Graceling (Seven Kingdoms Trilogy #1)

Reader reviewed by Okapi

This addicting novel ate both my homework and three hours of sleeping time. This vivid novel will always remain prominent in my mind; Graceling will never melt into the blur of YA fantasy. It is the type of book that I will be quite sorry to return to the library; I have the strong desire to place it on the prized section of my bookshelf. With a flawed yet likeable ensemble of characters, a fast-paced plot, and an original concept, Graceling is one of the top five YA novels of the year. The actual idea of Gracelings is amazing; it made me jealous that I didn't think of it first. Gracelings are gifted with a supernatural power at birth, and the sign of this power is shown by eyes of two different colors. The Graces that Gracelings can be born with can be as useless as the ability to rotate one's entire torso, or as powerful as the ability to read minds. 

The characters are one of the strongest aspects of this book. Eighteen-year-old Katsa, the main character, is a fierce heroine who defies all weak women stereotypes. It's quite refreshing to have a female protagonist who can protect herself and those around her, opposed those stereotypical, helpless women who never engage in a battle. Katsa's character develops beautifully, and her mental journey is centered on her humanization and finding the ability to cope with love. In the early pages of the novel, Katsa reflects upon herself: 

"She knew her nature. She would recognize it if she came face-to-face with it. It would be a blue-eyed, green-eyed monster, wolflike and snarling. A vicious beast that struck out at friends in uncontrollable anger, a killer that offered itself as a vessel of the king's fury." - page 137 

Then we have Prince Po, who is a superb character. The only personal problem I have with him is his name - Whenever I read "Po", two other people jump into my head: Po from Kung Fu Panda, which is sort of fitting since both characters are gifted in marshal art skills, and the more dissimilar one, Po from Teletubbies*. Besides that miniscule and forgivable downfall, the author executes the romance between Katsa and Po fantastically by letting their relationship develop naturally, not at all like the annoyingly unrealistic sudden-true-love-within-twenty-four-hours romance scenarios in Twilight. 

Another aspect I like about this book is the villain. The author counters Katsa's powerful ability to kill anybody she desires by gifting the villain with an equally powerful skill, causing the plot to take many extremely interesting turns. Surprising us with unsuspected movements of the storyline, this book is not as predictable as it may seem. 

Though simple and clean, in some places, Cashore's writing bothers me. It is slightly choppy, and I would not agree with the praise on the book's back that describes her writing as "elegant, evocative prose". Fortunatly, the dazzling plot and characters outshine her mediocre writing. On the contrary, I noticed that Cashore manages to make her description, which is often the more boring part of a book, very exciting to read, sometimes by integrating it with the action. For example: 

"She couldn't believe the coldness of this passageway over the mountains. She couldn't believe wind couldblow so hard and so insistently, without ever easing. Every breath of this air was a blade gouging into her lungs. Her arms, her legs, her torso, especially her hands - every part of her that was not covered with fur burned with cold, as if she had thrown herself into a fire." - page 352 

Cashore describes the freezing conditions while still engaging my attention, which is part of the reason why this book is such an addicting read! 

In conclusion, this novel is a rich, well-blended medley of action-packed battles, violence, mystery, suspense, romance, heroism, snappy dialogue, and superpowers. If you have not read Graceling, go get it from your library, or even better: buy it! After finishing this book, fans will ravish down its prequel, Fire, and eagerly await the release of Bitterblue. 

Cover Rating (US Hardcover): 4/5 - I love the sword in the background and the color scheme, and the eye reflected in the sword adds more essence. Especially after reading the book, I realize that the pretty cover is quite well done, capturing the book's charm. Though it captures the feel of this novel, I wish it was more distinguished. Something about the cover reminds me of other fantasy novels, and I probably wouldn't pick it up if I was in a bookstore. 

