As a general comment, I would say that I very much enjoyed this book. It is a realistic, wonderful, feminist fantasy book with a wonderful and believable main character.

I got this book for Santathing after asking for feminist fantasy and I have to admit that I picked this one up first because it appealed least predominantly because the blurb on the front compares it favouriably to twilight. Shallow of me, I know, but I have trouble thinking that anything that needs comparing to twilight would be something I want to read. More fool me, I enjoyed this book very much. Graceling is set in a kind of medievil technology world with seven kingdoms who are in conflict. Certain people are born with skills known as Graces, these people being identified by their eyes which are two different colours. The story focuses on Katsa, a girl graced with fighting who is forced to work for her uncle but wants to break free and do what she believes is right instead. Her life changes when she meets another Graceling fighter who helps her live the life she wants.

THE REST OF THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

Now, the feminism. There is a heterosexual love story in here between Katsa and the graced Leinid Prince Po. I have to admit that I love their relationship. I'm a sucker for books with strong equal relationships and that's how I see Katsa and Po. Due to her natural inclination and also how she was controlled by her Uncle Katsa has decided never to marry, something she sticks with throughout the story. I love her relationship with Po as Po never tries to marry her, he never tries to seduce her. Their attraction, their connection, is something that grows between them. Something that neither of them intend on but can't stop. He offers himself to her as a lover, willing to take only what she offers and ask for nothing more. It shoudln't seem so revolutionary but in many ways it is. He never asks or pushes for more then she is happy to give him. He never acts as though he owns her. They are both still strong independent people and that doesn't harm their love.

But the relationship isn't all that's feminist with this book. To begin with, let's think about the graces of the two main characters. Katsa's grace, we discover through the book, is survival. She is strong, fast, can go without sleep and food and stand freezing cold. She's tough. Definetley a physical grace. Now, let's think about Po. Po's grace, we learn, is that he can sense things around him. He can sense the positions of things in his environment, sense the strong feelings of those near him and sense their thought when they are thinking about him. A mental grace. I can't help but feel glad that the woman is given the physical grace and the man the mental one, it's so rare.

But Katsa doesn't fall in to the trap of Strong Female Character as opposed to strong character, female. She is strong, but she'd flawed, scared, lacking in confidence. She isn't an ass-kicking girl fighter in peticoats, she dresses sensibly, has trouble with trust, wants to do the right thing but doesn't always know how. She does what she has to but she doesn't have to like it. Through the book she grows, developing more bliefe in herself, her skills and her decisions. She is a wonderful character. ( )

I didn't want to put this one down, which is always a good sign! Loved the fact there are so many strong women in this book, and also that there are men who value their independence and strength -- the sexes complimented each other, which is as it should be . . . none of that "I'll not survive without you" angst. Great characters. ( )

http://fantasycafe.blogspot.com/2010/... ( )

Graceling is one of the most engrossing books I've read in awhile, and I loved it. Katsa is one of those too rare strong female characters who is made even more real by her mistakes and weaknesses. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Maria V. Snyder's Poison Study, as Katsa reminds me very much of Yelena. The romance in Graceling is sweet and helps to lighten some of the longer stretches that lack much action. The fact that Katsa doesn't want to marry or have children is refreshing, and her independent streak admirable.
One of the things that I felt it lacked was a full storyline about the Counsel, an organization that Katsa forms while still working for her uncle. We hear about it in the beginning, and it feels as though it will be a central point in the book, but other than a few passing mentions about sympathizers and word that they are still operating throughout the kingdoms, there isn't much else. I really would have liked to read more about the way Katsa formed the group, since it seems odd that she did so in the first place.
Overall, this book was fabulous. It has great messages about being a strong woman and not conforming to what's expected, while also showing that sometimes you have to battle against your own nature to become the person you want to be. ( )

"Graceling" has been highly recommended to me by a number of people and so I have to say that I was stunned that I didn't find it to be the fantastic read that everyone else did. What makes this even harder to understand is that I read Cashore's "Fire" first and quite liked it.

My first observation was that I was over 100 pages into the book before anything of note seemed to happen. Yes, there was the evil king, and there were the sidekicks, the introduction of the love interest, and the introduction of a truly fascinating world, but honestly even at 150 pages I could have put the book down and walked away.

The writing on a technical level was okay. The descriptions were apt enough, but the character development seemed underdone, even for YA. ("Fire" fairly blazed in comparison and certainly had a better romance)

Overall, it's worth reading, but I'd have to warn anyone that there is a chance that you'll have to grind through some pages before the pace picks up. Some of the action scenes require a little imagination to figure out what's going on and towards the end you'll need to suspend your belief to accept what happens.

Pam T~
reviewer at BooksForKids.com