Graceling was such a great book! It had adventure, action and romance. It was descriptive and interesting, I couldn't put it down! I definitely recommend this book :)

Possibly one of the best book that I have ever read. This book had the tension and struggle I was looking for. The stuggle with either Katsa's own inner demon or with the wickedness from the ouside world, Cashore seems to be able to capture all of its magic with well trained hands and deliver. Katsa is "Graced." A Graceling is a person who is gifted in a certain skill and Katsa has probably one of the greatest Grace of it all. The Grace to kill. This book just flew by. I could not stop myself as the story deepens and Katsa is faced with many decisions and challanges. With the mysterious Po, Katsa is taken on this journey where her gifted Grace may not be able to save her. This magical book took me on a journey very much like Katsa's; decisions, decisions. It's 4am and there is school tomorrow. But this book is not letting me go off to bed. To read or not to read? Purely graceful.

I would have much preferred to read Fire first but then again this book was the reason I bought the second and third novels Can't wait for another.

Where has this book been all my life? Ok maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit. I've had plenty of excellent high fantasy in my life. There's just something about high fantasy that gets me every time. But that doesn't diminsh how real and how deep my love for this book is. Kristin Cashore has created an amazing world within the pages of Graceling. It was so detailed! and she combined just enough elements from the real world to make it the believable. It never felt over the top or ridiculous. This is the type of world building I can only hope to aspire to one day if I ever get my butt in gear and write my fantasy novel. The world of the Seven Kingdoms come alive in my head when I was reading. And then there's Katsa. She's like the fantasy version of Katniss. Or maybe Katniss is the dystopian version of Katsa? Either way she's a kick ass heroine. She's strong, brave, and independent. She stands up for herself! I may have cheered out loud a few times, I was so proud of her. I also really liked her relationship with Po. It really felt like they were equal partners, which is definitely something you don't see enough of in YA novels. There isn't much more to add. This book is straight up amazing. Final recommendation: If you like fantasy or books with strong female characters this is a must read. Seriously, stop reading my blog and go check it out (and then come read my blog again). This and other reviews at Hooked on Books (http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com)

Fantasy books were my first love when it came to reading, and I grew up on stories bursting with mythology, knights, and princesses (my favourites were those that had characters who could be both a knight AND a princess). Nothing gets my heart pounding and the pages turning like a magical, adventurous fantasy novel! I first heard of Graceling immediately after reading The Hunger Games a few years ago - I kept getting recommendations for it, but for whatever reason I didn't pick it up until recently. Waiting to read this book until now was one of the biggest mistakes in my reading history! I'm convinced that Kristin Cashore is a genius and this book is proof of that. Reasons to Read: 1.A richly developed fantasy world: This is a must for good fantasy books; I need to buy into the magical world and the best ones have a well-established world with its own rules and norms, but with enough similarities that we can relate to them. Plus, I like books that include MAPS of the fantasy worlds. That's pretty legit for me. And the names of places, things and people should be vaguely familiar but not so overdone that they come off as silly and fake. Graceling easily avoids any and all of these issues and stands as one of a few YA fantasy books that works so well! 2.Familiar problems & issues: I don't think it's much of a secret that Graceling delves into some questions regarding the role of women within a society and the obstacles in their way as equal members of society. What may be surprising, however, is how WELL Kristin deals with this and successfully weaves it into the story. I wouldn't call it subtle, but it is oh-so poignant. Katsa is a bit of an anomoly in her world, where women are often mistreated and lack the means to protect themselves; but as she slowly begins to recognize how problematic this is and ultimately questions if she can do anything about it. It's striking, and resonates so well because of how familiar it is to us. 3.Katsa & Po's friendship: I love Katsa, and I love Po! Even separately, they were fantastic characters that I found amusing and amiable. But it's the way that they played off each other and slowly grew closer together that truly sold me on them as characters and their role in the story. Here's a couple you can't help but root for the whole way through; and most of all, I loved seeing a respectful male lead who wants to encourage the heroine and do everything he can to help her in the way she needs and respect her decisions. So, I've now joined the ranks of Graceling/Kristin Cashore fans. I'm KICKING myself for waiting this long to have read it, and I've moved on to Fire already :) Graceling is a thought-provoking and addictive read, one that will leaving you craving more. I could honestly say so much more about this one, but I'm going to save it for a spoiler-filled review, coming soon :) Perfect read for anyone looking for a heartbreaking, emotionally touching, thought provoking read. This one has a well-deserved new space on my favourites shelf; and I can't wait to finish off Fire and then get started on Bitterblue (as soon as I manage to get my hands on a copy)! Thoughts on the audio: A few people had told me that I must listen to Graceling on audio because it was good- and they were right (again. Clearly I have awesome people recommending books to me). This would actually be a perfect book to introduce a new listener to audiobooks because it's Full Cast, although you'll also be spoiled by it for other books. Full Cast is fantastic because it's such a great quality; there are multiple narrators, all of whom are excellent. Plus there's a little bit of background music at times that helps create a good atmosphere for listening to the story. Hands down, the best, most addictive audio book I've ever listened to. WELL worth the cost of buying it! If you're new to audiobooks, or just haven't given this one a try yet then I HIGHLY recommend that you pick it up. Like now.

This is absolutely without a doubt my most favourite book of all time! It's the one book I don't mind reading over and over again. I love Kristin Cashore! She created a totally unique and brand new world where Katsa lives... and don't even get me started on Katsa! I love main characters who are all about girl power! Katsa takes this far beyond any other character I have read about (even Katniss!). My sister (who is also a book fanatic) and I always play a game where we choose one character from any book that we would love to live their story... and my choice is always Katsa. She is my hero!

Just about one of the best books ever. It is captivating and interesting and it has a unique story line that pulls you along. I have read it multiple times now, and I will read it again and again! I simple can't wait for bitter blue!

Simply written but has a deep story that leaves one feeling a new sense of empowerment. The story pulls you in right away and doesn't let you go until it is over. This is one that I have read over a few times and will read again many more.

A friend raved about this book so i thought i'd give it a try. I loved the Hunger games and this was probably a million times better! This book just gets you transfixed from the very beginning and you won't want to put it down. If you liked the hunger games then i'm almost positive you won't be sorry for reading Graceling! Graceling is extremely well written and you will fall in love with the characters instantly!

I found this book to be everything I expected. It was a page turner and a wonderful read. I highly sugest this book if you liked The Hunger Games serise. I found it competting with being better than The Hunger Games.