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Fire 9780575085114 Books

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Fire 9780575085114 Books

3.5 STARS

FIRE was the spectacular companion to the highly praised and wonderfully crafted GRACELING, book one in the Graceling Realm Series.

I fell in love with Graceling a couple years ago when I first started reading YA. I stumbled upon it looking for something with fierce action and bad ass characters. And GRACELING sounded just like the book I was looking for. And it was, it was EPICALLY wonderful in so many ways. But I was still skeptical to read FIRE. I'm not a huge fan of companion novels, for some reason I just have trouble reading them because I miss the original characters set in the same world. But I'm happy to say that was not the case with FIRE.

Set in a different kingdom then GRACELING, and kinda in a different world, but not, (I know that makes no sense, you have to read it to understand what I'm talking about) FIRE quickly set this world on fire with it's political intrigue and fast approaching war. With a stunningly gifted mind reading main character, that can captivate and stupidfy men with just one look, FIRE was a breath of fresh air that did not disappoint!

The main character Fire had a complexity about her that was intriguing and different then my normal characters. I enjoyed her beauty and womanly power to entrance men and control their minds. But with only a limited power to work with, Fire had to use strategy and endurance to complete her missions. But consumed with guilt over her wicked fathers misuse of his mind reading powers, Fire dwelled on the pain and suffering he inflicted on people. She was a strong character, and was blessed to have genuine people who cared about her regardless of the monster inside! She was also handy with a bow, and could hold her own in a fight!

The world-building was fantastic! The Dells is in a different world then Graceling though. The way it's explained in the book is that if you were in the Graceling kingdoms, and fell off a cliff, then you would land yourself in the Dells kingdom. The two realms don't even know the other exist. So that's why it was confusing when I said it was in the same world, yet it's wasn't. But the dells have no gracelings with two different eyes and special powers. But they do have colorful monsters, including the last remaining human-monster Fire. The monsters range from humans monsters, to huge hungry monsters, to little monster bugs. They have mind powers too. I thought that was a different and interesting concept. Plus you add in civil war and tons of political intrigue, with a slow burning romance that's sweet and gentle, with a underlying plot that could tips that tides of war, and your have a pretty amazing book!

One issue I had trouble with was the slow pacing and lack of a smooth flowing plot. The book was fabulous, but the pace of the novel was sometime distressing and hard-enduring. Their wasn't enough action for my taste, and the plot dragged with the slow pace and lack of action. Their was some adventure, but not much of that either, which was another let down. I guess you could say my love for FIRE mainly came from the political intrigue, war thriving, paranormal, and mind-controlling aspects of the novel. Which was enough to win me over, but not entirely!

THE PLOT:

In a remote part of the forest, Fire lives secluded from the rest of the world. She hopes by shielding everyone from her vicious power, that she will be keeping them safe from her mind-control that tends to invade and conquer minds. The same wicked power that her evil father wielded and ruined many innocent lives in the process. But Fire refuses to succumb to her fathers evil ways, and is determined not to become the monster he was. But when civil war threatens the royal family, and all she holds dear, Fire must make a decision that will change not only the kingdom, but herself, and all the promises she's kept threaten to become unraveled...

Seeking answers to recent attacks on their home, Fire and her best friend and "sometime lover" Lord Archer travel to King City, and find that the kingdom is in more turmoil then they once thought. With little hope of winning this war, the royal family seeks Fire's help with besting their two rival enemies before all is lost. But if Fire is to help win this war, she must first sacrifice her morals and become the true monster she's always been terrified of becoming... her father...

FIRE had some flaws but not enough to defer my love for these characters and book. I'm saddened that these characters are done playing they're part in this series, and we won't see them anymore. But hey, it was fun while it lasted. I'm looking forward to reading BITTERBLUE, book three, the last companion novel in this series and seeing how it ties into book one, and what secrets it will reveal! If it's anything like book one or two, then I know it's going to be pretty epic too!

Overall, I had my ups and downs with FIRE, but ultimately enjoyed most of it, and thought it tied nicely into this series with one of the same delicious villains from book one. Even with it's flaws, I was able to push past them and enjoy this book and all the fun political intrigue and devious plotting. So if you enjoy a good fantasy novel with a paranormal twist, and a slow burning romance, then definitely give this series a shot!


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Fire 9780575085114 Books Reviews

