Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Helpful Score: 2
I hate to say anything bad about Kristin Cashores books, because Graceling and Fire impressed me so much and won me over completely. However, BITTERBLUE was the definitely the weakest of the three due to characterization, plot, pacing, suspensebasically all elements of storytelling.
I admire that Cashore tries to tell Bitterblues story. Bitterblue, with her tragedy-laden history as revealed in Graceling, deserves more page time, deserves the voice she barely had in the first book. And yet despite Cashore doing a complete rewrite of this book at her editors behest, BITTERBLUE couldve done with at least two more complete rewrites. There was a story at the heart of it, but there were too many only-half-interesting side plots obscuring the heart.
(Not that the side plots didnt have their own potential. They did. But not in the way everything was threaded together in BITTERBLUE on the slightest of threads.)
Whether the result of the incomprehensible plotting and stuttering pacing or something else, the writing in BITTERBLUE felt weak as well. Witticisms that were supposed to be witty. Tearful revelations that were supposed to crack the haze of confusion and apathy in my heart. Nope. Nothing. I didnt so mind the fact that there was not the level of romance prevelant in Graceling and Fire as I did the fact that the writing was stilted and awkward. Now, I know that Bitterblue spends the majority of her time in this book wandering around, confused about whats been going on around her. I also know that when Leck died, he left his country in a state of muddled, bleary confusion. Still, there is a subtle but importance between characters that are confused, and readers who are. BITTERBLUE was so confusing as to make me think that Cashore herself was still confused even in the final stages of editing it.
Even after all that, though, I still cared about the characters in BITTERBLUE. So Ill chalk this one up to a difficult story that needed five more years of revising for maximum effect, and look with optimistic (and patient) eyes toward what Cashore has to share with us next.
I admire that Cashore tries to tell Bitterblues story. Bitterblue, with her tragedy-laden history as revealed in Graceling, deserves more page time, deserves the voice she barely had in the first book. And yet despite Cashore doing a complete rewrite of this book at her editors behest, BITTERBLUE couldve done with at least two more complete rewrites. There was a story at the heart of it, but there were too many only-half-interesting side plots obscuring the heart.
(Not that the side plots didnt have their own potential. They did. But not in the way everything was threaded together in BITTERBLUE on the slightest of threads.)
Whether the result of the incomprehensible plotting and stuttering pacing or something else, the writing in BITTERBLUE felt weak as well. Witticisms that were supposed to be witty. Tearful revelations that were supposed to crack the haze of confusion and apathy in my heart. Nope. Nothing. I didnt so mind the fact that there was not the level of romance prevelant in Graceling and Fire as I did the fact that the writing was stilted and awkward. Now, I know that Bitterblue spends the majority of her time in this book wandering around, confused about whats been going on around her. I also know that when Leck died, he left his country in a state of muddled, bleary confusion. Still, there is a subtle but importance between characters that are confused, and readers who are. BITTERBLUE was so confusing as to make me think that Cashore herself was still confused even in the final stages of editing it.
Even after all that, though, I still cared about the characters in BITTERBLUE. So Ill chalk this one up to a difficult story that needed five more years of revising for maximum effect, and look with optimistic (and patient) eyes toward what Cashore has to share with us next.
This is the third book in the Graceling universe. It was a lengthy but very well done book about what happens ten years after the events in Graceling. It was incredibly well done, but not always the most comfortable read as Bitterblue is confronting the horrors that happened during King Lecks realm. I have not heard of additional books in this series; so this may be the last one. I definitely recommend reading Graceling and Fire before reading this book; both books tie in with the events that happen in this story.
Bitterblue has spent many years ruling her kingdom with the help of a board of Advisors. As she gets older she is beginning to realize that more is wrong with her kingdom than she first knew. Half of her advisers seem insane and there are a number of things around the castle that dont add up. When Bitterblue ventures outside her kingdom in disguise she meets some theives who help open her eyes to the wrongness that permeates her kingdom. Now with their help and the help of Katsas Council she hopes to unravel the dark mysteries of Monsea and help her kingdom to finally heal.
This book is very well done, very well written and very long. Bitterblue is an excellent character who is just so human and so real. Bitterblue makes mistakes that you might imagine a new queen would make and at times she makes decisions that are a bit hurtful to others or selfish. That being said she is really trying to do what she thinks is right; the problem is that she is human and at times not all that sure about what is right.
