This week, I started a book called Fire. It is written by the same person who wrote Graceling. The main character is a girl named Fire. Her mother named her for her strange hair color. She has grown up in a place called the Dells. Unlike Monsea (from Graceling), the Dells doesn't have graced children. Instead, they have monsters. The monsters can come in any form. All have bright coloring that makes them beautiful. These "monsters" are feared for their ability to control minds. The last human monster is Fire. Her father, who was named Cansrel, was a cruel and manipulative man.

As the King Nax's advisor, he was able to control the king (being a "monster" is hereditary). He used his power to crush others until he and the king died. Now an orphan, Fire has been raised by a noble named Brocker. He is unlike her real father in nearly every way. Brocker was once King Nax's military commander until he lost the favor of the lawless king. The king shattered his legs and sent him home half dead. As further "punishment", a criminal was sent to rape his wife Aliss. Aliss gave birth to a boy named Archer before dying. Brocker raised this baby boy as his son.

I believe that Fire will probably have an unhappy ending. It seems that Fire has a lot of enemies and very few friends. Archer seems to love her, but she keeps her distance from him. Is this because of her relationship with her father? Perhaps she believes that family causes more pain than it is worth. I like her character though. She fights for herself, and tries to do what's right. I think that the plot, though similar to Graceling, is still pretty original. Also, I think that she might end up in Monsea before the story ends. Either way, it's a pretty interesting book so far.