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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
”it was courage and strength, and something else too, as if he were standing with her, as if he'd taken her within himself, letting her rest her entire body for a moment on his backbone, her mind in his mind, her heart in the fire of his.”
i am incapable of expressing with words how much i love this book, and this series. i'm not sure i can snap out of the dreamy state this book has put me in, despite knowing that i have piles of working awaiting me. i audibly gushed over the characters every five pages, and at one point even gushed to my mom about them. i love fire and brigan beyond words. ugh, i wish i could have lived here forever.
p.s.
brigan has shot up to the very top of my book boyfriends list in a matter of 460 pages.
✦ 5 stars
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like this was a much better book than Graceling - better character development, better written, and far fewer plot holes - but I personally didn't like the story as much. I don't love reading about war and political intrigue. I much prefer when the scope is smaller and the stakes are more personal.
That said, Fire was an amazing protagonist. I found her so much more interesting than Kat, and I really enjoyed her journey and growth.
I could have done without the
The second book in the series was far from disappointing. Even though the book was separate from the previous story the characters were just as enthralling and exciting to behold. I wasn’t so gung-ho about the heroine this time but I did end up liking her overall and the hero – woah! My only complaint is that there seemed to be so many breaks overtime which I understand were needed for the storyline but still made everything a little choppy. I am more than excited to dive into the third book!
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Once again Kristin Cashore has crafted an engrossing story featuring a strong heroine. Fire takes place in the same world as Graceling and is about, Fire, a beautiful human monster with the ability to read people's minds and influence their actions. The story involves an element of romance, lots of political plotting and well-developed three-dimensional characters. It's a great read-a-like for fans of the Twilight saga, as well as, fans of the Hunger Games series. My only complaint in the inclusion of a graceling in a couple of chapters of the book. The graceling is introduced at the beginning of the book as someone significant only to disappear until the final chapters of the book were he plays a role, but one which isn't necessarily vital as it could have been performed by just about anyone else. The only reason I could see his appearance being important is if she intends to continue writing books which take place in this world and wanted to connect the land of the gracelings to the land of monsters in some way for some unknown future person. If so, I look forward to reading the next installment in the series, if not, then the book should have been written without him.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I loved this book, and really like fire's character development.
2.5/5 stars!
Oh dear this book was very disappointing. It had such a strong start then I felt it lost the plot (literally) from the middle till the end. Graceling the first book in the series fell flat for me also. I really didn’t like the writing style and the plot just fell flat for me. I also wasn’t that keen on the characters. But someone recommended Fire to me because I didn’t realise each book in the Graceling Realms series are different stories in the same world. It included enemies to lovers romance, rich fantasy and didn’t fall to the normal YA formula.
Fire started off really strong for me. I actually was enjoying Kristins writing style where I felt in the first book it hindered the reading experience for me as I felt I couldn’t completely dive into the story. I couldn’t escape into the world of Graceling. But I felt I could in the first half and then something went wrong. I’m not sure where but I was started to struggling following everything. I do think it falls to the telling not showing writing style. Nothing feels very present you feel like your not experiencing everything first hand which makes it hard to really let the plot and world take you. Some of it is a bit cringe reminds me a little bit of Shatter Me that almost poetic inner dialogue. (I mean poetic loosely and I loved Shatter Me just fyi.)
I actually really liked Fire to begin with (the main character)I was a bit worried how she was the one of the most beautiful women in the realm she could control people with her mind and make everyone fall instantly in love with her like a spell. But that was going to be made into some sort of struggle. Oh poor me I’m so beautiful, type of struggle. Which is isn’t completely I guess. Even though throughout the book people just throwing themselves at you almost killing you is a bit of a challenge. And Fire never truly felt like people loved her for her or if they were just under her spell. She annoyed me during the end as I felt she just became a complete push over. I really wish her character had a literal inner fire. Like how can you be named Fire have glowing red hair and be the most meekish person imaginable?
Don’t get me started on Archer…this part of the review is going to contain some minor spoilers but I feel I cannot express myself in why this book is 2/5 stars just one of those stars is taken away because of Archer. This man is abusive through and through. I’m not sure how the author or Fire herself and literally every woman in this book has any sort of love or sympathy for this man. He’s jealous, controlling, verbally abusive, has sex with underage girls!!! UNDERAGE!! Not only does he try to constantly force himself upon Fire when she rejects him and she has made two new friends Clara and the other one Mira, you know what he does? Impregnates both of them. Oh and the other one is Fires personal guard she’s fifteen. 15!!
The whole of Fire and his friendship he’s been obsessively in love with her and he’s done this her whole life. Slept with all of her friends all of the staff and broken their hearts every time. He has a similar spell to Fire (I think??) that makes him be desirable to all women. So they fall in love with him (lose weight, stop eating, feel depressed) and his excuse is that he does this it because Fire won’t marry him. When Fire finds out that he’s impregnated her two only friends she doesn’t even get angry. He says he’s going to leave and she begs him to stay??!! I would be respectfully kicking his bum. He never really truly gets what is coming to him. Something happens and it drags through all the end of the book moping about Archer. Like Archer was the main character or something? Like he wasn’t really the true villain this whole time!??
