This is not the type of book where you need to read the first book in the series (Graceling) to get a lot out of the story, even though the first one was what caught my attention and brought me to Fire. Based on the land on the other side of the mountains, a land full of beautiful monsters and kingdom that is trying to fight off rebel armies Fire is an interesting book that includes romance, adventure, medieval politics and tragedy. The idea of the monsters in the land being beautiful and enchanting was very unique, seeing as that is not what we picture when we think monster. In a way, the beauty of the Fire in the book brings out the monsters in normal people – a concept I haven’t read about before. The pain that Fire experiences throughout the story after certain events was something I enjoyed, making the story seem more rocky even if you know it will end happy (I would call it more of a ‘bittersweet’ ending though.) Even for escape fiction Cashore’s writing did include realistic things of that time, and what a girl of Fire’s age had to deal with. I recommend this book, well actually this author Check out my blog! http://insubstanial.blogspot.ca/

I LOVED this book. It's very unusual when I cry because of a book, and I've read a lot of them. Especially heart wrenching romancey ones like Fire. But for some reason this book really touched me. Beautiful! So looking forward to Bittersweet.

A great prequel to Graceling. Although the characters may be different, Cashore's writing is still identifiable. I absolutely adored this book and there were many moments of gasps and high blood pressure. Fire is unique and may not be so orthodox. I think this is exactly what was needed to draw the readers in. GREAT READ. :)

I have found another great author to look forward to. Storyline is excellent with a great cast of characters

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. Reasons to Read: 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.

I was very hesitant to read this after Graceling because that was just an amazing book. Fire just didn't seem interesting to me and the plot sounded weird. I eventually did pick it up and I regret not doing so earlier. I love Fire, more than even Graceling. The books are quite different. Whereas Graceling has a lot of action Fire is more character driven. Of course, this is not for everyone. I personally found Fire more relatable and had a more mature tone to it. This is not a book for people who enjoy lots of action but I'd still recommend it because I find it wonderfully written.

I was very hesitant to read this after Graceling because that was just an amazing book. Fire just didn't seem interesting to me and the plot sounded weird. I eventually did pick it up and I regret not doing so earlier. I love Fire, more than even Graceling. The books are quite different. Whereas Graceling has a lot of action Fire is more character driven. Of course, this is not for everyone. I personally found Fire more relatable and had a more mature tone to it. This is not a book for people who enjoy lots of action but I'd still recommend it because I find it wonderfully written.

Okay, so lets cut to the chase... Plot? Excellant Characters? Excellent Romance? Amazing but kinda messed up Okay, this book gets annoying because of the repetition of her "monthly bleedings" Puh-lease!! after one cycle we dont need another one, and, one guy has a new girl in his bead every night, and gets two (or was it three?) girls pregnant. then he gets himself killed -.- I LOVED THE BOOK JUST GOT ABIT ANNOYED, THATS ALL!!!

Even though I liked Graceling better, this book was very interesting. The one thing I found weird was that they talked about her 'monthly bleedings' a bit too much. Things in Graceling made sense after reading this. Like why King Leck had an eye patch. Overall it was good. A sad book (kinda) but good :)

“Fire” by Kristin Cashore is a companion novel to “The Graceling”; they are loosely connected, with “Fire” occurring before “The Graceling”. Fire has red hair with streaks of gold and pink in it. She is a monster who can control and read people’s minds; she also has the ability to talk to people’s minds. Strikingly beautiful, she is almost impossible to resist and as a result she must live a life of solitude; people who see her have a great desire to possess her. Only the strong minded have the ability to control themselves around her. Even though she is a monster she is human and has all the emotions and needs of a human. Raised by a cruel monster father, who she has to destroy, and live with the scarring effects of that event, this seventeen year old girl has lived a long cruel life in such a short time. She is intimate with Archer who is her friend and lover, but not the soul mate Fire needs or wants. The casual relationships in this book and the anti-marriage attitude is a bit hard to digest, definitely not a way to build a strong society. Also the fact that Archer being Fire’s first lover and considerably older than her is disturbing. Fire’s abilities are needed to help the royal family uncover a plot against the king. Fire travels far from home to help the king, but she has a hard time using her powers and faces many difficult challenges. She does find true love and loses loved ones along the way. I found many things difficult in this book. The story of the monsters and where they came from and how they came about goes no where, we are told nothing about their origins and why Fire is supposedly the last surviving one. Archer who is intimate with Fire and supposedly her lover is also intimate with any other willing lady; he is not a good role model for the young adult audience that this book is intended for. He fathers two children and basically leaves them to fend for themselves and his disregard for Fire is horrific. Fire’s having her cycle and having to be guarded does not add anything to the story and just seems weird. The story tends to lag and bounces around and I found the people from the different kingdoms to be confusing. I never bonded with anyone and actually did not even care much for Fire. The love story between Fire and Brigan does not have much substance and therefore it is hard to tell why they really do fall in love. I found this a difficult and long read, I would not recommend this book to “Graceling” fans; the two stories are not connected and one could definitely live without reading this book.