Graceling

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Average customer rating 4.8 (12 comments)

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I was slow to warm up to Graceling: it felt textureless to me, the way some fantasy books do if their world is too bare-bones to have a strong sense of place. But as Katsa and Po's friendship deepened and Katsa began facing harder choices, I forgot all that and was sucked into the story. Once I'd gotten into the fairy-tale like rhythm of the writing, the simplicity of the worldbuilding felt deliberate and right. Katsa's determination to push her body to its limits and explore what she's capable of, from combat to tackling geese, kept Graceling visceral and grounded.If you don't like a heroine who tackles a goose and fistfights a mountain lion, I don't even know what to say to you. (Time to get in a fight with the publishing comments: I don't recall the book making a big thing of her appearance? "smart, beautiful teenager" feels like they're just checking boxes.) Po is a great partner, gentle with Katsa's feelings while giving her the no-holds-barred fights they both crave. The villain is bone-chillingly creepy (strong allusions to child sexual abuse). After Katsa's spent so much time running from him, the subdued nature of their final showdown feels appropriate, because he's a man who would like a dramatic ending and that's why he shouldn't get one. Belongs next to And I Darken on the shortlist of books with relentless bruiser heroines.

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In Kristin Cashore’s YA fantasy book Graceling, certain people (those with two different colored eyes) are blessed or cursed, as the case may be, with superpower gifts. These gifts could be anything from cooking to killing people. Because their eyes give them away, it’s a little hard to hide who is graced and who is not. Katsa’s grace is killing, which she discovers at age eight when she accidentally kills a man. Her uncle, the king, takes advantage of her gift for his own purposes. Belittling and criticizing her, the king keeps her in submission by continually unbalancing her with self-doubt. He intimidates and strips of her self-confidence. She becomes one of his thug enforcers, bullying, hurting, and sometimes killing on his command. It turns out she's good at intimidating and hurting people, but she hates her uncle and the things he makes her do. She isn't weak or submissive. Her secret rebellion is to start an underground organization that works to help those in need. People through the land are involved in this growing organization When she meets Prince Po, also a graceling, a friendship develops between them, and she finds the courage to stand up to her uncle and leave his court. She and Po take off on an adventure. Powerful Characters: Perhaps the greatest strength of this book is the characterization. Katsa is a strong female character, riddled with insecurities. Because she is feared and shunned by most people, she has few friends. She questions her place in the world and longs to be out from under her uncle's control. She also uses her power to help people in need. She’s a young adult trying to find her way in a confusing, violent world. When she meets Prince Po, she finds someone who is her equal and her opposite. While she is serious, shunned, and feared, he is beloved, easygoing, charming, and playful. Fast Paced, Engaging, and a Plot Bump: I got into this book very quickly and was immediately engaged with the fantasy world, the characters, and the plot. Until near the end when the plot derails and takes a tangent direction, I found the pacing excellent. The story begins as an adventure/quest story with a love story (subplot). However, after the climax of the quest story, instead of wrapping up, the novel begins another new storyline and becomes a romance novel with too many chapters devoted to a new plot. I found myself becoming annoyed. I felt tricked and cheated because the new storyline was interesting and complex, but the problem was solved too easily and conveniently--a too quick solution to a complex problem. The new story would have been a perfect beginning or subplot for the second book, or it could have been introduced and addressed before the climax of the main storyline. A Word About Violence: We live in an excessively violent society, and this book in many ways reflects this. Often our nation's first response to a problem is violence. This scenario plays out in books and movies as well as on the nightly news. Then we are shocked and wonder why our children use violence to solve problems. One of the things I liked about this story is that Katsa grapples with the horror and impact of her grace. The negative effects of using violence isn't sidestepped. The graphic violence raises questions about humanity and human interactions as well as the effects of violence on personal and psychological levels. As the story unfolds, a reader begins to realize that compassion, courage, gentleness, and love are far more powerful behaviors than violence. Audio Version: I listened to the Audible version of the this book and wanted to give a two thumbs up for the production. Most audio books are read by a narrator, and I enjoy those books. This one is performed. There is a central narrator as well as separate voices for various characters. The Audible’s version is an excellent production. If you listen to audio books, I recommend this one.

