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Graceling Kristin Cashore Books

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Graceling Kristin Cashore Books

I'll write the review I wish I'd read before buying this book (and its sequels Fire and Bitterblue. I bought and read Graceling and Fire in their entirety; Bitterblue I had learned my lesson and only skimmed a friend's copy in the hopes of seeing a satisfactory resolution to the whole thing, but I could not handle the book at all.)

The allusions to what I'm calling "upsetting content" are subtler in Graceling than they are in Fire, so you can skim over a few paragraphs in Graceling and be left unsettled but not utterly disgusted, but if you're sensitive, it will still linger and upset you. Fire has more detail. And then in Bitterblue, all subtlety goes completely out the window and I don't see how you could read it without being traumatized. These books contain characters who commit acts that are truly sick, depraved, and vicious. I do not like to get broadsided by abuse, torture, animal cruelty, rape, and intended incest in a book. Especially a YA fantasy book.

Though Cashore gives Graceling herself (and Fire and Bitterblue) redemptive and at least somewhat happy endings, I'm not left feeling uplifted. I'm left feeling like I was just slimed by an extremely misanthropic worldview and a glimpse through a window I wish I could shut tight. I'm not denying that Leck is an effective villain -- he is utterly, relentlessly, villainous, so what else could he be? But he's not an Iago or Richard III -- you're not sitting there enjoying his plots and schemes for their complexity and audacity and his gift at making you complicit. Neither is he a Voldemort -- a nearly abstract embodiment of Evil, whose acts aren't psychologically complex at all and are mostly described with corresponding simplicity suitable for young readers. He's not even a Hannibal Lechter -- freaking creepy, but so strange and specific that you don't actually worry that you're going to encounter him in the real world -- or that he would do anything to you if he met you. Leck's a much more deeply personal nightmare, and I would think some readers -- especially sensitive readers and younger readers -- would not thank Cashore for giving them that nightmare.

I'm giving these books three stars because my comments here about the content are objectively true but their impact is subjective. These aren't bad books as far as the craft of storytelling goes, but I personally did not like them -- and there may be likeminded readers who would benefit from my remarks. If you would not read someone's memoir about abuse because it just upsets you too much, you might want to avoid these books as well. If you are someone who finds it healing or redemptive to read of survivors, however, you might find that these books speak to you... and the heroines do, ultimately, triumph over the horrors they have experienced or witnessed. As is the case with real abuse, of course, not all of the damage can be mitigated.

I hope I've helped you decide whether or not these books are for you.


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Graceling Kristin Cashore Books Reviews

I enjoyed this fantasy book despite not particularly connecting with the main character. Katsa can be harsh and unrelatable, but the plot of the book is interesting. I listened to the book rather than reading it, so I think that I noticed the writing style/grammar problems less than those who were actually looking at the words.

The premise was fascinating – some people grow into special abilities called graces although each grace is different. Katsa has a fighting grace, which her King has her use to intimidate and harm people. Despite hating it, she never fights against it and accepts her position as a killer. I understand the fear of the King’s anger, but cannot reconcile that with allowing oneself to be used and abused in such a manner. She is a fighter and strong enough that no one should be able to command her. Her freedom and her choices should be her own, but she allows herself to be manipulated for a long time.

Po, on the other hand, was very likable. He brings out a better side of Katsa and forces her to realize that she does not have to be the King’s puppet. He is intelligent, a revered fighter and kind. I also liked another character, but as they do not have a role until the later half of the book – I’m afraid that talking about them might spoil details.

The world building was decent and I hope that it is expanded in future books, as this is not a standalone. The journey Katsa goes on is chronicled beautifully, but I don’t feel like I know the world itself or its monarchies well. There are seven kingdoms and I would not be able to detail customs, names or climate of many of them.

Overall, the plot is relatively predictable although there were a few points that weren’t expected. The pacing was steady throughout, but some scene changes and plot progressions seemed to jump forward when the plot would have been better served if they were expanded upon. For example, the conflict of the plot built and then the climax and “resolution” was mere moments so if you weren’t paying close attention you may have missed it.

I would recommend this to young adult/teen readers who enjoy fantasy books – and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
Oh Graceling. I looked at this book several times before actually reading it and I am SO glad I finally did! Katsa is a wonderful main character. She is a graceling, meaning that she is graced with special abilities like many other characters in this fantasy world. Katsa is able to kill anyone with her bare hands and is a skilled fighter. I absolutely adored Katsa. She was such a fierce, independent heroine and I love that I’ve been seeing more of that in YA novels. Everything about Katsa is intense. Her fighting, her relationships and her sheer will to survive and persevere through some impossible situations.
And Po, I loved Po! The romance was absolutely adorable. Po softens Katsa, and yet he understands and respects her. I personally didn’t love that Katsa was often too independent and stubborn with Po, but I think Cashore was trying to make a point about different types of love and relationships.
The story itself was exciting. A lot of great fight scenes and dramatic rescues. Much of the story revolves around Katsa uncovering the treachery of her kingdom. There was also a twist towards the end that I was not expecting! While I adored all the characters and their relationships, the world-building and story line of this book is really where it shines. It was so well thought out and complete for being a stand alone novel (Bitterblue and Fire are companion novels but the stories are different). Highly recommend this read. One of my favorite fantasy novels.

[...]
I'll write the review I wish I'd read before buying this book (and its sequels Fire and Bitterblue. I bought and read Graceling and Fire in their entirety; Bitterblue I had learned my lesson and only skimmed a friend's copy in the hopes of seeing a satisfactory resolution to the whole thing, but I could not handle the book at all.)

The allusions to what I'm calling "upsetting content" are subtler in Graceling than they are in Fire, so you can skim over a few paragraphs in Graceling and be left unsettled but not utterly disgusted, but if you're sensitive, it will still linger and upset you. Fire has more detail. And then in Bitterblue, all subtlety goes completely out the window and I don't see how you could read it without being traumatized. These books contain characters who commit acts that are truly sick, depraved, and vicious. I do not like to get broadsided by abuse, torture, animal cruelty, rape, and intended incest in a book. Especially a YA fantasy book.

Though Cashore gives Graceling herself (and Fire and Bitterblue) redemptive and at least somewhat happy endings, I'm not left feeling uplifted. I'm left feeling like I was just slimed by an extremely misanthropic worldview and a glimpse through a window I wish I could shut tight. I'm not denying that Leck is an effective villain -- he is utterly, relentlessly, villainous, so what else could he be? But he's not an Iago or Richard III -- you're not sitting there enjoying his plots and schemes for their complexity and audacity and his gift at making you complicit. Neither is he a Voldemort -- a nearly abstract embodiment of Evil, whose acts aren't psychologically complex at all and are mostly described with corresponding simplicity suitable for young readers. He's not even a Hannibal Lechter -- freaking creepy, but so strange and specific that you don't actually worry that you're going to encounter him in the real world -- or that he would do anything to you if he met you. Leck's a much more deeply personal nightmare, and I would think some readers -- especially sensitive readers and younger readers -- would not thank Cashore for giving them that nightmare.

I'm giving these books three stars because my comments here about the content are objectively true but their impact is subjective. These aren't bad books as far as the craft of storytelling goes, but I personally did not like them -- and there may be likeminded readers who would benefit from my remarks. If you would not read someone's memoir about abuse because it just upsets you too much, you might want to avoid these books as well. If you are someone who finds it healing or redemptive to read of survivors, however, you might find that these books speak to you... and the heroines do, ultimately, triumph over the horrors they have experienced or witnessed. As is the case with real abuse, of course, not all of the damage can be mitigated.

I hope I've helped you decide whether or not these books are for you.