Catch a Fire

I've been reading the most awesome books lately and I couldn't wait to blog about this one in particular.

A while ago , Shaun pulled Myst by Rand & Robert Millet, and David Wingrove, out of a moving box and suggest I read it. I did- and decided I really wanted to try Fantasy Fiction out. So I developed a bit of a summer reading list through the library, and as the books slowly trickle into my town, I've been reading non-stop.

I developed the list from putting out a recommendation on Goodreads. I got quite a few replys and luckily, the library actually carried all of the books I was looking for!

I just finished reading Fire by Kristin Cashore. I was worried ( as it is a companion novel to her other book Graceling- which I have not read) that I would have no idea what was going on. But the story was brilliant, and I loved reading every minute of it.

The goodreads write-up as follows:

Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans.

Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story
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Now lets get a few things straight. Firstly, I don't usually EVER read YA novels. Most of the time I just feel like the characters are whiny, and I cannot relate to them. Secondly, I don't ( for some odd reason) usually end up liking female protagonists. Again, I usually find them awfully whiny. Not always, just usually.

This book was NOTHING like what I was expecting.

Fire is a beautiful character, and not just on the outside. Her ways of thinking, her bravery, her feelings, and how she works through problems were all very relate-able. I loved her character so much and I was rooting for her the whole way through.

I loved pretty much all of the characters in the book except for Cutter. I don't want to spoil anything but if you've read the book you'll understand easily why he's horrible. But even the bad guys in this one I loved. They were definitely characters that I got lost in and who almost made me late for work a number of times due to losing track of the time. The characters even have awesome names like Archer, Brocker, Roen, Murgda, ( Murgda just sounds evil!)etc. I often read books and wonder why an author chooses a particular name because usually the names suck, but I loved these guys. I really did.

Another highlight of the book was all the mention of colour. As the monsters are abnormally bright colours compared to the neutral colours of the landscapes, other people, and animals.It really let me use my imagination. There's even some spicy chemistry between the characters which is always exciting.

I got totally lost in this one guys. I know it seems like girlish YA novel by that above description, ( especially using the word 'sparkly') but it really was such an adventurous story. I'll definitely be reading Graceling one day.

Something else awesome? Kiristin Cashore is on blogger @ http://kristincashore.blogspot.com and her posts are quite entertaining to read.

I'm excited to read more Fantasy Fiction in the future and if you've ever wanted to give it a go- this book was so much fun to read!