I do believe that Kristin Cashore has improved as a writer. When I read Graceling I was rather disgusted. I mean, really? Katsa could easily have been one of the blandest characters, I'd read about that year. Her idea of feminism as being a girl who tried in all possible ways to be exactly like a man, to the point of losing all grasp of femininity at all, is something that I don't agree with. I see it as equality. Woman and Man are equal and by being a women who is trying to be more like a man... it seems to me that it's just another example of 'manliness' being somehow better. And, uh, that's really not what I'm supposed to be talking about. I'm not talking about Graceling. 
 Anyway, I really liked this book. I found that I was able to appreciate it more (still things I don't agree with, but ah well.) Bitterblue was a really great character! Her struggle in trying to clear her mind from the fog that is still there, even after years have passed since Leck's death, was extremely well written. Her almost pathetic, but realistic and painful attempts to keep Katsa, Po, and Saf closer to her filled me with grief. She tried so desperately to hold on to those she loved and missed, and yet also tried to hold onto her kingdom. Her quest to set things in Monsea to right was admirable and I flew through the pages. 
 This was one of those books that you have mixed feelings about as the pages zoom by. You want to get to the end, but you also want to not get to the end, but stay in the world a bit longer yet. I had to slow myself down and truly relish how real Monsea felt to me. I wanted to stay there with Bitterblue after the book had finished (what kind of ending was that anyway? That would be the one thing I didn't like about the book.) 
 The characters and the plot and the setting were all just so well done. Thiel was well drawn, Saf was lovable and irritating by turns, Teddy was endearing, Raff was great (as always,) and so was Po, Hava, and the myriad of supporting characters. This is one book that I would like to own so that I could go back and reread it every once and awhile. It was good.