About this title: With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, a debut author creates a mesmerizing medieval world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that is sure to captivate readers.
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Description: Used-Very Good in Good jacket. Very good condition. very clean and bright pages; Book has almost no shelfwear; tight spine; Delivery confirmation available for every book shipped. Reliable customer service and no-hassle return policy. read more
Edition: Advanced Reading Copy (ARC)
Binding: S Trade Paperback
Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780152063962ISBN:015206396X
Description: New. Absolutely brand new and unread, lovely cover, perfect spine, a really sweet copy! ! ! You'll cartwheel with joy when this book gets to you! ! ! Note-Trade paperback, advance reader copy. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Graphia
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780547258300ISBN:0547258305
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Edition: 1st Edition
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Harcourt
Date Published: 2008
Description: Fine. No Jacket. First Edition (first printing). An Advance Reading Copy of the debut novel by this Florida author, a story for Younger Readers set in a land of seven kingdoms--where only a few people are born with an extreme skill called Grace. Fine in wraps as issued. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780152063962ISBN:015206396X
Description: New. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 471 p. Contains: Illustrations. Intended for a juvenile audience. Intended for a young adult/teenage audience. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
Date Published: 2008-10-01
ISBN-13:9780152063962ISBN:015206396X
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780152063962. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780152063962ISBN:015206396X
Description: New. No dust jacket as issued. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 471 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: Children/juvenile; Young adult. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: ORION PUBLISHING CO Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780575085305ISBN:0575085304
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 400 pages. A superb, critically acclaimed and already best-selling debut fantasy novel from a stunning new author. (Paperback) read more
"I gave it 100 pages, and then found myself doing a LOT of skimming. And then I decided that I'm too busy to read boring books, even if maybe it would have gotten better because everyone else thought it was a great book. So I won't be finishing this one."
"Anyone who knows me knows if you want to watch me get upset or start singing very loudly all you have to do is begin to tell me the ending to a book I have yet to read. Of course I always make exceptions with books I'm CONVINCED I'll never pick up, Graceling being one of them. Now it's a pretty cover...but so screams towards its intended fantasy-loving audience, an ultra fancy cover clearly also yelling towards me "Hey Colleen, you don't like fantasy books! This is a Book You'll Hate!" was much more powerful than what felt like 100's of friends telling me I had to read it. So when a friend was about to ruin the ending and told me to cover my ears, I proudly kept them uncovered saying "oh I'll never read that". Lordie! First time an ending of a book really made me HAVE to read it. I won't give anything away but let's just say Katsa is as far away from typical girl as can be. Was sucked into the truly original world from line one. That's always been my problem with most fantasy...it's just the same elements used over and over again without too many innovations. This felt new, and I loved it.
Sure there were some flaws in the story, a little Lord of the Rings syndrome aka an unevenness in pace especially when it came to the climax points of the story which rush by...though there are looong chapters on walking ten feet and then a single paragraph for a HUGE fight scene. But lordie, talk about some amazing characters! Even random strangers you meet in an inn for a few seconds are fully formed in Cashore's mind. Seriously loved this read. Been having a debate with a few friends over whether it's a YA or adult book and I swear up and down it's YA all the way...though that may also just be part of my belief that the only difference between YA and adult books is better editing! Such a great first novel! Can't wait to read what she does next...no matter how many swords wind up on the cover!"
"This is a fantastic YA fantasy story. I would recommend it to anyone that loves the genre, and especially to people that loved Twilight, or even people that didn't because the relationship was so unhealthy and obsessive. You'll find none of that here! This is a book where the girl is the strongest character, and everyone around her knows it. Shes had to live her life watching people avoid her, and having to do her uncle, the king's, bidding. All because she was born with a grace-for killing.
That is the only life she has ever known until a prince from another kingdom, Po, comes and they go on an adventure that will lead them to understand themselves, and to love each other.
It broke my heart when the extent of Po's injuries was revealed at the end. The brief foreshadowing earlier (where she asks him if he could fight blindfolded) didn't even warn me. Luckily, he is better equipped to come to terms with it than anyone else would have been.
Also...I love how good Kristin Cashore is at foreshadowing, at least in my opinion. I hate awkward and heavy foreshadowing like "little did he know, it was the last time he would see his mother" and that type. She doesn't do that, she is more subtle. Like, in reference to Po's mind-reading ability, she just wrote in Katsa wondering at his ability to see her moves coming when they were fighting, or the way he seemed to know what she was thinking at certain times. It wasn't obvious-but once you find out the truth, you look back on it like "oooohhhh!" I LOVE that."
"I really loved this book. At first I wasn't sure I would get into it when they started talking about the seven kingdoms and all that, but once the action started, I was hooked! It was non stop the whole way through. I enjoyed the love story between Po and Katsa as well... I have a few opinons about them that I would love to discuss with someone who has read the book. I don't want to give anything away. There are just a couple things that surprised me."
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