Graceling (Graceling Realm, 1)
Discover the Graceling Realm in this unforgettable, award-winning novel from bestselling author Kristin Cashore.
A New York Times bestseller * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature Winner * Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and BCCB Best Book of the Year
“Rageful, exhilarating, wistful in turns" (New York Times Book Review) with “a knee weakening romance” (Los Angeles Times). Graceling is a thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure that will resonate deeply with anyone trying to find their way in the world.
Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable-yet-strong Katsa, who is smart and beautiful and lives in the Seven Kingdoms where selected people are born with a Grace, a special talent that can be anything at all. Katsa’s Grace is killing.
As the king’s niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his brutal enforcer. Until the day she meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, and Katsa’s life begins to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
And don’t miss the sequel, Fire, and companion, Bitterblue, both award-winning New York Times bestsellers featuring Kristin Cashore’s elegant, evocative prose and unforgettable characters.
- ALA Best Book for Young Adults
- Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature Winner
- Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and BCCB Best Book of the Year
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Readers say *Graceling* delivers a deeply engaging, multi-layered fantasy featuring a strong, independent heroine, Katsa, whose complex character and ...
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
Graceling follows Katsa, a young warrior graced with the skill of fighting as she traverses lies to save a kingdom from a tyrant.
Ultimately, Graceling was a bit underwhelming at times. With Katsa being the exception, many of the other characters were lackluster. Thankfully Katsa is the main character, so following her journey throughout the novel was entertaining.
A Good Story with Unfortunate Short Comings
Katsa is a fierce protagonist. Cashore invested in giving this character a strong voice and attitude. There are times when Katsa comes off as abrasive, but it is not off-putting given the scope of the narrative and the scene. It works to build up her character, making her more than just a character on a page. This is, in short, one cool chick. Katsa embodies strength, both physical and mental, highlighting just why she is the novel’s savior.
Unfortunately, the other characters fall short.
Po should be as engaging as Katsa, chiefly because he develops into the male lead and romantic interest. Unfortunately, there is not enough time devoted to him early on to make the reader invested in his journey. This ultimately ends up hurting the story because the reader should be invested in the romance bubbling up between them. However, that is not how it works. Honestly, the romance seemingly comes out of nowhere. On the bright side, it was not predictable. However, it felt out of place.
Graceling would not have felt any different if the romance was not there. The friendship was there, but it needed a stronger foundation to devote to the romance aspect. There was not enough devotion to the dynamics between the two and not enough devotion to bringing Po’s character to life to make the reader invested in him or them as a couple.
There were also some issues with transitions. It was not always clear when Katsa was reminiscing, making the story a little difficult to follow early on. However, this happens only a couple of times while Cashore world builds, but after that, the last half of the novel has a steady pace and clear writing.
Final Thoughts
Cashore wrote an unpredictable story. It is unclear where the story is going, but not in an off-putting way. There is enough detail there to create an air of mystery, keeping the reader engaged. Moreover, as mentioned above, Katsa is a strong enough, a well-written character that she makes up for all the story’s falterings.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Graceling follows Katsa, a young warrior graced with the skill of fighting as she traverses lies to save a kingdom from a tyrant.
Ultimately, Graceling was a bit underwhelming at times. With Katsa being the exception, many of the other characters were lackluster. Thankfully Katsa is the main character, so following her journey throughout the novel was entertaining.
A Good Story with Unfortunate Short Comings
Katsa is a fierce protagonist. Cashore invested in giving this character a strong voice and attitude. There are times when Katsa comes off as abrasive, but it is not off-putting given the scope of the narrative and the scene. It works to build up her character, making her more than just a character on a page. This is, in short, one cool chick. Katsa embodies strength, both physical and mental, highlighting just why she is the novel’s savior.
Unfortunately, the other characters fall short.
Po should be as engaging as Katsa, chiefly because he develops into the male lead and romantic interest. Unfortunately, there is not enough time devoted to him early on to make the reader invested in his journey. This ultimately ends up hurting the story because the reader should be invested in the romance bubbling up between them. However, that is not how it works. Honestly, the romance seemingly comes out of nowhere. On the bright side, it was not predictable. However, it felt out of place.
Graceling would not have felt any different if the romance was not there. The friendship was there, but it needed a stronger foundation to devote to the romance aspect. There was not enough devotion to the dynamics between the two and not enough devotion to bringing Po’s character to life to make the reader invested in him or them as a couple.
There were also some issues with transitions. It was not always clear when Katsa was reminiscing, making the story a little difficult to follow early on. However, this happens only a couple of times while Cashore world builds, but after that, the last half of the novel has a steady pace and clear writing.
Final Thoughts
Cashore wrote an unpredictable story. It is unclear where the story is going, but not in an off-putting way. There is enough detail there to create an air of mystery, keeping the reader engaged. Moreover, as mentioned above, Katsa is a strong enough, a well-written character that she makes up for all the story’s falterings.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
I really liked this. The imagined setting (made-up kingdoms) reminded me a bit of Eragon, but the story was its own. I loved how the characters developed over time. For a fantasy, it felt very realistic; the struggles and triumphs, heartbreak and joy were universal, no matter the strange "Graces" that some characters possessed. I look forward to reading [b:Fire|7822784|Fire (The Seven Kingdoms Trilogy, #2)|Kristin Cashore|http:photo.goodreads.com/books/1267828423s/7822784.jpg|6128277], and I hope there is a sequel to find out what happens with Katsa, Po, Bitterblue, and the rest!
