Review: Fire

Fire.  In this story, this word has more than one meaning.  First, is can be the flames that most consider it to me, or it could be the shooting of an arrow...or it could be the name of the main character.  The main character, obviously named Fire, was named for her bright red hair.  She is a human monster, the last of her kind.  Her father was a monster and her mother a human.  What makes her - and her father before her - a monster, though, is the power she possesses.  She can speak to people through her mind, sense them, and control them if she so desires.  But Fire, unlike her monster father, does not care for what she can do.  She would rather not have such abilities, if she was perfectly honest.

But it is not what she can do that makes her so special.  Even when Prince Brigan hates her and his elder brother, King Nash, adores her to a point that is dangerous for everyone.  The fact is, she isn't like her father.  She is a strong person who doesn't want to harm others.  She does not even want to continue her species.  She is the last, after all.  And all of her children will be monsters like her.  As hated as she is at times, Fire is a very strong character and her story is a very entertaining read.  I can't say that I'm thrilled by the feminism that filters its way into this book, but it's not nearly as bad as Kristin Cashore's other book, Graceling.  That was rampant with it.  This book is much better overall.  A much better read, for sure.  I would rate it a three and a half out of five on my scale.  Overall, it's a pretty good book.  I don't think I'll read it again, though.