A review by nytephoenyx
Fire by Kristin Cashore

adventurous dark tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

The thing that frustrates me the most about Fire is that it’s a companion novel in the Graceling Realm and I want more story in the Dells. What a beautiful, terrifying world we have here, and I absolutely delighted in it. The Dells are dangerous and beguiling. Cashore tells the story in such a way it’s easy to be invested in all the various characters, their pursuits, and the welfare of the greater world. And our villain. There’s so much to say here folks so I’ll try to compress all my somersaulting thoughts into a few concise paragraphs.

First, the characters. Cashore does something curious here and introduces us to Leck long before we meet Fire, the primary protagonist. Through our villain, we learn about the world, and we learn about the terrible things even a child can do when given unlimited power and no moral guidance. After spending time with this villain, Fire is a relief. Her genetics make her a “monster” – equally hated and loved and always a victim to the extreme passions of others. Her personality makes her a heroine. Her perseverance makes her admirable. She’s great character to follow. In many ways, I found Fire reminiscent of Alanna from Tamora Pierce’s Lioness quartet, and that made me love her all the more.

The complexity of Fire’s emotions, motivations, and desires marks her among the most interesting characters one could have in a book. I particularly loved her internal struggle, which are subtle and important to her, but never take away from the main focus of the story: the war coming to the Dells. Both Fire’s aunt-like relationship to the young Princess Hanna and her unexpected kinship with Prince Brigan were nice to read and surprised me by ultimately forwarding the plot. Cashore always delivers in her characters. Fire is bisexual, but that doesn’t define her. The normativeness of sexual identity (outside of Fire’s father’s homophobia) was nice. It’s nice to have a fantasy world where prejudice does not perfect mirror our own. I’d also put Fire on the ace spectrum, but that is pure speculation.

Cashore uses color vibrantly to describe the Dells, and so as I read I felt the bright world unfurl around me. She’s good at shifting subtlely between senses to talk about how one place smells vs. another and shades the weather plays on a scene. It never feels flowery, and it never feels forced. Fire was a pleasure to read, and Cashore’s writing style and imagination both a gift.

I absolutely loved Fire and I know I’ll read it again, so it’s going on my list to add to my personal library. I’m so looking forward to Bitterblueeven though I know it won’t involve Fire and the Dells. Any peek into the Graceling Realm is a treasure. You don’t need to have read Graceling to enjoy Fire, so if you’re looking at a taste of Cashore’s writing and her fantasy worlds, this is the book you want. I will warn you – a simple taste won’t be enough.

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