Should the romance have been left out?

[[deleted user]]

I really liked it Areeba. I thought it was sweet, but perhaps a wee bit dull. By the way, hows this for a quick response?

[Samantha The Escapist]

Another quick response :P

I think it's an acurate portrayal of real relationships.
It wasn't so much a romance as it was a pair of friends realizing they loved each other.

[Ilana]

i think that it really added a lot to the story and you'll see in Bitterblue that it actually has a place that's quite interesting in the story. i find that while sometimes it's unnecessary, in this it has what we need to keep the story going and to add the element of depth and character relationship development that at times is lost.

[Jessica]

I read this book a long time ago, and I remember just thinking that the whole Idon'twannabelongtoanyonesoIlljustsleepwithyouandcallitaday thing kind of stupid to me. There was nothing romantic about that at all, just lust on Katniss's part, and settling on Po's part. That's just me. And if this is an accurate portrayal of real relationships, then consider me officially depressed.
I love both characters though, just think things should have played out a bit differently.

[Jahnavi]

I really enjoyed the love part. I mean, maybe it wasn't even really love, just affection... But, it was obviously strong enough to get them both to sleep with each other... Man, I loved both Katsa and Po's characters...<3PO

[Samantha The Escapist]

Jessica wrote: "I read this book a long time ago, and I remember just thinking that the whole Idon'twannabelongtoanyonesoIlljustsleepwithyouandcallitaday thing kind of stupid to me. There was nothing romantic abou..."

So, I don't want to sound argumentative, but does that mean you intend to save yourself for marriage/already have done so?

See, I think the romance lies in waking up every morning next to a person that you choose to be with, not a person you pledged yourself to. When you're in a non-married relationship you take those vows every day because you want to stay together, not just for the sake of a tradition.

I'm really not just trying to make a point, but that's the most inspiring type of romance to me.

[Cheyene]

Personally, I thought it added valuable dimension to the story....Katsa is very broken, and doesn't truly realize it to an extent where she can deal with it until she is with Poe. Poe is like a mirror that she can see herself reflected in...he brings out both her best traits and her worst. I think this form of reflection for her character was necessary to the scope of the story, to the smallest degree.

[Mary]

I agree the romance added demension to the story. While it was a but dull it was realistic. Put yourself in this situation: You are fighting for life you have a child with you and your situation just keeps getting worse. Now do you think that you would have the time or energy that is needed in a full fleged relationship. I know I would not.

[Jessica]

I think it's a question of believability more than anything else. I think the romance was fine, but I didn't believe it that much, compared to others. While everyone has there own definition of what a relationship means to them, I certainly believe in the power of commitments. I just got the impression that after awhile, after all the other stuff they got to do, they'll get bored with each other and move on (even after "Bitterblue"). Objectively, the romance moved the plot forward pretty well,gave Katniss added motivation (as if the psycho-crazy king/Bitterblue's father, and running away from a depressing situation at her home kingdom weren't enough). Eh. I'm kind of on the fence, and with Areeba, at the same time.

[Nuran]

It's not a fairytale romance, with love at first sight. It felt more genuine and real because they slowly fell for each other’s personality and not because of what they look or smell like. I thought it was a nice built up to a true romance rather than the cheesy unbelievable I love you the second I saw you path.

[Monica]

Yes indeed it should have been left out. It bored me to forgetting what the book was about and the fact i kept readimg katniss instead of katsa just ruin it more for me

[Rebecah]

Bahaha I read Katniss too.

NOOO I LOVED THE ROMANCE! IT MADE MY LIFE! Actually nm I'm thinking of Fire and BitterblWAIT NOPE I REMEMBER NOW NOOOO THIS ROMANCE WAS AWESOME!

[Rebecah]

Khadija wrote: "I have a question...wasn't there a love triangle between Gideon,Po,and Katsa?"

Gideon liked Katsa but Katsa didn't really like him. In fact if I remember correctly (forgive me it's been a while) after Gideon proposed to her, she got really ticked and she stayed mad at him.

[Samantha The Escapist]

Rebecah wrote: "Khadija wrote: "I have a question...wasn't there a love triangle between Gideon,Po,and Katsa?"

Gideon liked Katsa but Katsa didn't really like him. In fact if I remember correctly (forgive me it'..."

Yup, it can't really be considered a love triangle since Giddon was pretty much done in the first act. He comes back in Bitterblue though and has a bigger (and much nicer) part.

Fire is the one with the real love triangle, except that, once again, Fire doesn't have very strong feelings for one of the men in it so it doesn't really count.

[Johnny]

I read this book awhile ago, so please pardon any mistakes.
And yes, I too kept on reading Katniss instead of Katsa.
I genuinely loved the romance. Katsa was so battle hardened I thought it never would have happened. The romance opened up many possibilities without closing much. It also gave Katsa more dimension, as previously mentioned.
As for the best friend path, I could see it happening. It wouldn't have changed the story much at all, the same secrets of Po's (His powers, his blindness) would have been shared, similar discussions had. However, I feel that if they had remained best friends, Po would have grown to really like her. And if Katsa did not return those feelings then major drama would have ensued, which would have drawn focus from the rest of the story.
In the end, I loved the romance and felt it was a good component of the story. Necessary? Maybe not, but perhaps so.

[Daisy97]

They began their relationship as friends. It slowly grew towards love. The one thing to take away from their relationship is that they relied on each others so much. It was a really sweet portrayal, in my opinion, of romance.

[Brandonk]

I think the relationship between these two would no matter as long as they had one where they were able to respect each other. Be it friends or lovers, the two would still go on as they were(unless children,huhu)at least, the immediate story would. If the story continues on, than I would prefer lovers as it would complicate the story more and hopefully make it more interesting.

[Nicole D.]

I really loved the romance.I loved how they became friends then fell in love.It felt very sweet and real.

[Shannon]

The main reason I loved Graceling was because how different the romance between Po and Katsa was compared to other books, it wasn't rushed and you knew how much Po loved Katsa from the start so when they first kiss I was sooooo happy so im pleased she didn't knock him back!!

[Venus]

Personally, I think the romance added some emotional feel to the story, without being that sticky dramatic love which we see a lot in YA books.
It was very pleasing to have some sweet moments between the more "tough" events.

[Kenya]

Noooooooooooo....I would have hated that :)

[Christian]

The romance absolutely should have been left out. I just reached that part. I had been loving the book and racing through it and I read through that and simply said, "ew!" and slammed it shut!!!!!! Argggghhhh! I don't even know if I want to keep reading now! you guys just tell me whether the romance is the main thing in the rest of the book or not?

[Grim]

Cheyene wrote: "Personally, I thought it added valuable dimension to the story....Katsa is very broken, and doesn't truly realize it to an extent where she can deal with it until she is with Poe. Poe is like a mir..."

I agree .... it added to Katsa's dimension and highlight that she was really broken inside from a repressive childhood, and PO enabled her to grow and face up to her abuser, her uncle. It made the story.

But NO I do not normally like romance in my novels, and if this remains an ultimately magic, action, morals with incidentally a love interest - well ok - but if this becomes a romance novel then it will be a true waste. Balance in all things.

Like the magic bites series, there's romance in that but its mainly understated and adds to the storyline. Romance can enhance a story when done right, but I dislike it when romance is the foucs of the story and everything else is added for effect (No I am NOT a Twighlight fan!)

[Nuran]

I'm not a great fan of stories based soley on romance, but romance when done right adds another element to the story. The romance element in this book is ok.