Fire (and the Graceling series in general)

Finished "Fire" by Kristen Cashore, second in the Graceling series but third for me. I mostly enjoyed it, but there were things I didn't like, and despite everyone saying the books are very different I found it a bit too similar to the other two and need a break from her shtick.

Fire is set in a land "over the mountains" from the countries the other two are set in, and the worldbuilding is so incompatibly different I'd have found it more plausible as a literal different world with a portal or something. Basically, there are "monster" versions of humans and animals: beautiful but oddly coloured with mind reading and control abilities they generally use to lure prey. The main character is such a "monster", and spends the book finding a place for herself in a world which both adores and fears her, especially given the legacy of her father, who evil-psychic-grand-vizier-ed the country into ruin.

Like the other two, it's an engaging and effective story of a young woman brought up to use her power for evil overcoming trauma, loneliness and mistrust to find love, happiness, and purpose. But like the other two there were a few things that bugged me.
( no spoilers it just got a little long )