Reader reviewed by Lisa

in a sentence or so: Katsa
is Graced with killing. meaning, she's virtually indestructible and
capable of just about anything. while she's on a secret mission she
discovers a man who is Graced with fighting and, through some
unforeseen and very unfortunate circumstances, will be her companion to
stop a wicked king of unthinkable acts.

everyone born with a
Grace (noted by two different colored eyes) are sent to their king. the
king then decides what to do with them - keep them for his service, or
send them to live in their villages and freak people out for the rest
of their lives. and king Randa just could not pass up having an
advantage like his niece Katsa
in his court. with the ability to inflict immense pain to those who
defy Randa, she proved an amazing asset. obviously, she hated being
used like a wild animal in this way and started doing things her way. when Katsa
is rescuing a kidnapped noble, she discovers the reasoning behind the
actions and gets to know the people she meets along the way which
permanently alter the way she sees the world, her Grace, and her
purpose in life.

okay, so i had heard tons of buzz about this book on the ya lit circuit - both by bloggers and by the recognition it received from official channels.
and i can confirm that it was all worth it. the characters are complex
and thoughtful, while the plot is constantly twisting and creative. the
landscapes are so vivid and there is a sense of plausibility to the
whole story, which i personally find very refreshing in fantasy books.
it's kinda like a 'coming-of-age' in a way, because of Katsa's realization about who she is, what she does, and why
she does it. i don't want to geek out too much, because the mystery
behind what happens is part of what makes this such a great book.

i am blown away that this was the first book by Cashore.
she wrote with confidence and respect for her readers. and i LOVED that
the opening segment of the book was in the midst of action, not a long
drawn out explanation of what Grace's are, who Katsa
is, etc... you find out along the way - which keeps the pacing exciting
and fun. also, there is a map in the front. i LOVE maps in books.

at times heavy, at times funny, at times romantic, always exciting and adventurous and clever, Graceling was quite a journey and one that is well worth the read!

fave quotes: "She
practiced every day. She learned her own speed and her own explosive
force. She learned the angle, position, and intensity of a killing blow
versus a maiming blow. She learned how to disarm a man and how to break
his leg, and how to twist his arm so severely that he would stop struggling and beg for release. She learned to fight with a sword and with knives and daggers.
She was so fast and focused, so creative, she could find a way to beat
a man senseless with both arms tied to her sides. Such was her Grace." (11)
"Who were they, to take her fight away from her and turn it into some sort of understanding between themselves? He should've
taken more care of her face? She would knock his nose from his face.
She would thump them both, and she would apologize to neither." (90)

fix er up: coming
in just shy of 500 pages, the book is a bit of a beast. but trust me,
it's well worth it! it seemed intimidating at first, and then utterly un-put-downable after page 1.

Reader reviewed by Lexie

I fully admit to picking this book up for the gorgeous cover
originally. Then I placed in my pile of TBR and forgot about it for a
few weeks. I picked it up again this past week and read straight
through it in two nights. The story moves along, each new plot thread
blending with the previous ones so that you're not certain when (or if)
something ended.

The book itself is divided into two parts.
Part One, 'The Lady Killer', focuses mainly on establishing our main
character of Katsa and what her Grace entails, as well as her
relationships because of it. Even though Katsa is eighteen years old,
she acts in a much more mature fashion and thinks in a more complex
way. Katsa also struggles with a growing conscious of what she has been
doing as her Uncle, the King's, strong arm enforcement. If he has a
petty problem with some minor Lord, he sends Katsa to handle the
matter. In this way he manages a fairly peaceful kingdom.

Part
Two, 'The Twisted King', takes us away from the familiar geography of
the first part and has us following where Katsa goes. Throughout this
part we learn a bit more of how Katsa thinks and her motivations, as
well as more about her companion's motivations and thinking. Though in
the first part Katsa has a secret society of do-gooders (The Council,
which tries to right wrongs throughout all Kingdoms, but not
necessarily to the benefit of the ruling King), and had bent the rules
in regards to other orders given to her by her Uncle, she had never
truly been free to do as she liked.

The relationship between
Katsa and Po is obviously more then Katsa realizes. It takes several
hearty blows--in the first part and later in the second--but the bond
between the two is so strong its hard for Katsa to ignore.

Our
villian, King Leck, actually isn't a paramount threat until about a
third to half way through the book. His machinations are felt from the
first chapter, but his threat level only becomes clear after a string
of unrelated events finally makes sense.

On the author's home page she mentions the next book shall be a prequel set roughly 30 years before Graceling, featuring a familiar character, due out in October 2009. She is currently working on the sequel to Graceling, set 6 years later and featuring Bitterblue as the main character.

