Helpful Score: 2
I hate to say anything bad about Kristin Cashores books, because Graceling and Fire impressed me so much and won me over completely. However, BITTERBLUE was the definitely the weakest of the three due to characterization, plot, pacing, suspensebasically all elements of storytelling.
I admire that Cashore tries to tell Bitterblues story. Bitterblue, with her tragedy-laden history as revealed in Graceling, deserves more page time, deserves the voice she barely had in the first book. And yet despite Cashore doing a complete rewrite of this book at her editors behest, BITTERBLUE couldve done with at least two more complete rewrites. There was a story at the heart of it, but there were too many only-half-interesting side plots obscuring the heart.
(Not that the side plots didnt have their own potential. They did. But not in the way everything was threaded together in BITTERBLUE on the slightest of threads.)
Whether the result of the incomprehensible plotting and stuttering pacing or something else, the writing in BITTERBLUE felt weak as well. Witticisms that were supposed to be witty. Tearful revelations that were supposed to crack the haze of confusion and apathy in my heart. Nope. Nothing. I didnt so mind the fact that there was not the level of romance prevelant in Graceling and Fire as I did the fact that the writing was stilted and awkward. Now, I know that Bitterblue spends the majority of her time in this book wandering around, confused about whats been going on around her. I also know that when Leck died, he left his country in a state of muddled, bleary confusion. Still, there is a subtle but importance between characters that are confused, and readers who are. BITTERBLUE was so confusing as to make me think that Cashore herself was still confused even in the final stages of editing it.
Even after all that, though, I still cared about the characters in BITTERBLUE. So Ill chalk this one up to a difficult story that needed five more years of revising for maximum effect, and look with optimistic (and patient) eyes toward what Cashore has to share with us next.
I admire that Cashore tries to tell Bitterblues story. Bitterblue, with her tragedy-laden history as revealed in Graceling, deserves more page time, deserves the voice she barely had in the first book. And yet despite Cashore doing a complete rewrite of this book at her editors behest, BITTERBLUE couldve done with at least two more complete rewrites. There was a story at the heart of it, but there were too many only-half-interesting side plots obscuring the heart.
(Not that the side plots didnt have their own potential. They did. But not in the way everything was threaded together in BITTERBLUE on the slightest of threads.)
Whether the result of the incomprehensible plotting and stuttering pacing or something else, the writing in BITTERBLUE felt weak as well. Witticisms that were supposed to be witty. Tearful revelations that were supposed to crack the haze of confusion and apathy in my heart. Nope. Nothing. I didnt so mind the fact that there was not the level of romance prevelant in Graceling and Fire as I did the fact that the writing was stilted and awkward. Now, I know that Bitterblue spends the majority of her time in this book wandering around, confused about whats been going on around her. I also know that when Leck died, he left his country in a state of muddled, bleary confusion. Still, there is a subtle but importance between characters that are confused, and readers who are. BITTERBLUE was so confusing as to make me think that Cashore herself was still confused even in the final stages of editing it.
Even after all that, though, I still cared about the characters in BITTERBLUE. So Ill chalk this one up to a difficult story that needed five more years of revising for maximum effect, and look with optimistic (and patient) eyes toward what Cashore has to share with us next.
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