I was surprised by how much I loved this book. It was a book with two main characters that I adored each for their own strengths. This is story with so many twists and turns that it will keep you reading long past your bedtime. The first thing I loved about the book was that both sisters are strong and fierce in their own unique ways. They have their flaws but at their hearts is conviction and love for each other and their families. It was refreshing to like both main characters too. The storyline was a good one and the plot flowed nicely. The writing is straight forward, making it a quick easy read that readers will really enjoy. If you enjoyed The Selection, Hunger Games or Everless then you need to check out this book! One thing I should warn you about though, it ends on a hell of a cliff hanger and I’m already yearning for book two.

"Grace and Fury" is a YA novel that combines "The Selection" with gladiators through the stories of two sisters. In this alternate world, women are subjugated and cannot learn to read or have any independence. The penalty is death or imprisonment if caught breaking the rules. Nomi and Serina are from one of the poorer districts, and Serina sees her role as a potential Grace as the way out of poverty and future problems for her whole family. Graces are like a harem for the ruler, and every 3 years, the ruler picks 3 Graces which will stay in the palace and be taken care of for the rest of the ruler's life. This year, the new heir will choose his first 3 Graces- and one of them might end up being the mother of the future ruler.

Serina is excited to be chosen as a potential Grace, being the representative from her district. Nomi will be accompanying her as a handmaiden, but she's not really very enthusiastic about it. Serina tries to protect her as best she can, but Nomi is headstrong and unafraid of the potential consequences for her behaviors. In a twist of events, Nomi is chosen as a Grace and Serina is sent to a prison island, where women are forced to fight to the death for food and rations.

While I was intrigued by the premise, it felt very slow and I had a hard time getting into it. The first half of the book was setting up their new realities. Serina was understandable- she's compassionate and protective of her family. Nomi was selfish and a bit of a brat. Eventually, she is forced to begin to grow up a little, but it felt like she just kept getting the golden treatment despite her missteps. There is quite a bit of character growth for both of them by the end of the book.

Overall, I found it OK- I couldn't get into Nomi's story very well and I felt that it was much slower than I like. The premise is interesting, and it would be interesting to see how it develops in future books.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I literally read this in one sitting and did not want this book to end. I kept stalling and stopping myself from reading time and again just so I wouldn't finish it as quickly. Can we have the next one soon? Pretty please??

What a fantastic story with strong, inspiring, empowered and badass women. It's amazing how much Nomi and Serina - more so Serina honestly - grew as people in the span of just 100 pages.

Even though I saw that plot twist coming from 10 miles away, it was so well done and executed in the end that I did not mind it at all. I LOVED this! I loved the fact that there was a romantic interest that was honestly just a very minor supporting character in all of this and that the romance factor didn't take any focus away from the two sisters and their bond and love of one another. It was so refreshing.

Thank you for this eARC!

Grace and Fury is one of those books that I thought I was going to absolutely love from start to finish but didn't quite hit that mark. It was good, don't get me wrong. I flew through it in record time and will definitely read the sequel (there IS going to be a sequel, right?).

Set in a world that's what I imagined as cross between The Selection and The Handmaid's Tale, sisters Nomi and Serina are stuck in a world where women have zero power or rights. Their purpose in the world is to be pretty and have kids. For the first couple chapters, I was prepared to put the book aside because it felt like the pattern of the pretty girl going to the [palace] to be a [princess].

Then WHAM, it got good. 

Banghart crafts a rich story of defiance and female empowerment as she alternates between Nomi, the girl who hates the system and ends up forced into the heart of it, and Serina, the girl who made her peace with the world but learns that life could be different. Of the two, Nomi was my favorite. Serina didn't make the list after she spent half the book agreeing that women should be submissive and obedient. I know that's her character, how she's raised in this world, but I struggled to get behind that mindset and didn't warm to her until later on in the book.

That said, this book excelled at opposing viewpoints with these characters. Serina showed a strength behind her demure state and a loyalty to family that went above and beyond. Nomi represented the rebellious girl I'm used to seeing in dystopian novels but forcing her to see the women on the other side of the curtain gave her a different drive to change things.

