Graphic Novel Adaptation of Graceling | Graphic Novel Review

【 GRACELING 】

A beautiful rendering of the world in the Graceling Realm books.

Genre: Fantasty, Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Author: Kristin Cashore
Illustrator: Gareth Hinds
Published: November 2021
Publisher: Etch/Clarion Books
Pages: 272 (hardback)

Quick thoughts
This was absolutely stunning! I’m a long-time fan of Graceling and have been itching to revisit the story lately – and this beautiful graphic novel edition was just the ticket. The visualization of the story was just how I imagined it (with Po being just as delectable as we all imagined!) I hope more of my old favourites get turned into graphic novels like this – perhaps the rest of this series for a start!

A good adaptation?
This was really well done considering how much of the story we all love and know has been chopped down to make it graphic-novel appropriate. I was a little nervous that key things might be missed out or that I would feel things were lacking, but that wasn’t the case at all.

This was fun and a glorious way to revisit the world. I loved the representation of Katsa in particular – she wasn’t sexualised in any way, shape or form. She was simply Katsa, which made me trust the work of the illustrator all the more.

I love the adventure of this story, I love the quest that Katsa and Po go on. There’s something especially fun about the whole thing and the way that the two of them learn to be at peace with themselves and their identities through the friendship they form.

Final thoughts
I don’t think I can express enough how wonderful this story is. There’s a reason this book has remained a firm favourite of mine for such a long time. There’s a timeless quality to the story that scratches the itch for a book filled with cool skills and epic adventures, all moving towards a good cause.

Grab a copy!