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Fire Date
Kristin Cashore
2009, 461 pages
Fantasy
When an author’s first book is chosen as an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, how does she follow it up? In Kristin Cashore’s case, she writes a companion novel to the one that gained her popularity with young adults.
Her first novel, “Graceling,” combined fantasy and romance in a tale of a strong young woman who is ‘graced’ with superior fighting skills and compelled by the king to use them. In “Fire,” Cashore again creates a female protagonist who does not want to use her special powers, but is forced to do so.
Fire is the last human monster and has the ability to control minds. She lives in the northern Dells, where she feels relatively safe, as many people fear and hate her. Then Prince Brigan shows up to take her to King City, where the royal family needs her help. Fire is torn about using her special powers, as she does not want to become the same depraved monster that her father was, yet the future of the entire kingdom may depend on her ability to uncover those behind the plot to overthrow the king.
Engaging characters, vivid descriptions, fantastic monsters, and a suspenseful plot make this fantasy one to be savored. Readers who enjoy the “Twilight” series may also enjoy Cashore’s two novels.
