I have to say that Graceling probably wouldn't have been a book I picked up for myself. I don't usually go straight to fantasy type stories, based in kingdoms, etc - I usually don't find them as interesting and somehow get lost. With its glowing reviews, I had to try it - And I absolutely loved it!! I adore Katsa's character. Since her Grace involves several aspects of fighting and self-defense (and we see it develop even more in the story), Katsa is an obviously very strong female character. I loved her strength and even though she very seldom lets her guard down, she develops some excellent relationships and friendships in the book. I actually just loved all of the characters and the world that Kristin Cashore creates. It was a great book to lose myself in!! I can't wait to read the next one!

Full review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide: I picked up GRACELING due to the many, many glowing reviews I've seen around the blogosphere. Usually I'm not one for fantasy-type stories or settings in kingdoms. For some reason, I'm not usually captured by medieval stories or fantasy worlds -- But GRACELING was just so much more than that!

I loved the idea of Graces. It's only a few people who develop Graces and they must protect themselves fiercely for the fear that they'll be taken advantage of by those who have power over them. Katsa's Grace was abused by her uncle, King Randa of Middlun, and she was forced to do his bidding of pain and killings against his enemies with her Grace ability of fighting and killing.

I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Katsa is a fighter -- She's tough, she's strong, and she's built up a wall around herself that's tough for people to break. Her only close companions are her cousin Raffin (who's another extremely enjoyable and funny character) and less close, her companions of the Council and her servant Helda. The relationship that develops between her and Po is extremely hesitant at first, but easily became one of my favorite relationships in a book. Katsa and Po are both extremely strong characters, but together they create a perfect team. Katsa is more serious, and always has been, and Po has an excellent sense of her and is able to bring the humor. I love his teasing of Katsa and he really breaks her down and is able to create such a trusting and loving bond with her.

The mystery behind the kidnapping of Po's grandfather was also a great development in the story. It's not just fighting and romance and fighting and romance. We learn more about the true nature of a few of the kingdoms as we also develop more of the characters. It's many layers of a story that unfold so nicely and seamlessly carried me throughout the book.

Bitterblue, who we meet later in the story (and I've grown to not hate her name as I had before I read the book!), is another great character addition. She's a little fireball and another strong character. Even with all of the strength in this book, I was never overwhelmed, which looking back on it is surprising.

GRACELING just had it all: A great story line, a fantastic world, an element of almost "supernatural" with the Graces, fighting, romance, humor, more romance, evil, action, the outdoors, fantasy, wonderful character development. And I just loved Cashore's writing style! It felt a little medieval without being overwhelming or confusing with the language. It put me in the perfect mindset while reading and really helped develop the story that much more.