graceling – kristin cashore | review

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Series: Graceling Realm
Published October 1st 2008 by Harcourt
Genre: fantasy, young adult, romance, royals

rating: ★★★★

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. 

She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po. 

She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. 

With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.

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graceling realm was one of those series that i added into my goodreads tbr after i bought the third book in a sale, and then i proceed to never pick the first book up despite always having plans to. my initial thoughts about graceling was that it was odd and out of my expectations. kristin cashore’s writing is more on the descriptive side. she was always setting a vivid imagery for the reader and i enjoyed how atmospheric the world was.

for characters, katsa is a genuinely amazing heroine. her character development is incredible. i liked how resilient she is whenever she set out her mind to do something. she went from being a pawn to finally deciding a path of her own. because of her grace, katsa is deadly. a typical soldier can’t defeat her in any sort of fight. her punches are hard, and she’s quick.

"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."

prince po’s funny and witty, and actually stands a chance in fighting with katsa. he has secrets that would endanger him if exposed. the thing that i liked most about him was that he wasn’t like any other power-thirsty princes. yes, he’s very far back in the line of succession but he has no ambition to be that high on the power ladder. he just want to explore and discover new things, and enjoy his life.

katsa and po’s romance was adorable! kristin cashore did a wonderful job in balancing the world building with the character developments AND the romance. their feelings developed slowly and it didn’t feel fake. po has this ability to allow katsa to feel at ease with him, and she felt comfortable enough for her to feel vulnerable in his presence. it wasn’t due to his grace but because of how supportive he can be with her ideas and thoughts. katsa saw him as a worthy opponent and a worthy partner. from there, feelings grew. AND I AM ALL FOR THEIR RELATIONSHIP.