Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Pages: 480
Publisher: Harcourt Children's
Books
ISBN: 015206396X
I
don't remember why I initially put this book on my PaperBackSwap wish
list, but I did. Then I missed out on getting a paper copy when I
was on vacation and missed the email. But, I learned how to check
out a Kindle book from my local library, so that was an unexpected
bonus! Oh, and I have book 2 and figured this time, I would read a
series in order!
This
is classified as a young adult fantasy book. I guess that after
Harry Potter and the Twilight series, the types of fantasy for
children have gotten more mature. I didn't even realize this was a
young adult novel until I looked it up after I read it. The writing
was descriptive and clear, and the general story was engaging. In
many ways it reminded me of Anne McCaffery's Harper Hall Trilogy,
which I really enjoyed.
In
this world, certain people are given “Graces” or in-born
abilities to become an expert in something – sometimes that ability
is useful, like cooking or music, but other times, it can be trivial.
However, the main character, Katsa, was born with the Grace of
killing. She is the niece of a king, and he uses her for his dirty
work. However, she begins to question the ethics of her work, and
she starts a secret society, called the Council, to protect people.
During one of her missions, she runs into another person Graced with
fighting ability and eventually finds that he is investigating the
same thing she is, the kidnapping of an elderly member of the royal
family of a neighboring kingdom. The kidnapped victim turns out to
be the fighter's (named Po) grandfather. Katsa and Po work together
to find the plot and realize that a king with evil and cruel
ambitions has been Graced with the ability to control people's
thoughts. They rescue Po's niece and struggle to kill him, which
Katsa eventually does. In the process, Katsa discovers that her
Grace is actually survival, and Po loses his sight, but develops his
real Grace, the ability to sense the things around him. The story
ends with a clear set up for the series, Po returns to his kingdom,
Katsa continues to work for the Council, and the niece begins to rule
her new kingdom.
I'm
looking forward to picking up the next few books in the series.
