The launch date of Kristin Cashore’s newest, Winterkeep, passed with only a small level of hype. It was that same Saturday that I truly couldn’t wait for, because that’s when the book would arrive at my house and I could finally, finally, start reading it. Then came the age-old struggle of wanting to take it … More Book Review: Winterkeep (!!)
We have 46 days until the next installment of the Graceling Realm series is finally published, and to pass the time, I have a few Cashore-related posts in mind to hold us over. Over the course of two months, I read all three books, and for the first time, it struck me how little and … More Can Bitterblue’s Riddle Be Solved?
Here we are! The third and final published book in the Graceling Realm series. If you’re new, here’s what I’ve been doing: to commemorate the upcoming release of Winterkeep, I decided to reread the entire series. I was originally planning on doing Top Ten list of the whole series, but found it was almost impossible … More Top Ten Moments in Kristin Cashore’s Bitterblue!
Back in May, we got one of the few pieces of good news that 2020 has to offer: the Graceling Realm series isn’t over. A new book is going to be released in early 2021, called Winterkeep. You can find all of the initial information in my blog post, plus some of my expectations for … More The Winterkeep Cover Reveal!!
Romance. It sounds a bit extreme to say a romance subplot can make or break a novel, but the truth is, they can. In YA fantasy, especially, relationships are often either too insta-lovey, abusive, or both. Admittedly, most romance subplots, I’ll just read over and ignore, not feeling the chemistry between the love interests. Sometimes, … More My Five Favorite YA Fantasy Relationships (And What Makes Them So Good)
I cannot tell you how excited I was to learn that we were going to get another book in the Graceling Realm series. If you know anything about me from my blog, it’s probably that I absolutely adore this series. It’s been eight years since Bitterblue had been published, and with the way it ended, … More Winterkeep: Publication Info and Personal Expectations
Although not a particularly rich world, The Dells from Kristin Cashore’s Fire (Graceling Realm #2) touches on many world-building elements that give it a realistic feel. The Dells, set apart from the Graceling Realm by nigh-impassable mountains, has its own unique magic system that comes simply in the form of its so-called monsters. The novel … More Setting Study: The Dells from Fire
There are many types of relationships a character can pursue during the course of a novel. Oftentimes, they tend to be more romantic pursuits than platonic, as romance is seen having higher stakes with a higher payout than anything platonic. While I would highly discourage the concept that the only worthwhile relationship is the romantic … More Adding Romance to a Story
It’s been a month since I wrote “The Last Pages of my College Chapter” and let me tell you: these past few weeks have gone by quickly. So although this isn’t generally the content I’d cover in the last week of the month, I wanted to spend some time talking about what it’s been like … More Taking Flight
Katie Bachelder 