As for the secondary characters and the antagonist, I liked them, but I didn't love them. The big twist near the end with the antagonist didn't come as much of a surprise to me. Either the author set it up perfectly so it wasn't a shock, or I guessed it early. Honestly, I'm not sure. And maybe that was the intent but I really didn't like any of the male characters. The Heir (think prince equivalent) and his younger brother are in Nomi's world so you only see them for half the story and I didn't love or hate them until closer to the end. In Serina's world of fighting women, a sport for the male guards' pleasure, it's women vs. men and that's the defined dynamic. I just. . . I knew the stakes were high for both sisters but they never really registered with me. 

And then. The cliffhanger. Because WOW, talk about ending with a bang. I thought this was a standalone but it better not be because you can't just end the story like that and not give the readers another book. The last few chapters were a bit of a blur and regardless of how I felt at the start of the book, I was hooked by the end. 

For all of y'all looking for a YA fantasy that's not your typical princess-esque tale (which I love, but nice to change things up), read Grace and Fury. And then sit and wait impatiently for a sequel!

Sister Serina and Nomi Tessaro have spent their entire lives preparing for one thing-the chance for Serina to become a Grace. In a time where women have zero rights, this is their only way to have a life outside of the factories. When Nomi catches the eye of the throne's Heir instead of Serina, their lives are turned upside down. Now, with one sister unprepared for the King's court and one on her way to an island prison, both sisters must find the strength to survive and take back their lives.
Beautifully written with strong characters, this book was an amazing page-turning ride! And that ending! So good.

This book was utterly amazing and I need the sequel right this second. I read this book in one day (around 3/4 hours) and oh my goodness, I wish I could wipe my brain and read it all over again from the start. When Hunger Games meets Shadow and Bone, you get Grace and Fury.
Two sisters, Nomi and Serina, are sent to the palace to help their odds in gaining The Heir's favor. Serina is contending to be one of The Heir's Graces, one of three women he takes to be his. Nomi is there as Serina's handmaiden. When The Heir picks Nomi instead of Serina, both girls' worlds are turned upside down. In a twist, Serina is blamed for a secret that Nomi has and is sent away for her punishment.

The story is told between two perspectives, Nomi and Serina, and how they fight to survive in their own ways. Reading about the two sisters as they struggle to find their way without the other was an incredible journey. I instantly felt connected to both girls and how deep their characters were.

There are a couple of different plot twists that are woven into this novel, some that I was expecting, and some that I wasn't. You will be left wondering who you can trust out of these characters, who is lying and who isn't.

In this story, women are second class citizens, even reading is a crime that can be punished by death. However, the men can do whatever they want. The world building was also a definite plus, I felt like everything was explained very well and the plot, although it was a fast read, was not too fast and was not slow in the least. Everything fit perfectly.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for allowing me to read this novel!

I absolutly loved that book. The only bad thing i could say about it is that i wished it would have been longer. Even as i was reading it, i was hoping this was not the king of book that will have a sequel, because i knew i would have to wait a long time before the sequel came out... and thats it... i'm going to have to wait... I loved how feminist this book is and how well they brought the subject. thank you netgalley for the oportunity to read it

Grace and Fury wasn’t what I was expecting. I enjoyed the switching of roles between the two main characters. The supposed Grace becoming a Fury (or furious) and the supposed Fury becoming a Grace. Serina and Nomi were perfect foils of each other as they tried to be strong (for each other) in their new roles because of an incident that was deemed to be illegal according to men.

I think Serina was my favorite character because she was able to adapt to a different circumstance and she did not harbor any grudge towards her sister. In fact, she cared about her sister more than herself. I didn’t like Nomi all that much and in fact, I found her to be annoying. She judges other girls for what they like and if that doesn’t suit her ideals then she judges them in a condescending way (in my opinion). She didn’t say it out loud but she thinks about it (written in first person point of view). Fortunately, both Nomi and Serine understood one another because of their new lives (and their predicament).

In this fantasy world, a woman’s role was redefined and men had more rights and privileges. There had been deception, court intrigue, and feminism ideals throughout the book. I found the story to be fast-paced, engrossing, and definitely unputdownable. The best part was that the (not fully developed) romance didn’t take over the plot. The romance wasn’t necessary but it was somewhat in the story. I’d recommend this book!



**Huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, fast read and I finished it in one evening. I love fantasy and tend to think of this style of book as “reading lite”. I had just finished an 1100 page novel and was looking for something fun and easy. For me, this is like cleansing your palette to ready yourself for the next great novel. Long novels can be great but they aren’t always fun.

The plot is interesting if not extremely original. The sisters, Nomi and Serina, are likeable. The big twist wasn’t much of a surprise but maybe it wasn’t meant to be. The writing switches from one sister’s to the other’s perspective each chapter. It flows easily and was entertaining. The only thing I really didn’t like was the lack of ending but it sets the reader up well for the next book. I realize that this seems to be a trend these days but it isn’t one I like. Still, I did like the story and I hope it stays with me long enough for the next book to come out.

If you are looking for a classic with a lot of depth and meaning - this isn’t your book. If you are looking for quick and enjoyable diversion – this is it.

This book had me hooked. You follow two strong sisters Nomi and Serina as they fight for their lives and each other. I wasn't expecting this book to be good honestly but I was blown away! This book has a lot of feminist power in it and I can't wait for the next book.

Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart is “Bitch Planet” for teens meets Red Queen. It tells the story of two sisters trying to survive in a dystopian society where women are treated as second class citizens and afforded little rights. Serina has been trained by their mother her whole life to become a Grace, a chosen woman who will stand by the heir to the throne bearing his children, as a perfect example of what a woman and mother should be. However, headstrong rebel Nomi has always questioned a woman’s place in their society and wants more from her life that what she is afforded as a woman. Unfortunately Nomi manages to accidently catch the heir’s eye instead of her sister, ushering in a recipe for disaster, and forcing Serina to the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding. The story unfolded quickly and was an easy fast paced read with a feminist undercurrent, which I enjoyed and worked nicely with the dystopian elements of the story. I think it would be a good read for teens who enjoy reading stories about the bonds between sisters, set in a dystopian society. I also liked there was a secondary plot of romance in the book between each of the main characters, but it never distracted from the main relationship and story of the two sisters. The only complaint that I have about the story is that I found the story a little slower in the first couple of chapters, but the action and plot really pick in in the last 1/3 of the book and it more than makes up for this slower start. The twist in the love interests also reminds me of the twist in the “Red Queen” series by Victoria Aveyard, but ultimately I think readers will not be too bothered by this somewhat predicable plot.

THIS. BOOK. Ahhh, I live for dramas like this. I also love the rich v poor scenarios in this family drama. I feel bad for both Serina (because she loses the life she wants) and for Nomi (forced to live a life she doesn't). I rooted for both sisters because honestly I just wanted them out of this life where they're forced to live differently than they want. I rooted for Nomi as she had to save her sister, and was blown away by the deceptive twist. I loved this book, it was beautifully written, and it's hands down one of my favorite family dramas I've read to date.

Ultimately I really liked this YA novel about contrasts and options in a fantasy/alternate world where women are less than second class citizens. But at the beginning I found it tough going. It took me several chapters to get into the story so if you stick with it I think you will beginning to like it. The ending is abrupt and I was sad for it to end like it did but I understand why and am hoping to see more with these two sisters and their sisterhood of other women. #netgalley #graceandfury

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley for my honest opinion. I read simply to be entertained and entertained I was! This really is a 5 star book. I loved the twists and the relationship between the sisters. I understood the relationships with the brothers and why each was important to the story. I did not realize I was reading a sequel and when I got to the end I thought What?? Thats all? The trouble with sequels is even tho the story was excellent it had a big cliff hanger and I hate waiting a year. Sometimes a year is a long time to wait and I lose interest because something equally good comes along. If you don't mind the wait...do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It is a great story and the writing is really good.

I really loved the premise to this book! I felt that the characters were string and I thoroughly enjoyed the world that the author built up! There were multiple twists and turns that kept me guessing all the way up to the end! This was great as it reminded almost of a dystopian Pretty Little Liars meets Three Dark Crowns. This book was very well done and i immensely enjoyed every page of it!

I was worried when I started this book. The blurb seemed to promise the militant overblown feminism that is currently all the rage. But it was that and it wasn't that.

Violent and brutal yes, but not without its softer moments and heroics. I am likely not explaining this right, but I found the characters to be likable and layered enough to put across their message in an acceptable (to me) way.

Also, really well written and I am already dying for the sequel.