Have you ever read a book and had though to yourself; this book is amazing. That is the though readers should think as they read Graceling by Kristin Cashore. They should when they read this book, because of Graceling’s setting, characters, plot, the plot resolution, and some of the small things. Graceling’s setting is not an easy thing to pin point because of the time period, but does include vast and dangerous lands that the characters will travel through. The main characters are different than what cliché main characters would be like in YA novels. The plot is complex and heart racing. Graceling’s ending is satisfactory, ending with the characters getting their happily ever after. Finally, Graceling had a lesson that was not intentionally put in by the author, Kristin Cashore. Graceling is distinctive and original, being the blue diamond of books; the best there is. …show more content…
‘What is Graceling’s setting’ is the question many people ask before reading the book.
The answer itself is not as simple as the reader is introduced to ‘The Seven Kingdoms’ as the reader has to learn the place, time period, and geography. Firstly, there is no main setting in Graceling. The protagonists of Graceling are constantly on the move and have traveled through all of the kingdoms at one point or another. Secondly, the time period is the hardest part, because The Seven Kingdoms is a made up place and there is no specified time. However, it does have a medieval-like feel to it as there is a lack of technology and how most of the kingdoms use a kind of feudal system. Finally, there is the geography of The Seven Kingdoms, which is made of kingdoms named Nander, Wester, the Middluns, Estill, Sunder, Monsea, and Lienid. Examples of the geography are the forests in Sunder, a mountain range that makes up the border in Monsea, and a small island makes up Lienid. Graceling, with its amazing and complex setting is what makes it a distinctive and original; the blue diamond of
books. How would you feel if you were on the run from a King? Three characters; Po, Bitterblue, and Katsa were launched on such an adventure running away from King Randa and then from King Leck. The first character is Prince Greening Grandemalion of Lienid or Prince Po, the cousin of Bitterblue. Prince Po is someone whose personality contrasts with stereotypes concerning his gender. Po able to express himself, being patient, kind, supportive, nurturing, and not ashamed to admit that Katsa acting as his protector. “The lady won, which I doubt will surprise you” (89) is one example where Po is not ashamed that he's been beaten by a girl, something guys usually don’t do. The second character is Queen Bitterblue of Monsea, formerly Princess Bitterblue until the death of her father, King Leck. Bitterblue (who is a princess at the time) is a 10 year old girl who acts like what readers should see in a female protagonist. Bitterblue is intelligent, strong, and is a natural-born leader. After Katsa kills King Leck (who is abusive and corrupt), King Ror tries to arrest Katsa and tells Bitterblue that she is not well because of her reaction to her father’s death. However Bitterblue intervenes by saying “You will not hurt her… I’m perfectly well now that he’s [her father, King Leck] dead. And I’m not a princess. I’m the Queen of Monsea. Katsa’s punishment is my responsibility, and I say she did right, and you will not hurt her” (418). The quote just shows that even though she’s ten, she is mature, can comprehend what is happening, and can defend one person, which expands to a whole kingdom she will rule into prosperity. The finally character is Lady Katsa of the Middluns, who has the moniker of The Lady Killer and is one of the best YA female protagonist anyone will ever read about. Just like Po, Katsa is not the stereotypical girl. In fact, she is stronger and more skilled then Po in fighting, hunting, lighting fires, and building shelters, something male usually do. Katsa is a young woman who, despite appearing to be stern serious has a kind heart, teaching Bitterblue how to defend herself. Katsa also is someone who has intense emotions that get the better of her and makes her Grace so hard to control. She struggles with this as she doesn’t like being restrained and yet doesn’t complain like many female YA protagonists and what makes her so great. Of course there are many side characters such as Queen Ashen, King Ror, King Randa, Prince Raffin, Lord Oll, and Giddon. However, Po, Bitterblue, and Katsa are the ones who when on a journey to run from a king. With its outstanding characters, Graceling is distinctive and original; the blue diamond of books. If you’ve ever been running from a king while having an identity crisis, then you must be Katsa. However, readers of Graceling are not and are the ones viewing Katsa’s story as she tries to discover who she is. The book opens with Katsa on a mission for her uncle, King Randa of the Middluns. While she refuses to kill during the mission, her uncle King Randa has been manipulating Katsa for 10 years, forcing her to murder and influence fear in his name. “[Randa's] commands included specifics: blood and pain, for this or that length of time … The more Katsa did it, the better she got at it. And Randa got what he wished, for her reputation spread like a cancer. … After a while Katsa forgot about defiance. It became too difficult to imagine” (29) and this quotes shows how Katsa lost her identity as an individual. Then, Katsa encounters Prince Po for the second time in King Randa's court. Thanks to Po, Katsa began to question herself with more confidence of being able to break free from Randa. She believed herself to be a “blue-eyed, green-eyed monster, wolflike and snarling. A vicious beast that struck out at friends in uncontrollable anger, a killer that offered itself as the vessel of the king's fury” (137). However, she’s questioning if she really is a Randa’s loyal attack dog or if she is her own person. Soon afterwards, Katsa defies Randa and stands up to him, saying, “I'm no longer yours to command” (170). Katsa runs away with Po on horseback in order to help the People in Monsea from the corrupt King Leck. Later, during Katsa’s and