Graceling | 
 enlarge | Author: Kristin Cashore
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Category: Book
List Price: $17.00
Buy New: $10.24
You Save: $6.76 (40%)
New (40) Used (11) Collectible (2) from $9.48
Rating:  107 reviews
Sales Rank: 2753
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 480
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.3
ISBN: 015206396X
EAN: 9780152063962
Publication Date: October 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| 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.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 102 more reviews...
 Worth My Time! July 30, 2008
Heidi Anne Heiner (SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com)
48 out of 50 found this review helpful
Graceling is an engrossing read with wonderfully interesting characters and I enjoyed it on many levels. I won't summarize the plot again for this Amazon review, but the author offers some interesting thoughts on talents and personal agency that are insightful while telling a good story that can be taken at surface level for a light read if that's all you seek.
The book has a satisfying romance that is neither mushy nor too remote. It rang more true overall than most relationships that have been in my recent reading. It's not primarily a romance, although the romance is a strong secondary plot that provides some of the motivation for the characters.
About halfway through, I began to wonder about it being YA since the characters do not come across as teens. I had to go back to the copyright page and check the recommended reading age to verify that, yes, it is being promoted as YA for ages 14 and up. Really, it is a toss up either way. Not that YA isn't mature and wonderful--I read a lot of it after all--but it could have just as easily been marketed to adults. I think the majority of readable fantasy is in YA these days.
I highly recommend the novel but I have to do so with a warning. If it matters to you, the book has a rather anti-marriage message in it which fits the main character's personality, but will be the most problematic element for some readers.
Graceling is well-written with some grand adventure, musings on talents, as well as characters who actually grow and change as they learn more about themselves. It never goes for the cheap shot in action sequences although they aren't the focus of the story. In other words, I liked it. Even the few philosophies that I didn't agree with made me think. That makes it a book worth reading.
Loved it! But conservative parents take note... July 27, 2008
Unity Dienes (Hollis, NH)
27 out of 27 found this review helpful
This book was a real treat to read. It was interesting on so many different levels. There is a powerful heroine who undergoes a transformation, discovering a strength of character to match her physical strength. Watching Katsa mature through the narrative was wonderful. The political intrigue was surprisingly compelling, and the mystery that drives the plot (why was this old man kidnapped, and by whom?) really worked. The romance was captivating. Even though it is obvious where the romance is going from the very first encounter, it was skillfully written. The magical elements of the story are not overwhelming, but alter reality just enough to make for a fun, fantastical world. I found myself sneaking off to read more of this book, and I was sorry to see it end.
BUT. This is billed as a book for 14 yo and up, so I think it fair to warn parents of elements they may not want their young teen to encounter. There are a couple of fairly discreet sex scenes, where the author is clear about what is going on but not very detailed. There is also a mention of a brothel near the beginning of the book (although a more offensive word is used to describe it) and there are many incidences of unwanted attention paid to girls or inappropriate comments made about them. This is a plot element, since it makes the lead female character defensive of the young women.
Also, and this is probably the "biggie" for conservative parents, Katsa rejects the concept of marriage, and there are several times when one or another character implies that it is a yoke that will force a couple to stay together regardless of their actual feelings. Being lovers is somewhat extolled as demonstrating their real trust and commitment to one another, since they are together without being forced, and love each other enough to set each other free if the love fades.
This book may actually allow parents to discuss these themes with teens, who need to decide where they stand on sex and marriage. However, some parents may decide just to skip this one if they don't want to deal with the issues.
Honestly, though, it really is a wonderful book, and I would definitely recommend it to any adult (particularly women) and most older teens, especially if they have someone willing to discuss any issues that come up for them as they read.
Unexpectedly Mesmerizing July 30, 2008
sanoe.net
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
Upon receiving my copy of Graceling, I had absolutely no expectations based on the summary. By the end of the third chapter, my expectations rose dramatically.
Graceling is about Katsa, the niece of a king, who has an extraordinary strength in combat skills. This extraordinary skill is called "Grace". Others may also have a "Grace" although the abilities vary from person to person. Some "Grace" skills are more useful than others, but all Gracelings are marked by their mismatched eyes.
Because of her unique and useful skill, she has become a henchwoman to her uncle Randa who is one of the seven kings of the world. It isn't something that she enjoys but it is something that she has come to accept.
While on a mission for The Council to retrieve the Prince Tealiff, she encounters another Graceling whose presence makes an impression on her.
Later, she encounters him again and learns that he is Tealiff's grandson and a Prince in his own right. The meeting with Po will prompt her to make a decision that will change the course of her life and her world as she and Po learn more of their Grace powers and of treachery and madness that lay within the corridors of another kingdom that will threaten the already fragile political stability of the seven kingdoms.
