Fire (Graceling book #2) by Kristin Cashore

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.
This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.
Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom

This book had a lot to live up to. Book one in the Graceling series was a beautiful adventure and I absolutely loved the book. It is important to note that although this is the second book written in this series it is actually a prequel to Graceling. You can however read them in any order and still fully comprehend both books.  It is always stressful starting a sequel, will it be a wonderful continuation or a let down? Fire is written in the same world, but about a completely different set of characters, and I was not disappointed. It was an amazing tale. The world building was expertly continued from book 1, but with additions and more background information added from another part of this magical land. The characters were woven with details that made them seem real and almost palpable. None were too perfect, each one had struggles and issues to contend with, good and bad struggling within and they had to decide which would dominate. The royal family was realistic even in this fantasy setting and the entire plot was believable as well as exciting. I thoroughly enjoyed re-entering this world and could not wait to read the third installment Bitterblue. Again my major problem with this series is the authors casual approach to sex and negative view on traditional marriage as constricting and confining. This theme was most prevalent in book 1, but there was some evidence of it in this book as well. 

I give Fire 3 out of 5 stars
I give the audio Performance 5 0ut of 5 stars

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. What she does not expect is to fall in love with the handsome prince Po.

This book is one of my favorite high fantasy books. Katsa has a lot of self-loathing in the beginning of the novel, but as the book progresses, she begins to find out more about herself and her grace. There is so much more to her and her gift than she originally gave herself credit for. Watching as the heroine grows and blooms into a stronger and more independent woman was an exciting experience. Enter the handsome Prince, the fun romance, and the very well developed magical system and you have the recipe for an enchanting magical experience. 

The world building for Graceling was excellent, Characters were very well developed and complex. If you ever want to enjoy a really excellent audio book this novel is read by several actors, with multiple voices for the various characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. 

Spoiler Alert :....................My only negative about this book was that personally I wish Katsa had been willing to marry Prince Po. I am very traditional and I like happy marriages. Even if they had to travel and be apart at times, I think the book could have been better if the brave heroine had not been so afraid of the permanence associated with actual marriage. They both determined they wanted a relationship, and that relationship is beautiful, so why not make it legitimate?  Guess I am old fashioned.

4 out of 5 stars for Graceling
5 out of 5 stars for the audio book