about the book
When she became ruler, Queen Bitterblue of Monsea was only a child. Until she grew up, her advisers made the important decisions for her, but now that she is eighteen, Bitterblue is certain they have been hiding things. They have been handling the story of her father, King Leck, poorly, disguising his legacy of evil wherever they can.
Bitterblue thinks her father’s “Grace,” or power, of mind-control is still at work in the advisers. So, she decides, she has to get away from them, away from their distractions and the paperwork they throw at her. She disguises herself and sneaks out at night to see the city for what it really is and how it is really suffering after the horrible things her father did as king.
One night she meets two thieves, Saf and Toby, who are more than just common robbers—they are “truthseekers,” people who know the old stories of King Leck are being covered up, all the wrongs committed in his name are being hidden, and they want to know why. Joining with the truthseekers, Bitterblue, still in disguise, comes under attack from whoever wants the truthseekers dead. Returning to her palace she is attacked again, and realizes someone knows her secret….
It appears not even a queen is safe from the truth.
about the author
Kristin Cashore grew up in Pennsylvania in a decrepit farm house surrounded by all the good stuff—cows and barns, beautiful views from rolling hills, two parents, three sisters, cats, and lots of books.
After Kristin graduated from Williams College, she became a compulsive mover, living in New York City, Boston, Cambridge, Austin, Italy, and London. In 2004 she graduated with a master’s degree from Simmons in children’s literature and traded moving for writing.
Writing is a dream job—she shops for her work clothes in the pajama section of the store! She writes every day, in longhand, sitting in an arm chair. Some days she writes for two hours, some for twelve hours. She claims distractions are part of the creative process and she never forces herself to write.
Each book begins with a conversation between characters. Characters, relationships, and feeling always come first. She starts asking questions about the characters and the story develops. The plot comes as the story unfolds. Kristin transcribes her hand-written text into a word document using voice recognition and edits…and worries and edits…and worries and edits…and worries!
Fiercely independent, Kristin is a bit of a hermit, a recovering Catholic, and a giant word geek! She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she has been taking trapeze lessons!
Sources:
Author website
Author interview: Helen Lowe
Also by Kristin Cashore:
Fire (Graceling, Book 2). Dial. 2012.
Graceling (Graceling, Book 1). Harcourt. 2008.
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