Book Review: Graceling

Book Review: Graceling

Author: Kristen Cashore

Genres: Fantasy, YA

Rating: 3.5/5

The fact that I am the first person from my library to borrow this book is surprising but understandable, considering its inconspicuous hiding place. It was sitting in a dusty corner of the very lowest shelf, among books whose widths span the length of my hand. I happen to have a gift for finding great books (by looking in places where only the mightiest of heart traverse), and I congratulate myself on discovering yet another jewel among paperback trash (ie. Mates, Dates, etc books). However, I shall not indulge the reason behind why I picked it up (Ok, fine - the cover looked pretty), and will contend myself with simply providing you with my personal account.

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Blend of jacket cover and my edits:

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The setting is a familiar idea - a beautiful and fantastical land divided into seven countries. In this world, some people are born with an extreme skill - called Grace - and are often feared and exploited. Katsa, niece of King Randa of the Middluns, carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of Killing. For the most part, she is her uncle's toy, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, her life suddenly takes a drastic turn. She never expected to become Po's friend, or to learn the truth about his Grace and her own. And for the first time, it occurs to her that there is a more important calling beyond the borders of her world, a secret that has the power to destroy all seven kingdoms... with simply words alone.

The characters were absolutely enthralling. Unlike many other heroines, Katsa had absolute power over almost every aspect of her life. She was a refreshing change from the girls in distress who are always squalling to be saved. And Po? It is simply too easy to fall in love with him. His lazy arrogance tainted with surprising intuition makes for a great secondary character.

I found the plot elements especially creative. I never knew what was going to happen next, but I could see both the plausibility and logic when it did happen. The world Cashore created was rather comprehensive for a YA (and for a non heavy-duty fantasy), and there is definitely a lot of potential for future books in the same setting.

There were, however, a few aspects of the book I had qualms with. The climax was too short, and too pitiful an end to what the whole novel built up towards. The pacing was wonderful in the beginning, but turned erratic near the end. Again, the climax was less than satisfying, and though I would love the book to be longer if only to admire the characters some more, the end was much too stretched out. There is no point adding more to the plot if it doesn't amount to something, and Cashore was only good at tying up the strings of the subplot as opposed to the main political intrigue.

Graceling is not deep as it is entertaining. It makes for a great, light read, but if you're looking for something to make you cry and laugh, this isn't the book for you. Not a winter night's tale, but a good bus-stop/ boring-class/ read.
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Next on my reading list? The Hunger Games, A Curse as Dark as Gold, and Book of a Thousand Days. I'm open to any recommendations (apparently the Sword of Truth series are quite good? I shudder at the length of the books in comparison to my free time). Can't wait till the Break - then I can get down to the heavy ones.

Book Review: Summers at Castle Auburn

Book Review: Summers at Castle Auburn

Author: Sharon Shinn

Genres: Fantasy, Romance

Rating: 3.5/5

There are two large shelves dedicated to YA books at my public library. It is interesting to note that her books actually occupy a great percentage of that shelf space, though based on the two books I've read by her, I never felt that she deserved it. However, this is to show that I've never come across Summers at Castle Auburn.  

Coriel is the illegitimate child of the noble Halsing line, and spends three months of every year at court. Though she often feels out of place in a society where every action is first weighed against the gain and loss of favour, she continues to visit court to see her adoring half-sister, Elisandra. Elisandra is engaged to Prince Bryan, and though Coriel is at first infatuated with him, she soon begins to see the dark undercurrents beneath the idyllic life at Castle Auburn.

For a more comprehensive intro, click here.

The only major concern I had with the book was the great amount of ambiguity associated with the main character's feelings. Usually, I'm able to establish a great and understanding relationship with the main character and can perceive what he/she feels through her thoughts and actions However, Coriel was always a two dimensional character to me. She behaved in ways that suprised me, and it was only the justifications that the author provided afterwards that anything was truly explained. Had her character been logistically developed, I would have understood Coriel's actions a little better. Perhaps this sort of equivocal shadowing was on purpose, but I believe it could have been pulled off much better.

Apart from the perceptual shallowness of the story, I loved Shinn's vivid descriptions. She has the ability to paint beautiful pictures within the readers' minds. The pacing left little to be desired, and she was exceptional at crafting language between the lines. Not only does this book have a creative plotline, Shinn is great at solving the problems she creates within the story. This makes for a fast and absorbing read.

It is without reservations that I recommend this book.

Comments on the Prince of Tides

I'm currently reading The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy and hating it. Then again, I've only read the first 100 pages detailing endless descriptions of how depressing his family is. I truly don't see the point of using a page to document the fact that a woman is sitting silently in a mental hospital and what that possibly might mean.

"My sister did not move. Her spirit had been subtracted out of her flesh. There was a mineral stillness to her repose, an immaculate divinity to the black ensemble of her catatonia... There is integrity in the vow of silence and something sacred in the renounciation of movement. It is the quietest human drama of the soul undone, the solemn dress rehearsal for death itself. I had not seen my sister not move before...blah blah blah... And, she had added, she could not hurt herself when she was not moving"... and only a page more of the description of the fact that his sister was silent and not moving.

I hate pointless reiterations, especially in the type of language he uses.

Why?

1) Is he showing off the fact he can string together stuff like "an immaculate divinity to the black ensemble of the catatonia"? Not only is this a gross exaggeration of the simple point he wanted to convey in the first place, it becomes meaningless junk after the 2nd page of this stuff.

2) Why does he need to even talk about this pointless scene for a whole page? He could have easily said:

"She was huddled into the corner of the white-washed walls of the hospital. Silent and unmoving, her blank expression stirred in my mind the impression of the dead."... or something to that effect.

3) Though his flowery language is nice to read once in a while, it detracts from the possible influence it could have had, had it been used sparingly and at a point that deserved such a description.

In addition, I especially hate the unrealistic nature of his characters. Take this for example:

Tom (the main character) has just been informed by his wife that she is cheating on him.

This is his reply: "May I please know who it is?"

And this is coming from a person who's self-admittedly cynical and tremendously contemptuous of others due to the fact that his sister is a suicidal maniac and his father is in jail for murder. Not only is he often disrespectful to others, his ego is impossible to deal with. Soaked in self-pity, he believes that his miserable life deserves much more attention than what others are giving him.

This is his thought process (I made it up) --> "Oh my god! Our family was so dysfunctional that my sister had to move to New York, the most detestable city in the world! You can just see how bad my family was to push her to such a drastic action!"

I can't handle Conroy's meaningless babble anymore. The only interesting parts are when he's (Tom) recounting the story of his childhood to a psychiatrist and using a lot less adjectives. Had the characters been alive and real, I'd fully understand why his sister would go mad in this family - the narrator is simply too much to listen to.

- Keep in mind, however, I've only read 100 of the 650 pages, and he hasn't even begin explaining why his whole family is in this outrageously depressive and homicidal mood.