Fire by Kristin Cashore

She is the last of her kind...

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. 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. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.

Exquisitely 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. You don't need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven't, you'll be dying to read it next.

Okay, all I can say is that I love Kristin Cashore. This series is likely my favourite series of the year. When I got a chance to read an advanced reading copy of Fire I jumped at the chance. I have it pre-ordered, too. I think everyone needs to read this series. I originally read Graceling through the library, but I have since bought a copy. Anyway, this is another wonderful buddy review with the wonderful Heather. I asked the questions and they are pretty basic, but since you have to wait a bit longer until the book comes out... it should be enough to add to your anticipation, but at the same time not give too much away.

Which book did you like better? Are you looking forward to book three?
Such an easy question, but such a hard answer. I really liked both books. While they are part of a series, they are actually not direct sequels. Fire is the prequel, but far enough back that it is more like companion books. If I had to choose a favourite, I would have to go with Graceling, I suppose. I loved it from the very first page, but Fire took me a few pages to get caught up in it. It probably wasn't the books fault, though, it was more worry that Fire wouldn't live up to Graceling and I really wanted it to. So, really, I liked both books about the same. I think it was a lot about the story. I loved the characters and the events that were played out. Everything was believable and exactly what I needed to keep turning the page. I didn't really find she suffered from being a new writer. She is pretty seasoned and reminds me a lot of Maria Snyder, who we all know I love! (Right?) Am I looking forward to book three? OF COURSE! It's forever away, though, (next year) and I want it now!

Which was the better heroine, in your opinion, Katsa or Fire?
In the beginning, I would have to say Katsa. She is such a badass and powerful female character that I cannot help loving. You see her skills from the very first and I really appreciated that Cashore was writing such an empowering character in a period where apparently main characters can be weak and spineless and still be loved beyond belief. I like a character that is human, but at the same time reaches for her potential. She doesn't settle for the hand that is dealt to her, but tries to rise above it. She can also like a guy without becoming insanely obsessed over him. That drives me crazy when the romance gets to be everything. Anyway, Fire was also very awesome, but I had to get used to her at first. Cashore is really good at writing her female leads. If I was a teenager reading them I would want to be like both of them. Actually, as an adult I want to be like both of them, so you can see the potential. Both women rock. That's all I can say.

What about the guy? Did you like Po better or Brigan?
You know, these questions are not very easy. So far I have pretty much just said both. When I was reading this question, though, Po jumped into my mind automatically. I think I feel like I know Po better. Cashore spent more time on him and we saw what things were like for him. I really felt for him. That being said... If I had a literary crush (which I rarely admit to), I think I would pick Brigan. Weird, huh? There was just something about Brigan that really appealed to me. Po was a better developed character and I really liked him, but still, I will have to go for Brigan. Regardless, both of them are younger than me, so not really plausible in the real world (for me, anyway). But, that is not really the question, is it? I really liked both of them. They both brought a lot to the story and I think both books would have lacked if they were not included. I liked a lot of the other secondary characters, too, though. It was just a really readable cast of characters.

Fire will be released on October 5th. Buy it!