Graceling vs Fire

For anyone who read my teaser on Tuesday and asked/commented about which of Kristin Cashore's novels was better, well here's my opinion now that I've finished reading...

I liked the first half of GRACELING better than the second half, and I liked the second half of FIRE more than the first half. So... I think I have to say that I enjoyed them both equally!

Heroines
I loved Katsa (GRACELING) as a strong female MC, but I found it easier to identify with Fire, mainly because Katsa was a killing machine who was totally uninterested in the getting-married-and-having-a-family thing and that's... well... not me at all! And Fire had a passion for making music -- she knew how to lose herself in her instrument -- and that I can understand.

Love Interests
I think I liked Brigan (FIRE) more than Po (GRACELING), though I won't go into the reasons (other than that I'm really not keen on the name Po!) because they could be spoilers for anyone who hasn't read either or both of the books.

Story
Both books had a bit of a twist where I kind of wasn't expecting it, and I always enjoy a twist :-)

So. Bottom line. I'm recommending them both!

Teaser Tuesday (4): Fire

Title: Fire
Author: Kristin Cashore


"You're so beautiful when you're angry."
"Oh, Archer," she snapped, "flirt with someone else."

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!
• Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser Tuesday (3): Fire

Title: Fire
Author: Kristin Cashore



It did not surprise Fire that the man in the forest shot her. What surprised her was that he shot her by accident.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!
• Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Book Review: Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

This book has been on my reading list for a number of months now.

I wish I hadn't waited so long!

First line: In these dungeons the darkness was complete, but Katsa had a map in her mind.

In the land Katsa lives in there are certain people who are Graced with special skills. Katsa was born with a Grace that set her apart at an early age as a weapon for the king to use - for hers is a killing Grace. She can kill a man with her bare hands and is faster and more skilled at combat than anyone she has ever come across - until she meets Prince Po.

There are many things Katsa never expected: she never expected that she and Po could become good friends, she never expected to discover something new about the Grace she always thought she understood, and she never expected that she might meet a threat one day that she couldn't protect herself from...


The gender roles in this story are somewhat reversed: Katsa can kick some serious butt while hardly breaking a sweat, and Po, unlike many men, is completely unthreatened by this! It was refreshing to read a book with such a strong, independent and self-sufficient heroine.