Graceling

Graceling Realm, Book 1

By: Kristin Cashore

Narrated by: Xanthe Elbrick

Discover the Graceling Realm in this unforgettable, award-winning novel from bestselling author Kristin Cashore.

A New York Times bestseller * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature Winner * Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and BCCB Best Book of the Year

“Rageful, exhilarating, wistful in turns" (New York Times Book Review) with “a knee weakening romance” (Los Angeles Times). Graceling is a thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure that will resonate deeply with anyone trying to find their way in the world.

Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable-yet-strong Katsa, who is smart and beautiful and lives in the Seven Kingdoms where selected people are born with a Grace, a special talent that can be anything at all. Katsa’s Grace is killing.

As the king’s niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his brutal enforcer. Until the day she meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, and Katsa’s life begins 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.

And don’t miss the sequel, Fire, and companion, Bitterblue, both award-winning New York Times bestsellers featuring Kristin Cashore’s elegant, evocative prose and unforgettable characters.

• ALA Best Book for Young Adults
• Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature Winner
• Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and BCCB Best Book of the Year

©2023 Kristin Cashore (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

I miss Poes voice :/ Even Leck

This time around it's a woman impersonating men instead of a man joining the audio. Leck does not feel evil and dark, he used to give me goosebumps in his parts.. He feels kind of less intimidating with the womans-faking-a-deep-voice thing. Poe doesn't have that same charm that made me fall in love with the book initially. I wish they could make good audiobook choices. Graceling - Katsas voice was awful and shrieky, then at some point they made her Irish... like the 3rd book lol. Now they've cut out the male voice. Disappointed.

Loved it!

Loved the story from beginning to end and am so glad it’s a series. Going to download the next one now.

Excellent on all fronts

Different in a good way. Definitely had me hooked from the very beginning. Narrator was absolutely spot on. Would definitely read other books by this author.

LOVED IT

I'm so happy they re-record this book! Much better performance to match an amazing book.

Overall, Not Bad

In the past, any and all novels that I've tried that had been associated with the dreaded words "New York Times Best Selling" have always been horrific trainwrecks and I was certain that the people of The Times must live in a different world than I. However, this novel was at least very enjoyable and I can see how the majority of people, especially women, would like it. While I thought that some of the book was tragically contrived and I was also not a fan of the turn the story made around the halfway point, it still turned out to be a satisfying story and I'm glad I listened to it. I do get the sense, however, that any more books in this series would be aggravating for me to listen to so I think my aversion to anything recommend by the Times will stand for now.

So good, so satisfying!!

Holy cow I loved this story. At first I thought there were maybe too many fantasy tropes: a stubborn impossibly talented girl, a dashing prince. But… the cliches end there. I was so engaged and binged the entire second half of the book.

This book is exciting, with an interesting storyline that didn’t feel overdone or too predictable. There’s some romance that is lovely, not over the top or trite, and made me remember how nice it is to read books with relationships.

The author strikes a balance between building suspense by feeding the reader clues and cutting the tension through revelations. There were times I wondered if something was revealed too quickly, but I still think the overall pace was really good.

Oh and the narration was BRILLIANT. I loved the voices and accents. Really added a nice touch and they felt right.

I’m looking forward to reading the series.

AMAZING Story!!

Definitely the best book I've listened to in a LONG time!! It has the best mix of action, suspense, romance, and mystery. Highly recommend! I can't wait to start the next in the series!

I love this book and the series

great fantasy novel with good characters, interesting world, and introspective topics without being too heavy for enjoyment reading

Exceptional Writing - Fluid Performance

Phenomenal book with a unique take on fantastic 'superpower' elements. It embraces the female protagonist role in a truly inspiring and effortless manner. And the villains are all the more terrifying for how simple they seem. The performer narrating the book flows between characters and events seamlessly, and keeps engaged from start to finish. Highly recommend this book and the series.

fun

I enjoyed how their grace gave acceptance to the magic and powers they held while still posing difficult challenges. the Storytelling and writing is beautiful. the romance cute.