Book #56 of 2015:
Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Graceling Realm #1)
This is a book that really grew on me as it went along, especially as its feminist themes became clear. Cashore has a lot to say about the major and minor oppressions that women can face in a male-dominated society, as well as the various ways they can resist. There are no major revelations here — and no discussion of race beyond the note that one kingdom’s people have facial features and an accent that the main character can recognize — but this is the kind of story that could easily be formative for the young readers in the intended audience.
I’m still disgruntled over how little worldbuilding there was, an issue that I hope is rectified in the book’s sequels. This one takes place in a very generic quasi-medieval land of seven neighboring kingdoms, only one of which is given even shades of a unique culture. (What’s beyond these seven kingdoms? Who knows! Only one character in the entire book isn’t from one of the seven kingdoms, and that’s literally all that’s revealed about his origins.) The magical system is also little more than a sketch: we spend a lot of time with two “gracelings” with very different special powers, but never really come to understand the overall grace system in any detail. This is not a dealbreaker, but it makes certain plot developments less engaging than they could be — without readers ever having the chance to think we understand how the system works, we cannot really be surprised when certain other powers are revealed.
These are minor quibbles, though. On the whole, Graceling is a compelling Young Adult fantasy novel with a strong female protagonist, a rich male and female supporting cast, and a well-written plot. I would, however, recommend reading the book and not listening to it on audio as I did — the audiobook version is a full cast production, and the talent of the performers is somewhat variable. There are also several repeated musical motifs that you will get very tired of by the time the story ends.
★★★☆☆
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