People talk about books changing their lives. Maybe they mean Love in the Time of Cholera or Grapes of Wrath or The Handmaid's Tale. Fire is that book for me. I'd never read a character who felt so much of what I felt (special powers aside) and wanted from the world what I wanted. Her fears, strengths, and fragility feel incredibly realistic. The setting is fantastical, but that only highlights the genuine feelings, fears, and struggles of Fire's life. This is my comfort book. I reread sections of it every few months, and probably have completely reread the book half a dozen times. I have it as an eBook and an audiobook, but my paperback copy is still one of the very, very few that I won't loan out. When I want someone else to experience it, I buy a brand new copy and give it to them. My copy stays near me.
An enjoyable adventure, with believable and sympathetic characters. It mixes sword and sorcery with romance but never gets mawkish. Our heroine has empathetic powers and she must use them in a nasty war between her country and a neighboring, power-hungry duke. There's palace intrigue, too, and she must help the not-very-decisive new king cope with ruling a kingdom in crisis. Oh, and she's in love with the king's younger brother, just to complicate things further. She manages, though, and very well at that. Altogether satisfying.
Fire is one of my favorite books and I regularly reread it a few times per year. Special powers and fantasy setting aside, Fire is a character I understand to my core and faces many human struggles despite being a "monster." As others have said, this is my comfort book and I take great solace in the way she meticulously and rationally sloughs through her grief. Even though she faces some of the worst things imaginable, the way she handles that pain is something that reassures me and makes me feel like anything can be overcome. Those who read Graceling may or may not like this installment since it is more of a companion book than a prequel - there is not much in common between the two aside from a single character.
3.5 STARS

FIRE was the spectacular companion to the highly praised and wonderfully crafted GRACELING, book one in the Graceling Realm Series.

I fell in love with Graceling a couple years ago when I first started reading YA. I stumbled upon it looking for something with fierce action and bad ass characters. And GRACELING sounded just like the book I was looking for. And it was, it was EPICALLY wonderful in so many ways. But I was still skeptical to read FIRE. I'm not a huge fan of companion novels, for some reason I just have trouble reading them because I miss the original characters set in the same world. But I'm happy to say that was not the case with FIRE.

Set in a different kingdom then GRACELING, and kinda in a different world, but not, (I know that makes no sense, you have to read it to understand what I'm talking about) FIRE quickly set this world on fire with it's political intrigue and fast approaching war. With a stunningly gifted mind reading main character, that can captivate and stupidfy men with just one look, FIRE was a breath of fresh air that did not disappoint!

The main character Fire had a complexity about her that was intriguing and different then my normal characters. I enjoyed her beauty and womanly power to entrance men and control their minds. But with only a limited power to work with, Fire had to use strategy and endurance to complete her missions. But consumed with guilt over her wicked fathers misuse of his mind reading powers, Fire dwelled on the pain and suffering he inflicted on people. She was a strong character, and was blessed to have genuine people who cared about her regardless of the monster inside! She was also handy with a bow, and could hold her own in a fight!

The world-building was fantastic! The Dells is in a different world then Graceling though. The way it's explained in the book is that if you were in the Graceling kingdoms, and fell off a cliff, then you would land yourself in the Dells kingdom. The two realms don't even know the other exist. So that's why it was confusing when I said it was in the same world, yet it's wasn't. But the dells have no gracelings with two different eyes and special powers. But they do have colorful monsters, including the last remaining human-monster Fire. The monsters range from humans monsters, to huge hungry monsters, to little monster bugs. They have mind powers too. I thought that was a different and interesting concept. Plus you add in civil war and tons of political intrigue, with a slow burning romance that's sweet and gentle, with a underlying plot that could tips that tides of war, and your have a pretty amazing book!

One issue I had trouble with was the slow pacing and lack of a smooth flowing plot. The book was fabulous, but the pace of the novel was sometime distressing and hard-enduring. Their wasn't enough action for my taste, and the plot dragged with the slow pace and lack of action. Their was some adventure, but not much of that either, which was another let down. I guess you could say my love for FIRE mainly came from the political intrigue, war thriving, paranormal, and mind-controlling aspects of the novel. Which was enough to win me over, but not entirely!

THE PLOT

In a remote part of the forest, Fire lives secluded from the rest of the world. She hopes by shielding everyone from her vicious power, that she will be keeping them safe from her mind-control that tends to invade and conquer minds. The same wicked power that her evil father wielded and ruined many innocent lives in the process. But Fire refuses to succumb to her fathers evil ways, and is determined not to become the monster he was. But when civil war threatens the royal family, and all she holds dear, Fire must make a decision that will change not only the kingdom, but herself, and all the promises she's kept threaten to become unraveled...

Seeking answers to recent attacks on their home, Fire and her best friend and "sometime lover" Lord Archer travel to King City, and find that the kingdom is in more turmoil then they once thought. With little hope of winning this war, the royal family seeks Fire's help with besting their two rival enemies before all is lost. But if Fire is to help win this war, she must first sacrifice her morals and become the true monster she's always been terrified of becoming... her father...

FIRE had some flaws but not enough to defer my love for these characters and book. I'm saddened that these characters are done playing they're part in this series, and we won't see them anymore. But hey, it was fun while it lasted. I'm looking forward to reading BITTERBLUE, book three, the last companion novel in this series and seeing how it ties into book one, and what secrets it will reveal! If it's anything like book one or two, then I know it's going to be pretty epic too!

Overall, I had my ups and downs with FIRE, but ultimately enjoyed most of it, and thought it tied nicely into this series with one of the same delicious villains from book one. Even with it's flaws, I was able to push past them and enjoy this book and all the fun political intrigue and devious plotting. So if you enjoy a good fantasy novel with a paranormal twist, and a slow burning romance, then definitely give this series a shot!