Monsters and Mind Games

Fire is a monster. She can read minds and can often change or guide another person's thoughts. She is also an 18-year-old girl. In the world created by author Kristin Cashore (author of Graceling), there are both animal and human monsters. All are feared or hunted and collected, but never accepted as "normal." But Fire has been raised by Lord Brocker, alongside his adopted son Archer. As Fire and Archer have grown into their late teens, they have moved beyond friendship into love, but Archer has grown to be jealous of everyone that Fire even looks at or talks to.

They live in an agricultural area in the north of The Dells, a country on the brink of war. Both Gentian and Mydogg, rulers of nearby lands, are plotting (separately or together?) invasions. Cansrel (Fire's father), who had worked side-by-side with the previous king, Nax, had also been a monster, but he was a tyrant who enjoyed torturing others and wielding his cruel power -- a reputation that horrified Fire.

Now, with the threat of war looming, Fire accompanies Archer to the capital city to help the Dells by using her powers. There has been a threat made against the king, Nax's son Nash, and Fire's task is to find out who's behind it and to stop the murder. Nash rules with the assistance of his brother Brigan, the commander of the royal armies. Spies and thieves own the roads, and thrive on the undercurrents of intrigue that threaten the peace. The land is riddled with tunnels that provide shelter for the homeless, and secret passage for messengers traveling between various plotting factions. One of the dangers that Fire uncovers is the presence of a new kind of monster, who seems able to remove people's memories, remove their natural inclinations to defend themselves, and even force them to kill. Can Fire find this "monster" in time to prevent disaster?

The book is fast-paced with lots of action and suspense. There is also quite a bit of romance, as more and more characters and their ever-increasing relationships are introduced. And family relationships (parent-child, sister-brother) as well as varying levels of friendships are also explored. The author is on a roll with her descriptions of these stories of fantasy and adventure.

She kicks *#%*!

Katsa is the king's enforcer, due to her "Grace," (i.e. talent or gift), which is an unusual ability to fight. He sends her off to "convince" his subjects to pay their taxes, or to punish them if they don't give him what he wants. You may get the picture that this king is not such a nice guy. But he is Katsa's uncle, and has raised her. Her uncle, King Randa of the Middluns, is no worse than many of the kings of the surrounding countries - they all vie for power. Now 18, Katsa has started an underground movement called The Council which tries to counteract some of the abuses of the kings.

On one mission for the Council, Katsa and some friends are rescuing a kidnapped old man, the father of the King of Lienid, kept captive in the dungeons of the king of Sunder. And that's where Katsa meets Po, a mysterious fighter who also has two differently-colored eyes, just like her -- which means that he also is Graced. But what is his grace? And how will their futures overlap? As Katsa tries to evade the power of her uncle king, she becomes wrapped up in the intrigue between neighboring countries. And she discovers that Po could be a friend - or maybe something more.

I loved this book, and hope that it will be the start of a great new series. The characters evolve, the mysteries are captivating, and the problems are real in spite of the obvious fantasy-world setting. This is one of the Abraham Lincoln Award nominees for 2011.

3 out of 4 stars.

Visiting an old friend. . .

After seeing the most-recent HP movie (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) last weekend (was I the LAST person in America to see this?!), I re-caught the Hogwarts bug and decided to go on and read the next (and last!) book in the series, in early preparation for next summer's release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I. The first time I read this book, I was kind of confused by all the explanations of the purpose, locations, and ways to destroy the Horcruxes, and then when they got into the Deathly Hallows - the history, powers, and how they could overcome the horcruxes (right?), I gave up and just skimmed for the basic story line. I knew it was to be the last in the series, and wanted to know who would die, who would win the fight between The Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters, whether the stories coming out about Dumbledore were true or not (was he a good guy who loved and protected Harry or a selfish person just using him?), and whether Harry would survive another encounter with Voldemort -- er, I mean, with You-Know-Who. This time through, however, knowing where we're headed in the story, I was able to take my time and revel in the reappearances of characters I had met throughout the series, and to really enjoy the story. I still think the time when they're wandering around trying to figure out what to do next -- and basically doing not much dragged on too long (apparently, Ron agreed, right?) -- but the formula Rowling had set up for each book required that it take an entire school year. So Rowling was stuck. And maybe the lack of action was realistic, building up frustration and allowing the Death Eaters to really take over and establish their regime. I just had always liked the fast-paced action in some of the previous books. But then - knowing this was the last book, I wasn't in a hurry for it to end, either. Basically, I very much enjoyed the return visit to Harry's world. If you haven't taken a trip through that world lately, grab one of these books, sit down with a cup of hot chocolate, and pass a few pleasant and stress-free hours.
Rating: 3 out of 4 stars