borichu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
when_it_rains's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
areaderintime's review against another edition
4.0
This reread was so good (and necessary!), I really enjoyed it!
I remember reading the entire Graceling Realm series back to back to back in my childhood / middle school years. This series holds a special place in my heart and I love them. This installment is definitely my least favorite but is still really fun. I can't wait to get into Winterkeep soon!
I remember reading the entire Graceling Realm series back to back to back in my childhood / middle school years. This series holds a special place in my heart and I love them. This installment is definitely my least favorite but is still really fun. I can't wait to get into Winterkeep soon!
phyxi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
shannanwithana's review against another edition
5.0
The worst part of this book was how long I waited to read it. It took me a while to remember the important information from the previous two books. This isn’t really a sequel as much as a bridge. It connects the previous two books so you fully understand how everything fits together. So you get to see characters from the previous books and understand them better. You also get to meet a lot of new characters. Other people that were affected by Leck and see the reality of his affect on the the kingdom, Bitterblue, and her mother.
I love how you get to see Bitterblue develop through this book. A girl who is thrown into a very precarious situation and has to figure out how to make since of it all. Since Bitterblue doesn’t have a grace, this book doesn’t focus much on them. Really it’s how a person who feels powerless deals with what feels like power all around. Bitterblue’s strength comes from her desire to find the truth of her father. Where everyone else is happy to keep the past in the past, Bitterblue thinks their future depends on at least understanding what happened and won’t stop till she has an explanation.
In some ways I think it added to the story that I couldn’t remember clearly what had happened in the previous books, it put me right next to Bitterblue in her quest. I could empathize well with her in wanting to understand what had happened. That question definitely propels you to want to get to the end of the book. If your a slower reader (like me) it might make you a bit frustrated at times.
Cashore does a great job weaving all levels of story lines together and bringing them to an acceptable resolution. With that said, she doesn’t go with the what feels obvious or clean. Cashore isn’t afraid to leave things a little messy in the resolution, which only adds to the believability. While sometimes I want to escape reality, sometimes a little reality makes it possible to believe the world could possibly be real.
In the End
This is a rich world that Cashore built and different than other YA books out their right now. I wouldn’t be sad if she added to these three books at all. Add these books to your list if you haven’t read them yet.
For more reviews, check out my blog www.shannanwithana.com
I love how you get to see Bitterblue develop through this book. A girl who is thrown into a very precarious situation and has to figure out how to make since of it all. Since Bitterblue doesn’t have a grace, this book doesn’t focus much on them. Really it’s how a person who feels powerless deals with what feels like power all around. Bitterblue’s strength comes from her desire to find the truth of her father. Where everyone else is happy to keep the past in the past, Bitterblue thinks their future depends on at least understanding what happened and won’t stop till she has an explanation.
In some ways I think it added to the story that I couldn’t remember clearly what had happened in the previous books, it put me right next to Bitterblue in her quest. I could empathize well with her in wanting to understand what had happened. That question definitely propels you to want to get to the end of the book. If your a slower reader (like me) it might make you a bit frustrated at times.
Cashore does a great job weaving all levels of story lines together and bringing them to an acceptable resolution. With that said, she doesn’t go with the what feels obvious or clean. Cashore isn’t afraid to leave things a little messy in the resolution, which only adds to the believability. While sometimes I want to escape reality, sometimes a little reality makes it possible to believe the world could possibly be real.
In the End
This is a rich world that Cashore built and different than other YA books out their right now. I wouldn’t be sad if she added to these three books at all. Add these books to your list if you haven’t read them yet.
For more reviews, check out my blog www.shannanwithana.com
twozsinapod's review against another edition
4.0
I don't even know where to begin! I feel certain that this book leaves some loose strings to add more to the series...but it does also tie up the stories from the first two books. While it was a good read, I don't think I liked it as well as the first two. Here's why...
Bitterblue is an interesting character and I was excited to read about her all grown up. However, I feel like she lost a little of the fierceness/strength (for lack of a better description) she had in Graceling. She's in a difficult position because of her young age, but I honestly feel like the Bitterblue we first met wouldn't have waited several (8?) years before getting a grip on what was going on in her kingdom. Also...what about Katsa? Katsa's appearances in this book are fleeting at best. She loses her importance and is so preoccupied with Council business it feels like she's flaking out on Po and Bitterblue. While Katsa has always been independent, I still wouldn't expect her to be this disengaged.
