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| Graceling Realm #3 |
Rating: 3.5/5
Eight years have passed since the young Princess Bitterblue, and her country, were saved from the vicious King Leck. Now Bitterblue is the queen of Monsea, and her land is at peace. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisers, who have run the country on her behalf since Leck's death, believe in a forward-thinking plan: to pardon all of those who committed terrible acts during Leck's reign; and to forget every dark event that ever happened. Monsea's past has become shrouded in mystery, and it's only when Bitterblue begins sneaking out of her castle - curious, disguised and alone - to walk the streets of her own city, that she begins to realise the truth. Her kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year long spell of a madman, and now their only chance to move forward is to revisit the past. Whatever that past holds. Two thieves, who have sworn only to steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, who possesses an unidentified Grace, may also hold a key to her heart ...
Anyone who is a fan of Fire and Graceling have been waiting for this book for a while. Waiting to find out what has happened to all of our favourite characters. And as much as I liked the book and enjoyed reading it, I can't help but to feel a little let down. The plot was slow moving, and the use of ciphers and keys worked better in theory than on paper. The mystery had no suspence and it was obvious from very early on what was happening and why. There was no big climax and I finished the book feeling like it was incomplete.
That's not to say it didn't have any saving graces, considering I gave it 3.5 there had to be something that made it worth reading and that was the characters. I liked Bitterblue, although at times she came across as younger than her 18 years. This was understandable though as she has been very sheltered since she became queen 8 years previous and it was a joy to see her develop and become a real queen rather than a pawn. She showed that she was strong and just, and wasn't afraid to fix the damage her father had made, but she also showed a very vulnerable side that connects with her past.
I loved Saf and Teddy. They made reading the first part of the book very enjoyable. Unfortunately for being so crucial in the beginning of the book and for Saf being a love interest they disappeared into the background very quickly after their parts were completed, only to show up quickly to forward some plot point. Saf in particular felt like he should have played a more prominant role. I do still love him though.
Seeing Po, Katsa, Raffin and the rest of the crew again was great as well but they didn't really serve much of a purpose. They had their own little storyline that didn't have anything to do with the main one, and it tell the reader what was happening in the rest of the kingdom, which I guess was its main purpose. The one thing I found odd was how Po and Katsa behaved. Now I know I haven't read Graceling since it first came out and that 8 years have passed but they came across as alot more animated then what I remember them being, especially Katsa. It wasn't exactly a bad thing as I still loved them and was glad to see Po so much, but it just didn't sit right. I think I'm going to have to go back and re-read Graceling again to check.
Among other characters I loved Death, Lovejoy, Madlen and Helda. They were great characters to read about. Thiel and Rood I really felt for, they have been through so much and were left so broken. It was heartbreaking sometimes.
Then at the end we get to see Fire again. Again not really a bad thing to see how she was going and it did serve a purpose but it felt kind of chucked in like a last minute decision. I'm not entirely sure if it was meant to go somewhere or if it was just a plot device to help Bitterblue.
Overall, I had mixed feeling about the book but I still did really enjoy it and would recommend anyone who has read the first two books to read it. I'm hoping there will be another book as the ending did feel incomplete and open ended.
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