Fire By Kristin Cashore

"Fire, Graceling's prequel-ish companion book, takes place across the mountains to the east of the seven kingdoms, in a rocky, war-torn land called the Dells.

Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans.

Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story." -From GoodReads.com

Overall: 5/5

My expectations for this book weren't particularly high. I wasn't overly impressed with Cashore's first book, Graceling, and expected this one to be much the same. But excitement about it's release among other respected YA bloggers caught on, and I found myself with this book in my hands.

And I'm so glad I did. I loved this book! It was fun, fast-paced, and highly entertaining. The characters stole my breath away and I'm simply stunned with the completely original and interesting world that Cashore has managed to create within these pages. I stayed up way late into the night reading this one.

The only complaint that I have about this book is that the plot seemed almost too busy at points. There were a couple different key villains with different motives and intentions, and sometimes it was a struggle to keep them straight.

Still, it was an excellently told story that has completely renewed my faith in Kristin Cashore. I look forward to her next one.

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 4/5

Writing: 4/5

Ending: 5/5

Cover: 4/5