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I read this book as a middle school teacher, but also as a lover of the fantasy genre. It was excellent! There was something for everyone, action, adventure, romance, and a little magic thrown in. I would highly recommend this to any lover of YA fantasy.

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From the minute I opened the cover, I could not put this book down. Kristin Cashore's writing contrasts to regular, YA novels in the fact that hers means something, is true and deep to the very heart of writing. She puts another perspective on fantasy entirely-- a better respective, may I add-- and brings to light prevalent topics of today in a completely different world. This continues to the two other novels Kristin Cashore has written, which get progressively better, if such a thing is possible. Everyone who has read Gracleing will agree that it is creative to the extreme, and deserves to be read, whether or not you are a YA or Fantasy enthusiast. You will ADORE it anyway!

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I was pleasantly surprised at this wonderful first book in Kristin Cashore's series! The world she creates is so unique and original; I loved every second of it. I definitely recommend this book, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

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I was amazed at how good this was, I was completely swept into the story and the world described in the book. I have always loved fantasy and this is by far one of my favorites. I couldn't stop reading this and when I heard there was a companion to this I read that just as fast. Overall this was an excellent book filled with adventure, romance, and captivating characters! It's such a creative story of a magical world.

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This book was awesome. Great for both a twelve-year-old boy and his fiftyish mom.

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I really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were intriguing as well as the story. I had a hard time putting it down, I just kept wanting to read it. For being the first book that she had published I was very impressed. Can't wait to read more from this author.

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Once upon a time, a girl named Katsa was born with the incredible ability to kill people. What would you do with this power? This skill, her Grace, put her at the mercy of her uncle Randa—the king. As royal thug, Katsa punished those who disobey Randa… until one day, when she decides to disobey the king by NOT doing his dirty work—casting herself on a breathtaking adventure. This whimsical book is the perfect mixture of action, romance, tragedy, and everlasting friendship that exceeds that of most other young adult literature. This book does exhibit a little bit of sexual content, although it isn’t disturbingly graphic, and the story doesn’t revolve around sex. Cashore really brings the characters and overall book to life with vivid descriptions, poetic narrations and humanistic behaviors. One of my favorite recitations of the book is as follows: “… It was unreal, like something out of a tapestry, or a song. Dark cliffs rose from the sea, snow-covered fields atop them. Rising from the fields, a pillar of rock, and atop a rock a city… gleaming so bright that at first Katsa was sure it was made of gold.” Portraitures similar to this lie interlaced throughout Graceling, which is one of the many reasons that this novel has made the list of my top-ten favorite books ever.

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I want to be like Kristin Cashore some day :). As an aspiring author, I admired her ideas, how cutthroat she is with her characters, and her clean, sparse writing style. This was a book I couldn't put down, and was one of the best stories I've read this decade. I can't wait to read more of her novels in the years to come!

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I love this book and recommend it to those who enjoy a journey with many discoveries and a strong and unique young heroine. I enjoy discovering the other world of this story. I love the how the plots unfold. The characters are clearly drawn and honestly, sometimes shockingly, developed. There's action, danger, beauty, travel and a myriad of relationships explored: romantic, familial, political and more.

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This was a fantastic first book. It was a bit heavy on the talking about the action as opposed to just experiencing it. But it was good nonetheless. I thought the character development was good, though how easily the main character shifts her perception of her temper was a little quick. Like the author just needed to get that plot point out of the way in order to get to other plot points. At the same time, I admire a strong female character and the fact that the entire story did not evolve around a romance. Though, there is romance in it. Thankfully there is not a lot of time spent on confessions of feelings and love. I'm curious to see if this turns into a series of books, or if it just stays stand alone. I liked the way it ended, but of course once I've begun to enjoy a certain set of characters, I welcome a series.