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.
So, what did you all think of October's pick?
I am finding that I am a really big fan of fantasy, and although I didn't love this book, I really liked most of it. I loved the whole concept of this book. The idea of being "graced" with some heightened or extraordinary ability, and that trait manifesting itself at a young age, was a great story idea. I liked the story of Katsa and Po, from them practicing fighting (them kicking the crap out of each other) to the romance that developed between them.
I liked that the story flowed instead of dragging in parts (which, in fantasy, generally happens often!), which, to me, was evidence of exceptionally good writing. Like I said, fantasy often has too much lots of detail--to the point where it's overwhelming. This book wasn't like that at all. I was hooked from the start, and the story never "got old" for me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, although I've heard that the second book is just a "companion" and doesn't have these characters. The final book in the set is also a "companion" with different characters, but it also ties all the books together.... So I'm told. So now I'm curious. Did you read Graceling? Did you like it? Why or why not?
Stay tuned for next month's book. Just FYI, it's not going to be Wither by Lauren DeStefano like I originally planned. I'm sorry if you've already read it, and if so, feel free to tell me what you thought of it! I will let you know on Tuesday, for sure, what November's book will be. I haven't quite decided yet, but when I do, you'll be the first to know!
Happy Reading!
3 comments:
Here's my review: Let me just start by saying that I loved this book. I loved Katsa from the very beginning and knew that a kick-butt lady killer was a heroine whose story I could really get into. Once I met Po, I just had to know more, had to know where this book was headed, and even though I thought I had a lot of it figured out, it still left me hopelessly, breathlessly in love and wanting more.
As Katsa grew into her Grace more fully and realized what it was, I loved how insecure she was. I loved how she didn't want friends, didn't want love, and that's exactly what she got. The storytelling in this book was amazing and fresh. Have I said that I loved this book? Because I did. Even the more minor characters were well-fleshed out and wonderfully written.
This was a great start to the series, and I can't wait to read more!
As for next month - well, I already grabbed Wither and started it, but that's all right. I'll read whatever you pick, as long as I can get it from the library :)
I adore the cover and I love fantasy too! I'll check this out in a bit :)
Slacker checking in: I didn't read this book, yet. I will get to it, but probably not until next month. ugh, I know!
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