A review by saluki
Graceling by Kristin Cashore

3.0

Those born with mismatched coloured eyes are Graced, possessing an innate power that becomes apparent during early childhood.

Lady Katsa has a killing Grace which is used by her manipulative uncle, the king, against the weak for financial gain. So, great set-up and I was looking forward to other potential superpowers or Graces that might arise as obstacles for the feared and seemingly invincible Katsa.

Katsa is such a disagreeable protagonist initially but I thawed gradually because she is a product of her isolated upbringing and reputation... but her treatment of horses is appalling!

The story got a bit boring during the mountain crossing. Journey quests are a staple in the fantasy genre which I usually enjoy, but this section of the journey only had one goal and seemed overlong without much character development, no new information, no learning or honing new skills... I was internally screaming, "just get there already!"

Overall I enjoyed it, especially the relationship between Katsa and Po, but I'm not in a rush to read the rest of the trilogy.