Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore is a incredibly entertaining story that takes you into a completely different world. It is about a young girl named Katsa who is Graced with a deadly gift. She is able to kill anyone with her bare hands, because her Grace allows her to fight better, faster, and more accurate than anyone else. Her uncle uses her grace to his advantage, exploiting her grace as a way of getting back at the people who he feels "did him wrong". The story deals with finding one's true identity in the world, in relationships, and most importantly in yourself. I think that is is a great book to allow your kid to read. There are some more "mature" moments in the novel which would add a bit of controversy if you do not want your child reading books that have sexual scenes in them. Other than that, I feel like this book is great for kids that are simply looking for something entertaining to read. I personally really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Bitterblue.

~Spoiler Alert~

Please do not keep reading if you do not want details to be given away!

I feel like girls can relate to the main character, Katsa, which will make them really want to continue reading. I know that I truly enjoyed the book because I found her character to be so fascinating. She is so strong, free willed, courageous, and talented. While I read I found myself slightly wishing that I could be Katsa. She seems so indestructible, it would be nice to be so gifted! I feel like young girls especially will enjoy this book because it not only takes you into another world, but allows you to read about a character that is so unlike the characters in other books. I don't know if I have ever read a book with a female heroin like Katsa. Books usually have a male hero, and a female who needs rescuing. Katsa can not be beaten by any man in a hand to hand combat, which gives a certain appeal to other females because it is empowering to our sex. I definitely think that your daughters will enjoy the story.

One theme that I found very interesting in the novel is Katsa's never-ending need for freedom. She feels trapped and owned by her uncle, Randa, and finally decides to leave his court and once and for all follow her own path. Once she is out of Randa's control, she becomes scared of the feelings she is beginning to acquire for Po (He is also Graced. He has the Grace of fighting...but we later learn otherwise). Katsa is scared to allow anyone in to her life because for so long she has attempted to live her life without any emotions. This was just an interesting part of the book for me because it isn't often that we read about female characters who refuse to allow anyone else into their lives. She is trying to find herself in her search for freedom, but freedom was always within her grasp. This theme makes the book have an interesting twist that I believe your teens will enjoy (because at that age weren't we all in need of "freedom" :).

Overall, this book is just a great read. It is not heady or full of life lessons. It is simply a book that you can start and finish in one or two sittings because it keeps you captivated from the very beginning!