Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore. Seven Kingdom series

I was in desperate need for a new book to read and discovered this author after doing a search on NoveList to find a similar author to Garth Nix (whom I also recommend as a good author). Only two of the trilogy have been published, Graceling and Fire. I read Graceling first.
I was instantly entranced and captured by the novel. The story follows the journey of Katsa, a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme and often feared skilled. Her ability is to kill. As the niece of the king, she is fortunately not shunned away like other Gracelings, but is forced to use her power to persuade his enemies. Along her journey, she teams up with a young fighter, Po, to save their land from corrupt king and discover a secret that could change their world forever. Dum dum dum!!!
Katsa is quite a powerful character whose strength, honour and power make her a very captivating heroine.
Similarly, Fire is also a very impressive character. Like her father, Fire is the last of the human monsters. Her beauty is irresistible, especially to the men around her. She has also been given the ability to control the minds of those around her, which she uses cautiously. She has been summoned by the King to use her abilities to help against those that appose him. Will she throw caution to the wind and obey?
I’m not one for romantic fiction, finding it’s gets in the way of a good story. But, I didn’t mind the hint romance within each of these novels. Its subtle presence did not impede on the story line.
Although both books were written within the same kingdom, they can be read out of order, which I had inadvertently done. I would highly recommend these books to anyone wanting to read a fantasy novel in which the main character is not male, but a strong woman who can surpass anyone of the opposite sex. Looking forward to the final novel.
Amy