In the wake of the ‘Twilight’ phenomenon, Kristin Cashore introduces ‘Fire,’ a suspenseful romance with a twist of fantasy without the stalking. ‘Fire’ is the prequel to Cashore’s award-winning debut novel, ‘Graceling.’
The book takes place in the mountainous land called the Dells during a 15th century era. Monsters linger in all areas of the Dells. These monsters, however, are not the ones found in closets or under beds. Instead of being repulsive, the monsters are gorgeous creatures with brightly colored hair, fur, scales or feathers and the ability to read and control minds.
The title character and heroine, Fire, is the last human-shaped monster living in a secluded area of the Dells with a few family friends since her father’s death, but war is brewing and her help is needed in the kingdom. Her whol life is spent avoiding the use of her power as anything more than a self defense, she needs to make the decision to help save the kingdom or possibly enjoy her power too much and turn into the monster her father was.
‘Fire’ is filled with secrets, distrust and scandal. Layers of secrets make this book a page turner and everyone in the kingdom and the Dells has some kind of secret. Fire, herself, buries one deep and close to her heart.
These aren’t just any secrets, they are scandals. Cashore knows, just like the tabloids, that scandals sell, and the story is full of infidelity. The deeper the book goes, the juicier the scandal gets. All the while, suspense builds as traitors and spies roam the land, and a mysterious boy with strangely-colored eyes and disturbing powers lingers in the background of the warfare.
No one can be trusted, and the thrill builds as the traitors stories don’t match up, making the feuding lords’ attack unpredictable.
A romance also blooms between the two most unlikely of characters. A classic romance filled with passion and uncertainty forms during the war. Will the lovers get to be together forever or will the war ruin everything? In the sense of ‘Twilight,’ without the desperation, these two are obviously meant to be, but it seems Cashore believes good things take time.
The romance develops slowly, yet at a good pace. The pace of the romance gives the story a gripping quality. The reader just has to keep reading in hopes the two lovers will finally realize their feelings for each other in the next chapter.
Fans and haters of the ‘Twilight’ series both will enjoy this mature prequel. It has the romance that readers love about ‘Twilight’, but besides the fact that Fire can read and control minds, the story stays pretty realistic. Cashore didn’t need vampires to make the love more exciting or the battles more adventurous.
The war alone created both those qualities for ‘Fire’ and Cashore’s talent has made this novel impossible to put down. Cashore has created an amazingly compelling novel, with an unforgettable romance, gripping adventure, more scandal than ever before, and that ounce of fantasy that gives the whole story a little more magic.
Reach review Nina Larson at Nina.S.Larson@usd.edu.
