Reviews tagging 'Death'

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

50 reviews

plumpeony's review

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Blood, Sexism, Bullying, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Stalking, Child abuse, Death, Grief, and Child death

Minor: Ableism, Abortion, Pedophilia, and Rape

noetical's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Blood, Grief, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Gore, Death, Murder, Vomit, and Violence

kinskinn's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death and Confinement

niclantsov's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 The perfect YA high fantasy, if I do say so myself.

Graceling follows Katsa, our main girl, and her adventure to solve the mysterious reason why the neighboring kingdom kidnap the other's king's father (pls this is so confusing). Written beautifully like a lore, with a slow paced adventurous everything-is-at-stake journey, an exceptional characters, and a map that we actually use (not just for decorations 😉). 

This also have an unforgettable love story with a cathartic confession+ realization, it made me blush like a school girl and kick my feet in the air. 

The only problem(s) with this book is, I feel the 'bad guy' died too easy, and since page 1, this 'bad guy' was literally the main problem for these characters, and it just didn't sit quite well to me that they killed them off so easily. The second one is: his name is Po 😃😇🙃🤡, EVERYTIME I SEE THAT NAME IT REMINDS ME OF THAT GAME WE USED TO PLAY (Pou!) even though the spelling is different but it's pronounced the same nonetheless and it bothers me so 😞 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Kidnapping

unusualsnowunicorn's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty and Sexual content

lildawnprince's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Blood

Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

rafacolog's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, and Violence

carol16's review

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Squee - love this book sm - Review to be added to Goodreads 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Pedophilia and Emotional abuse

Minor: Sexual harassment, Gore, and Animal cruelty

qrschulte's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh wow I inhaled this book. It’s so great to find characters I love and a world I can lose myself in. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Child death, Grief, Medical content, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Alcohol

bookcheshirecat's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

“She knew he was angry, but she couldn't stop laughing. "Forgive me, Po. I was only trying to get your attention." "And I suppose it never occurs to you to start small. If I told you my roof needed rebuilding, you'd start by knocking down the house.”

➽ I finally read Graceling and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! I tried reading it about two years ago and had to put down the book, as I was bored and uninvested. Imagine my surprise when I genuinely enjoyed it this time around! I think listening to the audiobook really helped, as my library had the full cast version (I think there’s a different version with just one narrator?), that brought the characters to life vividly. The audiobook had me really engaged and looking forward to picking up the book again! 

➽ The world of Graceling is interesting but not remarkable to me. Maybe this is because the book came out decades ago and since then there have been so many great Fantasy books. Nevertheless, I loved the concept of the Graces: extraordinary skills that go beyond what normal humans can do. Graced people are always born with two differently colored eyes (e.g. Katsa has a blue and green eye) and their abilities vary greatly. Katsa is skilled at killing and others have mystical skills like telepathy, but there are also ‘ordinary’ Graces like cooking or dancing. Unfortunately, Gracelings are often outcasts and feared regardless of their skill. In most countries, they have to serve the king and are sent back if their Grace isn’t useful enough. Either they become tools for their rulers to use or are feared and regarded with suspicion. 

➽ Katsa really surprised me as a character. She’s the niece of the king of the Middluns and is used like a weapon by him because of her killing Grace. Therefore Katsa has a unique position as a skilled fighter in a world where most women don’t get the chance to learn certain skills. Given that this book was written in 2008, Katsa was a really well-rounded character that didn’t fall into the typical ‘Not Like Other Girls’ pitfalls. Despite being less feminine than is expected of her, she doesn’t scorn other women and I was glad that she bonds with a young girl in the second half of the book, as before that there aren’t any prominent female characters. Katsa struggles with her Grace and the isolation that comes with it. She doesn’t want to be a killer and takes back her agency so that no one else can use her. I understood her fears and struggles with the identity her Grace gave her. 

➽ I also loved Prince Po and his dynamic with Katsa! He’s a Graceling from another Kingdom called Lienid and has a fighting Grace that allows him to keep up with, but not surpass Katsa’s abilities. I loved their banter and how charming and funny Po could be - you just had to like him. Unlike others, he doesn’t fear Katsa because of her Grace and accepts her as she is. I loved that he never tried to change her and didn’t ask her to compromise her beliefs in order to build a future with him. It’s clear from the beginning that Katsa never intends to marry - as in this realm it’ll always give the husband power over his wife, no matter if he uses it or not - and Po understand that. They build their own relationship, free from others’ opinions! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Incest, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, and Sexual harassment