Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

[rachelmanija]

Excellent characterization and an original take on some old ideas allow this YA fantasy to overcome Cashore’s prose style, which is so plain and flat that I occasionally stopped reading for a moment, overcome with vain longing for just one elegantly turned sentence. But the suspenseful plot and my investment in the characters quickly drew my eyes back to the page.

My full review of Graceling, at Green Man Review.

Comments

[sparkylibrarian.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed this book, and was a little disappointed that it didn't pick up an ALA award, although it was shortlisted as a "best debut". I think I would recommend it esp. to Tamora Pierce fans.

[oyceter]

I'm glad you liked it, despite issues with the prose! Mostly, I just love love love Katsa and Po, and I especially love the way their relationship goes. And I love that Katsa doesn't get her rough edges smoothed out.

[larryhammer]

Heh. Read this last night and was impressed. I see something of your issue with the prose, I was struck by just how effective it was: rather than flat, but I heard it as terse -- it's the mechanism that lets her communicate an astonishing amount of information very briefly. This is most obvious during the background infodumps, but continued throughout the novel.

Now, if Cashore can learn how to combine taut with her terse, she'll have a formidable tool in her writing kit. Especially she writes more books that are Megan Whalen Turner minus those parts that are Dorothy Dunnett.

---L.