And Fire’s skills as a human monster are the most powerful and dangerous of them all, for she can read and change the minds of people around her, making them act against their own volition, should she desire it. The animal monsters are drawn to her, threatening to rip her apart should her head scarf slip and a strand of brilliant hair fall out of place, and they are always looming outside her rooms when her monthly courses strike and they are drawn to the scent of her monster blood. Fire’s unparalleled beauty is also her curse, for all those who look on her – human or animal alike – long to possess her, to woo her, to love her, to kill her. These monsters are so impossibly beautiful, in fact, that humans around them are completely without logic the monsters have the ability to dazzle, confound, and even control the minds of their prey.įire, named for her shimmering mane of hair, is the last of her kind she is a human monster, and therefore the most dangerous of them all.

It is a land of monsters – creatures in the same shape as normal animals, but in vibrant, impossible colors, and of breathtaking beauty. But the Dells have magic of their own in abundance. There are no gracelings here, no gifted youngsters whose singular skills are betrayed by their mismatched eyes. Rather, Fire‘s tale is set in a different realm altogether, called the Dells. When I started reading Fire, I was a bit confused – the story does not take place in the world of the Seven Kingdoms, home of Katsa and Po of Graceling.

But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.

You don’t need to have read Graceling to love Fire. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.Įxquisitely 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. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. 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. In fact, Fire was one of my most highly anticipated reads of this fall! Cashore’s debut novel and the first book of this planned trilogy, Graceling. Stand alone or series: Fire is the prequel/companion novel to Graceling, but can be read as a stand alone novel (as Graceling also can be read as a stand alone). Publication Date: October 2009 (US) / September 2009 (UK)

Fire by Kristin Cashore