(Reprinted here with author's permission)

Christopher Hsu
Mrs. Poulsen
English 10B
March 12, 2012
Graceling Book Review
The perfect blend between mystery, romance , and supernatural powers can be found in the novel Graceling by Kristen Cashore. The mind-blowing book’s plot revolves around a Graced fighter Katsa, as well as another Graced fighter, Po. Gracelings, they are called, for they possess a Grace, or a special prowess at something. Because of a mysterious kidnapping of a harmless old man in which motives are unknown, the two fighters from different countries unite to find the truth about the causes of this kidnapping. Along with mystery, their growing affection for each other contributes to a variety of character changes of traits throughout their journey. The conversations between people in this book are fairly realistic, incorporating real life human thought processes behind the words. As the book progresses and the two grow more and more affectionate about each other, one can sense the hints of love and playfulness in between the once plain mysterious conversations. The change of traits in characters makes it even more realistic and appealing to the reader. It makes it that much more compelling. The fact that the author gives hints and little foreshadows about what is going to happen allows the reader to want to keep on reading. Another effect of foreshadowing is that it gives the reader some space for imagination, it allows them to guess what is going to happen and compare it with the actual outcome of the book. As one reads, the puzzle begins to piece together which gives a fulfilling feeling when reading. Another factor providing appeal are the humorous details hidden in the dialogue which adds seasoning to the highly suspenseful and romantic conversations. No book would be perfect without a certain amount of humor in it. One interesting part about this book that separates it from the others is that it states something insignificant about a person, but turns out to be one of the most important characteristics of the character, thus adding even more character arc which makes them more real. One last thing that I loved was that the descriptions of scenery in this book really appeals to the senses, the author does a great job painting the picture in your mind. She uses precise descriptions to make the book three dimensional. Considering all of these aspects, I give this book five stars. Personally, I think this novel attended to all of my desires in a book. The magical ratio of romance, mystery, and the supernatural was what compelled me the most. I would recommend this to teenagers like me and people interested in this genre of novels.

I can see why Graceling is so well-loved by so many people. The writing is fantastic, and the world-building exquisite. I love the idea of this fantasy world where certain people have what essentially amounts to mutant powers. The notion of the different-colored eyes marking the Graced is great, as is the exploration of how the inhabitants of the different kingdoms view the Graced. In one kingdom, the Graced are honored, where in another, they are shamed. It’s a very subtle look at prejudices and stereotypes woven throughout the plot, and how those perceptions impact an individual’s self-image, and I thought it was very well done.

The plot was also lovely. I enjoyed the action, and although I’ve read several reviews that thought the pacing was slow and the length ponderous, I thought it moved rather quickly. Maybe that’s because most of the fantasy I read is adult. This book was certainly longer than a lot of YA fare, but I thought the length was justified by the story.

Po was a fantastic character. I liked him immediately. I loved that he was nuanced and flawed, and I was surprised along with Katsa when new facts were revealed about him. There are certain parts of the book where Po is not present, and while they are extremely exciting and tense, I was still slightly distracted wishing Po was there. It’s always fun when a book makes me actually miss a character when he’s not around.

I also loved the character of Princess Bitterblue, who is the focal point of one of the companion novels. While she was a child, I admired her attitude and spunk, and I enjoyed reading about her.

I did have a few issues with the book, and these were just matters of preference, not of the storytelling or the writing. I was not a huge fan of Katsa. I understood why she was the way she was, and I definitely acknowledge that she is a far cry from many of the helpless damsels in distress that are abundant in YA literature. However, her extremely guarded and untrusting nature didn’t make her a character I really enjoyed reading about. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoyed the story that she was involved in, I just didn’t really enjoy her. And although she does exhibit some growth during the course of the book, it wasn’t enough to make me really like her by the end.

I also was a bit let down by the climax of the book (which actually occurs several chapters before the ending). It seemed kind of lacking after so much build-up. Now, I’m not entirely sure how it could have been done better or differently; I just know that after I finished reading it, my thought was, “Oh, that was it?”

However, as an overall story, Graceling excelled. And considering neither of the companion novels focus on Katsa, I’m extremely interested in reading more about this beautiful fantasy world and the amazing characters that populate it.

At first, I was quite reluctant to read this book, for I was prejudiced with the idea that it the story was similar to Incarceron, a book I didn't really quite get. You see, the idea of both books are quite similar, from my point of view, and so I expected Graceling to be as okay as Incarceron. But, silly me! It was nothing like it. This book left me wanting more of this author's writing. So, you see, there can be two similar stories, with too different authors, and one can be good as the other can be bad. It's all in the author.... and the reader'S taste.

Here's your disclosure: I read this book in February. It is now August. Do the math.

