Graceling (Cashore)
3+/5. I liked it! I was expecting not to (I suppose mostly because of having read so much praise for it -- I am a contrary beast), but I got drawn in. It's pretty clearly a first book. The opening scene is full of action, but following it is a lot of somewhat-boring exposition where we are told a lot of things about How and Why the Characters Are Who They Are, though a stronger book would have mucked around with the structure a little and shown instead of told. (To be fair, this isn't nearly as bad as in the book I'm going to be reviewing next, and the reason I'm a little hypersensitive to this right now has to do with doing yuletide -- which yes, I ended up doing, and had a really great time, but more on that later -- and realizing that I have precisely this problem of wanting to tell instead of show; it's a common problem, I imagine. But this is also why I critique!) I found it quite slow in the beginning, partially because of the exposition problem and partially because Katsa has a lot of angst in that section, but by the midpoint couldn't put it down.
I like Katsa a lot for being sort of non-introspective, brawn-over-brain, and somewhat dense, but in a way that's sympathetic and believable. It's a nice change from the bookish super-smart heroines you get a lot (not that I'm complaining -- I love the bookish super-smart heroine -- but it's nice to see something different).
Mild spoilers: Katsa enters into a consensual sexual relationship outside of marriage. That was interesting to me because I paused a bit to see how I felt about that, having been thoroughly socialized into marriage myself, and having had a history in the last couple of years of "OMG CAN'T GIVE THAT BOOK TO MY DAUGHTER WITHOUT OUR HAVING A TALK" (I mean, E. is not 2 yet, but since she's been born I've had a couple of these experiences when reading something, and it always kind of bothers me when my head does this, because I read all kinds of things while growing up without any parental control (mostly, probably, because they had no idea), and it was good for me). (
sarahtales also pointed out gently that people tend not to think this about boys, and I am guilty as heck, and of course it's a bit asymmetric because I don't have a son, but I am trying to be a little more even-handed in thinking things are good or bad for boys as well, especially since D does have nephews.)
And... my response was something along the lines of, sure, well, we could talk about this: how awesome it is. No pressure on either side, a power-balanced relationship, a lot of friendship and support, a lot of careful communication about their relationship. Sooooo much better than no-premarital-sex with icky 100-year-old stalker guy, I can't even tell you.
This entry was originally posted at http://cahn.dreamwidth.org/60948.html.
I like Katsa a lot for being sort of non-introspective, brawn-over-brain, and somewhat dense, but in a way that's sympathetic and believable. It's a nice change from the bookish super-smart heroines you get a lot (not that I'm complaining -- I love the bookish super-smart heroine -- but it's nice to see something different).
Mild spoilers: Katsa enters into a consensual sexual relationship outside of marriage. That was interesting to me because I paused a bit to see how I felt about that, having been thoroughly socialized into marriage myself, and having had a history in the last couple of years of "OMG CAN'T GIVE THAT BOOK TO MY DAUGHTER WITHOUT OUR HAVING A TALK" (I mean, E. is not 2 yet, but since she's been born I've had a couple of these experiences when reading something, and it always kind of bothers me when my head does this, because I read all kinds of things while growing up without any parental control (mostly, probably, because they had no idea), and it was good for me). (
sarahtales also pointed out gently that people tend not to think this about boys, and I am guilty as heck, and of course it's a bit asymmetric because I don't have a son, but I am trying to be a little more even-handed in thinking things are good or bad for boys as well, especially since D does have nephews.)
And... my response was something along the lines of, sure, well, we could talk about this: how awesome it is. No pressure on either side, a power-balanced relationship, a lot of friendship and support, a lot of careful communication about their relationship. Sooooo much better than no-premarital-sex with icky 100-year-old stalker guy, I can't even tell you.
This entry was originally posted at http://cahn.dreamwidth.org/60948.html.