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Graceling
- Graceling Realm, Book 1
- Narrated by: Xanthe Elbrick
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
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Publisher's summary
Discover the Graceling Realm in this unforgettable, award-winning novel from bestselling author Kristin Cashore.
A New York Times bestseller * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature Winner * Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and BCCB Best Book of the Year
“Rageful, exhilarating, wistful in turns" (New York Times Book Review) with “a knee weakening romance” (Los Angeles Times). Graceling is a thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure that will resonate deeply with anyone trying to find their way in the world.
Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable-yet-strong Katsa, who is smart and beautiful and lives in the Seven Kingdoms where selected people are born with a Grace, a special talent that can be anything at all. Katsa’s Grace is killing.
As the king’s niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his brutal enforcer. Until the day she meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, and Katsa’s life begins to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
And don’t miss the sequel, Fire, and companion, Bitterblue, both award-winning New York Times bestsellers featuring Kristin Cashore’s elegant, evocative prose and unforgettable characters.
- ALA Best Book for Young Adults
- Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature Winner
- Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and BCCB Best Book of the Year
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Two thousand years ago, the Born Queen defeated the Skasloi lords, freeing humans from the bitter yoke of slavery. But now monstrous creatures roam the land and destinies become inextricably entangled in a drama of power and seduction. The kings woodsman, a rebellious girl, a young priest, a roguish adventurer, and a young man made suddenly into a knight all face malevolent forces that shake the foundations of the kingdom, even as the Briar King, legendary harbinger of death, awakens from his slumber.
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Good stuff
- By Jake on 06-10-10
By: Greg Keyes
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Oath of Fealty
- Paladin's Legacy, Book 1
- By: Elizabeth Moon
- Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck
- Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins
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Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter follows her dream of becoming a hero out of legend by running away to join the army. Military life and warfare aren't anything like she imagined - yet she holds to both her duty and her dreams. Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, and Oath of Gold tell of her rise to become the paladin who saves a kingdom. In this new trilogy, Paks's former comrades in Duke Phelan's Company assume new roles and the story turns to follow their adventures.
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More Moon Magic
- By James on 04-20-10
By: Elizabeth Moon
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Fatemarked
- The Fatemarked Epic, Book 1
- By: David Estes
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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They are the fatemarked. Misunderstood. Worshipped. Hated. Murdered at birth. Their time to step into the light has come. An ancient prophecy foretold their coming, the chosen few who will bring peace to a land embroiled in a century of mistrust and war. When kings start dying, that hope and belief swiftly turns to fear. Roan Loren is one of the fatemarked, but has hidden his mark of power his entire life, fearing the damage it might cause to those around him. A great evil is coming. He can't hide anymore.
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Written to fit an ideology, not the story it tells
- By znidarsic.blaz on 04-30-18
By: David Estes
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Daughters of the Storm
- By: Kim Wilkins
- Narrated by: Lucy Price-Lewis
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Lying in a magic-induced coma, the King of Thyrsland is on the brink of death: if his enemies knew, chaos would reign. In fear for his life and his kingdom, his five daughters set out on a perilous journey to try to save him, their only hope an aunt they have yet to meet, a shadowy practitioner of undermagic who lives on the wild northern borders. No one can stand before the fierce tattooed soldier and eldest daughter, Bluebell, an army commander who is rumoured to be unkillable....
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Boring, could not even get through half…
- By Diana M Meredith on 10-30-23
By: Kim Wilkins
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West
- By: Edith Pattou
- Narrated by: Renée Raudman, Kirby Heyborne, Taylor Meskimen, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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When Rose first met Charles, he was trapped in the form of a white bear. To rescue him, Rose traveled to the land that lay east of the sun and west of the moon to defeat the evil Troll Queen. Now, Rose has found her happily ever after with Charles - until a sudden storm destroys his ship and he is presumed dead. But Rose doesn’t believe the shipwreck was an act of nature, nor does she believe Charles is truly dead. Something much more sinister is at work.
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Wonderful!
- By Diane on 05-01-19
By: Edith Pattou
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Quatrain
- Twelve Houses, Book 0.5
- By: Sharon Shinn
- Narrated by: Eva Wilhelm
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses books have fascinated fans and critics alike with their irresistible blend of fantasy, romance, and adventure. Now in Quatrain, she weaves compelling stories in four of the worlds that fans love in "Flight", "Blood", "Gold", and "Flame".
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Lovely set of novellas, description needs updated
- By Lindsay C. on 09-25-20
By: Sharon Shinn
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Season of Wonder
- The Remnants, Book 1
- By: Lisa T. Bergren
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
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After years of training in stealth and warfare, Andriana and her Knight protector, Ronan, are finally ready to answer the Call and begin the life they were designed for. But as they embark with the other Remnants on the first of their assignments, they quickly discover that the world beyond the protected Valley is more dangerous than they imagined.
