Seasparrow (Graceling Realm Series #5)

by Kristin Cashore

Overview

Make the harrowing journey home with Queen Bitterblue's sister and spy, in the fifth novel in the bestselling Graceling Realm series.
Hava sails across the sea toward Monsea with her sister, the royal entourage, and the world’s only copies of the formulas for the zilfium weapon she saved at the end of Winterkeep. During the crossing, Hava makes an unexpected discovery about one of the ship’s crew, but before she can unravel the mystery, storms drive their ship off course, wrecking them in the ice far north of the Royal Continent. The survivors must endure a harrowing trek across the ice to make it back to Monsea. And while Queen Bitterblue grapples with how to carry the responsibility of a weapon that will change the world, Hava has a few more mysteries to solve—and a decision to make about who she wants to be in the new world Bitterblue will build.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984816672
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	11/01/2022
Series:	Graceling Realm Series
Pages:	624
Sales rank:	7,609
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 5.60(h) x 1.90(d)
Lexile:	HL740L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Kristin Cashore grew up in northeast Pennsylvania and earned her master's degree from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College. She lives in the Boston area. Her epic fantasy novels set in the Graceling Realm—Graceling, Fire, Bitterblue, and Winterkeep—are all New York Times bestsellers and have won many awards.

Read an Excerpt

1.
If you could eavesdrop without anyone knowing—if you could turn yourself into a barrel, or a coil of lines, or a clump of canvas on deck where two people are standing together, whispering secrets to each other—are you sure you wouldn’t?
Eavesdrop. I wonder where that word comes from. Did people used to climb into the eaves of a house and snoop on conversations? Then drop? Then what? Yell “Surprise!” and watch people jump and throw their papers around?

That would be funny. I’ve never done that.

I asked Giddon his opinion, but he had no ideas about eavesdrop. He said he’s fond of the wordsnowdrop, and he’s right; it’s a good word. It snows almost every day now here at sea, so it’s nice to imagine white petals drifting down onto my face. But it doesn’t help me witheavesdrop.

He said it aloud, “Snowdrop,” as we stood on the foredeck of the Monsea, where the plunge of the prow into each wave is more extreme than anywhere else on the ship. I like it there on the foredeck. It feels like exciting things are going to happen.

Then he said, “Foxglove, that’s a nice word too. Moonflower,” he added, staring across the gray water like he was having a revelation. Giddon is big and tall and handsome in a noble sort of way, with a neat dark beard and pale skin like mine, and he has a fire inside him that he reserves for Bitterblue. I could see him mentally picking a bouquet for her. “Larkspur,” he said, so I said, “Skunk cabbage,” because I was getting tired of Giddon.

“Skunk cabbage?” he said, turning a look of indignation upon me. “Of course not.”

“Impatiens,” I said significantly, but he wandered down to the main deck with a dreamy expression on his face, and I wished, as I’ve wished many times, that Giddon and Bitterblue, who’s the Queen of Monsea and secretly my half sister, would confess their newfound romantic relationship to me. I’m not stupid. I’m a spy. It’s my job to figure things out. And she’s my family, even if hardly anyone knows that. They should tell me.

I’ll ask Teddy about eavesdrop when we get home. Teddy’s part of Bitterblue’s Ministry of Education. He’s clever with words, cleverer than Giddon. My mother once told me, in a moment of lucidity, to keep a list of cherished qualities I would like in a friend. I never have. It’s not like people line up for me to choose from, with their qualities listed on their chests. But if I did keep a list, maybe “Clever with Words” would be on it.

Not that Giddon lacks good qualities. He would tear off the head of anyone who hurt my sister.

I used to jump out and surprise my mother, actually, now that I consider it. I would hide myself from her, then make myself visible suddenly. Reach for her, arms outstretched, laughing. One time, when I did that, she screamed in such terror that the king, my father, came running. So I hid quickly, and never did that again. It wasn’t safe to startle my mother. Too often, she wasn’t in her strong mind.

Anyway, my point is, I don’t have to climb into the eaves to eavesdrop.

