• click here to return to the homepage •
Home > Categories > Books > Fantasy > Graceling review
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, punishing 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 ...
Rattletrap Car
The Mammoth book of Best New SF #19
Not a Stick
The Snake Book - Slip Sliding Away
Geronimo Stilton - The Mystery in Venice
A Necklace of Souls
Geronimo Stilton #57: The Stinky Cheese Vacation
The Last Thirteen #06 - 8
Pippa Morgan's Diary #3 Trouble and Squeak
I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas + CD
The Seven Signs: 2 : Carnage
Typhoon Fury - Oregon Files #12
Partners in SlimeProduct reviews...
Review by: anistasya (Beaulah)
Dated: 10th of March, 2009
With Graceling, I was hooked from the first page. Another book I picked out for the cover (that's a seriously cool looking chick), but to my surprise, this one actually turned out to be a really good story.
It's a debut novel, so I gave Cashore a bit of leniency in some places, but as you can see by the rating, there were not many of those places. The heroine, Katsa, is quite simply, very cool. She has powers that, while not making her invincible, do make her an extremely formidable opponent. So of course, sparks fly when she finally meets her match, and he turns out to be an arrogant and annoyingly charming prince.
The tension and banter between Katsa and the mysterious prince definitely carries the story as they set out to try and solve the mystery of his grandfather's kidnapping. A very satisfying story with a good ending. Highly recommended.
Random listing from 'Books'...
Thea Stilton and the Thea Sisters are needed to help Aquamarina, the magical land of the ocean! The enchanted Music of the Sea has stopped playing, and no one knows why. If it doesn't return soon, the realm will perish!
The mouselets and their friend Will Mystery travel to the underwater world to find the magical music. On their mission, they swim through dangerous waters, encounter strange and fantastical creatures, and even reveal an ancient mystery. It's a mousetastic aquatic adventure!
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"We know what the speed of light is, but what is the speed of darkness?"
unattributed