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Next
- By Louise Thurman on 02-23-23
By: Lisa T. Bergren
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The Mist-Torn Witches
- By: Barb Hendee
- Narrated by: Emily Beresford
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In a small village in the nation of Droevinka, orphaned sisters Cline and Amelie Fawe scrape out a living selling herbal medicines in their apothecary shop. Cline earns additional money by posing as a seer and pretending to read people's futures. But they exist in a land of great noble houses, all vying for power, and when the sisters refuse the orders of a warlord prince, they must flee and are forced to depend on the warlord prince's brother, Anton, for a temporary haven.
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A really good read...
- By Sheila Medlam on 03-25-16
By: Barb Hendee
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The Affiliate
- By: K.A. Linde
- Narrated by: Erin Mallon
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, 17-year-old Cyrene Strohm's lifelong plans come to fruition when she's chosen for one of the most prestigious positions in her homeland - an Affiliate to the Queen. Or so she thinks. When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems.
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Not a fan of Narrator
- By Priscilla on 05-25-17
By: K.A. Linde
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The Way into Chaos
- The Great Way, Book 1
- By: Harry Connolly
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The city of Peradain is the heart of an empire built with steel, spears, and a monopoly on magic...until in a single day it falls, overthrown by a swarm of supernatural creatures of incredible power and ferocity. Neither soldier nor spell caster can stand against them. The empire's armies are crushed, its people scattered, its king and queen killed. Freed for the first time in generations, city-states scramble to seize neighboring territories and capture imperial spell casters.
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Made me want to buy more credits
- By Daniel Olson on 09-16-16
By: Harry Connolly
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Scarlet
- By: A. C. Gaughen
- Narrated by: Helen Stern
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Posing as one of Robin Hood's thieves to avoid the evil Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only Big John and Robin Hood know the truth - that the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. It's getting harder to hide as Gisbourne's camp seeks to find Scarlet and drive Robin Hood out of Nottinghamshire. But Scarlet's instinct for self-preservation is at war with a strong sense of responsibility to the people who took her in when she was on the run, and she finds it's not so easy to turn her back on her band and townspeople.
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Gender Bending in Sherwood Forrest
- By Susie on 03-02-15
By: A. C. Gaughen
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What listeners say about Graceling
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jefferson
- 12-30-23
“Mercy was more frightening than murder”
Eighteen-year-old (or so) Katsa is a Graceling, possessed of a special gift (Grace) like a superpower in X-men or Heroes, in her case, a preternatural ability for killing. She is far less subject to fatigue, pain, hunger, thirst, cold, sickness, injury, and so on than normal (Graceless?) people and far quicker and stronger and more dexterous, resourceful, and creative etc. in fighting, hunting, swimming, etc. Not having any parents, she has been exploited for several years by her uncle King Randa as his attack dog-thug, being sent on missions to intimidate and physically punish any lord or commoner who dares cheat or diss the King. But lately she’s started chafing at that service, refusing to harm basically innocent people for Randa and starting the Council, a secret society spreading throughout the Seven Kingdoms to protect powerless people from the powerful. And such is the virtue of her cause that she has brought into the Council King Randa’s own spy master Oll, his own son Prince Raffin (a cool possibly gay guy into science, medicines, and his assistant Bann), and one of his most important young lords Gidden.
When the first novel in Kristin Cashore’s Graceling Realm series, Graceling (2008), begins, Katsa is on a Council mission (unknown to King Randa) to rescue this Lienid grandfather prince from the dungeon of the King Murgon, so we get a good glimpse of her formidable fighting skills as she easily knocks out several dungeon guards and a dozen or so castle guards—until she almost meets her match in the person of Greening Grandemalion (call him Po), a handsome, be-ringed young Leinid prince not much older than she and apparently Graced with fighting ability (because he sure knows where each of her lightning-fast blows is going to land and act accordingly to avoid them…)
The novel will develop the relationship between Katsa and Po in rather convincing, interesting, and moving ways as the plot (full of concise world building, exciting action, surprising reveals, complex romance, grueling adventure, and a boss villain with a scary Grace) puts them through the wringer and challenges Katsa’s understanding of herself, her Grace, and her lover.
Interestingly, although the novel was published in 2008, the audio book version didn’t get made til 2022, so it is another example of a book that was first published before audio books were so popular and that has benefited from the popularity of audiobooks. Reader Xanthe Elbrick really enhances the story.
