Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Rating: 4.7/5

Age R: pg-13 there is sex in this book but it's extremely discreet so I don't think the younger audiences will even notice what's going on or be traumatized by it

Release Date: October 2008

Synopsis:
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.
When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.


Thoughts:
I loved this book! I'm sorry it took forever before I got a chance to review it even though I read it this summer and have been aching to freak out about it. :)
This book is awesome!!!! <--that's excitement right there folks Anyway. This book is full of so much adventure and adorable romance which will make you wonder why the heck you didn't read it sooner. Or maybe that's just me because it honestly seems like I'm the last one in the world to have read this. *shrugs* What is so incredibly unbelievable to me is that this is Kristin Cashore's first book. Isn't that insane? It is just so incredible! You won't ever wand to stop reading. You will definitely not have enough which is why you are also going to be eager to read the sequel Fire which comes out October 5th. I read it. It's oh so good! Review coming up in an hour. Oh back to this one hahaha The author is a writer that is most likely god send, her writing is just too good! I'm telling you. As you read Graceling you'll find your eyes glued to the pages and wish you could turn them faster and faster. It's great to be able to pretty much see everything in your head. That's just how detailed the book is. I love that the most. :) I miss Katsa and others so much you have no idea. :(
The book isn't just full of adventure, romance, and super awesomeness. It also deals with plenty of issues everyone goes through. It's really great to be able to read about this strong female character who kicks ass and still ends up having to go through trivial little things and non trivial sucky things.
The reason I didn't give it a full 5/5 stars is because there were about 20 or so pages that I just didn't give a krud about. I could have definitely done without so many details about a certain topic near the end. No I don't mean the very awesome ending I mean a bit before that. I don't want to say what because I don't want to spoil it for anyone.
If you haven't read it and really need me to convince you (if I haven't already) let me tell you a little something. I got my dad to read this book. My dad! The dog killer. Yeah that's a whole crazy thing (he was around 12 and "putting it out of its misery" awful I know) but yeah he read this book and loved it too. Just sayin'

Sweetness:
Read an excerpt here.

YOU WILL ENJOY THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE/ARE INTERESTED IN:
-unforgettable reads
-action
-adventure
-survival
-love stories
-great stories
-magical worlds
-supernatural abilities
-Battle Royale by Toushun Takami. R.ed here.
-The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. R.ed here.
-check out Kristin Cashore's blog she's awesome and so is her blog and her writing hehe :)