This book is very interesting in the sense that though it is quite violent, it doesn’t seem violent at all. That is due to it’s deep, emotional
aspect. It is rare for me to read a book like this because it leans more on the “girlie” side of novels, but then again, I’ve been reading a lot of books that I normally wouldn’t and this book can be enjoyable for guys too.
Basically, this novel takes place in an alternate world where some people have extraordinary abilities know as “graces.” Graces can range anywhere from the ability to hold your breath for a long time, to being able to control peoples minds. People are naturally scared of the “gracelings” and of the 7 kingdoms in this story, only one of them treats gracelings fairly.
Unfortunately our protagonist was not born into that kingdom; her kingdom was part of the majority that fears gracelings. Luckily for her, she was born into nobility so people had to accept her. However, that changed when her grace settled. It turns out she was the first to acquire the grace of killing. She becomes so amazingly good at hand to hand and weapons combat that even dozens of soldiers would have no chance against her. Along with her amazing speed, she became a prized weapon of her king, to be used to intimidate his opponents. But she is obviously not okay with that.
I like the deepness this novel brings to the violence, and I also believe that it is very well written. The strong female character is also greatly appreciated. My only complaint about this novel is that it doesn’t feel too original considering how the plot turns did not surprise me. I recommend this novel to girls (and guys) 14 and above. I give this novel a 4/5.