1)
Graceling by Kristin
Cashore / YA / *****Favorite lines:
“I'm not going to wear a red dress," she said.
"It would look stunning, My Lady," she called.
She spoke to the bubbles gathered on the surface of the water. "If there's anyone I wish to stun at dinner, I'll hit him in the face.”
From the cover: "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 love this book. I have read it multiple times. The story is like a master recipe.... just enough of this and just enough of that with a wowzer of a main ingredient. Kristin Cashore manages to weave several interesting and endearing stories into one. Brilliant.
2)
Favorite lines:
“Well then," Roen said briskly, "are you sleeping?"
"Yes."
"Come now. A mother can tell when her son lies. Are you eating?"
"No," Brigan said gravely. "I've not eaten in two months. It's a hunger strike to protest the spring flooding in the south."
"Gracious," Roen said, reaching for the fruit bowl. "Have an apple, dear.”
"Yes."
"Come now. A mother can tell when her son lies. Are you eating?"
"No," Brigan said gravely. "I've not eaten in two months. It's a hunger strike to protest the spring flooding in the south."
"Gracious," Roen said, reaching for the fruit bowl. "Have an apple, dear.”
This book is not really a sequel to Graceling but is accurately described as a "companion" story.
From Goodreads:
"Over the mountains from the kingdoms in Graceling are the Dells, where rebellious nobles plot against the young king, and where some animals are monsters: brightly colored, beautiful, often dangerous versions of normal animals. "Fire" is a human monster, the last of her kind. She is irresistibly beautiful and has the ability to control minds, though she resists using it, remembering the terrible example of her brilliant, twisted father. When the king's brother Brigan arrives to ask her for her help against the rebel lords, she is pulled against her will into the turmoil enveloping the kingdom."
The first time I read this book, I did not like it. However, this time I really enjoyed it. The story is well written and like "Graceling" is filled with real characters that grow and develop throughout the story. I found myself liking the main character (Fire) much more than the previous time I read the story.
The author obviously has a non-traditional view of marriage and children, a theme that continued from "Graceling". While the author made good attempt to tie her opinions into the story line, her obvious use of her work as a platform for her opinions created incongruity for me as a reader and left me a little cold.
3)
From Goodreads:
"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."
The only good thing about my purchase of this novel is that, 1) It made me re-read "Graceling" and "Fire" and 2) The Richfield Library won't have to purchase a copy as they can have this one. I continue my trend of disliking the third books of a trilogy.
I was excited on the premise of the book, as I wanted to hear the story of Bitterblue (introduced in "Graceling"). But the story was indulgent and unnecessarily length. It had little story arc and while it brought back much loved characters from both books it proved to be an unfulfilled reunion. While I like twisting and multi-layered plots, this one was too convoluted to be enjoyable. In fact for most of the book I ended up repeating Bitterblue's own thoughts: "What is going on? And why is everyone acting so crazy?". Disappointing.
4)
Favorite line:
“I say, 'I will not be your weakness, Sean Kendrick.'
Now he looks at me. He says, very softly, 'It's late for that, Puck.”
Now he looks at me. He says, very softly, 'It's late for that, Puck.”
There is power in the blurb written inside the dust jacket of books. Because after I labored through Maggie Stiefvaters mind-numbing teen novel, "Shiver" that was such a lame wrip-off of "Twilight", I swore I would NEVER EVER read another book by this author.
Over the last few visits to our local library I have picked up and put back this novel several times. It kept appealing to me but our darling library only allows you to check out TWO "new" novels per account (unless the darling Pepper the Librarian is working there and gets threatened by her mother to let me have the books I want OR ELSE). Each visit this book kept getting the boot in favor of other "new" books. I finally picked it up this Monday and oh boy I'm glad I did.
It is hard to describe what this book is about. It kind of reminded me of a childhood favorite called "Misty of Chincoteague" by Marguerite Henry except that on this island the horses eat people. Awesome, eh? They are monsters from the sea and for some unexplained reason people think it is really cool to capture one, attempt to train it, and try to win the yearly race which promises fame and fortune. And of course they have to accomplish this without literally getting their head bitten off.
The race has been won several years in a row by Sean Kendrick who has a gift with horses. He needs to win the race so he can win the right to buy his beloved Sea-Horse mount (who eats other people but NEVER him) from his hard-hearted employer. He ends up helping Kate (Puck) who is trying to win the race to earn the money necessary to save their home from being foreclosed on by their landlord (who is the same hard-hearted employer of Sean).
I loved the characters in this story, especially Kate (Puck) who is a real grump but fiesty and her little brother, Finn. Well done Maggie Stiefvater. I'm even considering going back and rereading Shiver. Crazy.
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