Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Title: Bitterblue 
Author: Kristin Cashore 
Type: Young Adult Novel
Genre: Fantasy 
Series: Yes, Sequel to Graceling and Fire 
Copyright: 2012 
Publisher: Dial Books 
Rating: 4 out of  5

Summary: From Good Reads.
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.

Feelings: 
This is the last of the books in the series that started with Graceling. Chronologically Fire comes first as it happens before the story in Graceling, but the author wrote Graceling first and Fire isn't central or important to the story of Graceling. However, Bitterblue does benefit from having read Graceling and Fire first. I personally read Fire first because I didn't know it was part of a series. I got the books in chronological order as a result but I think that as long as Bitterblue is read last, it is the only book that really has overlapping characters the reader will enjoy the experience.

This is the third book by Kristin Cashore and it is definitely the strongest of the three. Bitterblue is not a graced character nor does she have the beauty of the monsters but she is an interesting character, and I found it nice to see what it was like to be a normal human in a world with individuals who have graces. This story isn't as action packed as the other books were but I found it to be just as interesting. Bitterblue who was a child in Graceling is now a young woman of 18 and she doesn't like the way her advisers are running Monsea, the kingdom she became queen of upon her father's death.

It all began with a High Court case about the madman and the watermelons. ... Sitting at the table of the High Court, Bitterblue was a trifle annoyed with her advisers, whose job it was to decide what court cases were worth the queen's time. It seemed to her that they were always doing this, sending her to preside over the kingdom's silliest business, then whisking her back to her office the moment something juicy cropped up. (p. 11-12)

Bitterblue struggles with her advisers telling her she should not do things and can not do things until the case of the watermelons which she didn't even knew grew in her city sends her out into her city to see what it is like for herself.

She'd never seen the bridges up close. Despite her yearly tours, Bitterblue had never been on the streets of the east city; she only know the bridges from the heights of her tower, looking out at them from across the sky, not even certain they were real. Now as Bitterblue stood at the base of Winged Bridge, she ran her fingers along a seam where pieces of cold marble joined to form the gargantuan foundations. (p. 26)

She discovers the story rooms and the stories that are being told of her father and of her and the people she knows. At first she doesn't trust the stories because of her past but then she realizes she doesn't need to fear the stories she relaxes and listens. It is in the story rooms that she meets Sapphire, called Saf, and Teddy who befriend without knowing who she is.

"Teddy," said Saf, "go get the next round." "Sapphire told me you saw him steal," continued Teddy to Bitterblue, unconcerned. "You mustn't misunderstand. He only steals back that which has already been--" Now Saf's fist grabbed Teddy's collar and Teddy chocked over his words. ... "--stolen," spluttered Teddy. "Perhaps I'll go get the next round." (p.55)

Bitterblue gains some freedom and an understanding of her city that she didn't have before she meet Teddy and Saf. Through them she is able to understand her people and the struggles they are facing to deal with the past, some of them just want to forget and others want to find out the truth. Bitterblue is also seeking the truth of her father's actions and finds little help until she goes beyond the castle.  

This was in my opinion the best of the three book but it did depend on knowledge of the others. Bitterblue is a real person and she depends on others and doesn't mind doing so most of the time. She is also strong but unlike the other books she doesn't have to fight to prove herself. This was a nice ending to the series. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoyed the first two.