Review: Bitterblue

WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

Goodreads: 

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.

Review:

So, I finally finished this series. Or, at least I hope I did. The ending left room for another book. But I don't want to talk about the ending first, I want to talk about the story, the plot, the characters, and whatever else my mind comes up with as I type this. :D

First of all, Bitterblue had a big hype when the cover and ARCs started going out. I felt like "Crap, really?! The third book already! Where have I've been?" So, after debating with myself, I bought it. Totally worth it. And to mix it up a bit, I want to talk about the cover while I'm staring at it. 1: I love the keys. The keys were the big thing most bloggers commented. Whoever drew them is a genius. And I didn't even see Bitterblue hidden behind the keys, I just saw the eye, but then I looked closer, and you can see Bitterblue's face. I love what a computer and artists can do today. And I learned the reason for the keys in the book. Hint: Think of what keys do......

So, the plot. There are people called Truthseekers (not really called that by anyone but Bitterblue) that are getting killed because they are trying to return what Leck stole and bring to light what he did. Bitterblue seeks out the truth about it all from two boys, Saf (Sapphire from Lienid) and Teddy (from Monsea). While she has them doing this, she tries to understand why Leck did all the things he did and what it did to her people and her staff. Base plot. But then there are all sorts of complications and problems that happen. A lot of betrayals and secrets that come out. Some of them are very, VERY personal. In all the chaos, Bitterblue made it through, but at some points, it's like "What just happened?" There was so much going on with all the subplots, it was crazy. I mean, I loved it that we got to see old characters, like Po and Katsa, but Po's issue with his true Grace and his blindness and not telling anyone was a bit annoying. Sure, Po could have been taken advantage of by people if they knew his true Grace, but still, I think it was a bit overplayed just a bit.

As I said in my review for Fire, I definitely would read Fire before you read this one. There were so many things I understood about Leck and what he did from reading Fire. If you didn't read it, then I feel you would be stumbling through the whole book with "why" going through your head. And asking "how is this possible?" One thing about Bitterblue is that in the entire book, she's trying to find Leck's history and why he did the things he did. Fire (or if you read my review) shows why he did what he did. Why he created Leck City/Bitterblue City in the same image as the Dells. And later when both sides unit---wow.

Bitterblue. Didn't realize that she was 10 in Graceling. Wow. She's grown up. I'd figure the book would start out right after Graceling left off, but no. So, 8 years of ruling a kingdom she doesn't know. Bitterblue is still a bit of the little girl she was in Graceling. Confuse and doesn't understand why some of the things have happened. Her uncle, King Ror of Lienid, appointed advisers that weren't the best; for as she ruled, they did something behind her back that I was so shocked of. I get that they don't to remember, but as a queen, she needed to know. But sometimes, I feel that I was reading through the eyes of a little girl, or a cry baby. Bitterblue, despite her determination and willingness to help others and her kingdom, cried a lot. And did some things on an impulse. Never really thinking it through. I point this out a lot because I think it's makes a character stupid yet lovable. Stupid because it's without thought, lovable but it gives her a personality.

Saf. I forgot that in Lienid, you are named after a color, but then find some better nickname because your name could be really stupid. Saf's name, this guy's name, is Sapphire. Yeah, like the stone, my birthstone to be exact. Well, it could have been worse, but anyway---He's a thief, one of the Truthseekers. And he meets Bitterblue in story rooms and she starts talking to him and Teddy about what Leck's done. I like him, don't love him. He, like Bitterblue, could behave like a child, like when he found out that the baker girl Sparks was actually Queen Bitterblue of Monsea. You want to know what he did? He stole her crown and gave it to the man that runs the black market! He was stupid, and then he held the grudge against her for 3/4 of the book. But he was also brave. He did try to help her out when she needed it, since he got her in this mess. And I believe he did love her, but he could just sit around the palace and be her escort. At least they ended in friends. Oh, forgot to say, I love it that both Saf's and Bitterblue's names are blues. :D