Po’s travels, Po brings up how he isn’t concerned with having a wife and making a family. This leads Katsa to think about herself and how she doesn't want a husband or children, which is different in a place where women desire to be a wife and mother. This makes Katsa struggle between her identity as a trained killer and a teen whose scared to give up any amount of her independence whether it be by relying on someone or be involved in a romantic relationship. Soon after, Katsa and Po rescue King Leck's daughter, Bitterblue from King Leck himself. Bittleblue plays a big role on Katsa’s personality as she makes Katsa show her kind side more often and the two even develop a big sister, little sister bond. After a few chapters, Po has been injured and left behind as Katsa and Bitterblue arrive at Po’s castle. There they see King Leck and Po’s family. Katsa, manages to kill Leck despite his mind bending powers and saves everyone. Bitterblue defends her and becomes the new queen of Monsea as she was King Leck’s heir. Katsa in that moment did regret killing Leck since she was she is against it. However, she knew that she had to kill Leck or else everyone else would be under her control. Finally, the book ends with Katsa reuniting with Po, who is blind because of his injures. She is sure that she will not marry him, but she is confident that she’ll get her happily ever after as Katsa, the strong and fierce woman who doesn’t want to marry. Graceling’s distinctive and original plot is one of the reasons I consider said book to be the blue diamond of books; the best there is. The ending, the resolution of a book is what ties a book all together. Graceling’s resolution was incredible. All of the problems were solved, everything worked out, and the characters had a happy ending. Firstly, the final and main problem was solved in a much more simple way than anyone would have though it would. Katsa resisted King Leck’s mind bending power and threw he dagger swiftly, making it go through Leck’s open mouth and pin him to his chair. Secondly, there were the repercussions of Leck’s death. However, most and if not all of them are good. Bitterblue becomes the Queen of Monsea, and people begin to release what happened and how Leck manipulated them. However, after Leck’s death we learn that Po has become blind, but Leck didn’t have a direct cause in this. Finally, there was the main characters in the end. Po when Katsa first found him was sad and wanted to be alone. However, Katsa helped Po become someone who was appreciating life and happy. Bitterblue had more confidence in defending herself. Finally, Katsa learns that even though she has killed and done harm, she has "the rest of her life to tip the balance" (454). The resolution of Graceling is what makes it distinctive and original, being the blue diamond of books; the best there is. In conclusion this Graceling was amazing, the book had an amazing author, a lesson that tied in nicely with the story, role model worthy characters, and a book that should be recommended to others. Firstly, the author, Kristin Cashore didn’t have a purpose when writing this book. In her blog she’s said that when she writes a book, it is inspired by an idea screaming at her to be written. In short, she had no true purpose and wanted to write Graceling for the sake of getting her idea on paper. Secondly, the Graceling, although was not intended to have a moral or lesson, does in fact teach a lesson. Graceling teaches readers how you have to take control of your own life and you cannot let someone push you around. Katsa did the exact opposite of this lesson and let herself be manipulated by King Randa for 10 years and came out of it unsure and had go through the whole Graceling book in order to find out who she really was. Next, as unexpected as it is, the characters of Graceling are role models in their own ways. Po teaches that it’s okay to admit you’re weaker than a girl if you are a boy. Bitterblue teaches how even though she’s young, she can still be brave in tough situations. Katsa teaches how a girl can be strong and overcome many things without a guy around to save her. Finally, Graceling is a book that should be recommended to others. Graceling has a love story that is not cheesy, an intense plot, every character were different and distinct, and there was a setting that can blow people’s minds. Truly, Graceling is distinctive and original, being the blue diamond of books; the best there is.
I found the book to be easy, exciting reading because the story line was very realistic and easily relatable. This book flowed for me to a point when, at times, it was difficult to put down. Several scenes pleasantly caught me off guard and some were extremely hilarious, namely, the visit to Martha Oldcrow. I found myself really fond of the char...
The theme of the book is appearance shouldn’t matter. Like how Shay says that she doesn’t care about appearance or becoming a pretty. F. Overall Opinion- My overall opinion of this book is good I really liked it and recommend it to anyone. It is a good book to read and it keep you interested throughout the whole book.
The theme developed in this book is so important. Even if the event that happens to you isn’t to the same extent as what happened to Melinda, it’s still so important to reach out and ask for help. I think that the events in this book could easily happen to someone and it is such a simple book to relate too. So many people go throughout their days thinking that they are alone and have no one to go too, but that’s so wrong and this book shows that there are some situations you don’t have to handle on your
The Grace That Keeps This World, by Tom Bailey, is an enthralling novel about the Hazen family who have lived in Lost Lake their whole lives. In this novel Kevin Hazen, a young man of 19, is searching for where he belongs in the world and in his own family. He wants more for his life than the life of survival that his parents have lived their whole lives. The story of the Hazen family is centered around the first day of deer season. For the Hazens, this hunt is more than just a sport. They use the meat of every deer they shoot to help them survive through the winter.
