 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Fire
- By Kristin Cashore
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
Stellar fantasy heroine in mature action-adventure/romance.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this well-executed fantasy book contains some violence and other mature subject matter, including a young man who murders his father, (barely described) rapes, and unplanned pregnancies. Fire herself was fathered by a monster who raped her human mother -- and used mind control over the king to enjoy acts of cruelty and depravity. But Fire is a strong, brave heroine, and the main story is about how she overcomes her history and realizes that she can be the kind of person she longs to be.
What's the story?
In the Dells where the monsters live, every creature -- even human -- has a monster version: monster leopards, monster kittens, even a 17-year-old monster girl named Fire. Men desire her for her beauty, kings desire her for her ability to control minds. She lives a secluded life giving music lessons to children and thinks she's in love with her childhood best friend, Archer. But as war brews, young Prince Brigan arrives in Fire’s village to ask for her help. She travels with his army to the city of her birth, where life in the castle is full of both intrigue and beauty. Fire finds the royal family worthy of loyalty and risks her life to help them, but first she has to learn to use her ability to control minds -- and learn to trust herself.
Is it any good?
Elegant world-building creates a medieval fantasy full of mystery, romance, and complex characters with secrets that are slowly and carefully revealed. The main character is the most compelling, raising the bar for what makes the perfect heroine. Turning away from her monster heritage and living as a human -- and becoming embroiled in the moral obligations that come with that choice -- is just the beginning of her trials. And of course there's the heartbreak as well.
This is one of those books marketed to young adults that will also have a large adult readership due to the strong, heroic characters; beautiful imagery; and a setting in which women have many kinds of freedom and many kinds of power.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about fantasy violence versus realistic violence. How do they impact you differently? Why do you think that is?
This book is marketed as Young Adult, but it will attract adult readers as well. Why do you think the publisher decided to market it to teens? What separates Young Adult from children's or adult literature?
And, just for fun: Fire can control minds, a common ability in fantasy and science fiction. What other supernatural powers are common in these types of works? What ability would you most like to have?
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AGE
Perfect for All Ages
I loved this book! I recommended it to all of my friends, and they all loved it as well. It does include some sexual content and violence, but people seem to be mistaken about what young kids read nowadays. They are exposed to this stuff very early, earlier than most people seem to think. I read it when I was 10, and was not surprised at all by what was in it.
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AGE
Great for older teens!
I absolutely LOVED Fire by Kristin Cashore. This book has it all, action, adventure, fantasy, romance, mystery. However, there are several things that parents should be aware of. In the book, the heroine, Fire, has casual sexual relations with one of the other characters. There are several mentions of rape and molestation, not graphic, but frequent enough to be mentioned. There is senseless violence towards animals and humans in the novel as well. However, on all counts, I would give the severity of each count a 6-7 rating out of 10. Not too much, but enough to be noticed. I hope that helps!
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AGE
Loved it at 12. Love it at 15.
Look, I'm 13, I read it and, honestly, it's fine. The thing about it is, you can't approach from the "perfectly-educational-scholastic" stand point, you have to see the beauty of it. Sure, the protagonist, Fire, is hurt and dependent a lot, but she's also strong and determined. Plus, she's easy to relate to because she's spent a life of solitude; she's lost like most teens. Sure, the characters are intimate, but one: it's medieval times (what do you expect) and, two: it's not too descriptive and it just makes the story seem more realistic. Honestly parents, relax.
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AGE
Love. Confusing for under 12 but great story for older girls.
Very good!! Can't wait for the third book in the Seven Kingdoms Trilogy. You can feel for the characters and empathize with their fears and sadness. Even though sexual references are very vague and younger kids may not understand them i would not reccommend for under 12 year olds. Fire although she has what every girl wishes, beauty men nor women cannot resist, finds herself a monster. She has strong powers where she can read minds and make them do what she wishes but she never uses them against people except in extreme cases or to protect herself from attacks. But, strong people can guard their minds from her, one of these people is Prince Brigan who never lets his guard down. For some reason he doesn't trust Fire when they first meet and Fire has to slowly get him to trust her and creates a very unique relationship with him. Fire also has a unique relationship with her close friend/lover Archer who has helped Fire get over the death of her father and been her confidant of deep secrets. Through the story we see messages of love, strength, bravery, fear, revenge, jealousy, rivalry, brotherhood, and sadness. It is well written and beautifully written.
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AGE
Simply amazing
My gosh, this book is AMAZING! It's completely unique from the vampire trash that authors keep vomiting up. The romance, though some parents would babble on about how theres sex and blah blah, is not an issue. Parents: suck it up! It's not graphic and if you don't let your kids read this because of some matter-of-fact sex scenes, you're kids are missing out on one of the best fantasy's out.
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AGE
Best Book Ever
I loved this book so much I read it in three days and still couldn`t put it down!!!! It does mention sex. rape, and unexpected pregnancies. It also does have one bad word in it that pops up a few times.
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AGE
A great read!
Couldn't stop reading it! It was a great read, and there wasn't much sexuality or violence as the book before this, Graceling. I read this at age 12 and enjoyed it. I'd say for me it was a great read, but I'd say most parents would want to wait until their kid is at least 13 to read this. I was mature at 12, and able to handle the violence and force myself to skip any sexual parts. Overall, this book was great and Kristen captured the moods and thoughts of the characters quite wonderfully!
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AGE
Best book...
The best book I've read in ages. A perfect combination of romance and adventure with a bit of humor. Couldn't stop reading. It ended too quickly ;)
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Kid, 12 years old
July 14, 2010
AGE
luv it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!one of my fave books! canty wait for the sequel!!
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AGE
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT
LOVE IT!!! i have to say i feel in love with archer, but then in love with brigan. I <3'd how the epilouge wrapped it all up. and there neeeeds to b a sequel. really there should b one for all the kingdoms. keep up the awsome liturature cashore!
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy |
| Author: | Kristin Cashore |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | Dial Books |
| Publication date: | October 5, 2009 |
| Number of pages: | 480 |
| Hardcover price: | $17.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 14 - 17 |
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