I loved the previous two novels in this
trilogy, Fire and Graceling,
and Bitterblue was
very different but just as good. The story picks up 10 years after
the end of Graceling,
with the young queen Bitterblue beginning to pick up the pieces of
her shattered kingdom.
Even
the premise, I think, is quite original – while coming-of-age
novels involving young rulers are very common, the idea of seeing
what happens after the villain is defeated, what happens to all the
ordinary people trying to rebuild their lives, is very unusual. This
novel is about what happens after the happy ending.
Bitterblue's
despotic father, King Leck, used his mind-manipulating powers to
confuse and control his subjects, forcing them to forget about the
atrocities he did in the deluded name of progress. While those who
served under him are desperate to forget those times, the young queen
wants to dig up the past in order to provide reparations for those
who suffered. Her castle is full of secrets, locked doors, and coded
messages, and many people wish for them to remain hidden.
While
there is a love interest involved, it's more of a side issue than the
main point of the story, which is something Cashore does very well,
and like in Fire we
get the feeling that Bitterblue's own narrative is far from being
all-important. There are tantalising glimpses into the lives of other
kingdoms and other people, which add depth and realism to her fantasy
universe. Instead of being simply narrative devices, other
characters, however briefly mentioned, feel as though they have a
full story to tell themselves, if they were only given the chance.
Another
wonderful (and unusual) thing about this trilogy is the way the three
books fit together. Aside from being written out of chronological
order, each is set in a different kingdom, and features different
main characters. Places and people from each novel have an impact on
each of the other stories, and having read all three I feel as though
each one adds significance to both of the others. Definitely worth a
read, and I recommend getting your hands on the whole trilogy if you
can.
The cover art is, again, very much underselling itself, but there are much nicer editions out there, like this one from Barnes and Noble.
Next
up: Bel-Ami by Guy de
Maupassant
No comments:
Post a Comment