Graceling
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Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight--she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.
When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about 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.
With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.
DESCRIPTION:
Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780152063962
ISBN: 015206396X
Label: Harcourt Children's Books
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 480
Publication Date: 2008-10-01
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Reading Level: Young Adult
Studio: Harcourt Children's Books
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CUSTOMER REVIEWS:
Customer Rating:
Summary: strong debut novel
Comment: Kristin Cashore's Graceling is a wonderfully surefooted novel that pleases from start to finish. It is set in the land of the Seven Kingdoms, where some (Gracelings) are born with a particular talent ranging in scope and usefulness: mind-reading, fighting, cooking, climbing trees, etc. The main character, Lady Katsa, has a fighter/killer Grace which she usually employs (rarely happily) in the service of her uncle, King Randa as his "muscle." The story opens with a bang (actually some flying kicks, savage punches, useless swordplay, and so on) as Katsa uses her Grace for her own purpose, performing a daring rescue of an old man, kept prisoner by another king. On the mission, she meets another Graceling fighter, Prince Po (son of yet a third king).
The rest of the book explores several plot avenues. One is Katsa's growing revulsion at how Randa forces her to use her Grace and her fitful attempts to control her Grace and her anger. Another is the mystery as to why the prisoner was taken and who was behind it. A third is the deepening relationship between her and Prince Po as they travel together. And yet another is the mystery surrounding yet another of the kings of the Seven Kingdoms.
On the surface, we've seen much of this before. The singular magical "talent" some are born with (LeGuin's Powers series is another good exploration of this relatively common idea), the awkward burgeoning relationship between two young characters (see any number of YA), the character fighting against his/her own powers; a spunky young princess. But truth is there isn't a lot of wholly new out there; what differentiates the very good, good, middling, and bad, is what you do with the usual ingredients. Cashore, it turns out, is an excellent cook. There isn't a misstep or bad taste anywhere here, making Graceling one of the better reads of the year.
The plot is compelling throughout with excellent pacing--not overly long, no abrupt shifts or lagging sections, lots of tense moments but not piled up one atop the other, good breaks of humor and more quiet moments, mysteries that are resolved at the right moments, twists and turns that connect logically and are well set up.
The characters are strong in their own right--sharply defined, individual, complex (Katsa more than Po but he is fully three-dimensional and gets his own special complexities toward the latter parts of the book) and as compelling as personalities as the plot is for tension and mystery. Their characters are revealed in a variety of equally skillful ways: interior monologue, well-crafted dialogue that doesn't feel crafted, actions both subtle and large. Side characters are also nicely sketched in efficient strokes: Katsa's servant woman, Randa's son Raffin, Po's brother. The villain is a bit abstract and amorphous, but this is more due to plot requirements than poor writing and its very abstractness adds to its horror.
The relationship between the two of them is also well done--handled in much more adult fashion than we usually see, skipping over the cookie-cutter "let's instantly hate each other, bicker endless and falsely for half the book, then resent falling in love and bicker some more over that, then give in and be a couple" form so prevalent. It feels more real than 90 percent of the relationships in fantasy books.
Beyond the big picture of plot and character, there are many lovely moments throughout the novel: wonderful moments of dialogue, of interior thought, of description (though less so) and some great set scenes. The novel exhilarates in both the large and small. It wraps up as a fully independent story, and there are two "companion" novels (not strict sequels but set in the same world and very roughly around the same time) planned, one of which comes out in the fall. I'm looking forward to both. Very highly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Graceling
Comment: This book was great. I really enjoyed it and hope that there are more to come.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Graced With a Hindering Romance
Comment: It's a shame really. For a debut novel, Kristin Cashore has created a truly wonderful world with a great premise--people born with two different colored eyes have abilities. It's too bad that an annoying and story hindering romance brings down the book.
THE GOOD:
The world Kristin has created for GRACELING is really engaging and wonderful. I really enjoyed reading about the politics between the different lands and about the cultures themselves. In fact, some of the best parts are when I was reading about the missions King Randa sent Katsa on.
As I said before, the premise is wonderful and fresh, and the world it was based in made it seem all the more fresher. I mean if Katsa was born with any other Grace besides killing--although it changes to something less turbulent and exciting as the book progresses--then it would have been boring and uneventful. When there is action in the book the action is good and exciting. I'm a sucker for the strong heroine, or an exciting female character--Lyra from HIS DARK MATERIALS; or Lina from THE CITY OF EMBER just to name a few.
There are a few good sudden realizations, like with King Leck of Monsea.
THE BAD:
What truly ruins this book is the romance. It's very much in the way of the story of the book and the excitement that it constantly seems to be holding back. Po and Katsa's relationship works like this:
"You're wonderful."
"No, you're wonderful."
"I may be wonderful, but you amazing."
"No, you are amazing, and I'm just amazing."
It's very obnoxious and annoying and constantly makes me grind my teeth. It's nothing but a series of compliments and counter-compliments that really drag the story down.
