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Book Log: Graceling
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In the seven kingdoms, there are some children who are born different. They are marked with eyes of two different colors, and they are called Gracelings. Gracelings have abilities beyond the natural, and they are feared and shunned by most people. There are many different Graces—some are benign, like the Grace to swim long distances, or to juggle. And some or deadly.
Katsa, niece to King Randa of Middluns, has a killing Grace. Since she was a small child she has been able to kill a grown man easily with her bare hands. She lives as King Randa’s enforcer—he sends her to maim, torture and kill those who defy him.
But Katsa has a secret. Far from just being King Randa’s mad dog, she is also a part of a secret Council that does its best to watch over the seven kingdoms and bring justice and right to its people. When a Council mission brings her face to face with Po, a Lienid prince Graced with combat skills, Katsa has met her match for the first time. Po isn’t afraid to meet her mismatched eyes. And Po can match her in a fight, blow for blow.
Together, Katsa and Po begin an investigation into a mystery that has deadly roots in the most unexpected of places, and they will face a terrifying enemy who can confound even Katsa’s Graced skills.
At stake is nothing short of the fate of all seven kingdoms.
The thing I really love about this book is the Council. Even from the opening page of this book, Katsa is living and thinking and acting for herself. All the other reviews I’ve read make a big deal about how flawed Katsa is, and how wonderful it is to have a truly flawed heroine. I won’t argue with that—that’s definitely nice.
But what’s even better is, instead of watching Katsa grow into a strong young woman is seeing that she is one from the first page. The Council is amazing. I love that from the moment we meet her, Katsa is already stepping up and doing good. Watching her grow from that into someone who recognizes her own self-worth is a joy.
But that’s not the only great thing about this book. The first few chapters throw you right into the action, and the mystery—so abruptly that I was confused, and I had to go back and reread those pages once I figured out what was going on. But good confused. The kind of confused that makes you want to know and understand.
The politics of Katsa’s world intrigue me—I’m very glad that there are going to be other books set in the seven kingdoms so I can understand it more.
There’s a lot going on in these books, and once you realize where the plot is going—well, it’s terrifying. The bad guy is seriously scary, and the possibility of failure is terrible. Graceling is an old-school adventure/romance that feels fresh and vibrant and new.
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There are only a few plots in the world, and everything is riffs off of them. The challenge of a good book is making an old plot or idea feel fresh and original. And Graceling does that.
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Thank you for posting the review!
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