From start to finish, I loved everything about this book. It was given to me by my younger brother and it had been sitting on my shelf for some time, but it only took the first two pages for me to get into it.
I found this story to be so compelling and I loved the way the book had so many different levels: female independence, gender equilibrium relationships amongst Kasta and most of her male counter parts, Love, friendship, combat, adventure, comedy and even a layer of evil so unspeakable with King Lec. It made my heart stop, my stomach turn and my skin crawl.
I do not think that I can praise this book enough for giving me Kasta. A character so uniquely independent and self-driven with a powerful perspective and aspirations aimed toward helping those in the 7 kingdoms. Kasta knows what she wants and what she doesn’t want in her life and she does not let anyone, not even Po take that away from her by trying to change her mind. And what was even more rewarding, was Po’s acceptance of Katsa as she was and his unwavering love for her and contentment of being by her side without trying to change her.
Some may not like or agree with the ending [spoiler alert], but I liked that the book ended with the two of them still very much in love with one another but not married. Katsa still had goals to archive and places and people to see. I think that this was a wonderful decision because the author stays true to Katsa’s character and it also comments to her character growth throughout the book as she went from being emotionally cut off and not liking children to want to allow herself to Love Po and deciding to open up combat training schools all over to help and teach children particularly girls, how to defend themselves.
To be honest, I could have read about Katsa beating up brute men in taverns and soldiers all day long! Truly the best thing ever. I loved this book and I would recommend it to everyone and if given the choice, I would add Katsa to my fictionalall-star entourage team , with Tetra (Sterling Wayfairer Series), Abby Mills, (Sleepy Hollow), Kia (The Occasional Diamond Thief), Dutch (Killjoys) and Max (Dark Angel) along with Po for his Grace and his amicable character.
Although I liked this book, I do not think that I will be continue the series and read Bitterblue (sequel) or Fire (prequel) based on the character and tonal shift I sensed in the Bitterblue except in the back of the Graceling book. And a from what I can tell, Fire might cover more of King Lec’s past and to be honest, he was scary enough as it is in Graceling and I’m not too eager to encounter his character any time soon.
Full review here on my blog.
I found this story to be so compelling and I loved the way the book had so many different levels: female independence, gender equilibrium relationships amongst Kasta and most of her male counter parts, Love, friendship, combat, adventure, comedy and even a layer of evil so unspeakable with King Lec. It made my heart stop, my stomach turn and my skin crawl.
I do not think that I can praise this book enough for giving me Kasta. A character so uniquely independent and self-driven with a powerful perspective and aspirations aimed toward helping those in the 7 kingdoms. Kasta knows what she wants and what she doesn’t want in her life and she does not let anyone, not even Po take that away from her by trying to change her mind. And what was even more rewarding, was Po’s acceptance of Katsa as she was and his unwavering love for her and contentment of being by her side without trying to change her.
Some may not like or agree with the ending [spoiler alert], but I liked that the book ended with the two of them still very much in love with one another but not married. Katsa still had goals to archive and places and people to see. I think that this was a wonderful decision because the author stays true to Katsa’s character and it also comments to her character growth throughout the book as she went from being emotionally cut off and not liking children to want to allow herself to Love Po and deciding to open up combat training schools all over to help and teach children particularly girls, how to defend themselves.
To be honest, I could have read about Katsa beating up brute men in taverns and soldiers all day long! Truly the best thing ever. I loved this book and I would recommend it to everyone and if given the choice, I would add Katsa to my fictionalall-star entourage team , with Tetra (Sterling Wayfairer Series), Abby Mills, (Sleepy Hollow), Kia (The Occasional Diamond Thief), Dutch (Killjoys) and Max (Dark Angel) along with Po for his Grace and his amicable character.
Although I liked this book, I do not think that I will be continue the series and read Bitterblue (sequel) or Fire (prequel) based on the character and tonal shift I sensed in the Bitterblue except in the back of the Graceling book. And a from what I can tell, Fire might cover more of King Lec’s past and to be honest, he was scary enough as it is in Graceling and I’m not too eager to encounter his character any time soon.
Full review here on my blog.
It was a fun concept with well-written characters, which is important since it's a very character-driven story. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Po and Katsa, and Katsa was well developed as a YA femme protagonist.
The middle pacing was a bit slow and repetitive for my tastes, and the resolution felt long for the genre. Though, given the story is less plot and more character, it made sense.
All in all, a fun, quick read.
The middle pacing was a bit slow and repetitive for my tastes, and the resolution felt long for the genre. Though, given the story is less plot and more character, it made sense.
All in all, a fun, quick read.
Everyone always talks about Throne of Glass when they think of a woman assassin for a king, but this book is overlooked. While I know Maas was very young when she wrote it, I felt more compelled to feel for these characters that Kristin Cashore created.
It does not focus its plot around the romance but rather the other way around. It’s just a good enhancement to the story and the character’s arcs.
I hope more people read this book and that it gets the attention it deserves.
It does not focus its plot around the romance but rather the other way around. It’s just a good enhancement to the story and the character’s arcs.
I hope more people read this book and that it gets the attention it deserves.
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