Fire (YA)

Fire. Kristin Cashore. 2009. Penguin. 480 pages.

Prologue: Larch often thought that if it had not been for his newborn son, he never would have survived his wife Mikra's death. It was half that the infant boy needed a breathing, functioning father who got out of bed in the mornings and slogged through the day; and it was half the child himself.

Chapter one: It did not surprise Fire that the man in the forest shot her. What surprised her was that he shot her by accident.

Fire's father was a monster, and deep-down Fire thinks she may be one too. When the king asks her to use her powers to interrogate prisoners, supposed spies, she questions her "gift" more than ever. But with the kingdom so close to war, with the army in need of intelligence, Fire can't deny that she is needed. That her "gift" could help her country, her kingdom, that her "gift" could save lives. Still Fire is haunted by the mistakes of the past--her father's mistakes--would the country be in such a miserable condition if her father hadn't misused his gift?

Fire is a fantasy--a romance--rich in detail, in world-making. It is a companion novel to Graceling. While I didn't love Fire as much as Graceling, I did enjoy it. I did find it compelling. There's plenty of action and romance.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews