Name: Graceling
ISBN: 9780152063962

Kristin Cashore

In a world where some people are born with extreme and often feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

Graceling

Kaitlyn Grace

vinny<3

"To have beautiful eyes. Does it lighten the burden of your Grace, to know you have beautiful eyes?"

She laughed. "No, Lord Prince. I'd happily do without both."

He's not the one who makes you savage. You make yourself savage, when you bend yourself to his will."

"You would," she said, "if I wished to kill you."

"I love you," he said. "You're more dear to my heart than I ever knew anyone could be. And I've made you cry; and there I'll stop."

Cassidy Nolan

The girl paused. Then she leaned and held her hand out to Katsa. Something welled up inside Katsa, something she couldn’t quite name. A sort of sad gladness at this little creature who wanted to touch her.

Tealiff snorted. “A friendly scuffle. You look worse than she does, Po.”

Po burst into laughter. He laughed a lot, this Lienid prince. “I’ve met my match, Grandfather,”

“More than your match,” Tealiff said, “it looks to me…”

Madii

(2.5) I usually like romance but this w+as a big disappointment. The book had a lot of potentials but it also failed with building the magic system and the characters. The conflict was also ushered past really fast. I was just expecting more of a climax. Also, the ending was a bit shit. I did not care for the characters except maybe Po but maybe that is because it reminded me of Kung Fu Panda. Anyway, I do not think I will be continuing with the series.

Kristin Cashore’s bestselling, award-winning fantasy Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable-yet-strong Katsa, a smart, beautiful teenager who lives in a world where selected people are given a Grace, a special talent that can be anything from dancing to swimming. Katsa’s is killing. As the king’s niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his thug. Along the way, Katsa must learn to decipher the true nature of her Grace… and how to put it to good use. A thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure (and steamy romance!) that will resonate deeply with adolescents trying to find their way in the world. This ebook includes sample chapters of FIRE, BITTERBLUE, and JANE, UNLIMITED.

Kattia

3.5 stars

Some parts dragged but I enjoyed this overall

This book was amazing! First of all, I loved the characters. I loved how Katsa was so powerful from the start of the book. This was something I was not used to from the previous books I’ve read. Also I liked the writing of the book and the world building. Loved all the details about Lienid people. It was really intriguing to me. It’s a brilliant book I totally recommend it💜

🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕

envee

originally picked this up due to the gorgeous cover and premise - so my expectations were pretty high, going into it. sadly the book didn't really measure up to them; i was mostly confused about what was going on and some parts were quite dull to read. i couldn't really relate to any characters, not to mention that i didn't really think any of them were memorable. the writing style wasn't really my cup of tea, some sentences being really weirdly phrased, which put me off a lot of times. 
i truly appreciate the author's hard work that was put into this book and i'm happy many people enjoyed it. sadly it wasn't for me.

Vicky  Nuñez 

Twelve years later and this book still doesn't disappoint, it is still as great as the first time I read it. 
That been said it pales in comparison to the latest books. Kristin Cashore has grown not only in storytelling, but also how much the realm has grown in worldbuilding. 
I think its still a wonderful introduction is still worth reading so many years after.

roro :)

Elle May

I was worried that I would end up hating how the story progressed and Katsa' character would be ruined but I found myself falling more in love with her and those she became close to. Great book looking forward to Fire now.

Annika Arguemore

Had the elements of the following books:

1. [b:Shadow and Bone|10194157|Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1339533695s/10194157.jpg|15093325]

   Because of the royalty setting.

2. [b:Under the Never Sky|11594257|Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1)|Veronica Rossi|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356591725s/11594257.jpg|15093785]

   Because of when Po and Katsa were on an adventure.

3. [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358275334s/2767052.jpg|2792775]

   Because of when Katsa and Bitterblue were traveling together. It reminded me a lot of Rue and  
   Katniss, but with a happier ending of course.

It was very vivid and well-written; therefore, I give it an A+

** spoiler alert **
           I really wanted to love this book. I just didn't. 

The graceling system was interesting and I liked reading about the different abilities that people could have. The world-building was decent as well. Most of all I love badass, fighting heroines. 

However, there were just a lot more things that I didn't love in the book than things I did love. This book was frustrating to get through at some points. 

Honestly, I think my main issue in the book is the fact that Katsa and Po's meeting of the main villain was so abrupt, with little to no warning, and then lasted for a page or two. It seemed to have so much build-up and then, boom nothing. It set off a new journey which is fine it was just pretty anti-climactic. 

Katsa is another reason I really wanted to love the book but couldn't. She's basically invincible and therefore can't really face any consequences of her actions. Yet everyone around her does. The romance between Katsa and Po was a highlight for sure, and it brought out a more human side of Katsa which was nice. 

I did really like Bitterblue's character so I may pick up the other books to follow her story.

KATSA ES UNA GRACELING, una de esas personas únicas que nacen con un don especial: una gracia. Como sobrina del rey, ha disfrutado de una vida de privilegios, hasta el día en que, durante un banquete real, su habilidad para matar con sus propias manos salió a la luz. Desde entonces se ha visto obligada a trabajar para su tío, viajando por el reino y amenazando a aquellos que se atreven a oponerse al monarca.

Pero todo cambia cuando conoce a Po, un príncipe extranjero dotado de habilidades especiales para el combate que busca la verdad sobre la desaparición de su abuelo. Cuando Katsa acepta ayudarlo, lo último que espera es descubrir la verdad sobre su propia gracia y sobre un terrible secreto que podría acabar con todos.

Graceling Realm #1

La asesina y el príncipe

Great plot, characters, and interesting powers. 

Beware: there is mature romantic content I wasn’t aware of before starting this book. 

Jeweliet Coffee

Great plot, characters, and interesting powers. 

Beware: there is mature romantic content I wasn’t aware of before starting this book. 

Mae Erceg

I loved this which tbh was not what I was expecting. I minused a star because I didn’t like that the story included animals being treated as disposable but in regards to the storyline and plot, it did make sense. I love Po so much is one of my new favorite book bfs. 4/5 stars, would recommend !

Vicky (A City Girl's Thoughts)

YES! Another over-hyped book I DIDN'T fall for! I'm getting better at this! *fist pump*

I understand every author has their own morals and ethics we may not agree on. The world, in general, will never agree on every religion's or culture's morals and ethics. I understand that. I myself am the same, being raised in a conservative Christian family, but that doesn't mean I'll read every author's work. 

Judging from Kristin Cashore's bio, she's a fierce feminist - which isn't bad! But we all know there's different feminisms out there, and Cashore's sounds like she's under the radical, a.k.a far-left category. They have some views I personally don't agree with, and one of them is about marriage and romantic relationships. If Cashore supports open-relationships, that's her right; it shows throughout this story. I don't agree with her, or radical feminists, about that, but here's my real peeve: 

She wrote a mentally underdeveloped protagonist to promote that.

If Katsa had overcome her trauma and learned more about herself, specifically what she morally stands for, then I'd say "Ok, at least she knows what she's getting herself into," but she spent the whole novel overcoming her trauma! She's COMPLETELY clueless when it comes to love, as Cashore demonstrates when Katsa doesn't realize Giddon is in love with her while everyone else knew, and she never had friends - female friends! Although she doesn't really have male friends either, but female friends would've helped her understand what true love is about while navigating who to trust and other important stuff most people learn throughout life! She doesn't have a mom, dad, mother-figure, father-figure, or any trusted adult to help her understand the complexities of adulthood (except for Helda, whose only around at the beginning and doesn't get time to nurture their relationship into a guardian figure one) so she can't possibly understand her wants or needs as an 18 year old overcoming emotional trauma from her secluded childhood under her abusive uncle. Yes, she'll know a little, but the 18-25 year old time period is the point in time people learn where they stand on their religion's and/or culture's morality. She *needs time* to do so, not jump into a relationship when she clearly doesn't know where she stands in that category. We don't know why she hates marriage or romance - we can assume, but I'd rather read *why* from Katsa herself. Po, her love interest, also needs time to learn about himself, especially since he had to hide one of his Graces from almost everyone throughout his life. To push a controversial viewpoint on a character who's beginning to learn about the world as an adult is reckless and irresponsible for any author to do! 

Yes, I would've DNF'd this book if Katsa was an emotionally mature adult and supported open-relationships, and yes, this is fantasy, so the religious structure of Cashore's fictional world can be polytheism (*CAN*; she doesn't write anything about the religious structure of her world, which is important in fantasy) but I'd think Cashore would've had a mentor written in who's privy to Katsa and Po's relationship so we can learn whether they know FOR SURE what they're getting into, but no. 

Katsa also comes off as annoyingly immature during some parts that have nothing to do with her trauma. Traversing through a near-freezing land with a child who CLEARLY cannot cope in weather like that (and she knows! Knows this but stubbornly goes through with her plan!), doesn't think about anyone's safety when Queen Bitterblue needs safe passage to find Po, and assaulting Po when he gave his opinion shows how arrogant she is. It became annoying, especially towards the end! I know, I know, she never learned how to properly interact with outsiders outside of her uncle's missions, but is she so uncultured to the point where she needs to assault because she disagrees with their opinion? Or can't think about anyone's safety when she's travelling with government officials? 

Overall, except for the abovementioned, this is a pleasurable read that takes us on a political adventure where we witness Katsa overcome her trauma and begin to learn more about herself.

Camille Carso

The concept of this book was really good. It’s very reminiscent of the X-men. However, the more I think on this book, the more I realized it’s not sticking with me. There were unique concepts in it but not enough to be memorable.

dija

Another book, another disappointment.
It was super interesting at first! And then...... Shit happens dude. I expected it to be better than this *Sings High Hopes by Kodaline*

Nicole

My biggest issue with this book was the inability to develop a connection to the characters, probably due to the writing, in particular the dialogues.

«Hay gente en estas tierras que tiene poderes extraordinarios a los que llamamos gracias. Una gracia puede tener un valor infinito o puede ser totalmente inútil. Una gracia puede hacer que alguien sea veloz como el viento, o que sea capaz de predecir...

Emily B

Graceling was interesting. I enjoyed how different Katsa seemed from other protagonists. You don't often have the main character so adamant against marriage and children. It was refreshing. The story was very linear in it's structure. Po and Katsa's relationship seemed to progress very naturally. My one complaint was that the resolution with the villain seemed to be a bit disappointing. It was fitting, as it reminded us that they were just mortal, but a bit anti-climactic in my opinion. I recommend this book, it was a fun read.

No matter how many genres I encounter and grow to love, fantasy will always have a special place in my heart. That is why Graceling by Kristin Cashore really grew on me. It's been sitting on my shelf for far too long and I wish I'd read it sooner!

It was kind of slow for me, in the beginning, to get into the story and I found myself reading a bit faster to get to the main part of the book, but I guess that just added more to the build up of the suspense. The world building was not as detailed as I wish it would be, because the place sounded really good and I wanted to hear so much more about it. It reminded me a little of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss the whole setting with the city-towns and then the woods between those. Medieval fantasy has always been my thing because of the beautiful settings they come with. Ahhh I wish I could live there.

The entire Graceling concept was a little too overworked, maybe? Except it has a new name this time, and people in Katsa's world refer to it as a grace. It's some kind of talent to the point of supernatural ability. Some Gracelings have the grace of baking, or swimming, or mediocre things like that, while others have really amazing stuff going on like the grace of sensing when a storm is near, or the grace of making people believe anything you say, or mind-reading. Gracelings are identified through their mismatched eyes. 

Our heroine is Katsa, a lonely girl graced with fighting (view spoiler)[ or the grace of survival, she discovers after sometime (hide spoiler)] who's abilities is used by her uncle King Randa to gain power over his enemies. Katsa is a wonderful character, strongly reminiscent of Katniss, only Katniss is a little tougher around the edges in comparison. Katniss is a very reluctant heroine, while Katsa is naturally kind-hearted and cares for the well being of the kingdom. They are both very hard-headed, strong willed, outdoors-y, incredible survival skills, and very self-deprecating. I like Katsa well enough, but she tends to be irritating at times and I'm not very attached to her.

