The Book Graceling by Kirstin Cashore is the first book of the Graceling Realm series. Graceling takes place in a fantasy world where a small portion of the population is gifted with a skill they are exceptionally good at. The book’s storyline follows a natural progression of events, and the romance sub-story feels naturally progressive. However, the actual climax of the book feels bland, especially compared to the build up to it.
They are refer to as Graced, and are considered property of the King in six of the seven Kingdoms. The main protagonist Katsa, a girl seemingly graced with killing, is involved in a rebel organization called The Council. Katsa officially works as a hard dog used for intimidation by her uncle the King. After she rescues the kidnapped father of another nation’s king, she meets Po. Po is the grandson of the rescued man, and the seventh prince of the kingdom. Katsa openly rebels against her uncle, and leaves with Po on a journey to discover the truth and the kidnapping. Along the way Katsa rediscovers herself, and what her Grace means.
The romance reaches a natural conclusion by the end of the book, while still being in the background. The world building is incredibly detailed, yet still feels like there’s more to be discovered in later books.
While the plot and world building was good, the darker aspects were ignored. There were dark themes and aspects of the society that were clearly mentioned or implied, that seemed to be immediately forgotten and never mentioned again.
Overall, I give this book a nine-point-five out of ten. I loved the book and found the world building fascinating. The romance subplot, and the interactions of the characters were a joy to read. The book constantly left me wanting more of the world. The magic system felt unique and central without being overwhelmingly in the spotlight.
The climax of the book felt dull compared to the rising action tension. The darker themes were mentioned and implied, but the reader is left wondering about it.
I highly recommend this book for people who are interested in a high fantasy world, with in depth plots and world building.
