Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

My first reaction to finishing Bitterblue was "It was amazing".  Then I thought "Wait, it's over?"

Bitterblue was my favorite character in Graceling, and when I heard that Kristin Cashore was writing a new book that was about Bitterblue, I squealed! Literally, not metaphorically. Sound actually came out of my mouth. I liked Fire better than the other two, but this one still made my hair stand on end at some points. Which is what we all look for in a book right?

The characters were so real. And so much like I remember them from Graceling. I was kind of disappointed at how little Fire was in the book, but that's okay. But, Saf (Sapphire) was OMG! I loved the relationship between them, the banter, the laughter, the disappointments in each other. It seemed like the real thing. I was so sad when he decided to leave for the Dells! I wanted to cry, but then I remembered the Bridge scene (I swear I read that five or six times, thinking "did that really just happen?" I was so sad when he decided to leave for the Dells! I wanted to cry, but then I remembered the Bridge scene (I swear I read that five or six times, thinking "did that really just happe0

The setting was perfectly described. The bridges, every time we encountered a bridge, I could see it in my mind, it was amazing.

The way Cashore described the many sculptures and paintings in the book made me think "How did she come up with all those statue ideas?" And then I remembered that she's an author. And authors are amazing.

Here's the summary:

The long-awaited companion to New York Times bestsellers Graceling and Fire

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.