Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1) in Shut Up & Read

Dec 30, 2011 Sunny rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviews, own

I enjoyed this book because the heroine, Katsa, was flawed and remained true to character throughout the book. As a Graceling, whose gift is killing, she was raised to be an assassin (or at the very least, an effective enforcer) for the king. She had very few social interactions (mostly with her maid and her cousin) and did not experience a lot of affection. Additionally, the king controlled most aspects of her life. She was socially awkward.

The beauty of this story is how this socially awkward ...more

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Jun 25, 2009 Marla rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, young-adult, girl-power, series, with-reservations, romance, lgbt, recommend-frankie, fantasy, zz-2012

4.5 stars. In my opinion, first book of all the current YA bestsellers that lived up to all the hype. When I started this book, I wanted to give it 5 stars, but there were a few things that bothered me.

Likes:
* Po, Prince Greening Grandemalion, graced seventh son of King of Lienid, a natural fighter, sounds like a divine fairy tale prince.
* Katsa, King Randa's neice and enforcer, graced warrior
* Prince Raffin is a smart and loyal friend to Katsa, he's good at medicines and healing
(view spoiler) 4.5 stars. In my opinion, first book of all the current YA bestsellers that lived up to all the hype. When I started this book, I wanted to give it 5 stars, but there were a few things that bothered me.

Likes:
* Po, Prince Greening Grandemalion, graced seventh son of King of Lienid, a natural fighter, sounds like a divine fairy tale prince.
* Katsa, King Randa's neice and enforcer, graced warrior
* Prince Raffin is a smart and loyal friend to Katsa, he's good at medicines and healing
(view spoiler)

Dislikes:
* King Randa is such a self-absorbed jerk
* Katsa allowed herself to be used by Randa as his enforcer for years
(view spoiler)

With-reservations:
tame sex scenes, violence, cruelty, torture, animal cruelty, child molestation and abuse

My problems with the book...
(view spoiler) ...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Galia rated it really liked it

This book felt a bit young for me, perhaps...I think I would have loved it at age 11-13. At it is, I was very impressed with the main character, who came across as an ACTUAL heroine, and not at all a damsel in distress. While there was some romance, it was quite well done, and fairly realistic (though, a few scenes seemed a bit stiff or just plain odd to me (view spoiler) This book felt a bit young for me, perhaps...I think I would have loved it at age 11-13. At it is, I was very impressed with the main character, who came across as an ACTUAL heroine, and not at all a damsel in distress. While there was some romance, it was quite well done, and fairly realistic (though, a few scenes seemed a bit stiff or just plain odd to me (view spoiler) ). Oh, another thing...Po's entire introduction to the story was just weird. It was explained later, but at the time, I was left thinking "OHNO here we are with a guy who has weird mystical powers and captivating eyes, and Katsa somehow feels unable to kill him. We ALL know where this is heading..." And yeah, it kind of did go where we thought it would. But thankfully, in a much better way than expected. ^_^
Okay, this review has sounded a bit negative so far. So here are some of the good points:
- Katsa. She kind of made the book...I mean, it's not exactly common to come across a sensible (mostly), definitely badass, smart, capable heroine, and be realistically flawed on top of that (she's informed to her face that she's not terribly perceptive - right about 5 seconds after I thought it). Basically, she chose the RIGHT decisions in most circumstances, forcing the conflict to come from somewhere other than the main female character's stupidity. We have a winner, ladies and gentlemen! *applauds* A role model for tween girls who DOESN'T teach that being sexy/pretty and falling in love with the right guy will get you everything in life. This made my day. XD
- I loved the way that some of the gender stereotypes were switched around in this book. Katsa is the strong, powerful fighter, while Po has the "weaker," mind-based talent.
Overall, this is an excellent YA adventure book. It certainly isn't philosophical, and it won't make you cling to the edge of your seat, but I did enjoy it and would certainly recommend it to anyone who wants a light, but pleasant, read. ...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Yzabel Ginsberg rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, magic, fantasy

I found the two main characters really likeable. Katsa displays her weight's worth in strength, both physical and mental, and I like how she evolved, from the king's thug/assassin into a person who wanted to think for herself. The way a lot of her interactions with Po happened also accounts for the fact that their relationship developed in a way that was more one of equality, and that was a good thing. I'm not too fond of damsels in distress; Katsa was all but that. As for Po, he behaved in a fu ...more

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Mar 16, 2009 Angie Taylor rated it really liked it

This is a great young adult fiction novel that deals with characters that have been graced with certain gifts. The main character in this story seems to be gifted with the grace of killing people, or at least protecting herself. Her uncle, the king, uses her grace to enforce his laws, and she feels like she is his dog to do his bidding and punish people is cruel ways. The book focuses on her learning to understand her grace more fully to help others and not be controled by it. There are a lot of ...more

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Feb 16, 2009 Elise rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ok so the plot line was original and fun. I have never heard of most of the stuff in the book which made it an intriguing read. The biggest complaint I have about this book is that there were places where it was so slow I wanted to stop reading it all together. The traveling bits were the worst. Especially the one where Katsa and Po are traveling into Monsea for the first time. Another thing that bothered me was how Leck was killed. I mean all of a sudden she knew she had to keep a secret. When ...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Monica Millard rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, own-paper

I loved this book. Katsa was such a strong character, but also showed us her human side so she wasn't unreachable. Po! I love Po. If I had to choose my favorite male character, he'd be fighting Peeta from Hunger Games for the top of the list.

And such a beautiful world that Kristin has created for us. I have heard rave reviews for the companion book Fire but I'll have to wait to read it till I have some distance because I can't read about their world without longing for Po and Katsa who do not fe ...more

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Dec 03, 2009 Bridget rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed the book it moved really fast and kept me interested I just hated how the author made the characters not believe in marriage at the least the two main characters.

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Apr 08, 2011 Ellisa Barr rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, read-2011

This book has some of my favorite elements: a strong female lead character in a deeply imaginative fantasy setting. What I didn't like though, was the semi-disrespect and disregard the lead character (Katsa) shows for her friends, (for example, how she treats Po after he gets "hurt" near the end). For a book for younger readers, I also didn't appreciate the casual sex / anti-marriage message.

Maybe in the following books we'll see Katsa realize that family, love, and children don't make you weak ...more

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Jun 25, 2009 Tani rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2021-novels, fantasy-romance, female-author, favorites, fantasy, youngadult, 2009, five-stars, ya-fantasy

Reread 12 years after my initial reading, and I still love it. I adore Katsa and Po, and it's still nice to read about Katsa's desire to never marry, never have kids, never be tied down. It's certainly not the only way to be a woman, but it's one of them, and I'm glad to have it out there. Looking forward to continuing on with the series! ...more

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