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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
I have truly never loved a book as much as I love this one, and I don’t think I ever will. This is a book that I will recommend to every single person, no matter their genre preference. “Read Graceling!” I’ll shout from the rooftops of every house in every corner of the world.
For a start, these characters are absolutely amazing. Katsa is strong and independent, Graced with killing; basically she’s stronger, faster, and more adept with weapons than you’ll ever be. But despite this introduction, Katsa is also compassionate and loving. Prince Po is a royal, also Graced with fighting, but he is empathetic and humble and kind. These characters have an amazing way of interacting with each other and with the other people they encounter, that truly changed my understanding of how we as human being perceive those who are different from us.
The world building is AMAZING, by the way. Simply amazing. Rich, and interesting, and the concept of Graces is something I still think about at night when i looking for inspiration for my own writing.
This book, in my opinion, also has one of the best portrayals of a villain in any book I’ve ever read. Without risk of spoilers: the villain is completely and utterly terrifying, and quite likely for a different reason than what you are thinking. The way Katsa and Po (and Bitterblue) interact with him paints a remarkably clear picture of his faults, and his interactions with/through other people in the story shows, again, their perceptions of him.
Cashore’s writing style took my a while to get used to; because it’s written in a close third person POV of Katsa, the narration is at times short and choppy, in line with the way Katsa thinks through problems and describes the world around her. In my opinion this as a FANTASTIC way to write this book , as the narration conveys the story in a way I truly don’t believe would be as impactful were it written differently.
TL;DR: PLEASE read this book, and PLEASE do yourself a favor and read its companion novels (Fire and Bitterblue) as well. I re-read this book at least once per year, and every single time I find more reasons to love it.
For a start, these characters are absolutely amazing. Katsa is strong and independent, Graced with killing; basically she’s stronger, faster, and more adept with weapons than you’ll ever be. But despite this introduction, Katsa is also compassionate and loving. Prince Po is a royal, also Graced with fighting, but he is empathetic and humble and kind. These characters have an amazing way of interacting with each other and with the other people they encounter, that truly changed my understanding of how we as human being perceive those who are different from us.
The world building is AMAZING, by the way. Simply amazing. Rich, and interesting, and the concept of Graces is something I still think about at night when i looking for inspiration for my own writing.
This book, in my opinion, also has one of the best portrayals of a villain in any book I’ve ever read. Without risk of spoilers: the villain is completely and utterly terrifying, and quite likely for a different reason than what you are thinking. The way Katsa and Po (and Bitterblue) interact with him paints a remarkably clear picture of his faults, and his interactions with/through other people in the story shows, again, their perceptions of him.
Cashore’s writing style took my a while to get used to; because it’s written in a close third person POV of Katsa, the narration is at times short and choppy, in line with the way Katsa thinks through problems and describes the world around her. In my opinion this as a FANTASTIC way to write this book , as the narration conveys the story in a way I truly don’t believe would be as impactful were it written differently.
TL;DR: PLEASE read this book, and PLEASE do yourself a favor and read its companion novels (Fire and Bitterblue) as well. I re-read this book at least once per year, and every single time I find more reasons to love it.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I might write a real review later, but right now... I don't know how I feel...
the first fantasy novel that I picked up after being in a reading slump. liked the characters. loved the ideas that Katsa stood for, and her love interest Po, so attractive. their chemistry, loved it. her character growth, loved it. story takes a while before it starts to pick up, so because of that, might not reread.
The premise of the book was promising, yet it did not grip me.
After reading 30 or so pages, I noticed that my mind started to wonder. Not a good thing in a book. It didn't help that I did not find Katsa sympathetic. In part 1 there was a bit too much repeating thoughts; yes I know that you do not want this or that.
Normally I give a book 1/3 of a chance. If by then my interest isn't gripped I stop reading, 'cause there are many more books I want to read.
This book had the advantage that it was my commuter's book (though even then there were a couple of times I considered to just stop reading it). So I did the next best thing: I skipped parts (after page 100, I think). Everytime something was described or if I felt was a tad too long, I read/skipped over it quickly and went a couple of lines further. If I felt I missed something I would read a couple of lines back (didn't have to do that with this one, though).
Admittedly, part 2 and 3 were a bit more interesting. Though I found the confrontation with the villain of the book a bit... lacking. You never get to know why. But then again that hardly ever happens in real life too, so...
After reading 30 or so pages, I noticed that my mind started to wonder. Not a good thing in a book. It didn't help that I did not find Katsa sympathetic. In part 1 there was a bit too much repeating thoughts; yes I know that you do not want this or that.
Normally I give a book 1/3 of a chance. If by then my interest isn't gripped I stop reading, 'cause there are many more books I want to read.
This book had the advantage that it was my commuter's book (though even then there were a couple of times I considered to just stop reading it). So I did the next best thing: I skipped parts (after page 100, I think). Everytime something was described or if I felt was a tad too long, I read/skipped over it quickly and went a couple of lines further. If I felt I missed something I would read a couple of lines back (didn't have to do that with this one, though).
Admittedly, part 2 and 3 were a bit more interesting. Though I found the confrontation with the villain of the book a bit... lacking. You never get to know why. But then again that hardly ever happens in real life too, so...
A Really fast read but the ending conclusion with the enemy seemed way too quick and the romance seemed way too quick. 3.5* really but def. fast paced and will def. continue on with the series. love Bitterblue!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.4 I like the world building of this book and Katsa and Po were cute together