I really liked Katsa and I REALLY liked Po. They were both interesting characters and just...lovely. Even if Katsa does have to kill and torture people. I mean...it wasn't her choice.

The story was really interesting and definitely took some turns I didn't expect. Especially towards the end? Like...total shock to me, some of what happens. I loved reading it and getting totally stumped about what would happen next.

And there is romance of the awesome variety. I really, really loved how their story ended in this book. It was different and wonderful and just...yes. All the yes. *hugs romance*

Graceling is well written, well developed, and has some epic things going on between the covers. While I didn't fall head-over-heels super-in-love like most people seem to, I did really enjoy Graceling and fully intend to read Fire and maybe read Bitterblue if I can ever get my hands on it.

Reader reviewed by TheBookworm

Absorbed My Attention

Graceling

By Kristin Cashore

Pub. Date: October 2008

4 out of 5 stars

PG-13 Violence, Profanity, and Sexual Content

Recommended

Endowed with a Grace of Killing, Katsa lives in a lonely, secluded world. Both feared and revered by most, she is the Kings deadly, perfect weapon. Yet she wont let the Kings ruthless content stop her from doing what is right. Everything is going according to plan until a mysterious Prince, Graced with Fighting, arrives at the castle. Katsas conflicting feelings and his breathtaking eyes cloud her thoughts. Though, while the Prince seems likeable, her senses are on high alert. Will this man, with the striking features and easygoing personality, be the downfall of Katsa and all she stands for and believes?

While reading, Graceling absorbed my attention.

I found the main character, Katsa, pretty likeable& most of the time. I dont agree with all of her decisions morally, so she isnt my favorite character. She did have some really wonderful moments though. The one extraordinary character was Princess Bitterblue. Not only was Bitterblue mature, wholesome, and good, she also brought out the best in Katsa. Katsas compassion and humanity grew into much more stable and visible elements while with Bitterblue. They both improved, physically and mentally, during their time together.

The book flowed with an urgent undercurrent that pulled me under while I oohed and aahed. I was glued to the plot, until about the last third of the book. The big showdown between good and evil was lacking terribly and left me unsatisfied. Then it slowed down to a snails crawl that irritated me. The parts that I loved beforehand began to blur by the disappointment of the ending.

Overall, I found Graceling a pretty, good book that was just lacking in a few scenes.

I believe this book will appeal more to high school girls. Its not suitable for people 13 and under. If this book sounds interesting to a guy, go for it but I would also like to suggest The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima and Rangers Apprentice series by John Flanagan. These books are great and I believe guys will be able to enjoy them more because of the fact that the books narrators are guys, not a girl like in Graceling.

Date Reviewed: March 6^th, 2009

For more book reviews and book information check out my blog at www.inthecurrent.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by Amy Ward

A great love story, wonderful action, suspense, and a great heroine.  The perfect recipe for a wonderful book.  One of the best girl power stories I have read.  Katsa is able to be strong and a warrior without losing her femininity.  She cuts her hair like a boy but she is still beautiful to those around her.  It's a refreshing take on the literary female character.  It is also a book guys and girls can really get into.  Read it now!

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

In Katsa's world, those who possess a Grace, an unusually powerful skill, recognized by their different-colored eyes, are often shunned and avoided by the ordinary people. Katsa has it worse than most Graced, for her Grace is the Grace of killing, a Grace that her uncle, King Randa, uses to keep his subjects in line.

But Katsa is sick of always obeying her uncle's orders, being forced to perform these tasks she hates and having to hide her good side. Still, she sees no way out of her miserable, savage life...until she meets Po, a prince from a faraway island kingdom, whose secret business coincides with hers. Po is Graced with the art of combat, and they are well matched in fighting.

A friendship develops between Katsa and Po, and they are thrown together even more as they set off to defend their world from the clutches of a powerful and dangerous king. Katsa must contend with her wild nature if she is to get to know Po, if she is to learn about the truth about their Graces and characters. Together, they may just be able to save their world and make it a better place.

The characterizations of Katsa and Po in Graceling are incredible; it's impossible to not like them and feel for them as they struggle with their internal conflicts and emotions for one another. On the other hand, I felt like much of the plot-conflict in this novel was thrown in almost helter-skelter; conflicts were suddenly introduced and resolved in a matter of pages. I would have liked more back-story, so that I could've better understand Katsa and Po's world. That being said, Graceling is still an incredible debut fantasy novel, sure to appeal to all fantasy lovers who also like a good romance.