Children's Books Too Cool for School

I may like this book more than any of the other award winners and honorees I've read this season. The pace is great, the story is engrossing, and the whole thing is very compelling. I think it teaches some very interesting lessons without being too didactic, as well.

Katya, like a few others in her world, is "graced," meaning she has a sort of special gift or power. In Katya's case she is a fighter -- a killer, really. And everyone knows. You see, they can tell by the look in her eyes. No, not the murderous glint, but the fact that her eyes are two different colors, as are the eyes of all "gracelings."

She lives in a dangerous world of five scheming kingdoms, and is used by her uncle, King Randa, to mete out his own brand of harsh justice. For Randa she must break arms and intimidate, and she leads a lonely life. Gracelings are generally mistrusted, and a graceling who can kill with such ease....

However, in her own way, Katya is trying to fight back. She's created a council of do-gooders, who try to counteract the evil the squabbling kings have inflicted upon the world. It is during a mission for the council, saving a kidnapped foreigner, that she first meets Po, another graced fighter.

Po makes Katya's world a little less lonely, and a little more mystifying. She enjoys a fellow fighter who is a true challenge to her skills, and who seems to share her sense of justice. So it seems natural that they set out together to discover the mystery behind the aforementioned kidnapping and end up on a mission to make the world a better place.

I feel a little handicapped in that I don't want to mention too much and ruin the fun of reading this great story for yourself. There are simply all sorts of twists and turns and surprises that make this story great.

Like others, I'm very taken with Katya as a heroine. She's strong, she's smart, and she doesn't depend on anyone. (Although, I'd like to see, for once, a sort of feminist hero who isn't quite so tomboyish. I'm a feminist and I still enjoy wearing pretty dresses. The two aren't mutually exclusive!) I like that she never sacrifices her ideals.

Perhaps my only complaint is that although the fast pace was exciting, I might have enjoyed a little slowdown in exchange for a longer book. However, I'm not a teen or a reluctant reader, so there are trade-offs.

I also don't like Po's name... but I got over it.

The ending was a little deus ex machina, but I got over that too. At least Katsa dealt with it in an emotionally complex manner.

A word of warning: there is a great deal of violence, horror, evil, and a bit of sexual activity in this story. Don't say I didn't warn you. It is really an older YA story. I don't usually review such mature books here, but I realy want to spread the word!

Great for boys and girls ages 15 or older.