The romance between Bitterblue and Saf is bittersweet and complicated. The romance really doesnt drive the plot much, but it does occasionally drive some of Bitterblues decisions. And Bitterblues struggle between being Queen and being in love (although something explored in many stories before) is compelling.
All of our favorite characters are back in this story. We get to spend time with Po, Katsa, and many other characters from Graceling. It was wonderful, if sometimes bittersweet, to have all these characters back in one story together.
This is a complicated story and I enjoyed the complex plot, but at times it gets overly complex. At points there were so many side plots going on that it was hard to tell where the story was going. The whole deal with ciphers was kind of, well, unnecessary. I enjoyed the part it played in the plot, but I really dont think the reader needed to know exactly how the ciphers were developed and solved. It just drew the story out. Some readers might enjoy this kind of excruciating detail but I am not one of them.
Additionally in the beginning I was frustrated with how slowly Bitterblue made progress in solving her mysteries. This slow pace did an excellent job of conveying BItterblues frustration, but it also made the reader feel frustrated and at times a bit bored. I was also a bit confused about why Bitterblue was so complacent for the first 10 years of her reign and only now was beginning to question some of the strange things around her.
The world created is wonderful. It is so detailed, complex, and well thought out. It is a wonderful fantasy world and I loved reading about The Seven Kingdoms and hope we get to read more stories set here in the future.
The above being said the story does an excellent job of tying everything together in the end. The last 100 pages or so, where all of the mysteries are solved and things start to tie together, was a real pleasure to read. I love how in the end the events of Graceling and Fire both tie into Bitterblues story. It is a very satisfying ending and feels like things really come full circle.
A quick caution that this is a very dark book. Bitterblue is uncovering Lecks secrets and he was a very evil person. As such there is a lot of talk of torture, rape (including rape of children), and other very unsavory details that made me a little uncomfortable. So I would recommend this to older YA readers.
Overall I found this to be a great but long read. I enjoyed Bitterblues story but at times wondered if we really needed to spend so much time on ciphers and if the plot really needed to be as complex as it was. The book does an excellent job of bringing together the events that happened in Graceling and Fire. This is not a simple straight-forward story like Graceling and Fire, it is incredibly complex. Not a ton of action but mostly politics and mysteries. I definitely enjoyed Graceling more than this book, but this was still a very strong fantasy book in its own right. I would recommend this to fans of the previous two books and also to fans of intrigue/mystery based fantasy.
Bitterblue has spent many years ruling her kingdom with the help of a board of Advisors. As she gets older she is beginning to realize that more is wrong with her kingdom than she first knew. Half of her advisers seem insane and there are a number of things around the castle that dont add up. When Bitterblue ventures outside her kingdom in disguise she meets some theives who help open her eyes to the wrongness that permeates her kingdom. Now with their help and the help of Katsas Council she hopes to unravel the dark mysteries of Monsea and help her kingdom to finally heal.
This book is very well done, very well written and very long. Bitterblue is an excellent character who is just so human and so real. Bitterblue makes mistakes that you might imagine a new queen would make and at times she makes decisions that are a bit hurtful to others or selfish. That being said she is really trying to do what she thinks is right; the problem is that she is human and at times not all that sure about what is right.
The romance between Bitterblue and Saf is bittersweet and complicated. The romance really doesnt drive the plot much, but it does occasionally drive some of Bitterblues decisions. And Bitterblues struggle between being Queen and being in love (although something explored in many stories before) is compelling.
All of our favorite characters are back in this story. We get to spend time with Po, Katsa, and many other characters from Graceling. It was wonderful, if sometimes bittersweet, to have all these characters back in one story together.
This is a complicated story and I enjoyed the complex plot, but at times it gets overly complex. At points there were so many side plots going on that it was hard to tell where the story was going. The whole deal with ciphers was kind of, well, unnecessary. I enjoyed the part it played in the plot, but I really dont think the reader needed to know exactly how the ciphers were developed and solved. It just drew the story out. Some readers might enjoy this kind of excruciating detail but I am not one of them.
