started on Bitterblue (as soon as I manage to get my hands on a copy)!

Thoughts on the audio:
A few people had told me that I must listen to Graceling on audio because it was good- and they were right (again. Clearly I have awesome people recommending books to me). This would actually be a perfect book to introduce a new listener to audiobooks because it's Full Cast, although you'll also be spoiled by it for other books. Full Cast is fantastic because it's such a great quality; there are multiple narrators, all of whom are excellent. Plus there's a little bit of background music at times that helps create a good atmosphere for listening to the story. Hands down, the best, most addictive audio book I've ever listened to. WELL worth the cost of buying it!

If you're new to audiobooks, or just haven't given this one a try yet then I HIGHLY recommend that you pick it up. Like now. Plus the audiobook is under $10 to download from Audible if you're a member!

Yes, I know the trailer isn't exactly up to par with newer ones. But keep in mind this one's from 2008!



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