Fire is set in the same world of Graceling, with a new cast of characters. Fire is a human monster with fiery hair and the power to control the minds of others. She lives across the mountains in the Dells, on the same planet as Katsa’s seven lands, but it is so different as to be another world. Here there are no Gracelings, but there are monsters—both animal and human. Monsters are recognized by the unusual color of their hair, and Fire is named for the bright oranges and reds of her hair. Other monsters seek her in order to feast on her especially delicious flesh, as she is the only human monster alive. Men desire her, women hate and fear her, except for those who have come to know her and love her for her many good qualities. 

Raised in bizarre fashion by her father, the twisted human monster Cansrel, she is trying to live in a way to make up for her father’s cruel excesses. Her friend Archer is obsessively controlling, in order to protect her. When she must travel to King City to help the royal family save their kingdom she learns a lot about herself, the truth, independence and loyalty.
 
While this is a young adult book, it will be enjoyable to adult readers of fantasy as well. The characters are complex and interesting and more mature than many of those in young adult literature. Characters are not just focused on what affects them—their emotions run the gamut of guilt, love, hate, patriotism, loyalty and betrayal. The plot includes adventure, romance and intrigue. The writing is even better than Graceling, which I enjoyed very much.

Kiriel, a fallen angel, steals Shaun's body just as he stepped into the path of an oncoming truck. He wants to experience what humans feel, think and do. He soon realizes that the real world is not all about physical experiences. As he deals with Shaun's family, a divorced mother and a younger brother, he learns that the emotional side of human life is much harder to deal with.

This is Part II in a series. It sometimes refers to adventures and characters in Part I but explains them completely. The escape in this book is from poverty but the lesson seems to be that endless bounty and monotony (like in the Land of the Silver Apples) is not good either. Trying to determine who is good and evil is hard--I give the author credit for rounding out the characters and giving them different motivations. There were many, many characters (lots of fantastical creatures) and the journeys and adventures were many. I had a hard time tracking. This was just okay for me.

Sebastian Darke, 17, has set out to seek his fortune in the faraway city of Keladon so he can support his Elvish mother after his human father, a Jester, has died. Unfortunately Sebastian isn't funny, not even when reciting his father's best jokes. A talking buffalope named Max draws the wagon, giving a running commentary on Sebastian's lack of talent and what they should do next. Along the way they meet a pint-sized warrior named Cornelius who has perfected the Golmiran Death Leap. Together they rescue Princess Kerin, heiress to the throne of Keladon, from Brigands and her evil uncle Septimus's plans.

Interesting characters and lots of adventure make a good story. Max was my favorite, due to his sardonic comments. Though the British author previously was famous for his horror novels for adults, he has made a great transition to young adult books. This story will appeal to guys or girls from middle school on up, especially if they enjoy humor like that of The Princess Bride or Donkey in Shrek. The second in the series has already been published in England--Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates.

This is the story of Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. They are orphaned when their parents perish in a fire. They are forced to stay with Count Olaf. Unfortunately, he has designs on their inheritance and he has concocted a plan to get their money. This is part one of a thirteen-volume series. Snicket occasionally uses a clever technique of introducing advanced vocabulary in the text then he explains what the words mean. Snicket’s writing has been compared to that of Roald Dahl.