Gracling

By: Bri Larcom

Mod: 12/13

                In the book Gracling, the main character is Katsa. Katsa is a dynamic character. In the beginning she was merciless because she was the king’s killer. When she killed someone she didn’t wince at all, she had no feelings for who she killed. But at the end she opens her heart to realize she doesn’t have to be the killing monster she was.

            Throughout the whole book Katsa is protective. In the beginning she had to save the father of one of the kings. She would let no one hurt him. Towards the ending, Katsa has to protect a princess named Bitterblue from whoever harmed her. Katsa had to even kill Bitterblue’s own father because he was the one who was harming Bitterblue. She also had to protect Bitterblue from hundreds of guards, wolves, a mountain lion, and the bitter winter cold. Katsa made sure no harm would even come near Bitterblue.

            Throughout the book Katsa thrives to get the job done. When Bitterblue was in harm she had to kill the Bitterblue’s father to get the job done. No matter how long it took she got it done (in this case, it took a few months). Even when she had to kill for her king she got the job done, whether it was good or bad reason to kill.

            Throughout the whole book Katsa knows how to survive. She is graced with killing (that’s what she and others think), but later she realizes she’s graced with survival. She can kill someone or any animal with her bare hands; she also has sharp aim and has incredible instincts. She had to go through the mountains with Bitterblue. She was able to get her and Bitterblue through the mountains, and that took a couple of months. Katsa was determined that she and Bitterblue would survive through the mountains.

            In the beginning of the book Katsa’s inconsiderate. She had no feelings for the person she would kill, even if she didn’t know the reason why she was killing that person. She even hated a princess that was just ten years old. She threatened to the princess that she would kill her if she even stared at her.

 When Katsa changes she becomes considerate. When she had to protect Bitterblue, she made sure she was alright the whole time through the mountains. She even gave up her own coat to the Bitterblue for the whole trip in the mountains. She practically questioned her if she was alright every second.

In the book, Gracling, There are many conflicts that Katsa has to over come. She has to go over external conflicts and internal conflicts. But she always seemed to find a way to solve them.

One of the internal conflicts Katsa has to overcome is her feelings for Po, a prince that is her friend. Katsa doesn’t want to get married nor have children.  When Po comes along she questions if she wants to marry him or not. Later in the book Po spills his heart out telling Katsa how much he loves her. Then Katsa takes a long think about it and she says no. She just wants to be his lover not his wife. But Po understands and he accepts.

If I were Katsa in this conflict I would have said yes, because they are great friends and they do everything together. But if I were to say no I would have handled it in the same way. A character like Katsa, the answer no, fits with her personality.

Later in the book Katsa has to overcome a big external conflict. When Katsa and Po rescue Bitterblue from her father, the king of that land is livid. Only one way to keep Bitterblue safe is to kill her father. When Po tries to do so he gets shot by arrows and has a concussion. Now Katsa has to get out of there fast with Po and Bitterblue. But Po is slowing down their pace and Po wants Katsa to leave him behind but she doesn’t want to.

Katsa overcomes it by putting Po in an abandoned log cabin. She makes a bow and arrows for him. Katsa and Bitterblue get a ton of fish and wood for Po. Plus there is a secret hide out for Po to go to if the guards come.

If I were in this conflict I would have done the same as Katsa. I admit it would be hard to do but Kasta had to keep Bitterblue safe. For a character like Katsa this would match her personality.

At the end when Bitterblue is all safe from her father Katsa and Bitterblue go back to find Po. After a couple of weeks of traveling they find Po in his log cabin. But turns out, after having a concussion Po is blind. Po not wanting Katsa to deal with his blindness and tells her to go away. But Katsa refuses and wants to be with him and of coarse Po accepts.

If I were Katsa in this conflict I would have definitely done the same. Why would you leave the guy of your dreams? For a character like Kasta this fits her personality.

This book was by far the best book I have ever read! The first thing I did when I got home was read, read, and read. You just can’t get enough of it. Read Gracling, you won’t be disappointed.