Bitterblue

The New York Times Book Review

Cashore is a master of mystery, suspense and revelation, and among the many gratifications of Bitterblue is its slow, astonishing unwinding of the truth. In fact, there are so many twists and turns, secret identities and subtle details that my second reading was even more absorbing than the first…Some authors can tell a good story; some can write well. Cashore is one of the rare novelists who do both. Thrillingly imagined and beautifully executed, Bitterblue stands as a splendid contribution in a long literary tradition.
—Gretchen Rubin

BCCB (starred review)

A story that transcends the genre with its emotional and philosophical weight.

VOYA

It has been eight years since Katsa and Po, heroes of Graceling (Penguin, 2008/Voya October 2008), rescued ten-year-old Bitterblue from her evil father, King Leck, and helped her assume the throne of Monsea. Leck had the Grace, or special gift, of clouding people's minds so that they would accept whatever he told them. Horrible atrocities were committed in his name, leaving the kingdom deeply scarred. Queen Bitterblue suspects her advisors are not telling her the truth about conditions in her kingdom, distracting her instead with piles of paperwork. Frustrated by their obfuscation, she sneaks out at night to investigate for herself. Through new acquaintances Saf and Toby, she learns of an underground society of "truthseekers" who try to illuminate the past so that Monsea can finally heal. Now someone is targeting the truthseekers, and Bitterblue finds that even queens are not immune from danger. Who can she trust, in palace or city? Fans of Cashore's Graceling and its companion Fire (Penguin, 2009/Voya October 2009) will welcome this third (and final?) volume. Bitterblue struggles to grow into her role as ruler. She must learn not only the mechanics of governing but also the grace-with-a-small-g of mercy and forgiveness. The lengthy story is complicated, but readers will gallop through it, eager to catch up on beloved characters and hopeful that the Seven Kingdoms can at last find peace. There are astonishing and sometimes heartbreaking discoveries to be made before that can occur. Buy all three volumes, in multiple copies. As in Cashore's other stories, there are a few tasteful sex scenes. Reviewer: Kathleen Beck

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up—When the evil King Leck was killed, his 10-year-old daughter, Bitterblue, suddenly became Queen of Monsea. King Leck had the Grace, or power, to muddle people's minds to do his bidding. His 35-year reign was filled with brutal murders, rapes, torture, and deceit, and the now 18-year-old queen is struggling to hold together the pieces of her crumbling kingdom. Feeling that her advisors are sheltering her from harsh truths, she disguises herself as a commoner and ventures out at night to local story rooms to hear tales of her father's reign and begin to learn how best to help her people. It is on one of these outings that she meets Saf, a young thief. Thinking that he and his friends can help her to gain insight into Monsea and its people, Bitterblue soon falls for him, despite his reckless behavior and the claim that he has yet to discover his Grace. Meanwhile, "truthseekers" are being sought out and silenced for what they know. Bitterblue tries to connect the dots, but the more she explores, the more she begins to question who she can trust, even (and especially) within her own administration. The novel starts a bit slow and is perhaps a bit too long, but those minute flaws are easily overlooked once readers are ensconced in this wondrous world of the Seven Kingdoms. The book can stand on its own, but it will most thoroughly be enjoyed by fans of Graceling (Harcourt, 2008) and its companion book, Fire (Dial, 2009). Characters from both novels appear in this installment, which ends with clear direction for another title. Cashore's imagined world is brilliantly detailed and brimming with vibrant and dynamic characters.—Lauren Newman, Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School, Columbus, NJ

Kirkus Reviews

Building on the plots and themes of the award-winning Graceling (2008) and its companion Fire (2009), this rich and poignant fantasy grapples with the messy aftermath of destroying an evil overlord. Nine years after Bitterblue took the crown, the young queen and her realm are still struggling to come to terms with the monstrous legacy of her father, the insane, mind-controlling Leck. How can she "look forward," as her advisors urge, when she cannot trust her memories of the past? Sneaking out of her castle, Bitterblue discovers that her people have not healed as much as she has been told. While "truthseekers" are determined to restore what Leck destroyed, others are willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden. Gorgeous, textured prose is filled with images of strange beauty and restrained horror. It propels an intricate narrative dense with subplots and rich in characters familiar and new. Weaving them together are all the lies: conspiracies and ciphers, fakes and false testimony, spies and thieves, disguises and deceptions, mazes and puzzles. They are lies spun from greed, shame, strategy, fear, duty--even kindness. And it is Bitterblue who, trapped in this net of deceit, must draw upon all her courage, cleverness and ferocious compassion to reveal the truth--and to care for those it shatters. Devastating and heartbreaking, this will be a disappointment for readers looking for a conventional happy ending. But those willing to take the risk will--like Bitterblue--achieve something even more precious: a hopeful beginning. (Fantasy. 14 & up)