Me in 2013: This sure is rad! I could go for more of this, but the villain doesn't seem like a big deal! Me now: Oh, God I GET it now. 2016-2020 has taught me how precarious truth is and how ultimately devious gaslighting is. Also I love how Katsa and Po's graces compliment each other, it's really fitting, but OH GOD LECK IS THE WORST.

Maybe if you're 21 and naive like I was, and lived under a rock the past 4 years, you won't appreciate how powerful an ability to gaslight is.

I don't think you'll feel that way if you read Graceling now. It will scream "too real" as you remember the reporters talking about being gaslit by 45 regarding things they personally witnessed.

While I look forward to Winterkeep, the 4th book in the series coming out next year, I'm imagining I will see Fire and Bitterblue much in a similar light now.

I won't say politics in the US "ruined" the book, because I should have appreciated Graceling properly in the first place. I just hate that it took me this long to fully appreciate this book.

I have one problem with the book (with Cashore talks about with recent printings) where someone becomes disabled, but their Grace means the disability is effectively meaningless. I don't think we were having that discussion in 2008, but we should have been.

Anyway read Kristin Cashore