Review: Graceling (The Seven Kingdoms, #1) by Kristin Cashore

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books

Spoilers?: Some, with warning.

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.     When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.      With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more. 

Review:

I read this a while ago, and I enjoyed it. And I even liked the ending (since I know that lots of people didn't).

It's about Katsa, who has a Grace (which is a special gift that only some people have). And it's set in an older time, with kings and kingdoms and riding on horses and all that. And Katsa's gift is killing (only not really, but I won't spoil that), and she meets Po, who also has a Grace. And then something bad goes down with her uncle, and she has to do some stuff, a lot of which involves Po and Katsa getting closer, and then also with a little girl, who's pretty awesome.

I liked Katsa. She was definitely not a weak heroine, not only because she knows how to fight and live on her own, but also because she knows how take care of herself emotionally. (And, [spoiler,] with not too much trouble, she lets Po in.) And, despite what most people think, (and, as I said above), I actually liked the ending. [SPOILER of the ending!] Most people seemed to take her going off on her own as her being heartless and that she wasn't going to stay with him and all that, and they didn't like it. I don't think that's what she meant. It's just that she doesn't want to marry, and I don't see why that's a big deal (but that might just be me, because of my personal thoughts on marriage). And just because they weren't going to get married doesn't mean that they aren't going to stay together. I believe she says that they are going their own ways for a bit, since they have some things to take care of (which is understandable, and not a bad thing for them to do on their own), but that they were going to be meeting up with each other later. And not only did that seem fitting, but I also liked it. [End Spoiler!]

And I liked Po. He's sweet, and I like him with Katsa. And I loved Raffin, and wish we got to see more of him. Bitterblue, also, was sweet and very smart for a little girl.

The adventure and the writing in the book I also liked, and it kept me interested. Even with this book's length, it wasn't hard to get through. (Although I do see why some people would find it hard to get through, because of how long it is. I, however, didn't have this problem.) And the romance, and relationship building, between Katsa and Po is very nice (and there's also some sex, once, but it's not explicit or anything).

So, this was pretty good. And I haven't read the next one yet (Fire), but I will, at some point.

Manga Review: MeruPuri, Volume 2, by Matsuri Hino

5 of 5 Stars

Publisher: VIZ Media

Goodreads Synopsis:

After Aram's elder brother Jeile fails to lift the spell on him, Aram is forced to stay with Airi. Meanwhile, an unsuspecting Airi recites Aram's full name in front of the mirror and is magically transported to Astale! But to Airi's dismay, the citizens of Aram's kingdom give her the cold shoulder. What do they know about her secret bloodline...?

Review:

In this volume, Aram has to go back to Astale, the kingdom through the mirror that he's from. He doesn't want to go, and so he protests and puts it off and refuses, but Airi talks him in to going back. They're both upset about it, but he goes. And then Airi end up saying his name and going through the mirror and into his world.

Lei, through all of this, and through most of the book, is against them. He doesn't think it's a good idea, and he lets them know this. Aram likes Airi, and he doesn't hide it from anyone. Airi is struggling because she likes him but doesn't want to like him, mostly because he's so young and from a different world, and this does not match up with her ideal. And Airi's however-many-great's grandmother was a traitor of Astale however many years ago, and so no one in Astale will accept her.

Anyway, she gets sucked into the mirror and stick in Astale, and then thrown out of the castle while trying to find Aram, and then gets to the festival thing that is being held, which is the reason that Aram had to go in the first place, and Aram sees her when she yells at him and he picks her up and the elders all protest. And she finds out that Aram is arranged to be married to a girl that is his original age. And she gets to taken to this court thing where the elders all decide that she's a traitor and should be thrown into the eternal prison, but then Aram breaks in and she kisses over his heart and cheek to turn him back to little Aram and thus vows to marry him, creating a mark on his chest, which saves her from prison. All while in her pajamas.

She doesn't know what to do about this whole marriage thing, as she can't wrap her mind around it, but then Aram talks to her, and kisses her chest, making a mark over her heart. Which is all very cute and sweet.

They get sent back to Airi's world after that. Where she goes to school and Raz, Aram's cousin, transfers, and then Aram transfers there. As well as Jeile starts as a teacher, and Lei does as well. They go on a school trip, seaside school, at the beach and all that. There are some awkward moments where Aram turns from big to little and then little to big. Raz keeps causing trouble for them, as does Nakaoji, and Lei doesn't like Airi much. And the volume ends with Airi and Aram hidden in a closet, Aram only in a towel and them almost kissing, as someone is opening the door.

I'm still having a hard time with Aram's age, because I believe it is mentioned in one of the sidenotes, that he's in around second grade. That is just way too young. But I still love them together, so I'm struggling to accept this.

Also, I love Matsuri Hino's artwork. It's very pretty and well done. Although there are some scenes, or just some panels every once in a while, that looks like she didn't go back and edit them fully. But aside from that. And I like that her characters all look different. I've read some of her other stories, and the characters don't all look the same; they have differences, so you can easily tell them apart.

I still love this series, even after all this time. I'm noticing different things about it now, but I still love Aram and Airi's relationship. I'll probably be posting the review for the next book soon, but I'm trying to not put them all up at the same, while also wanting to read them all at once.