Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Series: Graceling Realm #1
Rating: 4 stars
Published: October 1st 2008
Goodreads Synopsis:
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.Recommended by Yiling!
She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po.
She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the 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.
Graceling reminded me of Tamora Pierce's books, in which a girl is given the means to break free from the misogynist and overly sexist society she was placed in.
Katsa is born with the Grace of killing, making her the personal hitman of King Randa, her uncle. This ability of her makes her feared among her peers, which keeps her alone and isolated. But, she meets Po, who has the Grace of combat, and soon becomes his friend. The two embark on a mission to discover the truth of Po's kidnapped grandfather and the mysteriously kind King Leck of Monsea.
The plot line of this book is a pretty simple one to follow - During this mission, Katsa ultimately discovers an inner strength, and uses it to stand up to her enemies. I like that even though she does fall in love with Po, she retains her strong moral code, and her refusal to marry/have children.
She couldn't have him, and there was no mistaking it. She could never be his wife. She could not steal herself back from Randa only to give herself away again - belong to another person, be answerable to another person, build her very being around another person. No matter how she loved him. - p. 232
Even her relationship with Po remains the most respectful thing ever! It blossoms from friendship to respect to lovers and this was the best thing. I feel that a lot of YA relationships I read immediately go from friends to lovers instantaneously without forging a deeper bond.
Po was perceptive. And talkative. Perhaps that was why they got along so well. She didn't have to explain herself to Po, and he explained himself to her without having to ask. She'd never known a person with whom she could communicate so freely - so unused was she to the phenomenon of friendship.
Katsa reminded me a bit of Eleven from Stranger Things; she's so unaware of the world around her, having been raised essentially as a human killing machine since her Grace was revealed. Even from this line -
"Friends don't lie," she said. - p. 155
Her progression from someone unaware of the world to someone willing to go above and beyond for those she cared for was peak character development that I enjoyed watching. She even projects this on to Bitterblue, and perhaps this is the heart of the novel.
How absurd it was that in all seven kingdoms, the weakest and most vulnerable of people - girls, women - went unarmed and were taught nothing of fighting, while the strong were trained to the highest reaches of their skill. - p. 398
Overall it was an enjoyable novel - I can see this as a standalone, but I'm also tempted to pick up its spinoffs.
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