Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.
When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away... a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. From Goodreads

This is a re-read, I think I must have read it shortly after it was released in 2009 so there was I lot I didn't remember. The reason I decided to read this again is that Bitterblue the third book in the series is now available and I just couldn't remember enough from this book. I enjoyed it and I like the opposites in Katsa's  world. As a graced killer she works for her uncle the king and does horrible things but on the other hand she has set up a council and through this she helps people. Prince Po convinces her that she does not have to do the king's work so she goes on a mission with him instead. I am looking forward to Bitterblue that I will read at some point this summer.

This book qualifies for: 
100 books in a year Reading Challenge 2012, 
Goodreads 2012 Reading Challenge, 
2012 Ebook Challenge,
A-Z  Book Challenge 2012,
Scavenger Hunt 2012 Reading Challenge