Book Review: Graceling

Book #11 for 2025: Graceling by Kristin Cashore, 3.5/5 ★
480 pages / published September 2009 / available here

Goodreads blurb: 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. … She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away…a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

My review: A reasonably good adventure, overall. Personally, I was less interested in the romance, and as a married reader in their mid-30s, the “love” depicted and thoughts about relationships were very young. The worldbuilding is reasonably what I’d expect from a YA book, though it could certainly have been more fleshed out. I appreciated how likeable most of the “good guys” were, in their own way. I was a little disappointed in Katsa’s development, or lack thereof, across the story. She is painfully pragmatic, but also surprisingly immature for her backstory. Po is a good foil for her, but I was annoyed by feeling like her often speaks to her in an infantilizing way, but perhaps that was just my own impression. I’d be very surprised if it isn’t later revealed that Raffin and Bann are together, which felt obvious but was never stated. All in all…another review said it was a good “in the moment” book – something quite enjoyable to read, but not one that necessarily stays with you or makes you super eager for more, and I’d agree.

CW: fighting/violence, sexism, sadism, one spicy scene, discussions of torturing animals, and insinuations of child abuse/possible pedophilia