Fire+-+Inez+Beadell

=Fire=

By Kristen Cashore

//‘Fire is more than attractive, Fire is mesmerizing.’//

In a country hidden away from society, a place overcome by dangerous, menacing, yet breathtakingly beautiful monsters lives an equally breathtaking young girl named Fire. Called so because of her startlingly vibrant, red hair with streaks of orange and pink. Yet though nearly every man who lays eyes on her falls in love with her, Fire is hated and shown disgust by many. Not only by the women who are filled with jealousy for Fire’s looks and ability to mesmerize, but because of who she is: a human monster. Her mother was a palace servant named Jessa, but her father was a monster. Cansrel. With his //‘glittery silver hair with glints of blue, and deep, dark blue eyes’// Cansrel was just as breathtakingly beautiful as Fire. What set them apart was what they did with their power. Both could read minds, bend people to their will and do whatever they wanted. However, Fire shied away from power, from the day she was born she was an outcast. Children her age threw stones at her and she received many fierce, unkind looks, her only friends were Archer and Brocker. Fire never wanted to hurt anyone; she was loving, and cried when others were hurt. On the other hand, her father was indeed a monster. He was Cansrel, the terrible monster who took over the mind and power of King Nax and caused destruction across the Dells; killing innocent men, raping women then killing them and his daughters, causing war and havoc among the people, and enjoying every minute of it. When Cansrel was finally killed by one of the monsters he kept to torment, he left behind an almost never-ending line of pain, destruction and loss. It was now up to Nash, the son of King Nax to rebuild and mend a war torn country. No wonder people despised Fire, not because of her actions, but because of her father. She would forever live in guilt from what her father did. Nobody knows why Cansrel left Fire alive instead of killing her like so many others. Why he took her to the safety of his palace to be raised away from harm. Why he was fiercely protective, loving and understanding towards Fire, and what caused him to commit the so-caused suicide ending his reign of destruction.

The Dells is neither a country of the future, nor a place of the past. It is more like a fairytale place. There are no guns, but swords, arrows and cannons. There is no technology, but a very advanced medical system. Then there is the magical side of it: the monsters, full of vibrant colour, dangerous and ready to rip one to shreds if not careful, the human monsters, with supernatural abilities to penetrate one’s mind and others. Strangers who come from strange places such as the boy with the strange eyes who has the ability to cloud minds and make people do what he says. Make them believe what he wants, even Fire. Who calls himself King Leck, the Graceling.

Fire is very unlike her father. She loves beautiful things like her fiddle in which she plays beautiful music. She feels human emotions and dislikes violence. She knows of her power and the influence she can have over people. She knows only too well what she is capable of, but is afraid. She doesn’t want to be like her father who used his power for evil. She stays away from people to protect them, and herself from their loathing eyes. She also knows only too well of her beauty. She covers her hair with a wrap when in the presence of people and ‘generally she avoided mirrors. It embarrassed her to lose her own breath at the sight of herself.’ Fire is uncomfortable with how she looks and feels the only solution is to stay away. Avoid being around lots of people. She lives in a palace with her friend Archer and his father Brocker, and, apart for a small number of guards and a few others, has no friends. When trouble is stirring in the form of old enemies, Fire sets off on a journey to visit Nash and his brother Brigan with Archer and some guards. The same things happen: Nash falls desperately in love with her and Brigan hates her, thinking she will use Nash to take over and follow in her father’s footsteps. Fire must learn to use her power. Not for evil, but to save her home when it is at the point of destruction. Fire must learn to trust herself and learn that, she isn’t her father. She must show them what she can do and face her fears. Enter a royal court full of powerful people with more than enough reason to distrust her, and, set right the horror of the past.

