Title: Graceling (Graceling Realm #1)
Author: Kristin Cashore
Genre: Fantasy, epic fantasy, fantasy romance
Publisher: Full Cast Audio
Publication Date: July 7, 2009
Format: Audiobook
Length: 13 hours

Read if you like: epic quests, strong female heroines who save themselves, unique magic systems and abilities, closed door romance

Rating: 

Graceling has been on my TBR for years, so when I had a travel-heavy week coming and noticed it was available through my library app on audio, I decided it was time to pick it up. 

I can see why this is a fantasy classic. It had an epic quest, involved some really interesting magic that differed from person to person based on the Graces and involved seamless world-building that brought the universe to life. Structurally, it was a very sound story with a lot of memorable characters.

That said, the tone was a little stiff for my taste, and I felt like the pacing was slow. I liked the meaty plot but also felt like much of the time was spent in transit from one event to another, with only minimal action in between. 

I still enjoyed this and felt like the multi-narrator cast of the audiobook kept it super engaging, but I probably won’t continue the series from here. I’m glad to have gotten this off of my backlist though and can certainly see the appeal for this book if a more formal tone and traditional form of fantasy is your preference.

The Book: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling follows main character Katsa, a Graced niece of reigning King Randa, whose ability is killing. Ever since Katsa’s killing Grace emerged, Randa has used Katsa as his muscle, sending her to murder or maim those whom he wants to punish or intimidate. While Katsa hates that this is her Grace, she complies readily, fearing what will happen if Randa turns on her. 

Katsa makes her life more bearable by working secretly with a group of people who seek to do good around the kingdoms. She helps people flee, rescues others, and acts on behalf of a greater good and justice that falls outside of the justice the kingdoms and their kings bring. 

When she rescues an ailing grandfather of one of the royal families from a kidnapping, she meets Po, a prince of the kingdom that the grandfather is from. Together, they begin to unravel sinister plots across numerous kingdoms, some of which may mean the end of their world as they know it if they cannot find a way to stop it. 

The Review

There were a few things about Graceling that I enjoyed, beginning with the concept of the Graced. I loved that all Graced people had different abilities, and I thought it was interesting that different kingdoms viewed the Graced through different lenses. In Katsa’s kingdom, the Graced were handed over to the king for his use. In Po’s, they were revered and respected. It was fascinating to see them come together and see the different ways Katsa and Po interacted with other cultures.

I also enjoyed the characters themselves. Katsa was a little hardheaded for me, but she did eventually soften and grow beyond her stubbornness. Po was particularly enjoyable to see grow, given that he’s introduced as having more wisdom, and then over time has to grapple with such a devastating loss that it rocks him to his core. I liked seeing their relationship evolve while still being completely independent from one another in most ways.  

I think my biggest challenge with this book, outside of the formal tone which was just a writing style I didn’t super jive with, was the pacing. The book felt slow, and there was a huge amount of ground to cover. There was a lot of time spent travelling in different pairs where not a huge amount happened, and while it did all lead to an action-packed crescendo, it just took a long time to get there. 

I completely see why many love this book. The calibre of the world-building and writing were top-notch, it just wasn’t a perfect fit for my tastes. If a more formal, traditional approach to fantasy is what you’re looking for though, I’d give this one a try.