What makes the basic romance even worse is that Po just seems to be perfect in every way possible. His beauty is mention constantly--even when he is being despised--to the point where it's being force-fed to you. Po's thoughts always seem to clear and concise with very little room for argument, as well. It makes me a little sick. His Grace is a little to perfect. He is able to fight extremely well; he can detect terrain; he can read people's thoughts (of course only when the thoughts are about him) and tell when they are lying; he can tell when people are coming; and he can detect where plant and animal are located. Is there anything he can't do?
Just like any basic romance, though, our main character, falls for him; and falls hard. She may resent him but it's only for a brief instant, and before you know it, she's back in his arms. I guess the easy way to say it is that the romance is just like any other romance in a book: cut and pasted and bland.
Other problems with the book is that the action dies down quick and Kristin is very fond of using time gaps--I don't know the exact name of them, but it's when you double space a paragraph and don't indent it. These time gaps appear very frequently and sometimes for no real reason or purpose at all. It's as if she couldn't string together paragraphs well and decided to solve it with this random skips in the story to progress it faster.
A lot of time is spent wandering around the land, which although is interesting, quickly loses its charm when all they do is travel, hunt, and make camp. It all gets boring very quickly.
There are few ideas in the story that seem a little ridiculous to me. One is where they are fleeing King Leck and Po is injured--his basically suffering a concussion of some sorts and is having trouble balancing and is constantly dizzy. So in heroic moment Po tells them to leave him behind. So they help him find shelter, so he can hide from the pursuing armies. So where does he suggest to hide? Why, in an underwater cave, of course! Yeah, he's dizzy and can barely walk and he expects to be able to swim underwater into a hidden cave. Doesn't seem reasonable. There are few more as well--like how Katsa can weave a basket in a matter of minutes (I'm no expert, but I think it would take a little longer than a few minutes) and another where she takes down a mountain lion for food.
THE VERDICT:
In the end, GRACELING is a great debut novel. The world and premise is interesting, and Katsa is a great, strong female heroine. But the boring and bland romance and the over all feeling that nothing happens for a great period of time--it's mostly traveling and hunting after a while--bring down the story heavily.
I recommend GRACELING and I am still looking forward for the next book in the series if only for the premise and the world, and not for the romance.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Thrilling, Complex Debut
Comment: Easily one of the best books I've read this year. I never even realized this book was marketed as YA until I had finished it and was rating it on Amazon. However, that said, the book is very suitable for YA readers. Cashore sets up an interesting and refreshing premise, litters the story with strong characters, an eerie villain, and plenty of adventure on the way.
As for the premise, Sci-fi/Fantasy storylines with individuals having a special power isn't unique in itself (particularly if the reader has even picked up a DC/Marvel comic), however her execution of the idea, and how it fits into the world she's created is unique. The concept of a world where these special powers are shunned by the mainstream populace and automatically harnessed for the use of the king sets the stage for a complex world indeed.
Cashore has the gift of combining fast plot with great character development. The storyline moved rapidly, taking the reader on a variety of adventures, but also covered its bases nicely. Simultaneously, our prickly heroine Katsa is growing by leaps and bounds in a completely believable manner.
The love interest isn't overdone, either. One problem that can accompany some YA books is that the author hits you over the head with the love interest right from the beginning. Not so in Graceling. Cashore eases into it gradually, if for no other reason than Katsa's character has a long way to go before she's able to even think of having a real relationship with a man.
Cashore's ending is perfect for the tone of the book. She's one of those authors that isn't afraid to let bad things happen to the characters you've grown to love. It's refreshing to be able to fear for your characters as they stumble through their trials, not knowing if they'll actually make it through.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Absorbing.
Comment: Have you ever, while reading a book, looked up from the pages and had to blink in surprise at finding that you were not in the world which you were reading about? That happened to me while reading this very absorbing fantasy novel.
I was initially reluctant to pick this book up. The genre of- A fantasy world where some individuals have a power or ability which sets them apart from others in their world, is losing its appeal for me lately. However I was curious to see what all the "bloggy buzz " was about. This book is done so well and I enjoyed it so much that maybe I'm not as tired of this genre as I had thought. It did take me about 3 chapters to get in to this book but when I was in I was totally absorbed.
I am not going to summarize the plot in this review that has been done very well in other reviews on this site. What I will say is, Katsa, the main protagonist is graced with the skill of killing. She is a wonderful character with a truly heroic soul. Like all great heroes she is conflicted about even her own nature and Grace.
I LOVED the first half of this book, I could not put it down . The moment about halfway through, where the fabulous "baddie" is introduced and Katsa began to understand the true nature of her grace was nothing short of brilliant and I became filled with anticipation of what was to follow. Unfortunately, for me the story lost momentum after that. All of the fascinating new developments were tied up too quickly and neatly. Having said that. my overall enjoyment of this book still rates very high.
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