Full of Grace

Been a bit busy this week so I haven’t had a chance to put together a playlist. But I do have one review for today:

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Genre: YA fantasy

This is a book that definitely packs a punch. In the world of Graceling, there are a small number of people born with a grace: an extreme skill that makes them an expert at one specific thing. For Lady Katsa, her grace is a violent one: she can kill a man with minimal force and barely break a sweat. Her gift is also a curse because it makes her a slave to her uncle the king: a petty man who uses her to intimidate, threaten and maim his enemies.

But Katsa isn’t happy being the King’s hired thug. She wants to use her talents for helping others, something she gets a chance to do when she meets Prince Po, who is also graced. This is where the romance aspect of the plot takes over. While Cashore has definitely created an original world in Graceling, I could have done with less romance and more adventure. But that’s a minor complaint: this couple has chemisty, that’s for sure. My only other minor complaint is the pacing: there are a few sections where the book meanders at a slower pace, only to have it pick up again in grand style. If you find your attention slipping halfway through you owe it to yourself to read on. The best is still to come, I promise.

Final grade: A-