Hey, guys! I'm back with two reviews today!
Fire and Bitterblue!
I just got a few new books, so I have to hurry up and write more reviews! Haha!
Have fun!
Basics
Title: Fire
Series: Graceling Realm #2
Series: Graceling Realm #2
Author: Kristin
CashoreRelease date: October 5th 2009
Publisher: Penguin Group
ISBN: 0575085118
Number of pages: 480
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
What's special?
There are monsters of all kind. But not like the scary ones. These
monsters are
beautiful.
beautiful.
Summary
Although Fire is the
second book in the series, it takes place about 40 years before the
events in Graceling. And, far more interesting, it takes place in a
whole different country. In the Dells.
It lays beyond the mountains east to Monsea and is yet to be discovered by the inhabitants of the seven kingdoms.
In the Dells there are no Gracelings, but there are Monsters. Extremely beautiful and gifted with the ability to control others with their minds. From rat monsters to raptor monsters – there's everything.
Even human monsters. Those are the most dangerous.
It lays beyond the mountains east to Monsea and is yet to be discovered by the inhabitants of the seven kingdoms.
In the Dells there are no Gracelings, but there are Monsters. Extremely beautiful and gifted with the ability to control others with their minds. From rat monsters to raptor monsters – there's everything.
Even human monsters. Those are the most dangerous.
Fire is the last one
of them. Her father, Lord Cansrel, used this powers to manipulate the
fromer king. The country descended into chaos.
Now Cansrel and the old king Nax are dead and the king's sons, King Nash and Prince Brigan, hope to restore the balance and to stop the civil war which is about to break out.
You see, just as in Graceling there's a lot of background story!
Fire lives in the north, far away from the king's city, together with her childhood friend and lover Archer and his father.
One day, she has to leave her home by command of the king to use her powers to interrogate prisoners for useful information on the disloyal Lords. Being at the king's court she has not only to deal with the king's love her inhuman beauty caused but also with the cold Prince Brigan who seems to hate her for the crimes her father comitted.
Now Cansrel and the old king Nax are dead and the king's sons, King Nash and Prince Brigan, hope to restore the balance and to stop the civil war which is about to break out.
You see, just as in Graceling there's a lot of background story!
Fire lives in the north, far away from the king's city, together with her childhood friend and lover Archer and his father.
One day, she has to leave her home by command of the king to use her powers to interrogate prisoners for useful information on the disloyal Lords. Being at the king's court she has not only to deal with the king's love her inhuman beauty caused but also with the cold Prince Brigan who seems to hate her for the crimes her father comitted.
My opinion
Fire is a great book
– but not as good as Graceling.
Just as in the first
book the emancipation of the main character is one of the huge plot
points.
But not only the
Fire has character development.
Just look at Brigan,
Nash, Garan and Tess!
I really hated them all at the beginning. Haha!
I really hated them all at the beginning. Haha!
When I first read the summary on amazon, I was doubtful. A girl 'whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of others' sounded preeetty much like a Mary-Sue to me.
Boy, was I proved wrong.
The story has a lot of important moral points about the use of power.
Fire herself does not want her power or her beauty and she would be happy to trade them.
She's terrified that, if she uses her powers, she will become just as her father was.
A true monster.
Learning that not every daughter, not every son is like her or his parents is only one of the lessons the characters teach us.
Even though Fire is just as Katsa a
very independent woman she has some different attitudes. She wants
nothing more than having children but she is aware that there is no
place for human monsters in this world.
Sadly, Fire is a bit whiny and self-centered at some points in the story.
Sadly, Fire is a bit whiny and self-centered at some points in the story.
And a bit too tolerant in my opinion.
She still forgives Archer despite knowing some things which I won't tell because I don't want to spoiler you. But, boy, I really hated him.
Sorry for the language, but he was a possessive, aggressive and pretty rude asshole.
There we go.
She still forgives Archer despite knowing some things which I won't tell because I don't want to spoiler you. But, boy, I really hated him.
Sorry for the language, but he was a possessive, aggressive and pretty rude asshole.
There we go.
In contrast I really loved Brigan. Not
as much as I love Po but he had this roguish charm which I totally
fell for.
It was nice to see him develop from page to page. He has the biggest character development, I assume. And there's no Insta-Love! Hallelujah! The romance starts slow and sweet – just as I like it.
It was nice to see him develop from page to page. He has the biggest character development, I assume. And there's no Insta-Love! Hallelujah! The romance starts slow and sweet – just as I like it.
But I wished there had been more
progress between Fire and Brigan than Fire and Archer (I just
couldn't stand that dude).
What I disliked were the rather shallow climaxes. They was pretty boring.
The most dramatic scenes were when the true parentages of some characters were revealed.
What I disliked were the rather shallow climaxes. They was pretty boring.
The most dramatic scenes were when the true parentages of some characters were revealed.
So the focus was rather on the
character development than on the plot development.
Still, the book is a fun read.
I loved learning about Leck's background though – the prologue was really interesting!
It built up a first convergence between the world of Graceling and the Dells which will be enlarged in Bitterblue.
I'll write a review on it soon – so stay tuned!
Rating
3.5
- 4 out of 5 stars.
I withdrawed the
points because of the weak climaxes but just as I said earlier the
book is still enjoyable!
See you, guys!
Franzi
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