Fire is an element, a saviour of lives, and a destroyer of them.  Fire is a weapon, a protector, and a force of nature.  In Krisitin Cashore’s book, Fire is all of those things contained in an astonishingly beautiful and, in the language of the kingdom where she was born, monstrous young woman.

Cashore treads a fine line here.  The fantasy trope of the unbelievably beautiful and deadly woman is one that can be both tiring and frustrating for a reader.  But here, in Fire, Cashore pulls it off by making Fire, in spite of all of the people and animals flinging themselves at her, human, vulnerable, and worthy of admiration for her actions, not her looks. In fact, Fire’s beauty is an entity all on its own: monstrous and dangerous to those around her and to Fire herself.  The land where she lives is populated by such monsters: animals, insects, and humans whose beauty is so astonishing and attracting that it can drive others to their deaths and doom the human unlucky enough to be born such a monster.  Fire is doubly unlucky because as a monster and a woman, she inspires uncontrollable desire in some but she prompts others to reveal malice, hatred, and violence. She is also in constant danger from the other monsters in her world, who find her even more irresistible than the other humans.

Fire is the only human monster left.  Her father, a beautiful and wicked advisor to the former king, killed himself when she was young.  The kingdom where she lives is in turmoil; the new king’s position is weak, and the nobles have begun nibbling at the edges in a bid to seize control.  It is no help to Fire that her father held a position as the former king’s advisor; she has to live with his legacy of destruction and her own monstrous nature. These feelings of despair and a need to make her life meaningful lead Fire to the King’s City, to a place where she can possibly use her powers to help , instead of hiding away in an effort to protect them from themselves.

Cashore does an excellent job of making Fire far more than her monstrous beauty. She is a skilled (but not expert) archer;  she can play the fiddle; she struggles to find love for who she is, not how she appears, and she is brave.  It is this list of truly human traits, and her emotional and physical vulnerability, that allows Fire to transcend being a mere monster and unattainable beauty.  Her fight to separate her life from her father’s legacy, made all the more difficult by her clear resemblance to him, gives Fire the chance to learn important lessons about who she is and what she can become.

Fire is not the only talented person in the kingdom.  She is surrounded by talent: Archer, who can shoot an arrow anywhere he wishes, Brigan, the king’s brother and a gifted strategist, even her horse, Small, shows courage and strength far beyond the norm. By throwing Fire’s own talents up against the skills of those around her, Cashore emphasizes that Fire, although a monster, is human.  She is not even, really, a standard heroine. Fire is not alone; she does not single-handedly save those around her; she relies on others; she cries from frustration and pain; she loves children and animals; she wishes for peace.

Fire must find a way to use her powers without sacrificing her sense of what is right. She can influence thoughts and inspire the truth, but she needs to feel as if what she does is not only for the greater good but also necessary, justified, and protective of those she has come to love. She needs to stand with the king and find a way to subdue the tide of war that threatens everything around her. There is a deadly force drifting through the land, and she must work with everyone to marshal a fight against it.

This book is a prequel to Cashore’s first novel, Graceling, and it sets the stage for what must have been an amazing debut.  Fire is fresh, interesting, and fun.  And the sort of book that, above all, will make its readers impatient for any stories that may follow.

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