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Clarence Wooten clarencewooten — Born with an ability that is more of a curse than a gift, Katsa's life hasn't been an easy one. Katsa is Graced with the ability to kill. And when an accident causes her to kill a man at the age of eight, she soon realizes what her Grace really is. Upon finding out Katsa's true Grace, King Randa of the Middluns, Katsa's uncle, quickly decides to utilize her morbid abilities rather than kill her for them as most would. Wanting to harness her abilities and control them rather than be ruled by them as she's ruled by the King, Katsa begins to train and practice her skills. Over time she grows more and more in tune with her Grace and soon she becomes King Randa's greatest and most adept fighter. But will these skills do her any good when another, more corrupt king threatens all whom she cares for? I found Katsa's strong character, independence, and fierce determination to be very admirable. Upon first being introduced to her character, I wasn't sure that I'd like her. But by the end of the novel she managed to become another favorite heroine of mine. (FYI, my list of favorite female characters is very short.) Katsa isn't your average damsel in distress and I was glad to see---for once---that the female was actually the stronger of the two in her relationship with Po. And that Po was more than fine with this fact. It's easy for the romance and relationships to become repetitive and even redundant when you've read 200+ books. But Ms. Cashore surprised me with her talent for writing and her ability to entertain and create fresh characters. At first, I wasn't sure what to think of all the bling Po sports. I kept imagining something like this. (Except younger and with a lot less hair.) Finding out that it was the tradition of his people was a relief. The reason for all of his jewelry wearing ended up being very interesting, though. I found his people's customs and the origins of his jewelry quite intriguing. And the man himself SHOCKED ME. I say this with caps because, in the beginning, much like with Katsa, I wasn't sure I'd like him. At first, all of the jewelry he's described as wearing aside, he just didn't seem like a character I could foresee myself warming up to. It's safe to say I'm warm now. I don't know, it was like the more I read (listened), the more I liked him. Until, finally, I loved him. He's not like a lot of the other leading male characters being written in the YA genre today. He comes off as sort of simple, at first, and then, before you know it, he's found his way into your heart. (view spoiler) Po's special in a simplistic yet complex way. If that makes sense. The revelations in this novel were all very surprising and well written. Besides the one mentioned in the spoiler above, there were several others that I didn't see coming. (view spoiler) King Leck of Monsea is easily one of the most malevolent, sadistic, and manipulative villains within the YA genre that I've ever come across. Although he's not actually in the story much, he plays a significant role as the villain and I thought he was well written. Another thing I really liked about Graceling was the ending. It wasn't rushed like with most novels. (view spoiler) Katsa's reluctent attraction to Po and her irritants and arguments with him were quite intriguing, also. And I loved it that their relationship wasn't rushed and overdone with the whole "soul mates" bit most authors are so found of using today. FAVORITE QUOTE: "He sat against the tree, his knees bent and his head in his hands. His shoulders slumped. Tired, unhappy. Something tender caught in her breath at the sight of him. And then he raised his eyes and looked at her, and she saw what she had not seen before. She gasped. His eyes were beautiful. His face was beautiful to her in every way, and his shoulders and hands. And his arms that hung over his knees, and his chest that was not moving, because he held his breath as he watched her. And the heart in his chest. This friend. How had she not seen this before? How had she not seen him? She was blind. And then tears choked her eyes, for she had not asked for this. She had not asked for this beautiful man before her, with something hopeful in his eyes that she did not want." Graceling is the perfect mix of action, suspense, sensuality, and it is one of the most of intriguing and fatastically written fantasy worlds I've ever had the pleasure of reading about----or, in this case, listening to. Bottom line: If you've not yet read Graceling, I suggest you rectify that immediately. And if you have, please give the audio version a try. You won't be disappointed. (I'm talking to you, Flannery.)