I think when he impregnated her two friends (one who is underage) I lost the plot with this book really. Every character became slowly unlikeable. I almost felt like the author wanted Fire to be punished. There’s another spoiler as well (sorry!) that her love interest (who I say is loosely a love interest I felt no chemistry between them and they barely even have any sort of romantic/sexual tense moment ever in this book) he has a secret love child. She finds this out after Archers busy work with her friends she cries because Fire can’t have any children so Archer could never get her pregnant. So her love interest has a child her two friends both pregnant with her best friend I mean what else?! Kristen really wanted Fire to suffer. And did Fire make any noise of this apart from have a cry? No. I felt Fire was so devoid of any emotion sometimes. She cries yes but anger? Resentment? I don’t feel it. Oh and I forgot that. Brigan the love interest says Fire his sister. After they have professed their love (sort of) like???
Safe to say I won’t be carrying on with this series. It’s a shame because the start was so strong I was so intrigued with what was going to happen next. But every character got on my tits and the plot just lost it. I’m still confused about who was related to who in the end.
Oh dear this book was very disappointing. It had such a strong start then I felt it lost the plot (literally) from the middle till the end. Graceling the first book in the series fell flat for me also. I really didn’t like the writing style and the plot just fell flat for me. I also wasn’t that keen on the characters. But someone recommended Fire to me because I didn’t realise each book in the Graceling Realms series are different stories in the same world. It included enemies to lovers romance, rich fantasy and didn’t fall to the normal YA formula.
Fire started off really strong for me. I actually was enjoying Kristins writing style where I felt in the first book it hindered the reading experience for me as I felt I couldn’t completely dive into the story. I couldn’t escape into the world of Graceling. But I felt I could in the first half and then something went wrong. I’m not sure where but I was started to struggling following everything. I do think it falls to the telling not showing writing style. Nothing feels very present you feel like your not experiencing everything first hand which makes it hard to really let the plot and world take you. Some of it is a bit cringe reminds me a little bit of Shatter Me that almost poetic inner dialogue. (I mean poetic loosely and I loved Shatter Me just fyi.)
I actually really liked Fire to begin with (the main character)I was a bit worried how she was the one of the most beautiful women in the realm she could control people with her mind and make everyone fall instantly in love with her like a spell. But that was going to be made into some sort of struggle. Oh poor me I’m so beautiful, type of struggle. Which is isn’t completely I guess. Even though throughout the book people just throwing themselves at you almost killing you is a bit of a challenge. And Fire never truly felt like people loved her for her or if they were just under her spell. She annoyed me during the end as I felt she just became a complete push over. I really wish her character had a literal inner fire. Like how can you be named Fire have glowing red hair and be the most meekish person imaginable?
Don’t get me started on Archer…this part of the review is going to contain some minor spoilers but I feel I cannot express myself in why this book is 2/5 stars just one of those stars is taken away because of Archer. This man is abusive through and through. I’m not sure how the author or Fire herself and literally every woman in this book has any sort of love or sympathy for this man. He’s jealous, controlling, verbally abusive, has sex with underage girls!!! UNDERAGE!! Not only does he try to constantly force himself upon Fire when she rejects him and she has made two new friends Clara and the other one Mira, you know what he does? Impregnates both of them. Oh and the other one is Fires personal guard she’s fifteen. 15!!
The whole of Fire and his friendship he’s been obsessively in love with her and he’s done this her whole life. Slept with all of her friends all of the staff and broken their hearts every time. He has a similar spell to Fire (I think??) that makes him be desirable to all women. So they fall in love with him (lose weight, stop eating, feel depressed) and his excuse is that he does this it because Fire won’t marry him. When Fire finds out that he’s impregnated her two only friends she doesn’t even get angry. He says he’s going to leave and she begs him to stay??!! I would be respectfully kicking his bum. He never really truly gets what is coming to him. Something happens and it drags through all the end of the book moping about Archer. Like Archer was the main character or something? Like he wasn’t really the true villain this whole time!??
I think when he impregnated her two friends (one who is underage) I lost the plot with this book really. Every character became slowly unlikeable. I almost felt like the author wanted Fire to be punished. There’s another spoiler as well (sorry!) that her love interest (who I say is loosely a love interest I felt no chemistry between them and they barely even have any sort of romantic/sexual tense moment ever in this book) he has a secret love child. She finds this out after Archers busy work with her friends she cries because Fire can’t have any children so Archer could never get her pregnant. So her love interest has a child her two friends both pregnant with her best friend I mean what else?! Kristen really wanted Fire to suffer. And did Fire make any noise of this apart from have a cry? No. I felt Fire was so devoid of any emotion sometimes. She cries yes but anger? Resentment? I don’t feel it. Oh and I forgot that. Brigan the love interest says Fire his sister. After they have professed their love (sort of) like???
Safe to say I won’t be carrying on with this series. It’s a shame because the start was so strong I was so intrigued with what was going to happen next. But every character got on my tits and the plot just lost it. I’m still confused about who was related to who in the end.
Didn't like the main character or the other characters really. There is no main plot that I can see yet. The whole focus on killing colorful animals because they are beasts and want to eat strong magic people, especially if they are menstruating, is really just off putting. The characters just don't seem to have much depth. I just didn't want to keep trying with this.
A bit slow in the beginning - not as fully of action as Graceling, but still a great book.