I liked this book but not nearly as much as Graceling. It had a pacing problem for me. I thought ultimately it was a little long. The story would have been better if it was tightened up. There was a lot of redundancy in The plot. No one captivated me either. I was interested in the characters but not breathless with where they would go next. Still a fun read and has done nothing to diminish my desire to read Biterblue. ( )

prequel to Graceling, but more in the style of Lois Lowry's Giver series... it stands alone and the two books do not have to be read in any order. Looking forward to reading Bitterblue. ( )

Has the same feel as Graceling - a world that has many similarities to our own, with the exception of a few "gifted" creatures or people. Titled as a "Companion of Graceling" there is only one character who exists in both worlds. There is the same adventure, struggle for self identity, and finding of true companionship/love.

A subtle theme runs throughout the book -- we are all responsible for our own behavior. As family relationships are discovered the source of certain traits become known, the absence of others characteristics are highlighted. The idea that we all have choices, regardless of our past or present circumstances, could be a great discussion starting point with teens.

Cashore's writing is stronger in this book, she relies less on convenient coincidences to tie up lose ends. There are a few awkwardly worded sentences that hint at poor editing, but on second look they could be attributed to character personalites. ( )

Monsters are brimming with desires to inflict humans with the most extreme extent of their emotions. Humans are attacked, seized, raped, and murdered to satiate these needs. Fire is the last human monster, leaving her equally hated and adored. Her ability to influence the mind places her in a unique position. King City is desperate to use Fire’s abilities to serve the kingdom. ( )

I am really enjoying this series and its setting and its feminist themes.

As I finished this book I realized it reminds me strangely of the Twelve Kingdoms. Both Fire and Graceling are about a teenage girl deciding who she will be and how she'll use the power she has. Also, the monsters remind me of the youma from the Twelve Kingdoms, the stories take place in different parts of the same world and focus on different characters, and the world itself feels like someone may have built it on purpose. I'm probably wrong about that last part though.

I'm curious about the worldbuilding. While reading the first book, I didn't realize that the existence of gracelings was a local phenomenon. Here it turns out that across the mountains, nobody is born a graceling, but instead, beautiful and captivating "monsters" with fantastic coloration are found in every species of wildlife. Are the phenomena related? ( )