Graceling

Gr 9 Up–Throughout the Seven Kingdoms, individuals with two different colored eyes are Graced with unique talents. Blue- and green-eyed Katsa, King Randa’s niece, is Graced with fighting abilities, so the king uses her as a thug, but Katsa has started a Secret Council where she and others work for justice. When Prince Po, a silver- and gold-eyed Graceling from Lienid, comes to Randa’s court to find his kidnapped grandfather, he inspires Katsa to leave Randa’s service and discover the reason for the kidnapping—and the truth behind King Leck of Monsea’s reputation for kindness. Hinds’s graphic novel retelling is faithful to Cashore’s original story, honoring her world-building, characters, plot, dialogue, and description; his art brings the highly visual tale to life, from dramatic fight sequences and beautiful landscapes to details like a blush on Katsa’s cheeks and ice on her eyelashes. The Gracelings’ heterochromia is visually striking. Katsa and most Middluns people are white; Po and the Lienids have brown skin. As the characters change locations, Randa’s castle’s secret passageways and maps of the seven kingdoms are woven naturally into the story, helping readers follow the action.