Halloween is a time for story-telling, both spooky and otherwise. My favorite genre is fantasy YA fiction. Give me a book with female warriors, kingdoms, plot-twists, and magical powers, and I am happy. Graceling by Kristin Cashore checks all of those boxes and is hands-down one of the best books I have ever read. Within the first few chapters, I was hooked.
Cashore brings to life a world where people with two different eye-colors are Graced with a special ability, ranging from juggling, healing, fighting, and many more. Graceling tells the story of Katsa, a Graced warrior who fights for justice within corrupt kingdoms. Upon meeting a peculiarly Graced man, Po, she decides she no longer wants to be her king’s muscle and leaves to investigate a sinister plot with Po and uncover the true nature of her Grace.
I fell in love with the world Cashore created. Her writing is exquisite, and the stories and characters she comes up with to populate her world are amazing. Every YA reader should check out Graceling when they get the chance, and even its companion books, Fire and Bitterblue. Fans of A Song of Ice and Fire, Lord of the Rings, and The Lunar Chronicles will especially love Cashore’s works. I, for one, hope she someday writes more in the Graceling Realm.