Upon receiving my copy of
Graceling, I had absolutely no expectations based on the summary. By the end of the third chapter, my expectations rose dramatically.
Graceling is about Katsa, the niece of a king, who has an extraordinary strength in combat skills. This extraordinary skill is called "Grace". Others may also have a "Grace" although the abilities vary from person to person. Some "Grace" skills are more useful than others, but all Gracelings are marked by their mismatched eyes.
Because of her unique and useful skill, she has become a henchwoman to her uncle Randa who is one of the seven kings of the world. It isn't something that she enjoys but it is something that she has come to accept.
While on a mission for The Council to retrieve the Prince Tealiff, she encounters another Graceling whose presence makes an impression on her.
Later, she encounters him again and learns that he is Tealiff's grandson and a Prince in his own right. The meeting with Po will prompt her to make a decision that will change the course of her life and her world as she and Po learn more of their Grace powers and of treachery and madness that lay within the corridors of another kingdom that will threaten the already fragile political stability of the seven kingdoms.
It sounds like a typical fantasy novel and to a large degree it is, but
Graceling is so confidently and smoothly written that it felt fresh and new. The action and pacing of the plot moved at a brisk clip that I never felt bored. Ms Cashore also made good use of dialogue in that it was appropriate to the station of the characters. She also made a good decision in resisting the urge to make her characters speak in a modern rhythm. Instead, the dialogue had a classic style that gave it a timeless feel.
Which brings me to the characters! Katsa is a wonderful heroine to me. I do warn that she might not be everyone's type of heroine, especially those who are expecting a traditional sassy heroine. Katsa is a skilled fighter who is conflicted about how her skills are used. She is understandably wary of people due to the nature of her Grace and when she says that she is not interested in marriage, she really means it. She has a good heart but she can also be aloof, even dour at times. She is an odd mix of a personality that is unique for a fictional heroine. Typical for an anti-hero perhaps or a side character, but not the lead female. Because of that, I enjoyed Katsa and forgave her for some of her flaws that in another type of heroine, I might not have been so forgiving.
Katsa has friends in her cousin Raffin, her attendant Helda, and others who form The Council, a group of people throughout the seven kingdoms who work to help keep stability in the lands. These secondary characters are vividly drawn so it is easy to keep track of them and understand their importance to the story and to Katsa. However, it is in Po, the Prince who is trying to deal with his own ambiguous feelings about his Grace and searching for friends of his own, that she meets someone who can fully understand her.
And what a wonderful pair they are. It has been a long time since I've encountered two characters who were so uniquely right for each other.
This is a novel that I found unexpectedly mesmerizing. Before I sound too gushy, I admit that it isn't a perfect story. The end is drawn out a fraction too long and at times, the prose was a little too pretty. Yet those are minor quibbles because the truth is that once I started the novel, I had trouble putting it down. I even found myself sneaking peeks at work whenever I could. I would say to myself, "Just one more chapter!" And after I finished that chapter, I would say, "Maybe just one more!"
Simply put,
Graceling was an excellent and enjoyable read that I will recommend to my friends without hesitation.
Minor caveat: This novel is a Young Adult novel and I recommend this book to readers age 14 and up with few reservations. However, there are descriptions of violence and a few scenes of sexual intimacy that, while neither graphic nor gratuitous, parents of children age 13 and under may want to consider prior to allowing their children to read.
