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A review by melplays9000
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I went into this book with no expectations and yet it still managed to surprise me with how good it was. This is advertised as a fantasy romance and that worried me a little because romance is not my thing.But while there was a romantic sub plot it was definitely not the main focus of the story and felt a lot like a very close friendship which I loved.
I loved Katsa as a main character. She was very bold and had a distinct personality, not at all what I expected from the synopsis. I loved that she was pre-established in her world before the story started and her background and situation really fit in well with everything that was going on. The friendships were amazing, new and pre-existing, I loved the companions and the relationships that were built along the way. I also really liked that this book was a self contained story and which can be read as a stand-alone or with gaps between books in the series like i will be reading it.
I cannot however, give this book the full 5 stars because it just lacked some of the intensity that I need to be fully invested. There were some tense moments but they were mostly resolved quickly and I just wasn’t on the edge of my seat for any part of this book really, which was something I would have wanted. The fights all came easily to Katsa because of her grace and while I liked how this was part of her character it got a little boring after a while.
Overall I did not expect to like this book as much as I did and I’m excited to see where the sequel takes me. 4 Stars
I loved Katsa as a main character. She was very bold and had a distinct personality, not at all what I expected from the synopsis. I loved that she was pre-established in her world before the story started and her background and situation really fit in well with everything that was going on. The friendships were amazing, new and pre-existing, I loved the companions and the relationships that were built along the way. I also really liked that this book was a self contained story and which can be read as a stand-alone or with gaps between books in the series like i will be reading it.
I cannot however, give this book the full 5 stars because it just lacked some of the intensity that I need to be fully invested. There were some tense moments but they were mostly resolved quickly and I just wasn’t on the edge of my seat for any part of this book really, which was something I would have wanted. The fights all came easily to Katsa because of her grace and while I liked how this was part of her character it got a little boring after a while.
Overall I did not expect to like this book as much as I did and I’m excited to see where the sequel takes me. 4 Stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Physical abuse