Book Review: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Graceling Realm #3
First Published: 2012
Hardcover
Young Adult, High Fantasy
Rating:

Eight years have passed since the young Princess Bitterblue, and her country, were saved from the vicious King Leck. Now Bitterblue is the queen of Monsea, and her land is at peace.
But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisers, who have run the country on her behalf since Leck's death, believe in a forward-thinking plan: to pardon all of those who committed terrible acts during Leck's reign; and to forget every dark event that ever happened. Monsea's past has become shrouded in mystery, and it's only when Bitterblue begins sneaking out of her castle - curious, disguised and alone - to walk the streets of her own city, that she begins to realise the truth. Her kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year long spell of a madman, and now their only chance to move forward is to revisit the past.
Whatever that past holds.
Two thieves, who have sworn only to steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, who possesses an unidentified Grace, may also hold a key to her heart . . .

Bitterblue is the long awaited sequel to Graceling and Fire... though I didn't really wait for it, having discovered Graceling about a month prior to Bitterblue's release. Hearing it starts off eight years after the events of Graceling and will feature Katsa & Po was all I really needed to know before I decided to forgo Fire and jump right into this one instead.

Bitterblue is a hard book to read and rate. It has political intrigue, action, romance, drama and delves into the mind of a madman. All those are adorned by beautiful words and stunning imagery. But unlike its processors, where I found all the elements on par with one another, here some of them fell flat. 

The best part of this book is probably the overall plot of exploring Leck's madness. Through various characters we truly get to see it in a way we didn't before; it's overwhelming and all consuming. It's brutal and dark. It's heartbreaking and for some bizarre reason utterly fascinating.

Is the madman really ever gone, when his effects carry on long after his death? Or is he even truly dead, when his name lives forever in the hearts and minds and those whom he destroyed and their loved ones?

We've always known Leck was evil and cruel, but now we grasp the full scale of it. The journey to figure this out is something we do alongside Bitterblue, who's searching for answers. None of them are things she wanted to hear, though all necessary to make her more than a queen by name only.

An instrumental part in opening Bitterblue's eyes to the lies and half-truth she's been fed is Saf, A graceling thief who knows far more about her country than she does. I would tell you more about him, but I honestly don't think I ever got to know him more than that.

He is also the romantic interest. Which is, incedentally, the most lacking element of this novel. In the first two books we had convincing and delicious slow-burn romances, but here it kind of springs at you out of nowhere and you have no actual idea why they're in love. 

The entire book I found myself wishing Bitterblue would get together with Gideon instead, who was such an amazing surprise! He captured my heart with his sweetness and the way he supported Bitterblue, making him a much better fit to her than Saf ever was. First time I ever wished for a love-triangle to present itself, I'll tell you that...

But, the worst part about this book was the ending--because there wasn't one. I'm alright with open-ended endings; I loved the way Graceling concluded. But Bitterblue's is more than just open-ended. It lacked conclusion and felt like a book that ended mid sentence, closing at the beginning of something huge. Something we spent the novel setting up.

It felt like a tv show that's been cancelled on short notice, leaving the heroes dangling at the beginning of something amazing but never actually getting there. It was simply unsatisfying in every way, leaving me with a mountain of unanswered questions and a the feeling there should at least be one extra book. I wish Cashore would write it.

Fire by Kristin Cashore | Book Review

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Graceling Realm #2
First Published: 2008
Paperback
Young Adult, High Fantasy
Rating:

HER BEAUTY IS A WEAPON - AND FIRE IS GOING TO USE IT.
Fire's exceptional beauty gives her influence and power. People who are susceptible to it will do anything for her attention, and for her affection.
But beauty is only skin deep, and beneath it Fire has a human appreciation of right and wrong. Aware of her ability to influence others, and afraid of it, she lives in a corner of the world away from people - not only to protect them but also to protect herself herself from their attention, their distrust, and even their hatred.
Yet Fire is not the only danger to Dells. If she wants to protect her home, if she wants a chance to undo the wrongs of the past, she must face her fears, her abilities and a royal court full of powerful people with reason to distrust her.

Confession: originally, I read Fire the last of the three books, despite it being the second published. I was just so invested in Katsa and Po that I was more interested in their future rather than a past they weren't alive in yet.

When I finally read it, I closed the book wanting to hit myself for waiting so long. 

Fire starts by giving us a very disturbing look into Leck's childhood, who we find out has been evil since the very beginning. When you want to cover yourself in something warm and safe from a toddler, it says something.

Moving from that fun little experience we're introduced to the monster Fire, a human beautiful beyond description who can invade and control minds. People either hate her or admire her to destruction, and with an infamous monster father created from the same mold as Leck, the hatred is palpable.

