The Ninja Reviews... Fire by Kristin Cashore

Set in the same world as Graceling but on the other side of a treacherous mountain range, Fire is a novel of love, power, and war.  The Dells is a land of monsters, where colorful fur or hair identifies monsters from ordinary animals or humans.  Monsters are beautiful creatures and have the powers of persuasion.  Human monsters are even more powerful, as they can find their way into the minds of other humans and coax, twist, and even force thoughts into their heads.

Fire is a monster woman, presumably the last of her kind, with beautiful hair the color of a firey sunset.  Her beauty is overpowering and her mind is able to take advantage of others, which is exactly what her father Cansrel wants her to do.  But Fire is not like her monster father.  Her heart holds deep convictions, and she refuses to hurt others with her power.

As the political climate begins to become more and more desperate, King Nash and his brother Brigan ask Fire to help them interview captured spies to seek out those who are attempting to overthrow the king. As war begins, Fire finds herself battling her convictions and her heartfelt feelings for one of the royal family.

I really loved Cashore's first novel Graceling, but it was Fire that really cemented my love for this author.  Her writing style is very mature-sounding and unlike most young adult authors, which is what I really loved about these books.  Cashore isn't afraid to tell her story, so there is violence and some characters are in sexual relationships (these are presented non-graphically).  However, these elements further the story and add to the richness of the characters.  I recommend Fire to fantasy lovers and older high school teens!  And please check out the publisher's video book trailer below:

Teen Review by Hannah. . .The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

I read The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima and it was a REALLY AWESOME book! If you like Graceling or Fire by Kristin Cashore, then you're sure to love this book too! It has tons of adventure, romance, and magic.

Han is a former streetlord and was once leader of a gang called the Raggers. Raisa is the princess heir of her mother's queendom. But they both have their own problems. Han and his friend Dancer are hunting and come across 3 young wizards who started a wizard fire in the forest. Dancer confronts them and demands that they leave, and Han threatens them until the leading wizard, Micah Bayar, hands over his amulet. What can the amulet do? He did act as if it was important. Does it have anything to do with his silver cuffs on his wrists that he can never get off?

Meanwhile, Raisa's family is making arrangements for her marriage even though she is only a teenager, but she is in love with high wizard's son, Micah, and the guard's captain's son, Amon, to both of which marriage is forbidden. Suddenly Han's and Raisa's paths cross, and their lives will never be the same again. Will Raisa be forced into an unwanted marriage? Will Han ever find out where his cuffs and the amulet came from? You'll just have to read it to find out.

This lengthy book is part of a series and is a Lone Star book of 2010. I hope you enjoy it!

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Super review, Hannah! Now you just need to get your friend Shaye to write one. =) Want to read more books like The Demon King? How about these:

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Teen Review by Hannah. . .Graceling by Kristin Cashore

I read Graceling by Kristin Cashore, and it was the BEST BOOK EVER!!!!! It has something for everyone, like violence, survival, romance, action, mystery, everything! It's really long, but I LOVED it!

Katsa lives in the Middluns, one of the 7 kingdoms of the world she lives in. If you have 2 different colored eyes, like Katsa, you develop a supernatural power called a Grace. After Katsa accidently kills a family member she dislikes without even thinking about it, she figures out that her Grace is the power to kill. She is trained to serve the king by punishing his enemies.

While resuing a former Linnid king from another kingdom, she meets a misterious Graceling Linnid Prince with the Grace of combat skills. She later discovers that Prince Po is looking for his grandfather(the former king) and they get to know each other really well. Katsa decides to boldy quit working for the king and goes on a quest to find which king kidnapped Po's grandfather. They narrow down all the possibilities, and it all points to King Leck. Is he guilty? Why would he kidnap Po's grandfather? Hm....you just need to read it!

I love this book! You'll love it too if like books like The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Out of a scale 1 to 10 with 1 being the worst, I give this book an 11!!!

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Thanks, Hannah! We always appreciate your reviews. If you love Graceling as much as Hannah, try these titles:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins	Fire by Kristin Cashore	Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Teen review by Alice. . .Graceling by Kristin Cashore

This truly is an amazing book! It's full everything you'll want to read about; fantasy, mystery, adventure, and romance are on every page of this book.

Read this book and enter the world of Katsa, a girl who was able to kill a man bare-handed since she was eight. She is a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. She's forced to work as the thug of her uncle Randa, king of Middluns, because of her Graced killing skills. When she met Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, her life started to change.

She never expected to become Po's friend. She never expected to disobey Randa's order nor having to leave her homeland behind to help Po search for the kidnapper of his grandfather. As the story unfolds, readers will be captured by the many life-or-death situations Katsa will be facing, and discover many astonishing secrets along with Katsa and Po.

All in all, this is an awesome book, and I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd book, Fire.

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Thanks for the great review, Alice! If you would like to write a review and get a free book in return, just email us your review. You must be in 7th to 12th grade.

If you've already read and enjoyed Graceling, try one of these:

>Gifts by Ursula K. LeGuin

Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott

Savvy by Ingrid Law

The Ninja Reviews. . .Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Katsa lives in a world where some people are born with special abilities, called a Grace. These people are often feared and exploited, and always easy to identify because of their eyes, which are two different colors. Katsa has one green eye and one blue.

When she is 8 years old, Katsa's Grace is revealed when she moves to slap a nobleman who tries to touch her inappropriately and inadvertently kills him. She has the Grace of killing and, in a world where Gracelings are already feared, Katsa's is the most frightening Grace yet. Katsa spends several years training in fighting and weapons of all sorts, so that she may learn the limits of her abilities and never cause another death. But her uncle, the king, has other plans. He uses Katsa as his personal weapon to dole out punishments, often quite severe and gruesome.

Everything changes when Katsa rescues a member of another kingdom's royal family and she meets Po, a prince who is Graced with fighting. Together, Katsa and Po must figure out who has brought such corruption to their kingdoms. On their quests, they will each learn more about their own Graces and Katsa will learn what makes a person a true monster.

I highly, highly recommend this book. It has fantasy, action, awesome powers, and even romance. I loved this one so much that I actually bought it. And when I finished it, I went out the next day and bought the companion novel, which is set in the same world. Katsa is easy to sympathize with and Po is magnificent. Need I say more?

This book is on YALSA's top 10 nominee 2009 books for teens. You can see the list of nominees here.

If you like Graceling, try these books:

Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Books the Ninja can't wait to read

The Ninja can't wait for these titles to arrive on library shelves. Be the first to request them!

The Silver Blade by Sally Gardner Gypsies, magic, danger, Paris, and the French Revolution. Good times! (Sequel to The Red Necklace.)	Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater Lonely girl, lonelier werewolf, snowy Minnesota = supernatural love. Yum. (Author of Lament.)	Fire by Kristin Cashore Features a gorgeous human-monster in a kingdom at war. Prequel to Graceling.
Going Bovine by Libba Bray A boy with mad cow disease road trips with a dwarf. Big change from Bray's Victorian-era fairies.	Pop by Gordon Korman Teen boy meets retired pro football player, who is helps train him, but is really. . .strange. Korman's never fails to please.	The Eternal Kiss: 13 vampire tales of blood and desire Holly Black, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Rachel Caine. . .to name a few.