CAIRNS BOOK REVIEW: Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Gollancz)

In Katsa’s world there are certain people born with a distinctive skill, a ‘Grace’, which makes them super talented in their chosen field.

They could be a supremely talented cook, dancer, musician, or able to find the best fish schools, or tell if a piece of land is going to produce perfect crops.

Or they could be an un-stoppable soldier or, like Katsa, the rarest of all, a Graced killer.

Burdened with this unlikely and unlikeable talent, the orphan Katsa is beholden to her uncle the King, killing on his order from the tender age of eight.

Lonely, tormented by her talent, it’s only when she stumbles across another supremely talented fighter whilst trying to rescue a kidnapped royal that Katsa begins to wonder if maybe she didn’t have to kill.

There’s something going on in the country and Katsa is sent to discover her King’s enemies, only to realise that they may just have justification.

The plot is traditional sword and sorcery but the quality of the characterisations makes this fantasy novel stand out from the crowd.

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