Graceling By Kristin Cashore

Title: Graceling
Author: Kristen Cashore
Ships launched: 909
Pages: 480
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Year Published: 2008
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis:

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.

    

       Filled with captivating adventures, Graceling is truly an enticing story. Kristin Cashore creates a world that readers yearn to journey too and never want to leave. The book has the perfect plot: a heroine that shines above others, an intriguing adventure, and an earth-shaking romance.  Best of all, the book is filled with romance and fantasy without either overtaking the plot. As readers delve deeper into the novel, they will find themselves unable to stop reading.

      Cashore creates unbelievably unique characters. Katsa, who has an invaluable skill for killing, is a persevering young woman who takes control of her life and meets Po, a young man who captures her heart. The two young lovers soon set out on a dangerous adventure that alters their future forever. Although the complex characters are extraordinary, readers will still be able to identify with them.

         Throughout the novel, phenomenal writing kept me flipping through the pages.  The storyline had many surprise twists and turns that kept me guessing what would occur next. There are some non-descriptive sex scenes in the novel but I will definitely be reading this book again.

+10 interesting plot
+5 unique characters
-6 some inappropriate scenes for younger readers