And Here We Go!!! (Graceling book review)

So we EXTREME book readers are always on the prowl for some good readin' and I am here to help! Recently I have come across some amazing authors and books and have even become hooked on a series or two or three…or four…maybe five or six…it doesn’t matter! I can stop anytime I want! But I don’t want to get into that quite yet. There will be plenty of time later on for me to introduce you to my more intense new obsessions. I wanted to start by being a bit more dignified and holding in that obsessive fangirl who swoons over Jace and Simon (see Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series) and runs around her house punching things and defeating imaginary daemons while waiting for Jace to barge into the room and take his shirt off aaand...ehh...ahh…Ehem. Well I am excited to start sharing with all you fellow Extreme Book Readers all the wonderful books I have discovered! For the first entree I decided to review Kristin Cashore’s Graceling.

Here’s the plot summary from the Barnes and Noble website:

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

So what was Graceling’s grade? I give it four solid stars (****)…which roughly translates to an A- …maybe an A…then what would five stars be an A+? Anywho, I’m not exactly sure what its letter grade would be, but it certainly earned a grade any mother would be proud of. Its writing is beautiful and its story captivating. There is enough action to make it exciting. I am a sucker for stories with swords and daggers and people who can just plain kick ass and Katsa is one strong lady with a ferocious attitude and a talent for wielding swords, throwing daggers, shooting arrows, oh and taking down any opponent with her bare hands. She’s the whole package! Yet for all her toughness I still found her loveable—she would probably kick my ass for saying so. There was also a surprisingly sweet love story, though it’s probably not exactly what you would expect. Graceling is a wonderful fairytale that features a strong heroine and a thrilling adventure. I definitely recommend adding Graceling to your summer reading list. 

In order to entice you to read this book I am providing some “free samples” below (don’t worry, there are no spoilers! These are just samples of what will await you if you do decide to pick up this book):

“‘I'm not going to wear a red dress,’ she said.
‘It would look stunning, My Lady,’ she called.
She spoke to the bubbles gathered on the surface of the water. ‘If there's anyone I wish to stun at dinner, I'll hit him in the face.’”

“‘What are you grinning at?’ Katsa demanded for the third or fourth time. ‘Is the ceiling about to cave in on my head or something? You look like we're both on the verge of an enormous joke.’
‘Katsa, only you would consider the collapse of the ceiling a good joke.’”

“‘You won't even take your bow? Are you planning to throttle a moose with your bare hands, then?’
‘I've a knife in my boot,’ she said, and then wondered, for a moment, if she could throttle a moose with her bare hands.”

“‘Your brand of comfort bears some similarity to your tactical offense.’”

“Mercy was more frightening than murder, because it was harder.”

 “‘Then she'll know I'll want to knock her senseless if she so much as looks at me.’”