The thing Fire is most afraid of in the entire world is herself. She is scared to death she'll become something like her father because of her powers and abilities. But she's a dutiful, driven, loving person, who will do anything for those she loves. And so, when she's asked to do something for the king- she accepts.

That's where the real story starts. Before that, we get to know Fire, her routine, the dynamics she shares with those around her and her past, through beautifully done flashbacks that are never boring or meaningless. 

If this book excels in anything (and it excels in many things), it's in making you know Fire inside and out, on all her layers. It's in making you live inside Fire to to point of tearing up at the things she feels - without the need for anything truly "tragic" to happen.

Fire is as strong a heroine as Katsa, while being vastly different from her.

And Brigan is as amazing a male character as Po was, for different reasons. I feel like I want to let you guys discover him all on your own. 

Now, if that's not enough to make you want to read this book, what if I told you that the romance is of the slow-burn variety? What if I told you it's sort of a hate to love situation? What if I told you that two people who are uncomfortable with each other on sight learn to trust one another, become friends and eventually develop something more in the most real and believable way that will give you ALL the feels???

And what if I topped that by saying the romance is not the main focus of the story, but a delicious bonus? That the real story is one of self acceptance, forgiveness and repenting? That it's real and raw and human? That consequences exist in this world, for better or worse, and happy endings are not in the cards for everyone? That it's heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, and that the combination is beautiful? 

I really can sing praise of Fire and Cashore's magic with words for days, you know. She is one of the most amazing authors out there to me. Once you get a taste of her writing, you really can't stop.

Book Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling Realm #1
First Published: 2008
Paperback
Young Adult, High Fantasy
Rating:

In a world where people born with an exceptional skill, knows as Grace, are both feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing.
Feared by the court and shunned by those her own age, the darkness of her Grace casts a heavy shadow over Katsa's life. Yet she remains defiant; when the King of Lienid's father is kidnapped she investigates, and stumbles across a mystery. Who would want to kidnap the old man, and why? And who was the extraordinary Graced man whose fighting abilities rivaled her own?
The only thing Katsa is sure of is that she no longer wants to kill. The intrigue around this kidnapping offers her a way out - but little does she realize, when she takes it, that something insidious and dark lurks behind the mystery. Something spreading from the shadowy figure of a one-eyed king...

I really cannot even describe the amount of love I have for this book. Can you shout BLEW MY MIND AWAY loud enough?!

This book came to me in the midst of a reading slump. All the books I read seemed to be alright, but none of them were great. They were interesting, but they didn't hold my interest. I didn't hate them, but I didn't love them either. I was starting to despair.

And then came Graceling, a book I've been thinking of reading for a while. I found it in my local bookstore to my great surprise, and with such a beautiful cover I couldn't resist getting it (and its sequel).

What I found when I opened this book is an amazing, incredible adventure like nothing I've read before. One that sucks you in so deeply that you cannot put it away, because it is as if your life hangs in the balance.

Tired of main characters who are just plain useless? who are pathetic and petty and exist only in their tiny little worlds? Whose biggest concern is which guy to chose - Sweet A or Bad Boy B? Well, you're in luck, because Katsa is nothing like that. 

Katsa is, in one word, phenomenal. It's important you understand this. She is strong. She is brave. She is goodhearted and kind. She tortures herself because of her abilities and powers. She is afraid of her own anger and keeps a tight leash on it. And she is very, very human. And, to me, very beautiful.

Quite frankly, Katsa is the kind of character that makes me proud to be a woman. 

Next to such an incredible woman has to be an equally incredible man. And Po is just that. It's been almost four years since I read this book (and I desperately want to re-read it), and the guy is still at the top of my top-ten-book-boyfriend list. 

He is kind. He is good. He is strong. He is brave. And... he's not without his share of dark secrets. Everything about Po drew me in - from the way he converses, to the way he stand, sits, walks, laughs... It was the first time (since Harry Potter) a book made me see a character so clearly in my head, like he was right there in front of me.

And the romance between these two... *dreamy sigh*. Let's just say it's befitting to two such incredible people. 

Next to Katsa and Po are a wide range of characters, all wonderful (even the villain is wonderfully atrocious and evil). I feel like every supporting character could easily have their own story--and I'm sure I would gobble it up.

The one I feel compelled to mention though is Bitterblue, a young princess at the age of ten. She was so adorable, and strong beyond her years. In a way, she was both like a child to Po and Katsa and a mother to them as well. 

This intense novel has, to me, a perfect ending. It's not a completely happy one, and it definitely leaves you with a taste for more. But at the same time, you know all you really need to know. And the choices which were made were 100% fitting and right for the characters, even if personally I would like something different for them.

And at the end of the day, all you can really ask from an author is to be true to the character he or she created. #IApprove