I believe I was supposed to read Fire before reading this one, but oh well. Didn't really seem to make much difference. 
 Kristen Cashore has a talent for captivating me with her prose. I find it effortless and wonderful, and I really appreciate the humor that pops up. And having loved Graceling and placing it up there as one of my favorite books, I had high expectations for Bitterblue. And for most of the book, I was prepared to clap and sing praises for it and give it five stars plus. Alas, Bitterblue suffered from a lagging midsection. It is not a terrible affliction, as I still eagerly turned pages, but it felt liked everything slowed down at a point about halfway through, and then instead of climbing back upward to an exciting climax, it was more of a gentle uphill journey. 
 Don't get me wrong, I still found it thoroughly enjoyable. The characters are so well fleshed out, and she has a knack for keeping relationships between people suspenseful (sometimes painfully so). I think the plot itself could have used a little oomph. 
 And there were some secrets revealed that made me cringe and feel for certain characters. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of Fire now. Overall, I found the book to have a well thought out world and history, with three-dimensional and beautifully flawed characters... a great companion book to Graceling. 
 Oh, and yes, there is Katsa and Po in this one, two of my favorite characters ever. If anything, Bitterblue has inspired me to reread Graceling :)