Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Bitterblue (Graceling Realm, #3)

by Kristin Cashore

The long-awaited companion to New York Times bestsellers Graceling and Fire

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Reviewed by rakesandrogues on

4 of 5 stars

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Originally posted at Muggle-Born.net

BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore is technically the third book in the Graceling Realm series, but the publisher insists that you can read this as a standalone. True, you probably can; it's been a while since I've actually read Graceling and Fire so my memory is fuzzy on what had happened in those books. So prior knowledge really is not required to read Bitterblue. But at the same time, you probably won't appreciate it as much. The beauty in BITTERBLUE is partially based on all three stories finally coming together cohesively. You'll read about all your favorite characters from previous books and see them in a new light from Bitterblue's perspective.

Like any subsequent book by any author, I was a bit worried when I started to read BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore. A big fan of the first two, I was worried that this one would not live up to the epic fantasy world. I had nothing to be worried about; Cashore continues to weave beautifully written stories set in a magical realm. She knows how to write fantasy.

There's just a touch of romance in BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore, and I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't as epic as the romances in Graceling and Fire. Okay, let's face it: Bitterblue has a lot of problems that she has to deal with first, so romance can't be her top priority. Still, I enjoyed the chemistry even if I wanted a little more.

BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore will delight fans of the Graceling Realm series. And readers who discover BITTERBLUE first will definitely be convinced to pick up the other two books.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 9 December, 2012: Finished reading
  • 9 December, 2012: Reviewed