It sounds like a typical fantasy novel and to a large degree it is, but Graceling is so confidently and smoothly written that it felt fresh and new. The action and pacing of the plot moved at a brisk clip that I never felt bored. Ms Cashore also made good use of dialogue in that it was appropriate to the station of the characters. She also made a good decision in resisting the urge to make her characters speak in a modern rhythm. Instead, the dialogue had a classic style that gave it a timeless feel.
Which brings me to the characters! Katsa is a wonderful heroine to me. I do warn that she might not be everyone's type of heroine, especially those who are expecting a traditional sassy heroine. Katsa is a skilled fighter who is conflicted about how her skills are used. She is understandably wary of people due to the nature of her Grace and when she says that she is not interested in marriage, she really means it. She has a good heart but she can also be aloof, even dour at times. She is an odd mix of a personality that is unique for a fictional heroine. Typical for an anti-hero perhaps or a side character, but not the lead female. Because of that, I enjoyed Katsa and forgave her for some of her flaws that in another type of heroine, I might not have been so forgiving.
Katsa has friends in her cousin Raffin, her attendant Helda, and others who form The Council, a group of people throughout the seven kingdoms who work to help keep stability in the lands. These secondary characters are vividly drawn so it is easy to keep track of them and understand their importance to the story and to Katsa. However, it is in Po, the Prince who is trying to deal with his own ambiguous feelings about his Grace and searching for friends of his own, that she meets someone who can fully understand her.
And what a wonderful pair they are. It has been a long time since I've encountered two characters who were so uniquely right for each other.
This is a novel that I found unexpectedly mesmerizing. Before I sound too gushy, I admit that it isn't a perfect story. The end is drawn out a fraction too long and at times, the prose was a little too pretty. Yet those are minor quibbles because the truth is that once I started the novel, I had trouble putting it down. I even found myself sneaking peeks at work whenever I could. I would say to myself, "Just one more chapter!" And after I finished that chapter, I would say, "Maybe just one more!"
Simply put, Graceling was an excellent and enjoyable read that I will recommend to my friends without hesitation.
Minor caveat: This novel is a Young Adult novel and I recommend this book to readers age 14 and up with few reservations. However, there are descriptions of violence and a few scenes of sexual intimacy that, while neither graphic nor gratuitous, parents of children age 13 and under may want to consider prior to allowing their children to read.
A Wonderful Debut Novel! July 22, 2008
Mrs. Robin N. Garretson (Ojai, CA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I LOVED Graceling! If you are looking for a new fantasy series, look no further!
Katsa is a fascinating character that I sometimes feel I can relate to, and who sometimes feels so amazingly foreign, and in such a refreshingly different way than Tolkien's elves (and so many other fantasy characters) do. I love the concept of a Grace, it is a new and unique twist into the realm of fantasy. The characters are wonderfully built, as is the land of seven kingdoms, and the political interactions throughout.
I was quite excited to discover on Ms. Cashore's web-site that a prequel, Fire, is coming in the future, as well as a sequel! This was a great read, and I would recommend it for any YA readers and adults as well!
A brave and beautiful adventure July 28, 2008
Marilynn Griffith (Florida United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
In a world with seven sometimes merciless kings ands seven feudal type kingdoms, there is one equalizer--gracelings. Identified when sometime in infancy one of their eyes changes color, these gifted folk can do everything from swim like fish, predict storms, climb trees or...in the case of Katsa, niece to vengeful King Randa, a killing grace.
Raised in a world where few will look her in the eyes, Katsa is an orphan killer who hunts down poor fools who have wronged her uncle in some way. The price he demands--cut fingers, broken arms--takes little toll on Katsa's body, but exacts a great price from her soul. In a world where gracelings are turned over to their kings for their uses and women are subject to their fathers, husbands and brothers, Katsa knows only two things: that she will never marry and that she will find a way to save lives instead of take them.
Her dream of doling out justice instead of pain becomes reality when The Council is formed, a clandestine network of innkeepers, servants, and in the case of Katsa, gracelings, who share knowledge and carry out missions to subvert the fickle judgments of the kings, especially Randa.
During a rescue of a kidnapped father of the king of Llenid, Katsa encounters someone could bring her and The Council tumbling down. And yet, she senses the stranger, with his dark hair and ringed fingers is trustworthy. Though her comrades would have suggested otherwise, she knocks him out instead of killing him, taken by his mis-matched gold and silver eyes even in the dark night. She's enamored by something else as well, her fight with him is the first time that anyone has come close to matching her skill.
The dark stranger turns out to be Po, a prince of Llenid, looking for his kidnapped grandfather and trying to figure out the culprit and the motive behind it. Joined together by friendship, similar graces and a budding love, Po and Katsa take readers on an adventure they'll not soon forget. Book comes with a tattoo which my kids loved and the cover design is exquisite. This is a great debut and I look forward to other Graceling titles. Highly Recommended.
|
|
|
