Graceling by Kristin Cashore- Guest Review by Leah Dewet

 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. 

Hardcover, 472 pages

Published October 1st 2008 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

“In a world where people born with an exceptional skill, known as a Grace, are both feared and exploited Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing”

An adventurous romance that had me begging for more. I had to know how it ended. Graceling is a wonderful read filled with fighting, love and a world created by a talented author. This story follows the hardship of Katsa, the girl with one blue eye and one green eye. She is feared throughout the land, trained in fighting skills no man can beat and works for a cruel king that is blinded by his greed.

Katsa is a great character. She may be feared by everyone and could kill you in  the blink of an eye but she shows how compassionate she is by helping those that can’t help themselves. She goes on rescue missions and tries to always be there for anyone who needs her.

What I really love about this story is that it isn’t one of your typical lovey-dovey type novels that concentrates mostly on the romance between characters. This book is more about the adventure and how Katsa discovers her true self. She has no interest in love but she of course falls for the man that matches her in skill and ability.

A wonderful story that made me not want to put it down. A great cast of characters throughout the book with moments of comedy and sadness. This book made me smile and loose a night of sleep. Kristin Cashore is an excellent writer and makes you believe you can actually see the characters and the scenes they play a part of.

5/5 rating from me.

This book is followed by Fire, another outstanding story set in a time before Katsa and the third installment is on its way, called Bitterblue.