Fire

"This wasn't great. It felt as if nothing really happened and like Cashore was just copying Graceling. I kept think about how much more interesting it would have been with literally any other character as the lead. Fire was never really doing anything but napping in the stables and thinking... She did have a really cute relationship with her horse but her defining characteristic was always being on her period. She wasn't actually but they only seemed to do anything when she was. The whole book read like a bad novela where everyone is sleeping with everyone and the "biggest" reveals are who fathered who. The book constantly talked about contraceptive but no one ever used it. And while I love the idea of casual sex and friends (no one really liked or got to know each other in this book) with benefits I couldn't stand that most of the relationships in this were between older men and minors. Kinda just wished I skipped the book :/"

"Pain, agony even "

"2nd book in Graceling"

"The Graceling series has made me realize the importance of relatable characters. Fire's character brought me pure joy. She was so easy to identify with, I became wrapped up in the vines of the story unable to pull free. Fire's night-time walks, the love for a horrible father, even the nightmare of one day becoming like him had my eyes brimming with tears. Somethings are hard to express and when you watch a character grow and experience such familiar emotions, well it makes me not feel so alone.<br/><br/>Frankly I cannot stop expressing my gratitude for this author and her respect for her readers. Let me explain, Cashore doesn't tell you constantly Fire is in love with him, Fire has never met his like, Fire can look at no other. Cashore gives you glimpses and emotions so you can decide for yourself. It is immensely refreshing. Again this makes the story unique to everyone. You look at a sentence, a gesture, a glance has you making your own assumptions and I'm not going to shut up about it. Take notes people.<br/><br/>This author also has a way of making you feel deeply for all of her characters. I could sense the anger and passion like a searing heat. It literally made me want to reread passages immediately just to relive the experience. Such complex characters I can't stop the boasting. After reading Graceling and choosing to start book two with new characters I told myself 'Katsa can not be outdone'. She was too great and wonderfully badass. Fire is just as brilliant and real to me it hurts. Now I'm contemplating everything. 'Book three and four can not be this good' I tell myself and I can't wait to be proven wrong.<br/><br/>In the article of Cashore's world building the author claims that she gets frustrated writing. Of course there is no news there but the brilliant thing is that she is writing to escape the real world but the world she writes is flawed as she is flawed which in a beautiful way makes her world even more real. Cashore, as we all do, wishes she could do things differently but honestly her writing made it difficult to see any blemishes I was so immersed in her world. So to me Cashore's words were law whether they were flawed or not.<br/><br/>Being in the Dells was like a world within a world. They had different cultures and beliefs than their western neighbors. The Gracelings were presented in a whole new light as well like the animals bright and monstrously beautiful. All of this, though now, seems like an obvious inclusion but when I first open the book I was shockingly intrigued. Of course separation can cause these anomalies. I just didn't think about it until Cashore presented the notion to me. The world building if you haven't figured it out already *kissing sound* magnifica.<br/><br/>Even with the authors consistently structured writing it was still it's hard to pin point where anything would go next. Normally, and I keep comparing the romance which is in the backdrop, when boy and girl meet something automatically keeps them together constantly. But Fire and this man go to different corners or the map almost the next day after their interlude. What I'm saying here is nothing was normal except it was. The complications and the romance and everything else took its time and felt tangible.<br/><br/>Again I have to swing around back to my girl Fire. It was so humbling to see Fire's composure break. She tried to stay strong and beautiful for everyone even if she didn't feel it and it wore her down. Still they loved her no matter what and I realized I loved her as well. So once again I will be throwing these books at people in hopes someone will read it and then will come the relentless discussions about it haha.<br/><br/>"It's hard to wake from a nightmare when the nightmare is real."<br/><br/>"It always struck Fire, the physical affection between these siblings, who as often as not were at each other's throats over one thing or another. She liked the way the four of them shifted and changed shape, bumping and clanging against one another, sharpening each other's edges and then smoothing them down again, and somehow always finding the way to fit together."<br/><br/><br/>Music playlist:<br/><br/>Our Nature by Valentin Boomes"

"The best female protagonist I've seen in a long time. Strong without it being too forced, and she was allowed to be feminine without it having an impact on her strength, and her personality didn't immediately change for a man. It had natural character development and growth. This book felt like the epitome of the phrase 'not all men, but always a man'. The love interest was a great character, but most of the men in here had me raging. That said, I couldn't stop reading, the storyline was just too investing and well written. The only other downside would be that the main character is about 17 and that makes the unwelcome attention she receives from men all the more irksome. Not to mention there's a 15 year old girl who was impregnated and that definitely felt very weird to read. On another note, this writer absolutely nailed the complicated relationships such as Fire with Cansrel and Fire with Archer, where you can recognize the bad and the negative but still love them, without being ignorant of or denying the bad qualities. I had a great time reading this and marveled at the way the author had with words, descriptions, and the many faceted sides of the characters without it feeling thrown together like a mishmash of qualities. "

"It was good, but most of the time you could not tell whether it was the same day or 5 months later, and overall slightly confusing. But it’s still a good read if you want something heavy."

"Absolutely adored this book, would do anything to read this for the first time again. I love the way Kristen Cashore writes her characters and relationships, so beautiful <3"

"Ive read it and Graceling 3 times each. Exciting, adventurous, with some romance"

"I liked the story but it became boring at times and way too long for how slow things moved along. It took me quite a long time to finish. <br/><br/>The prologue was amazing! But that was about it. I probably won't be re reading it. I enjoyed Graceling more."

"Diabolic is one I recently read and loved "