I just read Graceling!

I’m in a neighborhood bookclub, and tonight we’re hosting at my house. The book was one I admit I hadn’t heard of, though I believe it got a lot of advance buzz (yes, I do sometimes move into my cave and roll the boulder in front of the door!). It’s Graceling, by Kristin Cashore, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Although technically a YA book, the book has the heft and the feel of an adult market volume, while still being action-packed and fun enough to appeal even to high-reading level tweens (I’m going to put it on my 5th grader’s Kindle, for example. She enjoyed Divergent, so I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t like Graceling, too.)

I’m not going to give away the story other than to say that it takes place in an alternate world that is familiar in the same way that Game of Thrones is familiar. Seven kingdoms, low tech, very middle ages feeling. The primary premise is that certain persons in this world are “graced” and our heroine in this book, Katsa, is among those graced and, therefore, put in the service of the king. After that, it settles into an epic adventure.

I finished it last night, and I loved it.

My only complaint, if it can even be considered a complaint, is that the next book, Bitterblue, takes place eight years later and focuses on a different character. I’m the gal who likes to spend time with the same people over and over and over (yes, I read and re-read all 8 billion of the In Death books and am not tired of Kinsey Milhone….). But that’s hardly a criticism, more of a disappointment, as I doubt Katsa plays much of a role in that book (I could be wrong!).

Have you read Graceling? What fun new books have you discovered recently? Are you in a bookclub, and have you enjoyed or regretted the choices?

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