Bitterblue (Graceling Realm, #3) in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Oct 09, 2012 jess rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012, yaf, ladyish

When I picked this book up from the public library, I thought "There is virtually no way in hell I will finish these 550 pages in three weeks." BUT I did it. I put my harry potter down, scheduled an infinite series of doctor's appointments for waiting room reading time and took a couple days off work to attend my wife's sick bed. It's not something I could do regularly, but I pulled it off, dammit. I want a ribbon. Also, this "review" rambles on, so it's ok if you only read this part:

This book When I picked this book up from the public library, I thought "There is virtually no way in hell I will finish these 550 pages in three weeks." BUT I did it. I put my harry potter down, scheduled an infinite series of doctor's appointments for waiting room reading time and took a couple days off work to attend my wife's sick bed. It's not something I could do regularly, but I pulled it off, dammit. I want a ribbon. Also, this "review" rambles on, so it's ok if you only read this part:

This book is great. Go read it.

If you like fantasy, feminists and big questions through the lens of YAF, then you should pick it up. It's the third book, following Graceling and Fire, but it might be my favorite of the three. Cashore's feisty young queen and her revolutionary comrades tackle issues of power, privilege, colonization/otherness, queerness, dis/ability, class, female sexuality, reproductive choices, unjust imprisonment, torture and healing. AND bad dads! But it's like, 550 pages so there's time for the Lady Queen to mull over so much stuff. It's less action-packed than the previous two, but things happen! There are a lot of feelings, but I think it pays off.

This book reminded me of how feminists talk about trauma theory. Like when Third Wave feminists said (by which i mean, wrote zines about) the importance of telling these stories of rape, abuse, sexism, etc, and then there was a real collective effect of telling those stories. And that book Ann Cvetkovich wrote (An Archive of Feelings: Trauma, Sexuality, and Lesbian Public Cultures). And there is this whole feminist psychiatric analysis of trauma, you can google it. Those ideas are relevant to this story. That is what this book about. It's about how remembering helps you heal, and how we can remember/heal better together. Especially if there is also art. If you have any idea what I'm talking about, read this book. AND it's a powerful message for young people.

OK. I am really off-topic here. Good thing this is MY goodreads.

And also swords, queens, commoners, thieves, and art. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

May 16, 2012 Marcy Jo rated it it was amazing

That was immensely satisfying. I have such an author crush on Kristin. Beautiful BEAUTIFUL world building!

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 21, 2015 Jen Ifer's Inklings rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-books, read-in-2015, popsugar-2015-reading-challenge

As a whole, I wasn't very impressed with this series. It had the potential to be great, but these lead female characters we lacking. Bitterblue was the best of the 3.

What does this author have against marriage or children? And why are these lead female characters so full of self hate and self loathing? ...more

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