In the wake of Leck's evil reign and demise, Bitterblue inherits the throne of Monsea. She has to try to help her country recover from the evil wrought by Leck. But how can she do that when her advisors keep her stuck in a tower office, signing papers and listening to court cases all day? Bitterblue decides to sneak out of the castle and see her country for herself. Thus begins a long, complicated story full of crosses and counter-crosses, spies, intrigue, coded messages, hidden passages, etc. etc. As Bitterblue begins to understand the full depth of Leck's madness and evilness, she wonders if she'll ever get her kingdom back on its feet.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the ciphers and the cleverness of the characters in leaving them in all the places they did. I loved the librarian. Bitterblue grows on me throughout the book. I found myself rooting for all of Monsea to recover from Leck's treachery.

This book demands a huge time investment, but it's well worth it.

I like this book a lot. It was probably 4.5 Stars, I’m just not sure I’d reread it. Basically Bitterblue is another great chapter in the tale of the Graceling world and it really brings the previous two books together. It’s nice because each book could be a standalone but read all together you get a great sense of the world and characters.

This book occurs 8 years after Graceling, and Katsa and Po still play prominent roles (much to my delight). If you’ve read Graceling, you will know Bitterblue’s backstory and how the other characters come into play, but if you haven’t I’d still say you can read it. It would contain some spoilers to the other books, but I honestly think anyway to read these three novels is the right way. (I must say, reading them Graceling, Fire, and then Bitterblue seems the best way...)

I loved this story for the issues it really tackles. Such as, can a “bad person” be “good”? And can “good people” do “bad” things? And how do we deal with guilt? Especially identifying as a “good” person? But also throw it the fact that someone has manipulated everyone’s thoughts and feelings with mind control...

I also like the way that this book covers first love and sex. It always shows the characters being very consensual with each other, but also in regards to pleasure on all sides. It’s by no means a huge part of the plot, it’s just nice that it’s not a basic: “most magical night” or a “one person gets off and forces the other person along” kind of scenario.

All in all another highly enjoyable book from Ms. Cashore.

3.5

4.5

So at first I was really disappointed in myself that it had taken me so long to get around to reading this book. I read the first two books in the series quite a while ago. But, now having completed this book I'm actually kinda happy I unknowingly waited. If I had read this when I first added it to my TBR and the new sequels hadn't been out I would have been so bummed. There's quite a gap in publication between this book and the next in the series, but this story, while not ending on a true cliffhanger, still does feel a little incomplete. More that there's further the story can go rather than that this story itself wasn't told.

I love Bitterblue! She's such an amazing queen and she struggling so hard to face all of the horrible things that her father had done to their kingdom. Everyone around her has secrets on top of secrets and she's sure there's more to life than signing the papers her advisors put in front of her. But for every little things she learns it seems to be in direct contradiction to what she's been told by those advisors. Her strength was wonderful. Everything she learns troubles her deeply but she doesn't back away from the truth she's fighting forward trying to make things better for her people.

If I had one little complaint about this story it's with the romance. Sure Saf is an interesting character, but I never really got the attraction between them. Now knowing that there's another book that has Bitterblue at it's heart I hope she wakes up and sees how a certain displaced noble really would be wonderful for her. He's a much better choice. ;)

I loved this story and actually really enjoyed that the story was written in such a way to make the reader feel as muddled as Bitterblue does with what she does and doesn't know is memory. When an entire kingdom has had their brains messed with the truth is a hard thing to find. I liked trying to piece it all together myself.

Makes me want to reread Graceling and Fire again!

Simply astounding. Book 3 was so clever. It allowed 8 years to pass from Graceling but you felt an instant connection with the characters once again. Please please keep writing Kristen Cashore!

******************My review for SLJ******************
Eight years after the death of her despotic father, King Leck, eighteen year old Queen Bitterblue is still struggling to bring healing and peace to her people of Monsea. Leck was a Graceling able to make everyone forget their thoughts and pain, and this allowed him control and torture all Monseans. Helped by her ever-loyal cousin Prince Po and Graceling Katsa, Bitterblue is beginning to ask more questions about how her country is run than her advisors and judges want her to know. Befriending rebel truth-seekers in the city like Teddy and Graceling Sapphire puts Bitterblue in tremendous danger as she hunts for answers to why her citizens are not being taught to read and how those looking for reparations for Leck’s crimes seem to be systematically killed. Bitterblue herself is attacked several times in an attempt to stop her inquiries. The dramatic unveiling of who is behind all the violence finally gives Bitterblue a sad but honest understanding of her reign. A romance simmers between Saph and Bitterblue but at the heart of this novel is how atrocities of the past can be handled with care and compassion in the future. Bitterblue is the sequel to Graceling though readers can enjoy this one on its own. The narration is powerful with each major character having a distinct and memorable voice. This high-fantasy is a balance of adventure, mystery and romance for a young monarch bringing her country into a new era of hope and justice. Highly recommended for grades 8 and up.

Though not as good as either of its predecessors (Graceling and Fire), Bitterblue was nonetheless satisfying and had a conclusion I was not expecting. I also adored many of the new characters--Teddy and Saf in particular, of course, and loved seeing Katsa and Po show up again. Definitely worth reading for anyone who enjoyed the first two novels.

the truth is… i always have been and always will be a whore for a bit of world-building in fantasy. this had me in a trance

I didn't enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed the first two. I felt like there was too much going on, and it all felt very muddled. I enjoyed the hints towards Lecks stay in the Dells (from Fire) and loved when the two worlds finally met. Though not as good as the first two, still a very good book. Kristin Cashore is high on my list of authors to keep an eye on.