The novel recalls Robin Hobb’s earlier Assassin’s Apprentice. A young highly trained, skilled, and effective killer for a king; the conflict between doing the dirty work for a demanding master and wanting to be free to live your life; the ethics of killing; etc. But of course Katsa is a she, and everyone knows what she is and what she can do, which is part of why they shun her, while in Fitz's case it's because they know he's a bastard without having any idea he's a highly trained spy assassin. And Fitz doesn't start his own "Council," but stays more a tool of the Farseers.
It also reminds me a bit of The Murderbot Diaries, because although Katsa refers to herself as a monster, she’s really a human survivor-savior.
Cashore’s novel indulges in a bit of YA Special Princess Heroine Overkill, in that Katsa is a beautiful orphan, she complains of having no friends but really has several good ones, she has a really cool love interest, she’s basically not one princess but two, she’s a great fighter (the best in her kingdom), and (so far) her unique Grace is countless Graces rolled into one.
Because there is (so far) no explanation for the Grace system, where the abilities come from, how they actually work, who gets one, why it manifests as it does in a person, why Graced people have one eye one color and one eye another (apart from being cool), and so on. This permits Cashore to come up with any kind of Grace with any kind of rules needed to suit her plot. And the climax is over a little too quickly and easily.
However, I had such a great time listening to the audiobook, which was funny, exciting, suspenseful, moving, surprising, and so on, so that I really had to kind of flog myself to find flaws because I just wanted to enjoy the ride to the end.
I also appreciate that apparently each Graceling book can stand by itself. Will I go on to listen to other books in the series? Hmmm……
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- Shalina
- 10-10-23
So good, so satisfying!!
Holy cow I loved this story. At first I thought there were maybe too many fantasy tropes: a stubborn impossibly talented girl, a dashing prince. But… the cliches end there. I was so engaged and binged the entire second half of the book.
This book is exciting, with an interesting storyline that didn’t feel overdone or too predictable. There’s some romance that is lovely, not over the top or trite, and made me remember how nice it is to read books with relationships.
The author strikes a balance between building suspense by feeding the reader clues and cutting the tension through revelations. There were times I wondered if something was revealed too quickly, but I still think the overall pace was really good.
Oh and the narration was BRILLIANT. I loved the voices and accents. Really added a nice touch and they felt right.
I’m looking forward to reading the series.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Isaias Lira
- 03-19-24
A wonderful and original story.
When I first read this book as a young adult I loved it and couldn’t put it down. Re-reading it as a thirty something year old woman I still stand by my original opinion. By the end of this book I had fallen in love with the Lienid prince and felt sad that the book had come to a conclusion. Katsa will leave some readers mildly annoyed. But I still enjoyed her and the character development of rest of the characters very much. Even it’s villains and the villain of this book is so despicable! Ten stars for the performance of the narrator! She is magnificent and her narration is what I wish all other audiobooks would sound like.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Nicole
- 07-24-23
LOVED IT
I'm so happy they re-record this book! Much better performance to match an amazing book.
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- Pete
- 07-04-23
Phenomenal performance and writing
Xanthe Elbrick is a phenomenal reader; possibly my favorite I’ve ever heard. She captures so much subtle feeling in every phrase. Kristin Cashore has a writing style that has an elegance rarely found in any modern literature. Combine the two and you have a uniquely captivating, elegant, and timeless piece of art.
The actual story was good, but had a little room for improvement in my opinion.
- In most of her books, including this one, there are moments that are explicitly sexual—though she notably avoids specific sexual words. I’d prefer she leaves those scenes out.
- Things can be a little slow at times, although that’s not too big of a deal to me given the artistry of the writing and production.
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- Melissa Gachupin
- 09-11-23
Loved it!!
Great story line, there was never a dull moment!! The narrator gave it more depth!!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Tamara V. EnTin
- 12-23-23
Satisfying story, excellent performance
I was captivated by the characters, the storyline, and the graces. I thoroughly enjoyed the listen. If you like a bit of fantasy and romance, I recommend you give it a try.
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- Heather Morgan
- 11-01-23
Haven’t enjoyed a series this much in years!
I just finished the entire series and I’m so sad it’s over. Cashore is serious about writing female characters into believable positions of power while still letting them be vulnerable and relatable. She addresses topics such as mental health, sexuality, assault and all the while still spins a riveting tale. More please!
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- Sam Ashley
- 08-24-23
engaging !
An easy read/listen, one bite fantasy that leaves you satisfied! Highly recommend if you are just dipping your toes into high fantasy.
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- Trudi
- 08-03-23
Loved it!
Loved the story from beginning to end and am so glad it’s a series. Going to download the next one now.
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