Graceling

Hello avid readers! Well so I have decided that I will review all of the books in my own personal library, aka my room, so without further ado... the first item on my shelf, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, a personal favorite.

Characters: Lady Katsa: niece of King Randa of the Middluns/graced with the power of killing/part of a secret society that works against the seven kings of the land
Prince Greening Grandemalion aka Po: searching for Grandfather Tealiff/graced with a power of fighting/the only person who can hold his own against Katsa in a fight
Giddeon: part of Katsa's resistant group/in love with Katsa/very arrogant
Oll: King Randa's spy master/one of Katsa's closest friends/the leader of the resistance group along with Katsa
Prince Raffin: son of Randa/loves to experiment with medicine/recently dyed his hair bright blue

The Plot: Enter a world where people possess extraordinary abilities and are shunned by the ungraced. Identified by their two colored eyes, the graced have a wide range of abilities from dancing and gardening to fighting and in some cases killing. Marked with the grace of killing since she was a young girl, Lady Katsa is part of the court of King Randa of the Middluns and is used as his servant to bring torture and destruction to his unfaithful subjects. However, done with living under Randa's thumb, Katsa has formed a resistance group who fights to keep the Kings of the Seven Realms in check and protect the people who live there. When Katsa and two of her friends hear that Grandfather Tealiff, relative to the Queen of Monsea, has been kidnapped, they rush off to save him. Along the way, Katsa meets Po, a prince with a grace as odd as hers. The two of them rush into an adventure to find out the true reason for Grandfather Tealiff's kidnapping.

What I liked: This was one of the most original books I have read in a long time. It was fascinating, fun and interesting. The world was great to read about and the characters were full of life and personality. Take for example Katsa, she was one of the most powerful and strong female characters that I have read about in a long time. However, at the same time she still had fears. I liked that all the characters, not just Katsa, were mulitlayered and complex. Too often you read about one-dimensional characters like Bella Swan from Twilight, and you don't see characters who have many layers. It was refreshing to learn all about these characters and to see deeply into their personalities.

What I didn't like: This is difficult because there was so much that I loved about this book. OK here's something. I didn't like the ending. One thing you should know about me is that in order for me to love a book, I need it to have a happy ending and for me, Graceling didn't have an entirelly happy ending. SPOILERS AHEAD I wanted Katsa and Po to get married but they didn't because Katsa couldn't compromise herself to get married. I get it. The ability to live only for herself and for what she wanted made her a brilliant character in all other aspects but still. WHY NOT? But in my heart of hearts, I know that Katsa marrying Po would not have made her the won't-answer-to-anyone-heroine I loved.

Overall: Graceling is a 9.5 out of 10. Fabulous writing and a exciting plot will keep you hooked throughout the whole book. An excellent debut novel from Kristin Cashore and I look forward to more of her writing.