Tagged: seven kingdoms series
Fire by Kristin Cashore
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. Young King Nash clings to the throne, while rebel lords, in the north and south, build armies to unseat him. War is coming. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves.
This is where Fire lives, a girl whose startling appearance is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.
Everyone…except Prince Brigan.
Fire is sort of a prequel to Graceling, but it does not connect the two novels until the end. If you read Fire before reading Graceling, you won’t miss a thing, which is the beauty of Kristin Cashore’s series.
As I said in my review of Graceling, Kristin Cashore has a wonderful way with world-building. Aspiring writers of all types (and some professionally published authors) need to reader her work and take notes on it because her fantasy world sits on a pedestal in YA fiction. The Dells, where the main character Fire lives, is an alien world full of both light and darkness, with strange monsters that are unlike any I’ve seen before. I would read this book for the world-building alone.
But the world-building is certainly not the only reason to read this novel; the character development is right up there. Fire is a strong protagonist in the beginning, yet she still changes for the better by the end of the novel in a wonderful character arc. Her romance with Prince Brigan is unforced and develops slowly, making it all the more authentic. Fire is probably one of my favourite protagonists in the entire YA genre.
The plot of Fire twists and turns, throwing new and unexpected hurdles at the characters. It starts out slow, but the tension slowly ratchets up as Fire’s love for Prince Brigan grows. By the climax, you will be unable to put this book down.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
(Cover picture courtesy of Kristin Cashore’s blog.)
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.
When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.
She never expects to become Po’s friend.
She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away…
Kristin Cashore’s debut novel is a well-written, emotionally resonant, fast-paced and surprisingly addicting masterpiece. Katsa is a strong protagonist who does not just live for romance, as many YA characters do, but falls in love with prince Po by accident. Even when she has to leave Po and go off on her own, she does not fall to pieces like a helpless damsel. Instead, she rises to the challenge and brings down the villain.
Graceling is set in a well-developed world of enchanting beauty and petrifying horror. It is full of light and dark and characters like Katsa, Po, Raffin, Leck and Bitterblue reflect this balance very well. They have realistic motivations and are three-dimensional, which is more than I can say for many characters in young adult fiction. Not only is the world believable and the characters are three dimensional, the plot is intriguing. Graceling starts out like a typical YA novel, but Kristin Cashore throws in interesting and unexpected plot twists that keep you hooked until the end.
If you’re looking for well-written and very interesting YA novel for slightly older teens, Graceling is certainly the book for you.
I give this book 5/5 stars.