Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

When Katsa was just a girl, she killed a man with her bare hands without even trying.  As a young adult, she is now the property of King Randa who uses her to threaten and bully people in his kingdom who don’t obey him.  But Katsa has a second job, that of the Council, where she rights wrongs and helps others with her Grace, a Grace that makes her one of the most feared people in the kingdom.  On one of the Council jobs, Katsa meets Po, a Graced prince of another realm who is her match in fighting.  Soon Katsa must decide if she is going to use her Grace to continue to serve an unjust king or go her own way, leaving her friends and comrades behind.

This is a gripping story of a wildcat fighter who slowly learns to be human, friendly and warm.  Her growth is steady, slow and completely believable as she fights her internal battle to allow others near.  Katsa is an amazing heroine, who suffers no fools, enjoys physical contests and is entirely herself down to her very bones.  In turn, Po offers a supportive and understanding counterpart to Katsa’s wildness, offering her a steady figure to rely on and learn from.

The setting is well-written and fully realized as is the world building.  Cashore has created a world where things make sense, work well and offer unique difficulties for our heroine.  There is a ring of truth about the entire novel that makes it a pleasure to read.

Highly recommended for fans of Tamora Pierce’s Beka Cooper, this book offers magic, adventure and a fabulous heroine.  Appropriate for ages 14-18, due to sexual situations in the novel.