Fire

Reader: Sophie D
Age: 13
Title: Fire
Author: Kristen Cashore
Publisher: Dial Books
Pub Date: Sept. 2009
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The main character is a bit self centered, but besides that I really like her because she is strong-minded and compassionate. The plot was good, and although you can easily predict some of what is going to happen, there is still a lot that surprised me when reading the book, which I love.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: My favorite part of the book is the setting. I think the Dells is a very believable and beautiful place where the characters fit perfectly. Another compelling part of the book was how most of the main characters had some secret or something you don't find out about their identity until close to the end.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: There were only two things that annoyed me: one, the way Fire complained very, very often about having to use her mind-reading powers, but she uses them at least in three times in every chapter. It would be nice if she stopped complaining at some point. Two, you think you know everything about the main characters for three quarters of the book, but then suddenly you learn all of their secrets in the last quarter. I would have liked it better if she had spread this part out more.
Did the cover tempt you and/or reflect the contents of the book: I love this cover. It fits the book perfectly, partly because of the bow and arrow, which is Fire's preferred weapon, but also the colors that match Fire's hair. I like how it only shows the bottom half of her face, because then you can imagine the most beautiful woman in the world any way you want.
Age Range: 14-15, 16-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal