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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
(3.75) a fun read with cool powers, kingdoms, and sword fights. i really liked katsa—she’s strong, stubborn, and kind of reminds me of katniss everdeen or temperance from bones.
the love confession on page 175 came a bit out of nowhere, but the romance ended up being really sweet and healthy, which i don’t see a lot in ya (fantasy) books.
the love confession on page 175 came a bit out of nowhere, but the romance ended up being really sweet and healthy, which i don’t see a lot in ya (fantasy) books.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Complicated
First, this quote from the Afterword:
"Your story about a narcissistic, cowardly, insecure, cruel king who has the magical ability to tell lies that people believe may, unfortunately, turn out to be a fable for your times, as such stories often do. Cruelty is never new; but also, heroism is real. As you see the people in the real world around you finding their voices and their strength in opposition to cruelty and thoughtlessness, you will want to write more characters who are doing the same. Maybe it can become a positive feedback loop?"
♡Yes, so much! These are the best kinda of stories.
*****
I devoured this. It was so good! It is technically a standalone, but it takes place in the same world as the others in the Graceling realm books. The story was a perfect standalone to me. It had great plot and character development, conflict, and resolution.
I absolutely adore Katsa. She is strong and feisty, and unwavering on what she wants. Her passion drives her, as does her empathy.
Po is such a good example of (mostly) healthy communication. Of course no one is perfect, and I like that he still has his flaws, but wow I loved how he communicated with Katsa. The contrast of his openness and willingness to relinquish control, with the controlling and narcissistic Lek was crazy.
Although the overarching plot resolves a bit before the end of the book, the characters have their own struggles to resolve that take a little longer. That healing journey was so good! To me it was more about healing the mental state than anything.
"Your story about a narcissistic, cowardly, insecure, cruel king who has the magical ability to tell lies that people believe may, unfortunately, turn out to be a fable for your times, as such stories often do. Cruelty is never new; but also, heroism is real. As you see the people in the real world around you finding their voices and their strength in opposition to cruelty and thoughtlessness, you will want to write more characters who are doing the same. Maybe it can become a positive feedback loop?"
♡Yes, so much! These are the best kinda of stories.
*****
I devoured this. It was so good! It is technically a standalone, but it takes place in the same world as the others in the Graceling realm books. The story was a perfect standalone to me. It had great plot and character development, conflict, and resolution.
I absolutely adore Katsa. She is strong and feisty, and unwavering on what she wants. Her passion drives her, as does her empathy.
Po is such a good example of (mostly) healthy communication. Of course no one is perfect, and I like that he still has his flaws, but wow I loved how he communicated with Katsa. The contrast of his openness and willingness to relinquish control, with the controlling and narcissistic Lek was crazy.
Although the overarching plot resolves a bit before the end of the book, the characters have their own struggles to resolve that take a little longer. That healing journey was so good! To me it was more about healing the mental state than anything.
Wow. I feel bad. So many people LOVED this book. This is one of the rare books I couldn't even finish. The romance, the situations, everything seemed extremely cliche for me. Moving on to better books. "I love you Katsa. You're so strong and awesome" Jeez.
This is a solid YA fantasy book, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did when I was a teen!
adventurous
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
I absolutely loved Katsa’s character arc and the way she emancipated herself from her uncle’s control. It proves there are different kinds of strength : not only brute force but also the kind of inner strength she demonstrated when she walked away from King Randa. I also loved her relationship with Po and how the opening scene ( the start of the book ) is literally her running into him because their meeting and getting to know each other completely changed her life. Kristin Cashore is an amazing writer and I love the Graceling Realm series. Can’t wait to order Seasparrow on Amazon and find out what’s next !
January 30, 2020
4.25/5 stars
Graceling takes place in a world where some individuals are graced, meaning they are extraordinarily gifted at something. For example one can be graced with fighting, or cooking, or taking care of horses. We follow a young woman named Katsa who is graced with killing. She is an unwilling pawn in her uncle's court, enforcing his brutal policies with violence. Unbeknownst, however, to her uncle she also leads the council, a group of individuals who run secret missions to improve the overall welfare of the continent. One secret mission leads her to rescue a beloved grandfather and she ultimately joins up with one of his grandsons, Po, to uncover the mystery behind his kidnapping.
There's a reason Graceling is still popular twelve years later, it's a fantastic debut. Katsa is a strong female character in many different ways, she's physically strong, able to voice her concerns, smart enough to get out of difficult situations, she sticks to her convictions, and while she has her insecurities, she strives to make herself better. She and Po make for a great team, they're great at communicating, and make each other better. The side characters of Graceling are also well written and feel distinctive. The antagonist is especially great, we don't meet him right away and yet his character is built up so well, and the dread and fear that surrounds him is so believable. The story is constantly engaging and I can't image why this wouldn't be a fantasy classic later down the road.
March 26, 2017
4/5 stars
4.25/5 stars
Graceling takes place in a world where some individuals are graced, meaning they are extraordinarily gifted at something. For example one can be graced with fighting, or cooking, or taking care of horses. We follow a young woman named Katsa who is graced with killing. She is an unwilling pawn in her uncle's court, enforcing his brutal policies with violence. Unbeknownst, however, to her uncle she also leads the council, a group of individuals who run secret missions to improve the overall welfare of the continent. One secret mission leads her to rescue a beloved grandfather and she ultimately joins up with one of his grandsons, Po, to uncover the mystery behind his kidnapping.
There's a reason Graceling is still popular twelve years later, it's a fantastic debut. Katsa is a strong female character in many different ways, she's physically strong, able to voice her concerns, smart enough to get out of difficult situations, she sticks to her convictions, and while she has her insecurities, she strives to make herself better. She and Po make for a great team, they're great at communicating, and make each other better. The side characters of Graceling are also well written and feel distinctive. The antagonist is especially great, we don't meet him right away and yet his character is built up so well, and the dread and fear that surrounds him is so believable. The story is constantly engaging and I can't image why this wouldn't be a fantasy classic later down the road.
March 26, 2017
4/5 stars
This was a pretty good book, but I really felt like it was missing something. I look forward to reading the prequel, as I feel I didn't learn enough about the villain's motivations -- it's as if the book explained how he is evil but left out the why and what. The revealing of his grace was interesting but I'm not quite sure what he was using it for besides general villainy. Although the pacing was a little off, I enjoyed the characters and thought it was a unique and interesting concept.
relaxing