Graceling Review

Synopisis: 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 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...

My Thoughts: I loved Graceling! I'd been itching to read it and even put down my current read to start it. For the next two 1/2 days I brought it with me everywhere I went, reading as many pages as I could before I was forced to put it down for reasons I had to convince myself where important enough to take a break. This book was longer then I imagined but I never felt weighed down. I figured when I got midway and thought Hey! the book could end here, or even 100 pages later and thought Hey! the book could end here too that eventually I would feel as if the author was stretching the story out, but that feeling never came and I was happy that it didn't. Katsa was a strong woman, which I loved. Of course because of her Grace she was strong physically, but I'm talking more of her mental strength. She had insecurities like everybody else, but she was still sure of herself. I loved (loved loved...) Po. He was good looking and smart, and his pride wasn't hurt if a woman (Katsa) was better then him at certain things (like fighting for instance). He treated her like an equal instead of someone who was beneath him. (he was also patient & kind) I also liked the plot because I couldn't figure out how the book was going to end which kept me excited and alert. I also liked that I loved the story so much that I never payed attention to the writing. Maybe that doesn't make sense but sometimes I can't enjoy a story because the writing sucks, so I'm more aware of what the author has written instead of the actual story. I'm hoping to get Fire as soon as possible to see what else Kristin Cashore is capable of!

Rating: A+