By Kai Hsu
Genres: Fantasy, Superpower, Romance
Age Range: 13+
Summary: 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.
She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po.
She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
While many other books I’ve mentioned don’t necessarily fit the classic medieval fantasy genre, this one has kingdoms and mountains galore (no magic though)! Graceling introduces something great that I don’t see many stories have: consistency. Nothing in the story feels awkward, as if it’s only introduced just for a plot, it feels as if it’s always been there. The story is very immersive and the world building is on another level. It’s a good book for those who enjoy classical fantasies. That said, the sequels aren’t told from the perspective of the protagonist from the first book. While it does involve the same universe, the abrupt shift of protagonists and lack of context really made me question whether or not I was reading the sequel to the series or just a side story. Another romance story, just for context, and the story does involve a bit around it.
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