I can stand right in front of you, plain as plain, do a trick on your brain, and you see something else. It’s my Grace. Are you in a room now? Look around. I could be right there and your eyes slide over me and see a coat on a hook instead, or a potted tree that you would realize is vaguely person-­shaped if you only looked harder, but you won’t. Is there some part of the room that’s especially boring to you, some corner you don’t seem to want to focus on? That could be me. It’s not your fault. I’m discouraging your attention, and changing what you think you see.

Anyway, it was just an example. I wouldn’t do it as a trick. In fact, I’m not supposed to do it at all, not without Bitterblue’s permission, and only on official queen’s business. Of course, seeing as I’m a spy, one could argue that I’m always on official queen’s business. It’s my job to keep her safe. I do that by hiding and snooping. By not trusting people. And by having adventures; I’ve sailed to the other side of the world and crossed the sky in a flying machine. I’ve talked to silbercows in the sea and pulled a pin that made a bomb explode. I’ve stolen formulas for weapons that will make my sister powerful. I’ve been to Winterkeep, and now we’re going home again.

Editorial Reviews

"I may be biased, as Cashore has been my self-proclaimed favorite author for over a decade, but this book quite literally made me sob at my desk at one moment, so longtime (and newer-to-the-series) fans will be extremely thrilled."—BuzzFeed 

"Seasparrow is a cathartic story, one that allows its heroine to understand how much she’s been through and how much she needs....I hope there’s more Hava yet to come."—Molly Templeton for Tor.com

"Cashore never shies away from showing the charming mundanities of the everyday and the brutal realities of the harshness of wilderness and emotions as well as exploring how enduring trauma shapes a person and a kingdom.... A harrowing, rewarding tale of survival."—Kirkus Reviews

"Cashore's Graceling books have hit bestseller lists and kept readers fascinated for almost 15 years. This fifth installment promises the same."—Booklist Reviews

From the Publisher

12/01/2022

Gr 9 Up—Hava's Grace lets her disappear in plain sight, making her the perfect spy for Queen Bitterblue, her secret half-sister. Bitterblue learned the truth about zilfium in Winterkeep, and now travels home with zilfium weapon plans where Hava must play a part. Hava's insatiable curiosity and ever-listening ears discover a mystery aboard the royal ship Monsea, but before she can get to the bottom of it they're blown off course. Shipwrecked and stranded on the ice in the far north, Hava uncovers a number of other questions as court and crew begin their long, treacherous walk back to Monsea. After a childhood spent in hiding, Hava's journey forces her to reckon with who she is and how she wishes to be seen by the world. Cashore's writing and character arcs are exceptional as always, but Hava's juvenile narration strikes an odd tone for such a dark series, and her musings often lead nowhere, making this story harder to follow than its predecessors. While they're marketed as companion novels, the series from Bitterblue onward really does need to be read in order to understand what's at stake. There is some racial diversity among the cast, with Bitterblue being biracial. VERDICT Cashore never misses the bestsellers lists. That said, this harrowing adventure is probably best for libraries where the rest of the series already has readers.—Emmy Neal

School Library Journal

2022-08-31
Weeks after the events of Winterkeep (2021), Queen Bitterblue and her companions are traveling home to Monsea by ship.

Hava, Bitterblue’s half sister, uses her Grace—she’s able to change how people perceive her—to work as a spy. She’s also translating previously obtained weapon plans. Left mostly to her own devices, Hava thrives onboard, mentored in the ways of the sea by a kind captain. But when tragedy strikes and they are shipwrecked, the crew members are forced to rely on each other in an unforgiving landscape littered with icebergs. Prickly, curious, and furious, Hava is a singular hero, charting their grueling way home with humor and anguish. Embedded in her first-person narration, the journey is also internal, as Hava reckons with how a childhood spent hiding (both through her Grace and from her feelings) has shaped her and how she relates to and understands creatures around her, human and animal alike. Within her fantasy world, Cashore never shies away from showing the charming mundanities of the everyday and the brutal realities of the harshness of wilderness and emotions as well as exploring how enduring trauma shapes a person and a kingdom. While the story feels overlong, the chance to spend time inside Hava’s head as she learns who she is and what she desires is ultimately a worthy experience. Hava reads White; the supporting cast is cued racially diverse.

A harrowing, rewarding tale of survival. (map, author’s note, ship diagram, cast of characters) (Fantasy. 14-adult)

Kirkus Reviews