β Scribed by Kristin Cashore
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
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 talentsβswimming, 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 Cashoreβs 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
Starred Review. Grade 8 UpβIn this debut fantasy novel, Cashore treats readers to compelling and eminently likable characters and a story that draws them in from the first paragraph. In Katsa's world, the "Graced," those gifted in a particular way, are marked by eyes that are different colors. Katsa's Grace is that she is a gifted fighter, and, as such, she is virtually invincible. She is in the service of her tyrannical uncle, king of one of the seven kingdoms, and she is forced to torture people for infractions against him. She has secretly formed the Council, which acts in the service of justice and fairness for those who have been accused and abused. Readers meet her as she is rescuing the father of the Lienid king, who has been abducted. The reasons for his capture are part of a tightening plot that Katsa unravels and resolves, with the help of Prince Po, the captive's grandson. He has his own particular Grace, and he becomes Katsa's lover and partner in what becomes a mortally dangerous mission. Cashore's style is exemplary: while each detail helps to paint a picture, the description is always in the service of the story, always helping readers to a greater understanding of what is happening and why. This is gorgeous storytelling: exciting, stirring, and accessible. Fantasy and romance readers will be thrilled.β Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City
Copyright Β© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
π SIMILAR VOLUMES
### 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. Gracelin
A Must-read Title For All Fans Of Patrick Rothfuss And Trudi Canavan, Fire Is An Exceptional Fantasy Novel. From The Deft Characterisation To The Gripping Story, The Fast-paced Action To The Evocative Prose, This Is One Of The Strongest Fantasy Novels Of The Year. Set In A World Of Stunningly Beauti
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 th
Tutti i Graceling hanno gli occhi di due colori diversi. Tutti i Graceling hanno un Dono. Difficile Γ¨ perΓ² sapere quale Dono possiedono: a volte anche per loro stessi Γ¨ duro capirlo e controllarlo. Ci sono Doni quasi inutili, come la capacitΓ di ripetere le parole al contrario o di ricordare certi d
Β«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 inΓΊtil. Una gracia puede hacer que alguien sea veloz como el viento, o que sea capaz de predecir el tiempo, mientras que otras solo harΓ‘n que habl