taken from Goodreads:
"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."
It's rare that I read fantasy novels that are set in created worlds anymore; of course, that's a pretty common trait of most "high" fantasy and much of the swords-and-sorcery set. It's just that most of them don't seem to hold my attention. Cashore's debut novel was different in that sense, and it mostly because she was somewhat restrained in the amount of information about her created world that she shared, and because many of the details weren't so foreign that they required tons of exposition.
The real strength of this novel lies in Katsa's evolution as a character; Cashore deftly handles some really big questions through Katsa's conflicts -- in particular where a person's value comes from and the lack of power that women and children possess. Katsa goes from being a tool in her uncle's kingdom to learning her own worth and taking ownership in herself and her own choices, and the journey is what truly drives this novel.
Cashore's writing is a bit clunky in places, especially in the pacing through the transitions and some of the action scenes. The supporting characters are all nicely developed and several of the plot points were surprising, in that I wasn't expecting them but they didn't come out of left field either. I was horrified at Leck and his motivations, enough so that I physically felt repulsed. Po seemed a bit "soft" to me, but by the end that seemed in keeping with his character.
The one real complaint I had was in the physical relationship between Katsa and Po -- I had a hard time placing her age, and kept picturing her as a "teen." Although the values endorsed by the characters in this book aren't meant to mirror the values of our culture, I questioned the wisdom of Katsa and Po becoming lovers, especially as Katsa seemed to see that as a way for her to retain ownership of her self (which she felt she wouldn't have if she were married). But that, to me at least, brings up an entirely different set of issues, that weren't ever considered by the author.
Overall, a great YA fantasy. I'm looking forward to seeing more from Kristen Cashore.