The hero of the story, Po, is also a very incredible character. Now him, I was quite attached to. I found him very realistic and genuine and I really admired him. Their relationship developed very slowly as Katsa was, at first, reluctant to even be his friend, and very slow to realize their feelings for each other. Although Katsa keeps him at an arm's length, its clear that they are best for each other. Their graces help them to match each other in strength, and this helps Katsa who is a very misunderstood person because of her reputation. Although Katsa doesnt really change her mind about marriage and children (casual relationships are unheard of in their world) but I still loved watching their relationship grow through their experiences and trials. 

Bitterblue was also very interesting and I loved her so much. The supporting characters were also very well portrayed. 

My review doesnt even begin to cover how great this book was. As the story progresses the plot develops very well and you can't help but be absorbed into the story. I can't wait to read the second installment of Graceling.

Colette McDermed

I went into this book with high expectations, and it DELIVERED!!
Graceling follows the main character, Katsa, as she goes on a quest to investigate the kidnapping of a certain prince. It spirals into a well crafted, high stakes plot from there, but I don't want to give too much away. There's a decent romance, and a very good plot that doesn't just follow the quest, but also Katsa's character development and her relationships with those around her. 
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I found Katsa's commitment issues slightly annoying, and (cancel me if you want) I thought that ruined her relationship with the love interest a little. Also, it's a very good book while you are reading it, but I don't think it's one of those books that is going to keep you up at night and make you cry and long to be in that world. It wasn't mind-blowing, but it was genuinely just a good book. So overall, the book was great! I stayed up till 3 am reading it, and it got me out of a reading slump. Also, it made me realize that I haven't really outgrown YA fiction, I just need to read good ones.

Just when I say YA is not necessarily for me anymore, I read another one that I fall in love with. I wasn’t excited about reading this book at all - I’d gotten it from a “blind date” situation at B&N and it didn’t really excite me. But this was so great and I was excited to keep reading and upset when I had to put it down. The world is very interesting with the concept of Gracelings and how no two people had the same one. I also loved Katsa as a strong female character who portrayed characteristics typically associated with men. Also I’m very obsessed with Po and hope there is a man out there like him for me one day. The relationship that happens between the two of them really put me in my feels. The only reason this book isn’t a 5⭐️ for me is because the ending made me a bit sad and it wasn’t the HEA that I thought I would get. Still a HEA! Just I’m particular 😂. 

Katie Allard

Kirsten Simkiss

While not entirely devoid of quality reading, the book on a whole just lost my attention. The characters are thin in a strange way. The plot itself was pretty decent, but I just couldn't bring myself to love the characters more than just as methods for that plot. In parts, it felt like I was reading a dramatized D&D campaign. It wasn't bad, per se, but it just... didn't hold my attention. I appreciated the nuggets of character growth and the feminist messages, but it was a little ham fisted.

I don't think I'll continue on in the series. As far as content warnings go, there is sexual activity in the story, though it isn't particularly graphic. The characters are adults, but the reading seemed more suited to me for a younger middle schooler. Still, there are more interesting books to read out there for that - or any - age groups.

In a world where people born with an exceptional skill, known as a Grace, are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her Uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to carry out his dirty work, punnishing and torturing anyone who displeases him. Breaking arms and cutting off fingers are her stock-in-trade. Finding life under his rule increasingly unbearable Katsa forms an underground Council, whose purpose is to combat the destructive behavior of the seven kings - after all, the Middluns is only one of the seven kingdoms, and each of them is ruled its own king with his own personal agenda for power. When the Council hears that the King of Liend's father has been kidnapped Katsa investigates . . . and stumbles across a mystery. Who would want to kidnap him, and why? And who was the extraordinary Graced fighter who challenged her fighting skills, for the first time, as she and the Council rushed the old man to saftey? Something dark and deadly is rising in the north and creeping across the continent, and behind it all lurks the shadowy figure of a one eyed king . . .