Additionally in the beginning I was frustrated with how slowly Bitterblue made progress in solving her mysteries. This slow pace did an excellent job of conveying BItterblues frustration, but it also made the reader feel frustrated and at times a bit bored. I was also a bit confused about why Bitterblue was so complacent for the first 10 years of her reign and only now was beginning to question some of the strange things around her.
The world created is wonderful. It is so detailed, complex, and well thought out. It is a wonderful fantasy world and I loved reading about The Seven Kingdoms and hope we get to read more stories set here in the future.
The above being said the story does an excellent job of tying everything together in the end. The last 100 pages or so, where all of the mysteries are solved and things start to tie together, was a real pleasure to read. I love how in the end the events of Graceling and Fire both tie into Bitterblues story. It is a very satisfying ending and feels like things really come full circle.
A quick caution that this is a very dark book. Bitterblue is uncovering Lecks secrets and he was a very evil person. As such there is a lot of talk of torture, rape (including rape of children), and other very unsavory details that made me a little uncomfortable. So I would recommend this to older YA readers.
Overall I found this to be a great but long read. I enjoyed Bitterblues story but at times wondered if we really needed to spend so much time on ciphers and if the plot really needed to be as complex as it was. The book does an excellent job of bringing together the events that happened in Graceling and Fire. This is not a simple straight-forward story like Graceling and Fire, it is incredibly complex. Not a ton of action but mostly politics and mysteries. I definitely enjoyed Graceling more than this book, but this was still a very strong fantasy book in its own right. I would recommend this to fans of the previous two books and also to fans of intrigue/mystery based fantasy.
I really liked this book, but not as well as the first two books in the series. I admit, that while I loved both Graceling and Fire, when I first read them it wasn't clear to me how they were related. Bitterblue brings them together nicely. Once again Cashore has created engaging characters with an exciting plot. The romance is not as strong in this one and there are pieces that could be explained more clearly. But, as a whole it's a great read and a good ending to the series.
I was a little conflicted about this book when it started but as it finished I got more and more excited about it.
I didn't like the romantic (or lack of) aspect in this novel. I felt like there could have been a stronger relationship between Saf and Bitterblue.
I LOVED finding out more about Leck and his story after his demise. That was probably the best part just because there was so much mystery surround him and his origins and exactly why the way he was. Finding little clues as to his horrific reign and the people involved were definitely a treat.
I thought it was interesting how Cashore focused so much on how Bitterblue felt about being queen and about how out of control the whole situation was. I never really had a book that specified how a queen/king really felt and the day to day hardships they faced while running their kingdom.
I loved how Katsa, Po, and Giddon found their way in the story as it was so good to see them. They were not in FIRE so it was good to see them back how I remembered them.
The ending was so great! And the possibilties of the ending were so immense, I wish there was a fourth book in the making. After reading the book and the history of Leck and who came to visit Bitterblue, I was dying for a fourth book...
I'm going to change my star rating from 4 to 5 now, just thinking about it. I'm still in shock over the whole thing.
Bitterblue really grew as a young woman in this novel and it was good to see her as a child in Graceling and as an adult in Bitterblue. I loved this book!!
I didn't like the romantic (or lack of) aspect in this novel. I felt like there could have been a stronger relationship between Saf and Bitterblue.
I LOVED finding out more about Leck and his story after his demise. That was probably the best part just because there was so much mystery surround him and his origins and exactly why the way he was. Finding little clues as to his horrific reign and the people involved were definitely a treat.
I thought it was interesting how Cashore focused so much on how Bitterblue felt about being queen and about how out of control the whole situation was. I never really had a book that specified how a queen/king really felt and the day to day hardships they faced while running their kingdom.
I loved how Katsa, Po, and Giddon found their way in the story as it was so good to see them. They were not in FIRE so it was good to see them back how I remembered them.
The ending was so great! And the possibilties of the ending were so immense, I wish there was a fourth book in the making. After reading the book and the history of Leck and who came to visit Bitterblue, I was dying for a fourth book...
I'm going to change my star rating from 4 to 5 now, just thinking about it. I'm still in shock over the whole thing.
Bitterblue really grew as a young woman in this novel and it was good to see her as a child in Graceling and as an adult in Bitterblue. I loved this book!!
