A review by dunderdorian
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Po... yeah that's our boyfriend now. Truly the prince of the universe, has any fictional man been as thoroughly good to his core before? I doubt it.
On a more serious level though, it's incredibly refreshing to listen to a book I used to enjoy as a child and have the relationship not be the absolute dumpster fire so many of my old favorites have turned out to be now that I'm (kind of) capable of critical thought. There is real and honest communication from both sides, and they handle their emotions openly and deal with them with the complexity and the nuance that comes from truly knowing and trusting each other and I have to say that's the hottest thing a YA couple has ever done. There not being a miscommunication trope is so near and dear to my heart, my fucking soul is singing. The side characters are written in a way that you can't help but feel for them even if they're not mentioned that often and the description of the world is wonderful.
I love when I get to keep a childhood favorite for good reasons and not just because my nostalgia driven brain still loves it even though I know it's objectively bad. This is just good. Through and through. Made me fall a little bit in love with fantasy all over again.
On a more serious level though, it's incredibly refreshing to listen to a book I used to enjoy as a child and have the relationship not be the absolute dumpster fire so many of my old favorites have turned out to be now that I'm (kind of) capable of critical thought. There is real and honest communication from both sides, and they handle their emotions openly and deal with them with the complexity and the nuance that comes from truly knowing and trusting each other and I have to say that's the hottest thing a YA couple has ever done. There not being a miscommunication trope is so near and dear to my heart, my fucking soul is singing. The side characters are written in a way that you can't help but feel for them even if they're not mentioned that often and the description of the world is wonderful.
I love when I get to keep a childhood favorite for good reasons and not just because my nostalgia driven brain still loves it even though I know it's objectively bad. This is just good. Through and through. Made me fall a little bit in love with fantasy all over again.