Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.
She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po.
She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.
I must say, there was a ton of hype about this book from a ton of my friends on Goodreads. Which only made me want to read it more. I did love this book - a lot.
The character Katsa is so hard, but has her soft points. Although she is forced into harming and sometimes killing for her uncle, she decides to help others - to form the Council that will help those who are in need.
I fell in love with Po and his semi-arrogant behavior. The way he loved Katsa so openly and did not dare suggest to possess the woman who can kill without effort.
Princess Bitterblue also had the unique characteristic of being so regal at the age of 10. The way she dealt with the tragedy in her life was inspiring and the way that Katsa took care of her really softened me to Katsa's usually rough character.
And the plot, oh the plot. Kristin throws you right in with Katsa on a rescue mission and then backtracking to understand her background and why she acts the way she does. The action doesn't seem to slow, but for travel time on the different adventures.
This book has everything you could want in a fantasy - a unique world, amazing characters, and a plot to keep you on your toes and wanting more.
If you love fantasy, and you haven't read this book yet - you MUST!
5/5 Roses 
I love Graceling. :) I'm really glad you did too. I think the only point I didn't really like about the book is the names... I can deal with Katsa, but Po and Bitterblue? Po isn't a name you can swoon for... :P Great review!
ReplyDelete- Alex
I quite enjoyed this book as well! I am looking forward to FIRE which is out this fall (I think?). Katsa was a fantastic female character!
ReplyDeleteGraceling had a satisfying, knockout ending for me. Circumstances change and people change instead of living happily ever after.
ReplyDeleteI adore the love between Katsa. The passages where she falls in love with him are so moving that I was falling in love with him too!
I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Strong heroines and vital to me, which is one of the reasons I love Graceling.
Great Review! I have to read this one!
ReplyDeleteI haven't opened up my copy yet but I know I'll love it. Excellent review Kristen!!
ReplyDeleteI glad you liked Graceling! I love it too. Katsa and Po are such a good characters.
ReplyDelete"I'm glad"
ReplyDeletesorry I lost my contraction there
I really liked Graceling, but I agree with Alex a little on the name Po. One of my friends named his cat Po, so every time I read the name the cat popped into my mind.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book and one of the things that made me like it so much was Katsa, she's a strong willed woman with strong opinions, who doesn't change magically overnight just because she's in love.
ReplyDeleteI wanna read this book...I put a request in at my bookstore to get it
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this book as well. I thought that there was a bit too much of the 'anti kids/marriage' in Katsa's attitude, tho. I'm looking forward to Fire. :)
ReplyDelete-Beryl
I've had this book on my TBR list for a long, long time, but never once read a review on it. You just moved it up the list, now I have to read it!
ReplyDeleteI loved this book. Katsa was amazing. It does have everything you could want in a fantasy. The books are very cool looking too :) Great review..
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