Review - Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3) by Kristin Cashore

Title: Bitterblue

Author: Kristen Cashore

Series: 3rd (Graceling, Fire)

Pages: 563

Published:  May 1st 2012 by Dial 

ISBN: 9780803734739

Source: Library

 

Description: Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.  Two thieves, who only 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, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

I Give This ...

I'm glad I waited to read this.  It turns out reading a few reviews before I read it helped me understand what kind of book this might be.  I think I would have be really disappointed in it without that knowledge.  Bitterblue is different in many ways for the other two books in the series.   

I think what might stand out about this novel is that Bitterblue is not graced.  She doesn't have the extraordinary abilities of Katsa  or Fire.   That doesn't mean she's less of a person in anyway, she's just like everybody else.  What makes her story stand is she's trying to run a kingdom that was brutally manipulated in ways most people can't even image.   She wants people to heal but move forward at the same time.  She also wants to fully understand what her father did to everyone around her.  She remembers bits of what he did to her, her mother, and to a few of her advisers.   But, she can only imagine the scars left on the rest of the kingdom.

But, despite all her best efforts, she often feels like her advisers are trying to brush it all under the rug.   She constantly doing paperwork without really interacting with the people in her kingdom.  The more questions she asks, the more they evade her.  It worries her when she begins to learn the truth.  Her kingdom is illiterate, buildings are falling down, and those trying to uncover the truth of Leck's reign are being murdered.  With the help of two thiefs she befriends and a very dedicated librarian, Bitterblue begins to uncover what Leck was really trying to accomplish.  And it opens up a whole new world to the people of Monsea.

I admired Bitterblue's courage throughout this entire journey.  When she discovers her mother had been embroidering cryptic messages in all the bedding, she never falters  She keeps reading.  Then the librarian turns up journals written in Leck's hand.  There's one for each year of his reign, but the language matches none that are known.  It's a mystery we already know the answer to, but it's fascinating to watch them unravel it.  

It was a slow and meticulous book.  It wasn't at all what I originally though it was going to be, but I was okay with that.  It ties up all the loose ends beautifully and I loved how in the end the story seemed peaceful. 

 

 

Fire (The Seven Kingdoms Trilogy, #2) by Kristin Cashore

Title: Fire
Author: Kristin Cashore
Published: October 2009
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9780575085114
Source: Library

Description: Fire, Graceling's prequel-ish companion book, takes place across the mountains to the east of the seven kingdoms, in a rocky, war-torn land called the Dells. Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans. Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story. Wondering what makes it a companion book/prequel? Fire takes place 30-some years before Graceling and has one cross-over character with Graceling, a small boy with strange two-colored eyes who comes from no-one-knows-where, and who has a peculiar ability that Graceling readers will find familiar and disturbing...

I Give This Book 4 Stars!

I've waited patiently to read this book. I got the first from the library and was waiting for them to get this one as well. It was well worth the wait. Like Graceling, it builds slowly. But, the characters slowly start to grow on you. Fire was very similar to Katsa in my opinion. Both young women did not like who they were and how their powers could be used and abused. Fire was just as strong in this one. Although, I think she was more afraid of her own abilities. It was like she had to come to terms with the fact that using them did not make her a bad person. It would be how she chose to use them. Brigan was just the sort of male character you can't help but love by the end, and maybe drool over as well. The author built him up so fantastically. Brigan and Fire's relationship was built up well. It wasn't the typical see each other and fall in love sort of moment. It has much more substance too it. There isn't as much action in this one. It seems to be more about relationships. But, I still thought it was wonderful. My only issue was the author seems to have a agenda with female empowerment. I got a little tired of the talk about birth control, abortion, etc. I'm all for women's rights, but it seemed a little bit much in this one.

Teaser Tuesday!

 Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read


• Open to a random page


• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page


• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)


• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:
     And then, of course, Brigan appeared in the doorway to say hello to his mother and to bring Fire back to her horse, and immediately Fire felt herself revert to a child.  Some part of her brain went missing whenever this soldier came near.  It froze from his coldness.

~ Fire by Kristin Cashore

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Published: October 2008 by Harcourt Children's Books
Pages: 471
ISBN: 9780152063962

Description: Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill.   As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.   When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.   She never expects to become Po’s friend.   She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

I Give This Book 5 Stars!

I have to be honest in saying that I felt Graceling started out a little slow.  But, the story builds very quickly until you feel like the book is going at breakneck speed towards the end.  I was fascinated by the idea of the Gracelings.  Gracelings are people born with rare talents and can be distinguished from regular people by their different colored eyes.  The lead character Katsa is one of them.  Her grace is killing people.   As she struggles with her Grace, her Uncle's command of her, and her own thoughts of who she really is, she discovers that she is more than what everyone sees.  She does this with the help of Po, a Graceling Prince.  Po is a wonderful male lead character who is willing to sacrifice everything for Katsa.  I was riveted by their developing relationship.  But, the story isn't all about finding who you are and romance.  The action takes your breathe away.  Katsa and Po must save a young princess whose father is hiding something that no one will believe.