Title:	Kristin Cashore
Author:	Kristin Cashore
Category:	Fantasy / Science Fiction
Rating:
Date Reviewed:	September 13, 2035

easparrow is the fifth novel in the Graceling series, and it is quite the tome - it checks in at 605 pages in the hardcover edition. Despite the length, I read the book in a few days (it is good to be retired!). Seasparrow is told in a first person narrative by Hava, the sister of Bitterblue, who is queen of Monsea. Bitterblue and her retinue are sailing back to Monsea from the kingdom of Winterkeep with astonishing information: zilphium, which is mined primarily in the home country of Monsea, can be used to make powerful explosives. In world where the level of technology is sailing ships, swords and knights, having explosive weapons would give any country an invincible army. After the events of book 4, Winterkeep, Bitterblue and the Monseas now possess the secret formulas that explain how to convert zilphium into explosives. (The reader should begin this series at the beginning, in order to understand the magic powers bestowed on Gracelings, the politics of the kingdoms, and the complicated history of Bitterblue and Hava.)

Bitterblue and her entourage set sail on the royal ship The Monsea. It is winter when they set forth, and their route has them crossing northern seas, but Captain Annet is an experienced captain with a good crew, and Annet assures Hava that while there is always some peril, their journey will mostly likely end in success. Hava worries a lot, her background of trauma makes her anxious and suspicious by nature. Also, Hava has a Graceling ability - she can make herself unnoticeable - not exactly invisible, but Hava can appear to be an ordinary inanimate object that other people will ignore when they look about. This magic gift has allowed Hava to act as a royal spy for her sister Bitterblue. There ought to be a smooth sailing, but Hava's suspicious nature detects something suspicious in the behavior of one of the crew members. She uses her abilities to uncover a secret that makes it seem not everyone on board is loyal to the Monsea crown.

I didn't like Hava a whole lot. Yes, she is a survivor of trauma. Yes her emotional outbursts are understandable given her background. But I found it tiresome when Hava repeatedly gets upset that Queen Bitterblue does not tell her about her relationship with Giddon, I couldn't help but wonder why Hava felt that Bitterblue owed her any information at all about her personal life. Bitterblue is described as being infinitely patient with her half-sister, but I am not so saintly. Hava also has a super-patient admirer in her fellow sailor Linny, who tolerates Hava's rants and behavior no matter how many times she treats him badly (the mystery of Linny's background is never made clear - who was the lord who taught Linny all those skills even though he was not his father?) I hope there are additional Graceling novels, but I hope they don't feature Hava.