I was disappointed with a few of the plot twists. Without giving spoilers, I'll just say that a couple people turned out to be "bad guys" that I sincerely hoped would remain faithful to Bitterblue. I was also disappointed with a choice another character made, for I had been waiting eagerly for Bitterblue's happily ever after. (I could still see her ending up with a certain other male in the book, though.)
I could go on and on about the things I liked and didn't like, but there are just too many touchy subjects in the book to do them all justice. It's not a lighthearted read and certainly doesn't have the perfect fairytale ending. Concerns about those topics aside, it's just as captivating as the first two in the series and always left me guessing. As I've come to expect from Cashore, the plot twists and turns and ends up in destinations I never imagined.
Bitterblue is an interesting character and I was excited to read about her all grown up. However, I feel like she lost a little of the fierceness/strength (for lack of a better description) she had in Graceling. She's in a difficult position because of her young age, but I honestly feel like the Bitterblue we first met wouldn't have waited several (8?) years before getting a grip on what was going on in her kingdom. Also...what about Katsa? Katsa's appearances in this book are fleeting at best. She loses her importance and is so preoccupied with Council business it feels like she's flaking out on Po and Bitterblue. While Katsa has always been independent, I still wouldn't expect her to be this disengaged.
I was disappointed with a few of the plot twists. Without giving spoilers, I'll just say that a couple people turned out to be "bad guys" that I sincerely hoped would remain faithful to Bitterblue. I was also disappointed with a choice another character made, for I had been waiting eagerly for Bitterblue's happily ever after. (I could still see her ending up with a certain other male in the book, though.)
I could go on and on about the things I liked and didn't like, but there are just too many touchy subjects in the book to do them all justice. It's not a lighthearted read and certainly doesn't have the perfect fairytale ending. Concerns about those topics aside, it's just as captivating as the first two in the series and always left me guessing. As I've come to expect from Cashore, the plot twists and turns and ends up in destinations I never imagined.
kirkland433's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A decade after I started this book, I'm finally done. Is that a product of being so mad after Fire that I had preconceived feelings for this book already? Who knows. All I know was this book was... fine.
The plot was fine. Slightly a mess and kept you doubting everyone at every turn (really just don't trust anyone). Some of the events were drawn out and overly done, but whatever, it was fine.
The characters themselves were mostly fine. Bitterblue, I've decided I hate. She's selfish and really has no control over her emotions. She's unlikable. She requests unreasonable things from people and then gets mad at them when it's not what she wanted. She's just ridiculous, and her friends deserve better. I am unsympathetic.
Also, there are still scenes I thought happened that have not happened. So, I trust none of my memories from this series anymore. I don't know if I've made these things I remember up or I've merged memories from another series but it has left me discombobulated.
From here on out, I haven't read the next books, so maybe reading them for the first time will improve my attitude. But for now, this series is turning out to be one of those that did not grow with me as a person. It's a sad time.
The plot was fine. Slightly a mess and kept you doubting everyone at every turn (really just don't trust anyone). Some of the events were drawn out and overly done, but whatever, it was fine.
The characters themselves were mostly fine. Bitterblue, I've decided I hate. She's selfish and really has no control over her emotions. She's unlikable. She requests unreasonable things from people and then gets mad at them when it's not what she wanted. She's just ridiculous, and her friends deserve better. I am unsympathetic.
Also, there are still scenes I thought happened that have not happened. So, I trust none of my memories from this series anymore. I don't know if I've made these things I remember up or I've merged memories from another series but it has left me discombobulated.
From here on out, I haven't read the next books, so maybe reading them for the first time will improve my attitude. But for now, this series is turning out to be one of those that did not grow with me as a person. It's a sad time.
stuhlsem's review against another edition
5.0
After reading several disappointing sequel books, Bitterblue was a breath of fresh air. In my mind (and I know I'm subjective) it was perfect. While Bitterblue herself wasn't a perfect character (she was kind of whiny and annoying), she was very real, and it was so easy to be inside her head, being frustrated with what she was frustrated with.
