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Mood: Fed Up WIth Life ]
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Currently: Watching Castle ]
Katsa has a talent that makes her very good at one thing, a talent called a Grace. Her two coloured eyes mark her as being gifted to any who meet her. And given that her Grace is fighting, Katsa is even more of an outcast than other gracelings.
Katsa spends her life living in her uncle, the king’s, court, acting as his enforcer. Disgusted with what she has to do for the king, Katsa forms a council, a secret organization bent on doing good. And it is this council that pulls her into a plot involving two kingdoms and an insane man with a grace. Along the way, she meets the mysterious Prince Po, a young man with a grace that is not all it seems to be.
This is a solid first novel from Kristin Cashore full of action that appeals to both the boys and girls that are fantasy fans. Katsa can be a difficult heroine to like, given that she is so good at fighting, it makes her near invincible. Katsa’s popularity is also bizarre, given how crusty she is, but I am willing to allow a little Mary-Sue on the part of Cashore in exchange for the sheer action this novel packs in the latter half. Hopefully her story-telling skills will continue to develop and future outings will offer more of the action and less of the character angst.
Will be in an upcoming What to Read After Harry.