Boiler Plate Stuff:
Graceling is the first book in the young adult fantasy series by Kristin Cashore. It tells the story of Katsa who has the ‘grace’ of fighting. She’s well known in the land as a dangerous woman and therefore struggles with that complex and also the hold that her uncle (the king) has over her life.
Graceling is fast paced and full of tons of excellent, exciting fight scenes. It’s a sprawling story that starts you in one place and by the end you’re somewhere totally different that you couldn’t have planned on. The author, Kristin Cashore, does an incredible job of planting secrets throughout the story that keep you turning pages. You get a heavy dose of ‘nothing is as it seems’.
Will I like this book?
If you like young, strong, female characters (and I know you do!) then you’ll likely feel drawn to the main character of Katsa. Although I loved her bravery and noble missions, Katsa was a little too against femininity for my liking. There’s a message and a portrayal that in order for her to be an awesome, amazing fighter and person, she must be hard and against the norms of the female role.
At one point she explains that she’ll never marry and never have children. Obviously these things are fine but I couldn’t help but shake the undercurrent of, unmarried women who are not mothers have chosen a better path than other women. Both paths are legitimate but one is not better than the other.
Warnings: (Small Spoiler Alert!) About half way through the book, there is a very short and very vague sex scene between Katsa and her love interest. My issue is not with sex scene but the message that is portrayed. There is a very strong feminist message leading up to this scene where Katsa makes the conscious decision to NOT marry her lover but instead enjoy the benefits of marriage without being tied down to a man. There is even a special herb she takes daily for her to avoid getting pregnant. Throughout the rest of the book we don’t see any negatives to this decision. Katsa never once expresses insecurity or worry about where the relationship will go which I found much unlike reality.
There are zero Christian elements or themes throughout the book. However it’s very clean when it comes to obscenities.
Should I read this book?
If you’re into fast paced fight scenes and distant lands then yes. But read with caution and discretion as the underlying message begins to reveal itself.
Have you read Graceling? What did you think? Did you agree with my assessment? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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