Week One--Graceling

Week One: Check!

This week I read Graceling by Kristin Cashore. This is a 2010-2011 Rosie nominee, but for some reason I held off until the beginning of the school year to start reading it. I think I was worried that it would be like Lord of the Rings and require me to learn about a whole new world with a new language and crazy characters (I love Lord of the Rings, by the way, but just wasn't in the mood to read such an in-depth fantasy). Plus it is a little lengthy--about 400 pages--and I didn't know if I had time to read it all in a week. But this was SUCH a great surprise! I absolutely loved the book and found it easy to follow the plot and characters!

This book is about a world of seven kingdoms. There are various people in each kingdom who are Graced, meaning they have a special gift or skill that no one else possesses. So, for example, a person might be Graced with swimming, meaning he/she can swim easily in even the worst ocean storms. And the book follows a character named Katsa who seems to be Graced with killing: she can kill the strongest of men with her pinkie finger. So, of course, her king wants to use her for his benefit and frequently sends her out to do his bidding by injuring or killing unloyal subjects. But wouldn't you hate to be Katsa? You can imagine that she has NO friends and pretty much everyone fears her. So Katsa decides she needs to leave the king and choose her own life's path...but it may not be so easy.

Again, I loved this book. I found it very easy to understand the seven kingdoms, the Gracelings, and the overall plot. It was even a little addicting at times; I couldn't stop reading on a recent trip home from South Bend (thank goodness my husband was driving!). I definitely recommend this book! And don't forget: you can win a prize by passing a quiz over this book. Talk to me for more details!