ive been rereading the graceling series this week & i just finished with winterkeep & once again i was a little disappointed w it -_- like it's a fun read! & well written (for i do enjoy all of her works that ive read thus far) but i still feel ehhh about introducing a whole nother continent & saying "oh look! for years we've been having back and forths with this charming new nation which is a vague allegory for real life :) now it's time for turmoil!" like? why couldn't we have experienced the discovery of winterkeep + the other countries alongside the characters? or have a separate introductory book, like fire? not to mention im still weirded out a bit by bitterblue & giddon being a thing... they met when she was 10 & he was like 20?? at least they were full blown adults when they started dating, unlike fire+brigan, but still... i hope the next book is good, i have faith, i just hope ms. cashore incorporates the better elements of winterkeep while leaving behind the ehh parts

god i love rereading Graceling. The rest of the series (I haven’t read winterkeep no spoilers) is great too but there’s just something so endlessly rereadable about the first book. I’ve read it so many times that I can drop in wherever and just pick up. it helps that Katsa is very autistic, and so am I. Her POV is just *chef kiss* in a way Fire’s and Bitterblue’s aren’t (though I love them very much in their own ways!)

I intended this to be a “Katsa is autistic and here’s why” post but it turns out I can’t stop gushing about Kristen Cashore even on my own damn post.

Anyway. Katsa is autistic and here’s why:

The whole scene at the beginning where she gets overwhelmed at the fancy dinner bc of the loudness of Randa’s voice and the bright lights and the pins in her hair and the shoes that pinch her feet - it’s textbook sensory overload. She goes to the archery range to self-soothe by doing something repetitive she knows how to do really well - shooting. In total darkness. She removes the easiest stressors to get rid of - the hairpins, the shoes, the earrings, the bright lights - to recharge. it’s honestly so relatable to me as an autistic person who gets overwhelmed by noise easily. Honestly the whole time she’s at Randa’s court it focuses on what she’s wearing

because

so much of it makes her uncomfortable. Part of this is Gender Feels of course, but part of it is definitely sensory - she talks about a dress with sleeves she wants to tear off, and when she finally gets to cut her hair she notes “how odd it is to turn her head and not feel the heavy snarl of hair following behind” (I’m paraphrasing, but I’ve read this book enough times to be fairly sure of the wording).

The missing of social cues others consider obvious. It takes both Po and Raffin telling her that Giddon wants to marry her before she realizes it, and when he finally asks her, she refers back to her conversation with Raffin and mimics what he says - another big autistic mood. When they’re in the council room and Giddon is mad about the cut on her face and Po apologizes to him, she is furious about how there’s some understanding between the two of them that she can’t see- tbh one of my favorite scenes in the book. Her bluntness and straightforwardness. She doesn’t talk in metaphor or beat around the bush - she says what she means. this comes across most clearly to me when she goes to seek shelter with Bitterblue with the shopkeeper loyal to the Council. There’s none of that dance of small talk or fake politeness that often happens when meeting new people - she shows up and says “we need this this and this. this is what’s going on. here’s how much we know. what have you heard about this?” it’s not impolite, she thanks them for their help, it’s just clear cut. Her difficulty labeling and understanding her own feelings. This is called alexithymia, and it’s common among many flavors of neurodivergence. It’s most obvious when she and Po are working out their relationship - she isn’t sure what she wants, and she isn’t sure what she’s feeling or why she’s feeling this way. It’s hard for her to put her emotions into words - which is part of why she and Po work so well as a couple: she doesn’t have to explain herself to him.

I’m sure there’s other things I’m forgetting, but this is what I have for now. You could probably make an argument about plans and rigidity and getting upset when things don’t go to plan (case in point: Po giving her his ring) but I’m not able to articulate it atm. I love Katsa and Graceling and more people should read it. <3

read my full review of seasparrow by kristin cashore here.

The fifth novel in the bestselling Graceling Realm series is told from the point of view of Hava, Queen Bitterblue’s sister and spy, and chronicles the harrowing journey back to Monsea.