...inds love along the way. She makes rash decisions in bad situations, faces the truth that she has been avoiding, and finds her place in the world. While her journey takes some unexpected twists, Lily learns to make the best of what she has, and go for what she wants. She learns to move on from the past, and make a brighter future. But most importantly, Lily learns to accept that life is unpredictable and that by doing her best Lily is living life the way she wants to.
Jane Eyre has been acclaimed as one of the best gothic novels in the Victorian Era. With Bronte’s ability to make the pages come alive with mystery, tension, excitement, and a variety of other emotions. Readers are left with rich insight into the life of a strong female lead, Jane, who is obedient, impatient, and passionate as a child, but because of the emotional and physical abuse she endures, becomes brave, patient, and forgiving as an adult. She is a complex character overall but it is only because of the emotional and physical abuse she went through as a child that allowed her to become a dynamic character.
The heart wrenching film Amazing Grace made its debut in September of 2006. The film was written by Steven Knight and brought to life by director Michael Apted. Focusing on the life of parliament member and antislavery activist William Wilberforce, Amazing Grace tells the story of Wilberforce’s twenty-year battle to put an end to the British Slave Trade. The film is set between 1780 and the early 1800’s during which time Wilberforce is actively involved with the movement to abolish slavery. William Wilberforce’s crusade was inspired by friend and mentor, John Newton a remorseful formal slave ship captain who became a preacher. His mentor also led him to find his conversion to evangelical Christianity. His friend William “Billy”
The coming of age novel, Atonement by Ian McEwan, discusses guilt, forgiveness, and the complicated nature of love through the struggles of growing up. The novel begins in England during World War II, where 13-year-old Briony Tallis is part of a family with dysfunctional dynamics. Her older sister, Cecilia, experiences true love with the family’s gardener, who is the son of their housekeeper, but their relationship is riddled with many obstacles. Most troubling is that Briony naively imagines their intimacy as something more aggressive towards her sister. Her innocence and shielded view of the world causes an unfortunate series of events that tears the family apart and alters the course of the rest of Briony’s life. In Atonement, McEwan demonstrates the maturation of love and how prosperous, yet destructive love can be between lovers and family alike.
In the Harlequin romance Time of the Temptress, by Violet Winspear, the author seems to be trying to write an intelligent story of romance, bettered by its literary self-awareness. She fails on both counts. Winspear appears to recognize that more valued literature tends to involve symbolism and allusions to other works. It seems she is trying to use archetypes and allusions in her own novel, but her references to alternate literature and culture are embarrassingly obvious and awkward. Another inter-literary connection, though, is more difficult to notice unless the book is pondered -- something the typical romance reader is not likely to do. Although Winspear attempts to give her book literary value by tying it to Gone With the Wind, because of the limitations of her chosen genre, and her own apparent inabilities as a writer, she cannot grasp the depth that makes Gone With the Wind a highly regarded romance work.
In Jonathan Kozol’s Amazing Grace, he examines the lives and experiences of many children living in the Bronx. In all cases, they lived in run-down apartments surrounded by violence, drugs, and hopelessness. His main argument was that the poor people of this area were not treated well by the city, and the society tried to hide and forget about them. The second chapter of his book have several examples of this practice.
This is an odd little book, but a very important one nonetheless. The story it tells is something like an extended parablethe style is plain, the characters are nearly stick figures, the story itself is contrived. And yet ... and yet, the story is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking because the historical trend it describes is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking.
The entertainment business started booming, producing legendary films starring well-known actors and actresses; like Bing Crosby, Clark Gable, Josephine Baker, and Jimmy Stewart. Grace Kelly quickly rose to fame because she captured the hearts of many and raised the standard of a typical woman’s life. Her recherché and flawless self-confidence launched Grace Kelly into the exciting world of fame, Hollywood! Grace Kelly proved to be an outstanding female figure that snatched loving hearts of fans through her early life experiences, her time in Hollywood, and her successful royal wedding.
After reading The Fault in Our Stars, I personally had a different perspective on life, death, and living in the moment. This book teaches readers to live fully and in the present, because you never know how much time you really have left. This novel also taught me that love can overpower anything, and sometimes it can even make you stronger in order to make another person happy. Hazel Lancaster and Augustus Water’s love is one of the most powerful romances I have ever read about. They are a good example of what true love really is and this book was extremely heartwarming to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a desire to read a beautiful yet tragic romance much different than any other typical love story.
...e of joy and pain in Catherine’s life, as their love was so powerful that it can only be embraced by the extent of death. With many other important messages in the novel, the most important is the changes that occur in and between the characters. The numerous characteristic aspects, the characters in the story are enthralling. Although, Cathy Linton may be recognized as a duplicate of Catherine Earnshaw due to the parallelism of generations, their traits and personalities are entirely individual. Cathy is an innocent and fine young lady, and Catherine is a selfish evil monster. Throughout the progress of the story the reader can clearly appreciate the mismatched traist of the mother and daughter. And like, psychologists have said, “Often children avoid the ways their parents have gone”. Although Cathy doesn’t experience her mother ways, she lives the opposite way.
In this book review I represent and analyze the three themes I found the most significant in the novel.