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Graceling Book Review

Graceling is an absolute gem of a book. As much about adventure and heroism as it is about identity and freedom, Kristin Cashore's debut novel has more than earned its spot on the TIME's 100 Best YA Books of All Time.

Kristin Cashore is the author of many New York Times bestselling books, including Graceling, Fire, Bittberblue, and Jane, Unlimited. She received a master's from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College, and she has worked as a dog runner, a packer in a candy factory, an editorial assistant, a legal assistant, and aa freelance writer. She currently lives in the Boston area. You can find her online at kristincashore.blogspot.com or on Twitter @kristincashore. You can find more of my reviews of TIME Top 100 YA Novels of All Time here. 

Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable-yet-strong Katsa, who is smart and beautiful and lives in the Seven Kingdoms where selected people are born with a Grace, a special talent that can be anything at all. Katsa's Grace is killing. As the king's neice, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his brutal enforcer. Until the day she meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, and Katsa's life begins 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.

There really is so much to love about this book. What drew me in was the the book's heart of self-belonging and identity. The novel is divided into three parts, and in each of them, Katsa grows into the type of person we all strive to be: someone heroic, helpful, and who belongs wholly to herself without compromising her relationships with other people. But she didn't start that way—a good portion of this book is not only Katsa's physical journey through the Seven Kingdoms, but also her journey of growth to become this character. 

I also loved this book because of the romance between Katsa and Po. It does not overwhelm the book's narrative, and does not overwhelm the adventure that takes place at the center between Katsa and Bitterblue and the kings of the Seven Kingdoms. Rather, the romance works to support this story of self-growth, while also building up the fantasy world around readers. Po's character is such a wonderful addition to the story, and the way Cashore writes the relationship between him and Katsa is so heartwarming, it honestly gave me butterflies. Cashore truly captured a romance that is a balance between belonging to yourself, while also having someone else have your heart.

This is a fantasy novel with a truly interesting concept—there are Seven Kingdoms, and throughout the lands, there are those that are Graced (called Gracelings) with different talents, some of which are more useful to their kingdoms than others. Of course, when power falls into the wrong hands, it is up to those who recognize that abuse to correct it. I absolutely loved the story line. While I couldn't always follow the fantasy (names sort of mixed me up at the beginning), I still felt like I completely understand the hearts of the story, which made me not want to put the book down. And, of course, made me wish it never had to end.

Thankfully Cashore stays in the Seven Kingdoms a little while longer. There are two more books following Graceling, titled Fire and Bitterblue that I have a feeling I'll have to get my hands on eventually. For more from Kristin Cashore, her online at kristincashore.blogspot.com or on Twitter @kristincashore. You can find more of my reviews of TIME Top 100 YA Novels of All Time here. 

*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*

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