Bitterblue

//Bitterblue// by Kristin Cashore

A "companion" to Graceling and Fire, whatever that's supposed to mean. Does it require reading those two first? - Feb 2013, Julie A. - Nashua PL

Just as I was settling comfortably into my opinion that we shouldn't allow ANY sequels on this list, along comes "Bitterblue." I read "Graceling" when it first came out, but not "Fire," and I was worried I wouldn't remember what happened, or that I'd be missing a piece without having read "Fire." Nonsense. "Bitterblue" takes place after "Graceling," and follows a character from that book, but not one of the major one, and several years later. It also does a nice job of summing up the basics & subtly reminding or filling in gaps as the story unfolds. I confess I didn't remember much of "Graceling," and yet did not feel at all lost as I read "Bitterblue." It did make me want to re-read "Graceling" & definitely go read "Fire." Bitterblue is the 18-year-old queen of Monsea, which is still recovering from her psycopathic father's 35-year reign, where he tortured & killed countless men, women, children & animals, all the while using his Grace (a special skill some people have) to make them believe otherwise. Bitterblue has been queen since her father was killed at the end of "Graceling," 8 years before. She tries to move her kingdom forward, but feels she is trapped & overly protected by her advisors, all of whom also served her father. In a burst of rebellion, Bitterblue disguises herself & goes out to explore her city without her advisors & their carefully orchestrated tours. She discovers her people are still suffering the effects of her father's legacy, and that truths are being kept from her. With friends she makes on her continued visits to the city, Bitterblue finds herself less satisfied with her role, and more suspicious of her advisors, who seem to be keeping any number of secrets from her. When friends arrive from other kingdoms (the cast of "Graceling"), Bitterblue begins an in-depth investigation of her father's secrets, her advisors' plots & failings, her castle's strange features, and her own role in healing her kingdom's suffering. This book deals with a lot of heavy subjects, mainly abuse of various types (mind control, emotional abuse, rape, physical abuse, torture, pedophilia, animal abuse, murder, tyranny, suicide, cutting, suppression of the press, suppression of speech, a smidge of racism, the results of keeping secrets from people, and even same sex relationships and their equity & acceptance, or lack thereof). The evidence of every character's suffering and the various ways they deal with it fills the book, without sinking it into despair. The young queen's desperation to uncover truths and help those she loves & serves is captivating, and the author has done a great job combining the tale of recovery with a mystery, involving ciphers, mazes, hidden passages, secret rooms & more. I was completely absorbed by this book, staying up until past 1am 2 nights in a row to finish it (stupid job- don't you know I have books to read?). The writing is amazing, the characters are complex and unique, and the world and its secrets are fully formed. Even the artwork in the book is great, including the endpapers! I very much recommend "Bitterblue" for the Flume award. -Lucia Von Letkemann, Wiggin Memorial Library, Stratham 3/5/13

This is one of my favorite books that I've read in the last few years. I couldn't recommend it enough, although I think it will appeal more to older teens and girls. It is a long book, and deals with some mature subjects. Of all villains I have encountered in books, Bitterblue's father is the best and the worst - best characterization of the worst person you could imagine. Imagine if our worst tyrants and psychopaths had been capable of actual mind control. He is absolutely horrifying, even though he was dead before the story began - which is a good thing; otherwise it would have been shelved with adult horror instead of YA fantasy. Despite all this, this novel is full of hope and healing, not depression. The horror is over, and Bitterblue untangles the pieces so that her country can recover. This book has pieces of many genres - mystery, horror, fantasy, romance - but it reads more like "literary" fiction than genre fiction. This book can certainly stand alone - it's not really a sequel, just set in the same world as the other books, with some overlapping characters. The main character, and the main plot, are different and independent from the first two books. -Katherine Bollenbach, Belmont Public Library, 4/2/13