Bitterblue

Title: Bitterblue
Author: Kristin Cashore
Series: Graceling Realm #3
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 1 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 563
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

My Thoughts

I absolutely loved BITTERBLUE. I felt like it was so much deeper than GRACELING and FIRE. They all have awesomely strong female protagonists, but I felt like Katsa and Fire did everything they did for love, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Whereas, Bitterblue did everything she did because she wanted to help her people heal, become a better queen, and subsequently a stronger person. Her journey of self-awareness and empowerment was very moving and powerful.

I actually really enjoyed that there wasn’t as much romance in BITTERBLUE as there was in the previous two. There was still enough to satiate my need, but it didn’t impede the story in any way. Bitterblue realized that with or without man, she could be a whole person. Women–single, in a relationship, with or without children–can be whole and their own unique person. Their significant other and / or children aren’t the only reasons they have a purpose in this life. I really liked that Cashore portrayed that in this story.

I loved the characters. I loved seeing Bitterblue older. I loved seeing her grown up. I loved seeing how she fared after being given such a monumental task at such a young age. I loved seeing my old favorite characters again, especially Katsa and Po. And, I loved seeing them from a different POV. I also loved that all three novels were tied together and brought things full circle. While Leck was creepy, horrible, evil, etc., I enjoyed learning more about him and what happened during his reign. Learning about his atrocities and what the kingdom and its people had to overcome helped make their happiness and sorrow feel more powerful.

This story was well worth the wait. I hope Cashore continues to explore this world in future novels.