Additionally, the book didn't suffer from EFSS (Epic Fantasy Series Syndrome), where we've run out of interesting things about the cool new world and have to (gasp) rely on the plot and characters to carry us through. Since each book (so far) has taken place in essentially different countries, with different main characters, they stay fresh and new. Also, the main characters from Graceling and Fire did show up and even had meaningful contributions to the story. Aaaaand, it wasn't predictable. Not at all. Probably partially because it didn't have a typical plot whatsoever. We were following Bitterblue as she comes into her own as ruler of her country and tries to uncover what happened in her father's reign and who is killing like-minded others. She falls in love, is betrayed, nearly dies, and grows throughout the whole book.
Additionally, the book didn't suffer from EFSS (Epic Fantasy Series Syndrome), where we've run out of interesting things about the cool new world and have to (gasp) rely on the plot and characters to carry us through. Since each book (so far) has taken place in essentially different countries, with different main characters, they stay fresh and new. Also, the main characters from Graceling and Fire did show up and even had meaningful contributions to the story. Aaaaand, it wasn't predictable. Not at all. Probably partially because it didn't have a typical plot whatsoever. We were following Bitterblue as she comes into her own as ruler of her country and tries to uncover what happened in her father's reign and who is killing like-minded others. She falls in love, is betrayed, nearly dies, and grows throughout the whole book.
ria_mhrj's review against another edition
3.0
Oh Kristin Cashore, wilt thou always leave me so unsatisfied? Interestingly, Bitterblue annoyed me in new and different ways compared to my frustrating reading experiences with Graceling and Fire. In the first two books, I struggled to get on side with the central characters, but Bitterblue managed what Katsa and Fire could not and I quickly warmed up to the young queen. An incredible burden has been dropped upon her shoulders and the legacy of her sadistic father was well explored. I also really enjoyed Katsa's appearances - when she's not the moping focus of the book, it turns out she's awesome, and I especially enjoyed her interactions with Po and Bitterblue.
Unfortunately, I was prevented from loving this book because of the story. The propelling force of the plot is Sunday driving speed at best and the book really suffered from a lack of urgency or a clear key thread guiding the reader from start to finish. The book shuffles from Bitterblue exploring the city at night, to exploring the castle to understanding her father's reign of terror and there was little climactic about the finale, though there was a nice nod to book 2 in the series. Multiple subplots are half-heartedly explored, most notably the political challenges Bitterblue faces, and these could have been mined more effectively for dramatic tension.
I also got incredibly frustrated with the character of Sapphire. He's unpleasant, rude and does and says some really boneheaded things. But for some reason he is positioned as a love interest. It was really puzzling, as the relationship was lacking in sparkle and seemed comfortably doomed from the start, but not in a gut-wrenching manner, just a "shucks, we'll never be, but heigh ho" kind of way. And there were at least three more appropriate love interests, none of whom get a look in. The love stories of the first two books were done quite well and it was a shame this aspect wasn't successfully echoed in Bitterblue.
I am glad I read this book because it was satisfying (in some respects) to revisit this world and the scope of Cashore's vision is commendable. I really enjoyed how this book wove together its two predecessors and I liked the hope infusing the final pages. I will approach Kristin Cashore's future books with a degree of caution but I'll remain optimistic until proven otherwise.
Unfortunately, I was prevented from loving this book because of the story. The propelling force of the plot is Sunday driving speed at best and the book really suffered from a lack of urgency or a clear key thread guiding the reader from start to finish. The book shuffles from Bitterblue exploring the city at night, to exploring the castle to understanding her father's reign of terror and there was little climactic about the finale, though there was a nice nod to book 2 in the series. Multiple subplots are half-heartedly explored, most notably the political challenges Bitterblue faces, and these could have been mined more effectively for dramatic tension.
I also got incredibly frustrated with the character of Sapphire. He's unpleasant, rude and does and says some really boneheaded things. But for some reason he is positioned as a love interest. It was really puzzling, as the relationship was lacking in sparkle and seemed comfortably doomed from the start, but not in a gut-wrenching manner, just a "shucks, we'll never be, but heigh ho" kind of way. And there were at least three more appropriate love interests, none of whom get a look in. The love stories of the first two books were done quite well and it was a shame this aspect wasn't successfully echoed in Bitterblue.
I am glad I read this book because it was satisfying (in some respects) to revisit this world and the scope of Cashore's vision is commendable. I really enjoyed how this book wove together its two predecessors and I liked the hope infusing the final pages. I will approach Kristin Cashore's future books with a degree of caution but I'll remain optimistic until proven otherwise.