Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Summary from GoodReads:

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle–disguised and alone–to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

My Review:

I feel like crying. Seriously, people. Crying. Not in a good way. Why?

I’ve been waiting for this book it seems like FOREVER. I’d look at the date on my pre-order and wail inside at the thought of waiting all those months to get my hands on the gorgeous cover and coveted insides of Bitterblue, that sequel to Graceling and companion to Fire. (Well, not so much anxious for it for the Fire part, I was actually disappointed in that one, but oh how I loved Graceling.)

So imagine my disappointment when I struggled and pushed and struggled to get through this book. How I had to fake enthusiasm to pick it up and tell myself to read just a little while longer. With Graceling, it drug me on its journey – it was so fresh and new and nearly perfect. Unfortunately, Bitterblue was a disappointment.

Now, mind you, there were things I liked which prevented it from being a DNF for me. I enjoyed getting to see Katsa in her new role years later. I was fascinated in seeing the extent of the evil Leck wove throughout his years of reign. I thoroughly, thoroughly, enjoyed getting to know Teddy and Saf … and Death is by far one of the most interesting and fun characters I’ve come across in a fantasy book like this before, but the rest of the book did not work for me, i.e. plot.

It was all over the place, people. Here, there, then back again, this intrigue, that death, those murders, this injury, Katsa here, Katsa gone, this object missing, that artwork destroyed … and oh, the ciphers – so many ciphers. My mind is in a whirl just remembering all of this and I think that is exactly why I was so frustrated reading it. Plus, this is a LONG book – it’s page after page of all this with very little reward.

And so, after years of waiting, (3 is it?) I sadly bid adieu to the world of Katniss, Fire, and Bitterblue. How I wish things had been different.

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