Graceling Summary

Lady Katsa, niece to King Randa of the Middluns, has an interesting skill: she's Graced with the ability to kill anyone, anytime, anywhere, with swords, daggers, knives, or just her bare hands. Yes, she's that good. As the book opens, however, we find that she's interested in using her unparalleled skills to rescue people rather than kill them.

With the help of some trusted colleagues, Oll and Giddon, Katsa rescues an old man (Prince Tealiff of the Lienid kingdom) from the dungeons of Sunder, a kingdom under the rule of King Murgon.

• FYI: There are seven kingdoms in Katsa's corner of the world ruled by seven different kings, only one or two of whom seem to be trustworthy. And Katsa's uncle, King Randa? He's not one of the good ones. Turns out he's been using Katsa as a mercenary since she was a wee lass, ever since her Grace was discovered at age eight.
• FYI, Part II: Not everyone in the seven kingdoms is Graced. Being a Graceling is actually quite rare, and people who are Graced in some way (anything from being an amazing swimmer, fighter, mind reader, or chef to just having a super good sense of sight or smell) have dichromatic eyes. Katsa, for instance, has one green eye and one blue.
• Also good to know: If Gracelings have skills that could be useful to a king, such as, oh, being able to seriously injure or kill anyone who disobeys a king's order, they are given over to the king's service by their parents.
• Okay. That's enough IFY (Information For You). Back to the summary.

After drugging all of the guards in Murgon's dungeons (because Katsa refuses to kill unless it's absolutely necessary), Katsa continues to clear the way through the courtyard so Oll and Giddon can carry an unconscious Prince Tealiff to safety. But while putting the rest of the guards out of commission (again—with sleeping pills, not death), Katsa encounters a Lienid man who doesn't fall easily, and she recognizes that he is Graced with fighting. They size each other up, and he seems like a worthy opponent. Then Katsa knocks him out and drugs him, too.

Back at Randa's castle, Katsa brings Prince Tealiff (still unconscious) to her cousin, Prince Raffin (King Randa's son), who is a wiz with herbs and medicines. They keep Tealiff hidden away in a secret chamber, and no one—save the members of Katsa's Council, a secret group she organized to help protect and serve the seven kingdoms (since none of the kings are doing a very good job of it)—knows he's there.

When the Graced Lienid fighter that Katsa encountered in Murgon's courtyard shows up, she quickly learns two things: (1) that he is the grandson of Prince Tealiff, and (2) that he's a good guy. The Council is curious as to why Prince Tealiff was kidnapped in the first place, and eventually, after a bit of trouble in King Randa's court, Katsa removes herself from Randa's service and leaves with the Lienid fighter, Po, to try to figure out what in the seven kingdoms is going on.

Together, Katsa and Po are a formidable team, and over time they become more than allies, if you know what we mean (nudge, nudge, say no more). Eventually they discover that the plans for Prince Tealiff's kidnapping originated in Monsea, the kingdom of King Leck, who is rumored to be kind and merciful and is known as a particular friend to children and animals. But it turns out that these rumors… are lies. And King Leck, instead of being a model of compassion, has a rather sinister secret.

Once Katsa and Po sense the truth of what's going on, they rush in to rescue Leck's daughter, Bitterblue, who is in grave danger. Complications ensue when Katsa, who's never had trouble taking anyone down, finds that she can't function in King Leck's presence. Somehow, Po and Katsa manage to get away with Bitterblue in tow, but when Po is injured in an attempt on Leck's life, they are forced to split up so that Katsa can get Bitterblue to safety before her father and his legion of spooky soldiers find her.

There are a few more twists and turns along the way, but eventually Katsa guides Bitterblue through an impassable mountain pass, meets Po's family—who she also rescues from Leck (pretty much everyone needs to be rescued from Leck—he's that bad), gets Bitterblue installed as the new queen of Monsea, and reunites with Po, who she will absolutely, positively never marry, but with whom she just may live happily ever after.