Book #185 of 2022: Seasparrow by Kristin Cashore (Graceling Realm #5) The loose Graceling series moves at unusual rhythms, both on the macro level of an ostensibly-cohesive ongoing saga and on the micro level within its individual books. These stories regularly zig where the rest of the fantasy genre tends to zag, and while the …
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Book #70 of 2021: Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore (Graceling Realm #4) This has always been a pretty loose series, so I don’t mind that we’ve jumped forward four years for this latest sequel, or that it basically spins an entirely new story instead of picking up any existing thread. In the time since, Queen Bitterblue’s …
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Book #22 of 2016: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (Graceling Realm #3) Kristin Cashore has improved a lot as both a writer and a worldbuilder over the course of this series, and Bitterblue is easily her best novel yet. This is a work of fantasy from a strong feminist perspective, as a queen and her people …
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Book #62 of 2015: Fire by Kristin Cashore (Graceling Realm #2) Just like its predecessor in this series, I have mixed feelings about Fire. There’s a lot it does right, including foregrounding gender discrimination issues in an organic way throughout the plot. But there’s so much falling action, with a good 20% of the book …
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 …
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