Closer to 4.5 stars. 
 In the land of the seven kingdoms, some people are born with a Grace. Known by their different colored eyes, these Gracelings have their Grace manifest in certain ways. Katsa's Grace seems to make her the perfect killer. I liked this premise, and it kinda felt like a medieval X-Men, but without the school, heh. 
 Having a female character that exhibits depth and grows over the course of the story is great, but Graceling takes it a step better and makes Katsa kick extreme ass. There's some love interest action, but it's not gag-worthy, which matters to me. You'll find humor, suspense, and some tender parts too. 
 All in all it's well written and was a joy to read. The ending ties everything up nicely, and I'll be reading the second one soon.