Finished Fire by Kristin Cashore. This is a prequel/companion book to her young adult fantasy, Graceling.

In Fire, Cashore focuses on a girl named Fire, who is so beautiful that she is considered a monster. Men and women are so affected by Fire’s beauty that she has to keep her long, coppery hair covered and be surrounded by guards at all times. But Fire is just one of many monsters, or unusually colored creatures, in the kingdom of the Dells. There are everything from brightly hued mice to cats to vicious raptors.

Trouble is brewing in the Dells as the young king tries to hold onto his throne. Soon, Fire finds herself in the middle of the conflict when the king asks her to use her mind-reading powers to interrogate prisoners and help save the Dells from war and ruin. Fire agrees, but not without some serious reservations …

I loved Cashore’s previous book, Graceling. It was one of my top reads in 2009, so I had high hopes for Fire. I have to say that I was a little disappointed by Fire. There’s about 150 pages of buildup before Fire goes to the capitol city to help the king, and the book really dragged for me there in the beginning. Also, I didn’t much care for Fire’s initial love interest, Archer, who is jealous and controlling.

The idea of beautiful monsters was interesting and a little icky at the same time, especially since almost every man who sees Fire basically wants to kiss/hug/rape her. Some women too.

But Cashore’s prose is as beautiful and elegant as ever, and the story really picked up when Fire journeyed to the capitol city. I enjoyed watching Fire fall in love with a man who should be her mortal enemy, and there were lots of interesting secrets that were revealed in the last third of the book.

Overall, I didn’t love Fire as much as I did Graceling, but if you’re looking for epic young adult fantasy, you should definitely check out Cashore’s books. Thumbs up.

Up next: First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost.

Books in my TBR pile: About 20.