The New York Times Book Review
Cashore is a master of mystery, suspense and revelation, and among the many gratifications of Bitterblue is its slow, astonishing unwinding of the truth. In fact, there are so many twists and turns, secret identities and subtle details that my second reading was even more absorbing than the first…Some authors can tell a good story; some can write well. Cashore is one of the rare novelists who do both. Thrillingly imagined and beautifully executed, Bitterblue stands as a splendid contribution in a long literary tradition.
—Gretchen Rubin
From the Publisher
Praise for Bitterblue
A New York Times bestseller
YALSA, Best Fiction for Young Adults
ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults
A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
The Bulletin Best Books of the Year
A BCCB Blue Ribbon Title
A New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Book of the Year
"Some authors can tell a good story; some can write well. Cashore is one of the rare novelists who do both. Thrillingly imagined and beautifully executed, Bitterblue stands as a splendid contribution in a long literarly tradition." —The New York Times Book Review
* "Brilliantly detailed and brimming with vibrant and dynamic characters." —SLJ, starred review
* “A story that transcends the genre with its emotional and philosophical weight.” —BCCB, starred review
* “Devastating and heartbreaking.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* “Fans of . . .intricate political fantasies will relish this novel of palace intrigue.”— Publishers Weekly, starred review
“An exceptional book: heartbreaking, deep, and beautiful.”—wandsandworlds.com
BCCB (starred review)
A story that transcends the genre with its emotional and philosophical weight.
Kirkus Reviews
Building on the plots and themes of the award-winning Graceling (2008) and its companion Fire (2009), this rich and poignant fantasy grapples with the messy aftermath of destroying an evil overlord. Nine years after Bitterblue took the crown, the young queen and her realm are still struggling to come to terms with the monstrous legacy of her father, the insane, mind-controlling Leck. How can she "look forward," as her advisors urge, when she cannot trust her memories of the past? Sneaking out of her castle, Bitterblue discovers that her people have not healed as much as she has been told. While "truthseekers" are determined to restore what Leck destroyed, others are willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden. Gorgeous, textured prose is filled with images of strange beauty and restrained horror. It propels an intricate narrative dense with subplots and rich in characters familiar and new. Weaving them together are all the lies: conspiracies and ciphers, fakes and false testimony, spies and thieves, disguises and deceptions, mazes and puzzles. They are lies spun from greed, shame, strategy, fear, duty--even kindness. And it is Bitterblue who, trapped in this net of deceit, must draw upon all her courage, cleverness and ferocious compassion to reveal the truth--and to care for those it shatters. Devastating and heartbreaking, this will be a disappointment for readers looking for a conventional happy ending. But those willing to take the risk will--like Bitterblue--achieve something even more precious: a hopeful beginning. (Fantasy. 14 & up)
