Fire by Kristin Cashore

Everyone has known since the day Fire was born that she is a monster, but that has never stopped her from trying to conceal it. In the Dells, there are many monsters who look just like their normal counterparts, except for the fantastical colors that separate them. Fire is the last human monster who, just like all other monsters, can ensnare the mind with one look. She stands out from the regular human population due to her atypical beauty and flaming red hair.

Fire has lived a rather quiet life in the outer reaches of the Dells in a house that her father Cansrel, the borderline-evil henchman of the last King, set up for her. He taught her everything she needed to know about being a human monster and all the things she is capable of, even though she refuses to use her gifts to harm others. After years of isolated living alongside her friend and occasional bedmate Archer, so named because he is the best in the land, and his father, Fire finds herself at the center of the plan to save the Dells from complete ruination.

After an attack from a rogue poacher, Fire searches for answers at nearby Queen Roen's estate. Unfortunately, Fire encounters two people she was hoping to avoid, the Queen's sons King Nash and the commander of the King's army Brigan. Feeling that she is not safe enough, despite Archer's assurances to the contrary, they decide to bring Fire to the King's castle and use her abilities to uncover the plot to overtake the throne. Fire's abilities are strong, but they can only do so much. Can she do as she is bid, even if it means becoming like her father?

A marvelous tale, told with the same build-up of Graceling, Fire continues to mesmerize. Kristin Cashore has created a fantastic world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary with a simple tweak. Humans and creatures become monsters simply by mind control and bright colors. Children become Gracelings simply by having two different colored eyes and an aptitude for something.

While I found this story more intriguing than Graceling, it was much more complicated and in depth. That's not to say that it was boring or anything like that, it just took a little while to get started because of the history and knowledge that has to be imparted to the reader. The monsters lend a new and intriguing aspect to life in an otherwise normal kingdom. The fact that there can be human monsters is even more interesting, especially since Fire is the last of her kind (and plans to keep it that way).

The characters gave a wide and varied perspective on the kingdom. Archer is an upper middle class type citizen with a jealous streak when it comes to Fire. She is a sheltered and fearful person with large expectations of herself. Brigan is a nobleman through and through with a heart so large that he's had to close it off to many. Nash is rather rash and unwieldy in his personal affairs, but quite reliable when it comes to taking care of his kingdom. They all come together in a manner that allows for many crossings and interactions of both a personal and public sort.

Truly an exciting read that I will enjoy again and again, Fire is an enrapturing novel filled with enticing characters and more action than I hope I ever have to see in real life. Pick it up and give it a shot and I truly hope you will agree!

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Nostalgic Friday: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque

Welcome back to Nostalgic Friday! Since I love all things historical (culturally, physically, and personally) I do a post on Fridays honoring some awesome book that is a bit older. Many of them will be books I enjoyed in my teens and others will be books that I discovered as an adult that I think are relevant to YA readers. This usually get posted on Friday, but somehow Blogger decided not to do it for me. So enjoy Nostalgic Friday on Saturday.

Another book I read in school, All Quiet on the Western Front has got to be one of my favorite war novels. While my preferred war setting is World War II, this book is told from the point of view of young, idealistic Paul Baumer in the trenches of World War I (The Great War). I have taken enough history classes, and done enough of my own reading, to know that World War I was a major turning point in warfare history. The technological advances of the time including poison gas, tanks, heavier artillery, and many other items provided an easier, faster way to destroy the enemy. The brutality of this left many men shell shocked or no longer capable of functioning in society. The Lost Generation was formed out of the disillusioned masses that managed to survive the war. The romantic notion of war was dead and the reality was too hard to deal with.

This was definitely the case for Paul. A youthful idealist, Paul signs up to go to war with his buddies for the German Army. They soon lose their youthful innocence as they are constantly bombarded, day in and day out, with the senseless brutality and difficult nature of war. The ideals that they were fighting for quickly turn into pragmatism as food and supplies become short. We continue to follow Paul as we experience every agonizing aspect from his viewpoint; from living on survival instinct at the front, feeling out-of-place and unable to relate at home, not to mention his inability to interact on a simple level with a woman.

This story is the story of many soldiers during the time period. The anguish and conflicting feelings are standard for the members of this despondent grouping. While this book is definitely not a light read, it is one that I have found very useful as a basis for understanding the larger magnitude of war. Paul is a likable character and his comrades are in the same boat as him. Give it a shot and take a walk in another person's boots. You might just learn something.

Nostalgic Friday: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque