The Seven Kingdoms: Bitterblue

 I read Graceling and Fire a few years ago, I had never known then that how much I would have loved the series completely. Bitterblue came out on the 1^st of May this month, I had it in my hands by the 2^nd and done and completed by the 3^th of May.  As I always say, its hard to write about the books that you love, and blogging about Bitterblue will be tough enough.

One of those really pretty covers!

Bitterblue:

18 year old Bitterblue now the Queen of Monsea faces the challenge of gluing back her kingdom her graced King father had destroyed. The people of Monsea are still waking up from the past. They don’t know their Queen and the Queen is unaware of her Kingdoms potential nevertheless rules it by signing and looking after papers. The Queen is in for a surprise when she realizes that her Advisers are hiding something from her and that there is more to her Kingdom then she thought there was.

Amazing Writing:

The above summary is pretty crappy. You see, I don’t like summaries in general I like reading a book without reading its back. This goes for Bitterblue as well, I didn't read the back so I really didn't know what it would be about. All I knew was that Bitterblue was in Graceling (Kashore’s debut novel) as a ten year old princess.

Things I knew about Bitterblue beforehand:

1. Katsa and Po would be in it (amazing characters from Graceling)
2. Bitterblue would be 18 and obviously the Queen of Monsea

That’s it.

Unpredictable: This book has got to be the most unpredictable books I have ever read. It would be extremely foolish to even try because Cashore’s unexpected twists and new plots left be gripping the edge of my bed!

Brilliant Hand: I wish I could write as brilliantly as Cashore wrote this novel. I really liked her writing in Graceling and in Fire but this was a completely new level. Amazing vocabulary and use of metaphors! What I loved was the character development especially, that of Bitterblue. Reading the first page I could not have ever imagined how much changes she would have gone through. From completely being unaware of anything to being the heart of her kingdom, the potential in her that budded and blossomed during the ending was jaw breaking. I absolutely loved Bitterblue as a character, completely stubborn and yet cautious of how her Kingdom would be affected, A true Queen! The one thing that made me more attached to her as character was the fact that she was a normal human who did not have any sort of grace (graces can be distinguished due to different colors of eyes and people with graces power that makes them different from normal people. Graces can be as simple as dancing to fighting with swords).What touched me the most of the influence Leck(father of Bitterblue) had even though he had been dead for eight years. Even though he was no longer alive he was still in the villain of the story. He was still powerful enough, his memories were not forgotten and the Kingdom had not gotten over him. I never really got why Leck was considered that evil in Graceling in the first place, this book gave me the reasons why. After reading this I have more respect for Graceling as a novel as well. I love the way how all of the three books connect (not giving away spoilers)

The Illustrations in this book were so pretty! The best part: there were MANY!

Connections:

Kristin Cashore is a genius, that I have to admit. The Seven Kingdom’s is a fantasy trilogy but yet while reading Bitterblue I felt that Cashore connected a lot of that fantasy based on her opinions on current world affairs.

1. The first one which was quite evident from the first few pages it self was how The Council formed by Lady Katsa was trying to over throw monarchies with Kings who were corrupt and unaware of their Kingdom’s needs. Without a doubt, this one is obviously mentioning the Arab Spring. Katsa and Po are trying to over through the King of Estill because the public no longer likes him. Most of the parts in which Po and Katsa as well as other Council Members are present is spent on how to tackle that subject. During the Arab Spring, people used technology as a way of communicating with each other. The Council uses people instead  They have people, from inn keepers to the kings servants working for them to give them information on the kings themselves. I really liked the way Cashore incorporated this in her work. During the end of the book, one of the Kingdom’s had given up Monarchy and were voting and becoming a democracy. Its fantastic to think that even thought Bitterblue is a fantasy and will eventually end up being in NY Times Bestsellers list, it relates to current affairs that are going through his period. Unlike, other Young Adult novels, Cashore has more deep meaning to her work.

The most prettiest covers in a series!

 

 2. Homosexuality: Cashore expresses her opinions on this matter quite openly. In Graceling and Fire both of these topics were quite restricted  and in fact not mentioned of at all. Bitterblue opens up a lot! We have two couples and a man who confess their sexuality preferences. This is one of the things that makes it one of the most unpredictable books I have read. Cashore supports gay rights and we can see how much she values their perspective of living. I read almost everyone of her blog posts, so I do actually remember her posting about how happy she was New York legalized gay marriages. Which is how actually in the book Bitterblue too wishes to legalize homosexuality in her Kingdom too. I love the fact that she shows that all people, irrespective of positions in the Kingdom can be gay and how their rights are equally as important as ours.

3. Importance of Education: We all know that Education is important, every one knows it but that does not mean that they get it. The same situation is happening in Bitterblue, the people want to be educated but they don’t have enough support or well-educated teachers who can teach the entire Kingdom who is illiterate. A few characters outside the Palace do know how to read and a one of them is even writing a dictionary.Its marvelous how Cashore inculcates this in her book, its fantastic!

Her draft of Bitterblue, she writes by hand!

Overall:

 I have gained so much respect for Kristin Cashore because of her last book in this trilogy. Its good to know that Young Adult writers too these days add politics into their books even if it’s a fantasy. I love books in which I can relate to even thought if I’m in a separate world! This book is one hell of a ride, Mystery, Thriller, Romance, Action, Politics. It has everything I could have ever asked for. Brilliant, mind-blowing, puzzling and GENIUS! I ♥ YOU KRISTIN CASHORE! 

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Millennium Trilogy

You don’t always come across books unexpectedly. There is a lot of hype, excitement and every person you know has read or heard of it. You often come across people holding it in their hands, reading it so that the tip of their noses are brushing across those white pages or flipping through the book fervently their eyes following the text word to word. One can draw two simple conclusions:

1)      It’s crap

2)      It’s the best book man has ever set their hands/eyes on

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Harriet Vanger has been missing for over 40 years.  Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist for a magazine called, Millennium is employed to solve this mystery by Harriet’s Uncle who believes that she is still alive. Blomkvist along with the help of Lisbeth Salander, a computer genius and an anti-social 24 year old with various piercing and tattoos try solving the mystery which leads them in depth of Swedish corruption.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

Mikael Blomkvist is exposing a new article in his magazine, Millennium which connects corruption in Sweden to a sex trafficking operation. Two reporters who wrote the article were found dead before the story was published. All evidences leads to only one culprit, Lisbeth Salander.  Blomkvist is the only person who believes in Salander’s innocence but The police have already charged her of double murder.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

Lisbeth Salander is in a Swedish city hospital with a bullet in her head.  After recovering she has to prove her innocence of triple murder in front of the District Court with evidence as well as destroy the man who had come to kill her.

Life had give me so many signs for reading this book that Paulo Cohelo would call it an Omen and yet I had left this book just hanging for the longest time. Believe me, this book was on TV, radio, blogs, Youtube, libraries, goodreads, second hand book markets, twitter, normal book stores and it was even selling for $65 (paper-back version) in Dubai International Airport . It was EVERYWHERE. I had to read it sooner or later so I picked it up last year from our school library. Every single bit of it was worth it (which sucks because I could have bought it off a cheap second hand book sore and could actually own and put it in my small library!). Regrets aside, this was truly a marvelous book and as the People put it on, “Believe the hype . . . It’s gripping stuff.”

The first book, as many people say takes time to sink in. It was the same for me; the first 45 pages of the book was slow but after one of the main character Lisbeth Salander was introduced, the story took a U-Turn. Salander is one of the most original characters I have ever seen. She is a genius hacker, photographic memory, has suffered a lot, knows how to fight, covered in tattoos, wants to be left alone and is completely anti-social. Completely eccentric right? To add one more quality she has been abused her entire life. Originally, the title of the first book was "Men Who Hate Women." which I think fits in more perfectly with the theme of the book. In the entire trilogy, their are parts there are descriptive parts in which women are being abused by men. I think the fact that shocked me the most, was “Forty-six percent of the women in Sweden have been subjected to violence by a man.” We don’t really expect countries like Sweden to have gender equality problems, do we? This book contains a lot of violence and sexual content, so read if your up for it!

For those of you who don’t really know the first book, has been made into two movies:

Swedish Version:

 American Version:

Hats off to Larsson’s amazing Trilogy! 

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"Constant Vigilance"

Its been such a long time, two weeks to be precise since I have written anything. To begin with, I wish you a Happy New Year and hope that you had a enjoyable blast to boost up the rest of your year. Mine isn't going exactly according to plan. Just yesterday a lizard leaped out of my hanger and almost jumped on my hand, then while walking barefoot into the kitchen garden (I advise you not to walk barefoot) I was a few millimeters away from squishing a green-brown toad with (to highly emphasize) Bare-Feet and then just today a huge black cockroach came running after me. Yes, a lot of screaming has been deleted and edited off from this post. Since then, as Mad-Eye Moody says it I have been in "Constant Vigilance".

So, I am in the look out for bugs and insects who are willing to sabotage my day. It reminds me of that horrid song of Linkin Parks latest album 'A Thousand Suns'

"Oh when they come for me

Come for me 

I'll be gone. "

Besides that horrible tune that has been 'bugging' me since then, I have been not only been in constant vigilance for lizards and frogs but also for books.

Ilsa and the Happily Ever After: Stephaine Perkins 

Just yesterday, the great Perkins released a devastating news: Ilsa and the Happily ever after will be releasing in 2013. Disappointing. Really really upsetting. I am huge Anna and the French Kiss fan and I was really looking forward to reading Ilsa. I guess, that she has given us a really good reason why in her blog. She needs time and I do want Ilsa to be her best book considering that fact that it might have old characters such as Josh and Ilsa. I want her to know that I totally support her and hope that Anna makes to adult book shelves as well! Also, I wouldn't really mind if she releases the cover within this year, I cannot wait any longer!

City of Lost Souls Cover! 


To finish today's post I leave you with one the most anticipated YA Novels Cover, City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare. You can even read the prologue here!

To be released in May 8, 2012!

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