Book Review: Seasparrow by Kristin Cashore

Seasparrow is the fifth book in the Graceling series written by Kristin Cashore. It was released on November 1st, 2022, and is the longest book in the series, at 624 pages. This story follows a new protagonist, Hava, who sails across the sea with her sister and a group of experienced sailors. This book is a well-written fiction/fantasy book that is arguably the best in the Graceling series.

Hava, the protagonist, is a character who made her first appearance in the series’ third book, Bitterblue and has been established as a closely-guarded character who has been taught to hide her entire life. It’s different, seeing inside the character’s mind and how she thinks about the world around her. Unlike the rest of the series, this book is told in first-person. While the rest of the series focuses a lot on the politics of this very complex world, this book seems to dive deeper into Hava’s personal experiences and what it is like inside her mind.

This book is so full of people keeping secrets that, at some points in the story, it feels almost as if Hava cannot trust anybody and has to live off her wits just like she did as a child. Her relationships and interactions with each character change from person to person. It’s interesting to see how differently she acts around the characters she likes versus the ones she doesn’t, and it just goes to show how great this writing is. Sometimes, it feels as though Hava can be two different people. While she is secretive and untrusting, she can also be curious and friendly. One thing that was especially interesting in the book is Hava’s relationship with her sister, the queen of Monsea, which is such a beautifully constructed relationship between two young women who have both gone through the same pain and whose lives sometimes feel like they mirror one another.

Reading the book takes a while since the book is somewhat long, but it is definitely worth it, as it’s written very well and has a really interesting plot and character development.