Lord Archer nicknamed for his talent with the bow and arrow is Fire’s best friend and lover. He was there when Cansrel was around, and his father, Brocker was asked to care for Fire. They became best friends, then lovers. He is one of the only ones who truly understands Fire and knows what she goes through and how she feels. However, Archer is not without his flaws. He holds a jealous, protectiveness of Fire. She mustn’t show any liking or attractiveness towards any other men. If she so much talks about one of her guards in a fond way, he will be moved to another station away from her. In fact, Archer must learn to restrain his jealousness, not let it grow any further like it already is. Archer must learn that he Fire is not his property and that he must give her some freedom or he may lose her. //‘Let me do this, she begged him. My life is mine to risk, as yours is yours.’//

The start of this story is at present time, what Fire is doing now. Constantly during the story, parts from Fire’s past are being repeated and shown to explain certain events and why the characters feel a certain way. Before the story begins, another story is being told. One that Fire and the other characters don’t know about, the story of King Leck’s childhood. This character appears later in the novel as an intriguing boy who comes from a land far away. Towards the end of the story, a bit more is discovered about him by Fire, but in order to understand what’s happening, the reader needs to know a bit of background information. When characters say certain things, flashbacks are used, mostly by Fire about her past, mostly about her father. This story is told in third person, with the main character who’s feeling are being told is Fire.

An important relationship in this novel is between Fire and her father. She knows what he does, but finds it hard to believe as he treats others so differently from herself. She finds herself torn between the love for her father, the only one who understands her craving for monster meat and her other monster-like traits; and what is right. Fire knows he must be stopped. She has access to all the information he receives and is the key to his heart, but how can you destroy someone who loves you so dearly and whom you love just as much regardless of what they do? How can you find the heart to destroy the one person who understands you and doesn’t treat you like a disease, who loves you for who you are?

Another important relationship is the romantic one between Fire and Archer. At first, their love is so easy and fun, but as Fire becomes even more beautiful and Archer discovers jealousy, their relationship changes and is not what it used to be. Fire will always love Archer, but sometimes he can be too stressful and demanding. When she puts herself at risk, Archer gets angry and looses his temper. Their relationship becomes even more stressful. When Archer and Fire are sent off in different directions, Fire meets Brigan who seems so reserved, surly and hateful towards Fire. Their conversations are short and sharp, but maybe, Brigan does care for Fire after all. Maybe she can show him she isn’t a monster like her father and he’s not the only one who can do brave, heroic deeds and save the day. When a terrible tragedy occurs, Fire finds herself needing Archer, someone who understands and cares enough for her…

//‘I’m not the one who’s changed, she whispered, staring at him. You’ve changed too. You’ve never been cruel to me before.’// This book is all about living in the shadow of a father who has done so many horrible things. It is about dealing with the judgments of others and learning how to believe in yourself. You aren’t your father and you can be whoever you want to be. Just because your father behaved a certain way, doesn’t mean you will follow in his footsteps. It is about-facing your fears, taking a step out into the real world regardless of what everybody thinks of you and setting things right. You can be whoever you want to be.

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I found myself drawn to it and read it all in one go as I could hardly put it down. In some parts I was moved to tears and felt what the characters were feeling, in others parts, I rejoiced, I waited in suspense and was shocked at some surprising twists. When Fire takes her first, major risk, I felt moved and triumphant, when she experiences pain, I feel sad, and at the humorous parts of the novel, I smile. There is one absolutely jaw-dropping, mind-blowing scene in this book that will leave you speechless. It’s not just finding out what it was, but how you find out. Cashore writes with an almost addictive style that makes it hard to stop reading. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone over the age of twelve whether he or she likes fantasy novels or not. Overall, I would rate this book 10/10, a perfect score. The only not-so-good part was that I had to read more by Cashore, as her books are so addictive.

//‘Some people had too much power and too much cruelty to live. Some people were too terrible, no matter if you loved them; no matter that you had to make yourself terrible too, in order to stop them. Some things just had to be done. I forgive myself, thought Fire. Today, I forgive myself.’//

By Inez Beadell, 8 Silver