Graceling

This is a YA novel with an aspec protagonist (my best guess is she'd say demi if that language were available) who ends up in a relationship with someone who meets her on her terms rather than demanding she meet his. It's nice to see an aspec character whose aro/ace nature isn't overwritten or ignored in order to give her a relationship, how she is is part of how they are together.

It's about loneliness, abuse, and healing, including abuse to children and animals, so please be aware that those are major themes in the book. 

The world building is solid, with enough detail to make later revelations feel important. The explanations feel natural, occurring as something happens or Katsa thinks of some detail. This makes it feel like the world is slowly being revealed even though early on it's not new to the protagonist. I like Po, he had …

One silly thing is the map. So this plays on a landmass of unknown size, a west-facing peninsula or subcontintent, like Anatolia or Iberia. On it are five similarly sized countries in a rough quincunx shape. One in the north, one in the east, one in the south, one in the west and one in the middle. The one in the north is called Nander, the one in the east Estill, in the south Sunder, in the west Wester and the one in the middle Middluns. Ugh. That is about the least bad about the map. Where are all the ports? The cities on the river? Why isn’t there a small, coastal mountain range where the river flow away from the coast?


Another thing is one i really can’t stand: Katniss, sorry Katsa, our Heroine, has the “gift” or capital-G …