Graceling (Graceling Realm #1)

Content Overview

Overall Content
Severity
1.8

Language

0.1/10

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

0.4/10

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

3.1/10

Violence, Weapons, Blood, Crime

5.0/10

Potentially Intense Themes

0.6/10

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Graceling (Graceling Realm #1)

Kristin Cashore

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po.

She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5) I read this 10 years ago! I remember loving it and was surprised to find that I still love it. Penguin Teen is releasing book 4 and has asked for help promoting it. I’m all in!

Katsa is my favorite type of character. Tough, smart, loyal and more. She has a “Grace” which is some form of ability. Hers seems to be for killing, so her cruel uncle sends her on his errands to torture and kill those who wrong him. 

Her character development was all I wanted it to be. She came into her own, she stood up for herself and she took great care for others. Po was a fav and I loved their relationship. I have some reservations about Bitterblue but I’ll keep those to myself for now. I’m curious where her character will go!

I was thoroughly entertained and loved getting caught up in the world. The idea of graces is fascinating and one grace in particular intrigued me enough to audibly gasp many times. Oh it’s a good one that brings in such betrayal, and complications that I had a hard time putting it down. Loved it!

Detailed Content Review

Language 

F***-

H***- 

S***-

A**- 1

B****-

D***-

Bas****-

Religious Cursing

J****-

Chr***-

G**-

L***-

Derogatory terms etc-

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

Guards are drunk and not responsive. 

A young woman drops a pill in a man’s mouth. And another. 

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

*No LGBTQ+ aspects included*

A young girl doesn’t like how a man touches young girls when he thinks no one is looking. He touches a young girl’s leg and she hits him. 

A man grabs a young woman from behind, feeling her chest.

Young women go missing then appear at a whore house. 

“The wild ones are the most fun if you can control them.” And many more rude, suggestive comments about a young woman. The men that said this also taunted a young woman by holding her arm and not letting her go. Vague suggestions were made. 

A young woman and young man talk of possibly being lovers without marriage. They later kiss as she sits in his lap. They fumble with each other’s clothing then explore each other’s bodies. She asks about an herb (for birth control that is mentioned earlier) then she feels a pain, he slows but she says she “will hurt and bleed” at his touch and moved with him…his body,.. her body… and the fire they made together.” He offered to clean her after. They later have sex again but it is vague. 

A young woman and young man wrestle and it turns more intimate. They’re “occupied for some time” then lay side by side. 

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

A young woman kicks drunk men. Then kicks another man in the temple, he falls unconscious. She hits another and drags him by his hair then drops a pill on his tongue. She does this multiple times. 

A young girl punches a man in the nose, it forces the bones to push into his brain and kills him. He leaves blood on the floor. 

A man holds a knife to a young woman’s neck, she flings him away from her. 

A young woman is ordered to kill a man. A bloody spectacle is expected but she snaps his neck quickly, no blood. His orders after that are specific for time of pain and amount of blood. 

A young woman is ordered to crack a man’s head open. She regularly breaks fingers and twists arms. 

A man shoots a woman in the back with an arrow. 

Two teens are ambushed by 17 men. They throw daggers in chests, used swords and more. They stabbed knives in necks, shot arrows, stabbed a sword in a stomach and killed them. 

A man cuts animals and tortured them, then keeps them alive for a long time. Then kills them. A young girl says he does it to people too. 

A young man is unconscious with an arrow in him and many in his horse. The horse and young man fall down a cliff. 

A young woman tends to serious wounds on a young man. He is bloody and has a head wound and hypothermia. 

A young man tells of killing many men and injuring many others. 

Many fight with a young woman. One man she knocks unconscious. 

A young woman throws a knife into a man’s chest, killing him. Blood soaks his front. 

Potentially Intense Themes

A young man and horse are drowning. The horse drowns but the young man is pulled out. 

A young woman fights with a mountain lion and is injured by its claws many times. She kills it. 

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

4 Comments

  1. Another old favorite of mine! I love that you keep doing all of these older YA books! It makes me have all of the nostalgic feelings!

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