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Graceling | 
| Author: Kristin Cashore
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Category: Book
List Price: $17.00
Buy New: $9.98
You Save: $7.02 (41%)
New (27) Used (8) Collectible (1) from $9.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  71 reviews
Sales Rank: 1741
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 480
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.3
ISBN: 015206396X
EAN: 9780152063962
ASIN: 015206396X
Publication Date: October 1, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
If you had the power to kill with your bare hands, what would you do with it? Graceling takes readers inside the world of Katsa, a warrior-girl in her late teens with one blue eye and one green eye. This gives her haunting beauty, but also marks her as a Graceling. Gracelings are beings with special talents?swimming, storytelling, dancing. Katsa's Grace is considered more useful: her ability to fight (and kill, if she wanted to) is unequaled in the seven kingdoms. Forced to act as a henchman for a manipulative king, Katsa channels her guilt by forming a secret council of like-minded citizens who carry out secret missions to promote justice over cruelty and abuses of power. Combining elements of fantasy and romance, Cashore skillfully portrays the confusion, discovery, and angst that smart, strong-willed girls experience as they creep toward adulthood. Katsa wrestles with questions of freedom, truth, and knowing when to rely on a friend for help. This is no small task for an angry girl who had eschewed friendships (with the exception of one cousin that she trusts) for her more ready skills of self-reliance, hunting, and fighting. Katsa also comes to know the real power of her Grace and the nature of Graces in general: they are not always what they appear to be. Graceling is the first book in a series, and Kristin Cashore’s first work of fiction. It sets up a vivid world with engaging characters that readers will certainly look forward to following beyond the last chapter of this book. (Ages 14 and up) --Heidi Broadhead
Product Description
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. 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. (20080901)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 66 more reviews...
 Good concept, bad execution October 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'll start with the good:
1. Katsa, the main character was well developed and well thought out. She is obsessive and fiercely independent, but also lonely and self-loathing. The actions she took and the choices she made were believable and wholly her own.
2. The concept of "graces" is original and interesting.
Unfortunately, that's where the good ends in my opinion.
Katsa was the only well developed, consistent character in the book. The others were very one sided and stereotypical and their interactions with the main character were strained. I'm referring mostly to Giddon, Oll, and Raffin, but there were moments between Katsa and Po that were odd and awkward (such as when she starts crying because she suddenly realizes she loves him) as well.
The big realization came too soon and the fact that Katsa and Po were completely right about everything made for a boring climax. Speaking of the climax, it was much too quick and I ended up feeling very unfulfilled.
The romance was boring, the mountain trek was boring, and the plot to figure out who kidnapped the grandfather was especially boring (particularly since he was already safe and sound). The twist at the end was surprising and would have been a good one if she had given it some true significance or foreshadowing or SOMETHING to make me care more.
All in all, I liked the concept and the main character, but the rest was not good at all. However, this is the authors first book, and first books tend to be not as good as their future counterparts. I see some potential in Kristen Cashore and hope to see her improve in future novels because she has a great imagination.
 A surprisingly entertaining adventure October 6, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
My pre-teen daughter snatched this book from the mailbox when it came and wouldn't let me have it until she had finished it and then begged me nonstop until I read it. I now know why.
Kristen Cashore's debut novel is a delightful fantasy adventure filled with engaging heroes and thoroughly nasty villains. In the land of the seven kingdoms some children develop supernatural skills or Graces, not unlike the mutants seen in X-Men. What these Graces are are not always evident even to those who have them. As with all powerful beings, some cannot resist the temptation to abuse their powers.
Katso and Po are two such Gracelings who have martial abilities far beyond those of normal humans. They are drawn to each other because no others can challenge them in fighting practice. When Po sets off to a neighboring kingdom to seek an explanation for the kidnapping of his grandfather Katso accompanies him and things quickly get very hairy for both of them.
My only complaint is that the book goes on for about 30 pages longer than it should. Like Lord of the Rings, she spent too much time describing in detail what can often be summed up with `and they lived happily ever after.' Even so, I still recommend Graceling.
 Graceling October 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book went way past all my expectations. An amazing story of an individual's struggle to grow and find her place in the world.
My thoughts... October 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I liked this book- I agree hard to put down once you start. I will not go over the plot, since this has been done by other reviewers. BY the way, I am a Mom who pre-read it before giving it to my child to read.
Pros:
1.Strong message of girl power. Katsa is brave but not fearless, which I liked. I also enjoyed the format in which we see the story exclusively from her angle and hear her thoughts and emotions.
2. Nice beta male hero. Po (hate that name) is cute, supportive and not intimated by a woman/girl who can beat the pulp out of him.
3.Good cast of supporting characters.
4.The romance was well done. Much more realistic than most straight romance novels.
Cons:
1. I agree with the comments regarding Katsa's anti-marriage stance which seemed odd to me beacuse there was no background data to support her stance on this.
2. Katsa has her first sexual encounter with Po. This is described in vague terms but she makes a clear decision to take him as a lover not husband. I am OK with this but some may more conservative Mom's may disagree. Not really a con.
3.During her first sexual encounter, there is a description that she experienced pain with penetration. Again, some Mom's might feel uncomfortable about their younger daughters reading this. Po and Katsa have sex a couple of times. However it is clear their love for each other is deep.Again not really a con.
4.Ending is so vague. They seperate and go their own ways, clearly indicating a sequel in the works. I would have preferred it as a stand alone, with sequels set in the same world. Perhaps Skye's story or Raffin's or Bitterblues'.
I would recommend this book highly to young adults/older teens and of course adults. My personal opinion is that the above issues would make it less appropriate for Middle Schoolers. Again, this is my humble opinion. Others will probably feel differently.
Great...If you can ignore the HUGE anti marriage elements September 30, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Graceling is a well written book by first time author Kristin ashore. She is remarkably talented in her telling of the story. The book definitely demands your attention and qualifies as un-put-downable. For the plot and writing, I give it the full five stars. And here, I add my caveats.
Unfortunately, the author does seem to take some of the precious space she is given between the covers to espouse an anti-marriage philosophy that may leave a mark on younger readers. If there were a solid cause for such a position, such as Katsa's witnessing terrible abusive marriage after terrible marriage, that would be one thing. No such events exist. For reasons never explained, the romance is developed beautifully with the decrying of marriage a central point. Kristin, WHY?????!
Other than that, the only irksome part of this story is the names. Po? Middluns, Sunder? And worst of all, Bitterblue? I still am having trouble with the names. And, at first, when Kristin is developing her locations, I nearly laughed out loud at the immaturity of the naming. If you can get past that, this is a fantastic novel with a fully developed cast of characters. I wish I didn't have to wait so long for a sequel and that it picked up immediately rather than six years in the future.
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