Graceling came with the rather dubious
recommendation, “[This] exquisitely drawn romance … will slake the thirst of Twilight fans”, on the front cover.
However, I really enjoyed Fire, so I
went ahead and read it anyway.
While it
doesn’t quite have the accomplished sense of depth of Fire, this is Cashore’s debut novel, and as such that’s simply a
sign that her novels have developed since the beginning. She does a good job of
introducing us to the fantasy world the story takes place in, without being artificially
explanatory or giving us too many made-up terms to try and remember.
The heroine,
Katsa, is a graceling, marked out by her mismatched eyes and an uncanny natural
ability – in her case, the ability to inflict violence. Ever since her gift was
discovered, her uncle the King has been using her as a tool of intimidation
against those who displeased him. A chance to investigate the mysterious kidnapping
of a neighbouring King's father offers her an opportunity to escape and
to prove to herself and others that she’s more than just a mindless thug.
One of the
things that really stood out about this novel was the unusual angles we see events from. Katsa is an unconventional young woman, but this is
only to be expected as the heroine of a young adult fantasy novel. However, the
feel of the narrative is also different – while the novel appears to be of
the standard ‘vanquish the villain’ type, you get the feeling that defeating the
bad guy wasn’t really what it was all about.
The Twilight-style epic romance promised on
the cover was, thankfully, more human and believable than that, albeit made
more complex by the respective graceling abilities of the pair involved. This
novel is populated by strong characters throughout, and we also meet Princess
Bitterblue, the protagonist of the third and final novel in the trilogy. Despite being a child, she's forthright and intriguing, and I’m really
looking forward to reading more about her.
Next up: The Unquiet Bones by Mel Starr
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