While I read, I noticed something I found very different from other YA fantasy books: there were real life problems within the story. Suicide and LGBTQIA. Mostly LG. I was pleasantly surprised. I really don't read much of LGBTQIA in most YA because a good love triangle or insta-love story is dominate in YA. The way Cashore went at it is mostly with the males, but she did mention the females: Teddy's and Saf's sisters are together. But it was mostly with the royals. It really didn't cause much of an issue except with Raffin's father wanting him to marry and if Po's father, King Ror, would react the same way he had when Po's brother, Skye, told him that he was gay. It was nice to read something different than starcrossed lovers. And the suicide thing, well, let's say that some of Bitterblue's staff couldn't stop thinking about what Leck did and they didn't want her to find out, and when she did, they blamed themselves, as they have for years, and killed themselves. One of them was very personal to Bitterblue and it made me cry. Oh, and he cut himself too. It was a rollercoster of emotions that had me plowing through the book as often as I could. (I read it in the car on the way home, I fell asleep, but later that night I finished it.)

Ending: Wow. Just wow. Remember how I said there was a union/meeting between both sides? Well, there was. Katsa is an explorer, and if you read Fire or my review, you come to the conclusion she crossed to the other side and brought some of them over. Specifically, Fire herself. Discovering each other was like a wake up call, and turns out the Dellians have been watching them for 15 years. It was only now that they choose to emerge. *Sigh But there was a talk of war and overthrowing kings. Left room for a sequel! Maybe with Katsa as the main character again? Or all three leading ladies. :D

Future: Who knows? Sequel maybe?

Quotes:

"The Grace of giving dreams was a beautiful Grace for someone contrary and dear to have." pg. 473

Convo between Saf and Bitterblue

"'I'll give you a dream," he whispered to her. "A wonderful dream. I won't tell you.'"

"'An experiment?' said Bitterblue with the tiniest smile.

""'An experiment, Sparks.'" pg. 474

Bitterblue was a strong fantasy novel that drew my emotions on a rollercoster. A colorful world full of mysteries and secrets, it makes you want a pair of keys yourself. I loved it, a definite read for fantasy lovers of the Eragon series and the Game of Thrones series. :D

Rating, Cover, & Ending:

*Bought this book.

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Review: Fire by Kristin Cashore

WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

Goodreads:

She is the last of her kind...It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.
Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don’t need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.

Review:

I read Graceling a billion years ago when it first came out and no one heard of it. It was mostly the cover that drew me in to buy it on a whim. Barnes and Noble I believe. Anyway, I ended up loving it and got my friend hooked into it too. When I learned of the prequel, I knew I had to have it. But after a year and half, I never got around to buying it and reading it. It just sat in my to-read shelf on goodreads for months. Then one day, I won a giveaway and after looking through what I had on my wishlist, I picked this book. And after several months of owning it, I decided to read it. (Also because I purchased Bitterblue :D) And because I finally had a million hours of free time to read on my vacation to Minnesota recently, where I couldn't fish without a licence and we didn't get around to it, I read. So, here is my review.

Fire takes place 45 years before Graceling ever happened. It starts out with a man named Larch, who's wife just died in childbirth. She gave him a son. This son he named Immiker. It wasn't until the age of 3 when Immiker's eyes changed to gray and red. Larch was so determined to keep Immiker to himself that he ran away to the mountains. Immiker's Grace was he could convince anyone to do anything he wanted them to do. After he killed his father, he renamed himself Leck. (I know right?) I wasn't shocked. I had a feeling Leck was going to show up.

Fire's world was a very compelling world. When I read it, I couldn't help but think of the world of Eragon, which I loved too. The Graceling series is after all a fantasy novel. Back to my point, the Dells are much like The Seven Kingdoms. Plains, mountins, a sea, river, towns, except for one thing. In the Dells, there are monsters, monsters ithat are creatures different colors of the world--pink, aqua, tangerine. They had the power of mind control so they could compell you to want to be near them. And they did it to other monsters too so they could eat them. This is where Fire comes in.

