Bitterblue
Author: Kristin Cashore
Publisher: Dial
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Pages: 545
Series: Seven Kingdoms, book three
Source: Borrowed from the lovely Michelle
About the Book: 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. (from goodreads)
My Thoughts: I have a special place in my heart for these books. Graceling and The Hunger Games were released around the same time. I read them one right after the other soon after they were published. I fell in love. They had a huge influence in getting me back in to reading YA and also fantasy. As you can imagine, I’ve been waiting for Bitterblue for what seems like ages! I can honestly say I was not disappointed in the least.
Bitterblue starts with a prologue that takes place shortly before the events in Graceling. It then jumps to about eight years after Graceling ended. Katsa and Po defeated King Leck. Po’s father (Bitterblue’s uncle) helped to set Bitterblue up to rule her kingdom as a very young queen. Bitterblue has not changed much since then. She still relies on the advisors her uncle set and doesn’t question much. She is very limited in her knowledge and easily manipulated by those around her. I loved watching this change throughout the story. Bitterblue really comes in to her own and starts to trust herself. Her country has a lot of healing to do after her father’s reign of horrors. Bitterblue herself has much to overcome. Bitterblue is learning about her city, her people, and herself. She finds that you cannot just forget the past and only look forward.
This really the crux of the story. If you go in to it expecting the romance of Graceling and Fire you’ll be disappointed. There are some romantic undertones but Bitterblue is still young and just learning who she is and how to rule to the best of her abilities. I don’t want to go in to too much detail but I will say this…. yes, I wanted more romance. Still, the more I thought about it the more it made sense to me. She needs time to grow up. The guy that most of the “romantical moments” occur with may not be the best guy for her in the end. You don’t have to end up with your first romance. I actually have someone else in mind for her 🙂
My very favorite thing was the way Bitterblue brought Graceling and Fire together. I expected many connections to Graceling since it is set so soon after. Fire was much more closely related than I thought it would be and I loved it! The series really just came together for me.
Bitterblue was everything I hoped it’d be and more. I loved seeing beloved characters from the first two books and learning more about Bitterblue and her people. Even if you’re not a fan of fantasy I highly suggest checking this series out!
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