Graceling

Kristin Cashore

Jan 2008 · Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

About this ebook

Discover the Graceling Realm in this unforgettable, award-winning novel from bestselling author Kristin Cashore.

A New York Times bestseller * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature Winner * Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and BCCB Best Book of the Year

"Rageful, exhilarating, wistful in turns" (New York Times Book Review) with "a knee weakening romance" (Los Angeles Times). Graceling is a thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure that will resonate deeply with anyone trying to find their way in the world.

Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable-yet-strong Katsa, who is smart and beautiful and lives in the Seven Kingdoms where selected people are born with a Grace, a special talent that can be anything at all. Katsa's Grace is killing.

As the king's niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his brutal enforcer. Until the day she meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, and Katsa's life begins to change. She never expects to become Po's friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace--or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

And don't miss the sequel, Fire, and companion, Bitterblue, both award-winning New York Times bestsellers featuring Kristin Cashore's elegant, evocative prose and unforgettable characters.

• ALA Best Book for Young Adults
• Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature Winner
• Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and BCCB Best Book of the Year

Ratings and reviews

This book was absolutely the best book that I have ever read before. I was drawn to the book by the second page and couldn't put it down afterwards. I really got into the characters and the storyline. Kristin Cashore has a GREAT way of writing with emotion, and excitement. I felt as though the characters were real and all the happenings in the book were real as well. I was and still am living in the world of Katsa. For those of you who haven't read the best book ever, here is a preview: There are people born with a special talent called Graces. These go from as simple as climbing trees to as complicated as predicting weather; from as useless as talking backward to as helpful as mind reading. Katsa is a Graceling girl born with the Grace of killing. She is used as a torture instrument by her uncle, King Randa. She is tired of doing hideous things to innocent people so she creates the Council. The Council helps and protects people. In one of her rescue missions she comes across a Lienid named Po that she starts out disliking. As they begin in their adventure across the seven kingdoms, Po and Katsa begin to grow more fond of each other. They uncover secrets about themsleves and each other that even they did not know about themselves. And together they discover the mystery behind the seven kingdoms and about the strange king of Monsea.

From what it says on the jacket flap, you just can't help but go, "Whoa, I wanna know what comes next!" Or at least that's what happened to me. Can I just first say how much of an interesting book this is? Dude, my mom had to pry it out of my hands to make me stop reading since I had school in the morning and it was like 1:30. The whole book is narrated in third person but it works out perfectly. I think one of the best ways to describe this book is that everything is not what it seems. And that is both a good and bad thing. So, it keeps you on your toes. Also, in two scenes it gets pretty... intimate if you know what I mean. But it's vague enough so it doesn't scar you for life and it stays in the YA genre but it's detailed enough so you know what's going on. Just a heads up for you! It's broken up into three parts and the whole book is 471 pages. A pretty decent sized book which took me about a day and a half not including school because I was really paranoid that the book was going to get ruined because I really like the cover art. How much of a dork am I? In the beginning we see Katsa and we meet a character that will play a major part in the book, but I won't tell who, you people are smart, you can figure it out in the up-coming chapters. And he is not what he seems either, but he is still a good guy. The story captivates the reader and makes them eager for more. Which luckily there will be a sequel coming in the future. The sense of adventure and tension and suspense is there also along with the parts that make you smile and just go, "Aw." But there are some parts of tragedy. But not the moments where you want to sob into your pillow and scream to the heavens, "WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!" but the types where you just have pity for the characters and hope for the best. I am trying to keep this review spoiler free but there are some things I was like, "I wish ______" But that isn't what the character would do so, you just have to let it go. I would give this book a 4.5 stars! I totally recommend this book. It has romance, adventure, suspense, and memorable characters with distinct personalities. Like the back of the jacket said, it definitely left me wanting more. And I bet you will to, so go on and read it!

In most of the seven kingdoms, people born with a Grace--an extreme skill that they can perform above all others--are usually feared. However, King Randa of the Middluns kingdom has exploited Katsa's ability to kill ever since her Grace surfaced at the tender age of eight. Katsa had even begun to think that maybe, in reality, she really was nothing but an attack dog, until one day she decided to follow her own will and let an innocent man live. Since then, she and her cousin, Prince Raffin, have put together a secret council to rescue people suffering from similar injustices. During a rescue mission to free the father of the Lienid king from a dungeon in Sunder, Katsa squares off with a Graced Lienid man who is almost her equal in fighting. When he shows up in Middluns, Katsa is dismayed to learn that he is one of the Lienid princes, nicknamed "Po," in search of his missing grandfather. Although Katsa is at first wary of his intentions, she soon finds a kindred spirit in Po, and the two grow close as they set off on a journey to solve the mystery surrounding the kidnapping of Po's grandfather. In Monsea, a kingdom isolated by mountains, Po's aunt and young cousin may be in grave danger... Akin to the tales of Tamora Pierce, this story features strong female characters and an exciting medieval world full of magic and action. Definitely not one to miss! **TRT Gold Star Award

About the author

Kristin Cashore is author of many New York Times best-selling books, including Graceling, Fire, Bitterblue, and Jane, Unlimited. She received a master's from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College, and she has worked as a dog runner, a packer in a candy factory, an editorial assistant, a legal assistant, and a freelance writer. She currently lives in the Boston area. kristincashore.blogspot.com Twitter: @kristincashore