In The Dells, war is very close (like in Eragon). Two Lords, Gentian and Mydogg, are wanting the kingdom for themselves. King Nashdell and Prince Brigandell are on the edge and are doing their best to try to thwart their plans. Fire is the last monster human, with red/orange/pink hair that attracks monsters like crazy. But because she's the last human monster, she can read minds and compell them to say or do anything she wants. The king wants her to use her powers to find out the plans of both lords from their spies and workers and allies.

In Fire, Fire is haunted by the memory of her horrible father. She soon decides that to make up for all of the horrible things he's done, she must help the kingdom. Fire is insercure about using her power; for she doesn't wish to be her father. Eventually she finds using it for the greater good in the hospitals to help soldiers through their pain to something that brings her joy. And eventually, through all the trials and tribulations, she accepts what she is and she is loved by it. (Thank God!) But one thing I did notice is that she's not one to like secrets. In Fire, everyone has secrets. The way Fire deals with them varies, but she usually goes back to trust on most of them. Because of her father, she truely couldn't trust him at all for what he does. If I was in her shoes, I too would be upset to learn what she learned. It annoyed me and made me connect to her on the way she reacted. The way it annoyed me was she acted a bit childished, like a child wanting to know a secret that everyone else knew but wouldn't tell her.

Leck's role in this story is short, but somewhat a big impact on what goes on in Graceling and Bitterblue. His plan is to let everyone kill themselves, and whoever comes out on top he will kill and become king. You can see he is an evil genius, but I feel his intentions were somewhat noble. He said he wanted to see the other side of the mountain, and I feel that if he did become king, he would send his soldiers to find ways to get to the other side. But a lot of influences, like how advanced King's City is in medicine and engineering and art, shows up in Bitterblue. Like why he takes bodies of random citizens and tortures them. I'm currently reading Bitterblue, and I kept going back to Leck in Fire and how some of the things mention are very influenced from his time in The Dells. It was liking having flashback after flashback. I didn't mind, I love flashbacks. Plus, it helped me understand the book more.

As most of you know, Po and Katsa were the main lovers in the first book. In this book, it's Fire and Brigan. From the beginning, Brigan and Fire's relationship wasn't read, still isn't in the end. Brigan's a prince, she's a monster. But later on, they become friends through chats at night and soon it slowly starts to develop into more. But because Fire is also afraid if she starts to love someone, then that person will die, that or she will. If you look at her point of view, you can see why she would close off everyone who tries to love her lover her. This creates tension between her and her two love interests that goes throughout the novel, making you wonder, "IS SHE CRAZY?!" until the very end.

The ending was very satisfying, but reading Bitterblue, I don't like it how long it took to complete what does happen want gets decided by King Nash. But I am very much looking forward to reading it when it does happen. And as much as anyone who reads Fire or Graceling will love the story and the characters that play throughout the novels, I recommend reading Fire before Bitterblue. It will make reading Bitterblue much better.

Future: Bitterblue

This book is definately a book for those who loved Eragon. It's world of mysterious monsters and fighting tyrant lords and secrets will draw anyone who has read Graceling or who loves a good fantasy novel. It is a definate read for everyone.

Rating & Ending:

Cover:

On the cover of Graceling, we see Katsa's eye. And that's what Graceling is about. Katsa's Grace for killing and surviving and her eyes. In Fire, on the cover is Fire's mouth, for it's her 'mouth'/'mind' that controlls the people. I'm not a fan. And the bow and arrow, yes, she shoots it, but she doesn't uses it as much as Katsa used her sword. I guess the just needed something weapony on the cover. I like the UK covers of the books the best. It's awesome to see actually see what the girls look like in the novels.

*Won this book.

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