Ofelia

** spoiler alert **
           Libro carino, anche se non senza qualche punto debole. 
Il punto di forza del libro è l'idea di base, carina ed originale l'idea dei Graceling con tanto di particolarità negli occhi di colore differente. La trama era partita bene, non direi che è finita male ma è finita in maniera un pò troppo scontata con come unici punti di vera sorpresa l'arrivo del cattivo a Lienid e la perdita della vista di Po che scommetto nessuno si era aspettato. 
I personaggi sono un pò troppo poco approfonditi. 
Iniziamo con Katje che parte come un Rambo in gonnella, ed anche se andando avanti con la storia almeno diventa meno acida e scontrosa peggiora per quanto riguarda i poteri. Ok, ha il potere di torcere il collo ad un bisonte usando solo il mignolo ma il suo non è il potere di uccidere.. come vi è venuto in mente? è quello di sopravvivere e quindi facciamo finta che la cosa abbia un qualche senso. Ovviamente è anche bella, non è concepibile una protagonista sciatta infondo. 
Gli altri personaggi sono banali: Bitterblue quasi non la si nota, Raffin potrebbe avere qualche potenzialità (il principe ribelle, intelligente e buono poteva portare a qualche punto interessante nella trama) ma in realtà non c'è mai ed è lì solo per fare la spalla della protagonista nella prima parte del libro. E Leck è un cattivo fin troppo banale. Va bene è cattivo, uccide la moglie perchè può, uccide animali e tortura i bambini e non si fa problemi a fare del male alla sua stessa famiglia ma.. perchè? 
Nelle favole i cattivi sono cattivi punto e basta, ma negli altri libri non guasterebbe una motivazione anche solo abbozzata del perchè una persona che ha tutto dovrebbe rischiare di compromettere tutto quello che ha guadagnato solo per tirare le orecchie ad un povero coniglietto indifeso. 
Il modo in cui è morto poi :/ va bene, lei voleva proteggere Po perchè l'amore bla bla, ma possibile che avesse programmato tutto (tanto da anticipare Katje nelle sue mosse) e poi sia andato fin lì come un pesce lesso pronto per essere ucciso? 
L'unico che ha un pò di evoluzione (e non lo dico solo perchè alla fine è l'unico che ci rimette) è Po, che almeno sembra avere un pò di carattere forse anche grazie al fatto che è l'unico che parla davvero del suo passato e della sua famiglia e questo lo rende più "umano" della protagonista troppo perfetta. 
Comunque secondo me un libro da leggere, nella speranza che una trama originale possa essere approfondita meglio nei prossimi libri.

Demi

2/5

I wanted to like this book so badly. Before reading this, I had anticipated that it was going to be a 4 or 5 star read, but as you can see, that wasn’t the case. I can definitely see why a lot of people did love this book, but it just didn’t click with me.

So I actually did really enjoyed the concept of this world. I think the idea of being born with a grace that gives you special abilities is super interesting! However, I think what a big let down in this book for me was the story itself. Maybe it’s because I was so excited to pick up this book, but I found the plot to be extremely slow and very underwhelming. I struggled to find substance in the book to keep me interested. 

I did like the characters we met in this book, however, I found it very difficult to really connect to these characters and become invested in them. Now I also did like Po and Katsa’s relationship in this book, but again I just foumd myself not really caring for it at all. 

Something else I don’t understand that doesn’t necessarily just concern this book but many, is why a women needs to dislike dressing up and “girly” things and put down other women who like those things to be a strong, independent, badass character? Like, can a girl not love getting dressed up and still have those qualities??? That is something I did notice about Katsa’s character in this book. I did however like her straightforward, sassy personality we got to see.

Overall, this book really lacked in a lot of aspects for me. Maybe I will reread it at some point and give it another go. I do think I will continue on with this series at some point to see how the other books end up.

Kayla Prince

This book is very well written. It’s a perfect blend of action, romance and action. Add in the suspense and you have an asking story for anybody!

Graceling

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