Lady Katsa - The protagonist. Katsa's Grace is initially thought to be killing, as she reflexively killed a cousin who touched her inappropriately when she was eight. Her uncle, King Randa, realized if she mastered her Grace she could be of great use to him. He began using her to torture and kill all those who displeased or crossed him, leading Katsa to garner a fearful reputation among all seven kingdoms. Towards the end of the novel, she and Po realize that her Grace is not killing, but survival. Katsa has fair skin, dark hair that she prefers to keep short, one green eye and one blue.
Prince Po - The youngest of the seven princes of Lienid, and the son of King Ror. Po is Graced with perception: he can sense any feelings, thoughts or intentions a person has towards him, as well as everything's position in relation to himself, which is useful, as he became blind after falling off a horse. When his mother and grandfather discovered his Grace, they feared people would want to use him for it or distrust him, so they taught him to pass it off as a fighting Grace. His full name is Greening Grandemalion, but his gold and silver eyes earned him the nickname "Po" (after the gold and silver leaves of the Lienid Po tree).
King Leck - The former King of Monsea and the primary antagonist of the book. Although he is renowned for his kindness towards small animals and children, he is actually a sadist who enjoys torturing and experimenting on people and animals alike. This has not come to light due to his powerful Grace: to control and influence people with his words. He married Ashen, King Ror's sister, and had a daughter with her, Bitterblue. His Grace stopped working on Ashen when she realized he planned to hurt Bitterblue, leading both wife and daughter to lock themselves in their quarters and eventually escape. He pursued the two, killing Ashen when he finally caught up with her, and scouring the forest for Bitterblue. He covers one of his eyes with an eyepatch, which he claims is due to an injury he suffered at a young age. This has the added benefit of hiding the fact that he's a Graceling. He is killed by Katsa when he tries to reveal the truth of Po's Grace.
Bitterblue - She is the 10-year-old daughter of King Leck and the Princess of Monsea. Leck's Grace stopped working on her when she saw him hit her mother. Over the course of the book she grows close to Katsa and Po, forming a sibling-like relationship with them. She is the main protagonist in the sequel, Bitterblue .
King Randa - King of the Middluns and Katsa's uncle. Like most kings in the Seven Kingdoms, he is far from being a fair or just ruler (although never evil enough that the Council seriously contemplates assassinating him). When he realized Katsa had a Grace that could be useful to him, he began commanding her to kill, maim and torture anyone who defied or displeased him, scolding her if she didn't inflict the exact punishment he'd ordered and verbally abusing her into obedience.
Prince Raffin - The Prince of the Middluns and Katsa's cousin. He enjoys working on medicines and cures, a fascination he shares with his assistant and lover, Bann. He secretly works for the Council. Which most of them do.
Bann - Prince Raffin's assistant. It's implied that the two are lovers, which is confirmed in Bitterblue .
Lord Giddon - One of Randa's underlords, and a member of the Council. He is in love with Katsa, something which everyone apart from Katsa herself seems to have realized. Because of this, he is extremely jealous of Po.
Lord Oll - Randa's captain and spymaster. He secretly works as a member of the Council. He's the one that helped Katsa learn how to control her Grace.
Captain Faun - Ship captain and tradeswoman
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