Hava sails across the sea toward Monsea with her sister, the royal entourage, and the world’s only copies of the formulas for the zilfium weapon she saved at the end of Winterkeep. During the crossing, Hava makes an unexpected discovery about one of the ship’s crew, but before she can unravel the mystery, storms drive their ship off course, wrecking them in the ice far north of the Royal Continent. The survivors must endure a harrowing trek across the ice to make it back to Monsea. And while Queen Bitterblue grapples with how to carry the responsibility of a weapon that will change the world, Hava has a few more mysteries to solve — and a decision to make about who she wants to be in the new world Bitterblue will build.

my review:

I’ve been a fan of the Graceling Realm series for years, and I was so excited to hear about another book! I read someone else’s review of it a few months ago and was even more intrigued by Hava’s point-of-view. Seasparrow follows a treacherous survival journey as Hava also grapples with the changes in her life.

This review contains spoilers for book four, Winterkeep.

After the events of Winterkeep, Bitterblue, Giddon, and Hava are sailing home to Monsea with their crew, including Annet and Linny. When storms throw them farther north than anticipated, their ship wrecks on a glacier and everyone has to evacuate. From there, they have to trek through uninhabited territory to get home.

I suppose I should start by saying that I was dragging my feet a bit starting this book. I’m just not one for long books, especially fantasies, right now, and I’ll admit, I was a little hesitant about Hava’s point-of-view. However, this was quickly resolved. I flew through this book in two sittings; Hava’s voice is so compelling that I couldn’t put the book down.

read my full review here.

Oh fuck I just saw you're reading seasparrow. I love your blog; if you post about it can you please tag it as I just picked it up over the weekend and don't want spoilers 😭

I'm a million years behind the book world it seems but winterkeep destroyed me

yeah totally!! ill tag any posts I make abt it as "seasparrow liveblog" <3

Winterkeep (Graceling Realm #4)

Winterkeep (Graceling Realm #4)

Author: Kristin Cashore Rating: 2/5 There’s a new land to the east called Torla, the closest country of which is called Winterkeep. Bitterblue realises that things are a little fishy especially when two of her advisors go missing. So she sets off and shenanigans ensue. Spoilers ahead. (more…)

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giddon calling katsa and po “dramatic” and “making a scene” then having conversations in his head with bitterblue every single chapter and literally passing out when he sees her. so what’s the truth

Winterkeep is a book about facing your trauma, esp. that inflicted by your parents, and nothing fits that theme more than "I am stronger than the way they are trying to make me feel."

Leck made Bitterblue feel helpless her entire childhood, and she ended up afraid of being vulnerable and letting her heart open to the people she cares about. By the end of the novel, she is sure of herself and has opened her heart to Giddon, to loving him and accepting his love.

Lovisa was abused by both of her parents, and she grew up afraid to take up space for herself and assert her own needs and desires. By the end. she is still growing and healing, but she is on the precipice of striking out on her own path, and following what her own ethics and desires ask of her.

winterkeep has more than a few amusing moments

Am I crying about the sea monster at 1 am? You bet I am

okay but like the bitterblue/giddon age difference is not that big a deal imo obviously it would have been not great if they got together in bitterblue but in winterkeep she's 23 and she's been leading a country for 5 years (since we can't count the 9 years before that) so obviously she's mature and clearly they've spent a lot of time together and are friends and trust each other immensely like yeah i think it could be weird if she were like a normal 23 year old but she's not so i think based on the circumstances it's totally appropriate? when i was 22 i dated a 30 year old and it wasn't a big deal at all because we were at similar points in our life and we met through work so we knew we worked well together

I was browsing the Winterkeep tag and saw someone saying that they thought Lovisa is on the aro/ace spectrum and I'm unsure about the aro part personally but yEAH I'm very glad someone else picked up on her attitude towards sex, which seems to be...not in line at all with how allo people generally are, at least from my clueless ace person perspective

Bitterblue: Giddon, we’ll do this one day at a time; take it slow.

Bitterblue, literally the very next day: I have brought with me our new furry son-

the scene where bitterblue and giddon announce their marriage is so funny her advisor is just like "queen r u aware that ur husband's whole thing is dismantling monarchy."

Seasparrow (Graceling Realm #5)

Seasparrow (Graceling Realm #5)

Author: Kristin Cashore Rating: 3/5 Hava, the half-sister to Bitterblue, has always been told to stay in the shadows, a task which is quite easy given that Hava’s Grace is hiding. Immediately after the events of Winterkeep, Hava and the others sail back to Monsea but the seas are rough this time of year. Spoilers ahead. Continue reading Untitled

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