Hoping For More: Graceling = Amazing!

Title: Graceling,
Author: Kristin Cashore
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Adventure, Fantasy
Page Count: 480
Rating: 5/5

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.

My Review:

I loved almost everything about this book. It was an epic journey with a colourful cast of characters that kept me glued to the very end.

I forgot how much I loved journey books until I was reading Graceling and got totally caught up in Katsa's adventure. The world Kristin created through crossing the different landscapes and kingdoms was captivating. The character's were wonderful, I cheered for the heroes and hated the villains.

The only thing that I wasn't thrilled about was the ending, because I'm a HEA type of girl (preferably with everything all wrapped up with a bow on top), but it totally fit with the characters and the story so I'll embrace it as it is.

Favorite character by far was Po. For the obvious - hot boy with sword, but also because he wasn't threatened by other people being stronger than him. He was sure of who he was, and that complimented his strengths but didn't take away from the strengths of others. My favorite Po quote, “It humbles me. But it doesn't humiliate me.”

The sequel “Fire” is already out and features a new set of characters in the same world and the 3rd book, “Bitterblue” is due to be release September 2011.