The Grace Year by Kim Liggett is a novel that will leave you thinking long after you have finished the story. Set in an unknown time and place that seems reminiscent of the 1800s, women are believed to have magical/witch type powers over the men. At the age of 16, the girls are forced as a group to go into the woods for a whole year in order to burn off their allure before they are married. The Grace Year is something no one talks about but one thing is for certain the girls come back changed if they even come back at all.
Tierney is an inquisitive young girl about to come upon her Grace Year. She wants to know more about what she must expect but she knows she cannot ask about it. Another thing Tierney cannot talk about is the young girl that she keeps dreaming about because dreams are also seen as dangerous. Seeing this girl gives Tierney hope about surviving through her Grace Year. Tierney also uses the survival skills that she was taught to her by her father in order to navigate the treacherous world during her Grace Year.
The Grace Year was a story that filled me with a bunch of anxiety for Tierney and how her journey would go. I was entirely enraptured with her story and I didn't want to stop reading. There are things that happen that will not surprise you (mainly the horrible ways that women are treated and how the girls treat each other when no one is around) but there were plenty of surprises too. In this world where woman are mainly treated as property by their husbands, the ending leaves us full of heartbreak and hope. It is so easy to imagine that this cruel world could be a reality and as much as I would like to see a sequel, I can just as easily imagine what could happen next.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett couldn't come out during a better year. With all the things happening regarding women's rights this book is very eerie. In this story, women are pretty much property and our main character, Tierney, feels like marriage is a fate worse than death. So when her Grace Year comes up she is more than happy to work the fields instead of being wed. But her best friend betrays her trust and now her entire Grace Year might be in jeopardy. She has a target on her back all because of a future she didn't ask for.

Tierney is the middle daughter, the wild child, living in a world where women are property and feared to have magic so they are sent away for their 16th year in order to get rid of their magic. But none of the girls know what to expect for their Grace Years because the previous girls aren't allowed to talk about it. Tierney is ready to get her Grace Year over so she can come home and start working in the fields but her plans are thrown out when her best friend lifts her veil during the Grace Year ceremony, pledging to marry her when she comes back.

Thirty-three girls are sent to rid themselves of their "magic", but thirty-three girls will not be coming back. I had no idea what to expect at this part of the book but the author took this book through some amazing twists and turns. I was following everything on the edge of my seat, devouring page after page without putting the book down. I haven't read a book with this much excitement and commitment in a very long time.

The girls are taught to fear the Poachers, a group of people who cut the girls up and sell their body parts to be used as aphrodisiacs. These Poachers are the reason it is believed that all the girls don't come back but there is something much more sinister at play. The minute the girls are alone, Tierney tries to get them to work together but another girl comes into her "magic" early and other girls side with her. This book shows how twisted the relationships between girls can become and how things aren't always how they appear to be.

In the end, I could not believe the amazing, beautiful and savage story I just consumed. I was watching Dragonball Super with my husband when I finished the story and I slowly sat my Kindle down and just groaned. My husband laughed because he knew that meant the book ended when I wasn't ready. RYKER!!!!

Overall, I gave the book 5/5 stars. AMAZING!

It's hard to compile my feelings on The Grace Year into something coherent and understandable. I loved this book so much. It was in your face, brutal, and feminist as heck. I was so happy to see strong female characters in a book. Tierney was incredible, the writing was so engaging and really drew me into the book, and I just...I loved this so much.

Fascinating parallels to Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." When school resumes, I will be book talking this.

It's smart; conventional enough of a plot that it's easy to sink right into the story, but unique enough that it didn't feel like another paint-by-number "dystopian".

One of the best books I’ve read in 2019. In fact I liked it so much I went back and listen to the audio this year. I thought this was so well done and so thought-provoking. We did a buddy read for this on Instagram and had such amazing discussions. The powerful message for women to lift one another up rather than tear one another down was so well depicted in the story.

I'm trying to remember why I didn't give this a 5 stars because at this moment I feel like my biggest disappointment is that there is no sequel.
This book was so unique! A dystopian that doesn't have chosen one persay. Is centered around women. That has all types of women. This reminds me of The Handmaids Tale, even though I know they are quite different, it just has similar themes in a sense.
I don't even know how to review this without gushing about it/spoiling it!

Girls every year are sent away to like an island of sorts on their 16th year of life to expel their "powers" before they come back home to marry the men that CHOOSE them. No one ever talks about the Grace Year or what happens so these teenage girls go in blind not knowing what to expect.
It is one of a kind & a must read! i need to own this book soon!

It’s not an accident that some of the most affecting stories of 2019 deal with female anger and empowerment in a world that both scoffs at their pain and devalues their contributions to the world around them. Just…look around and you’ll see why.

Kim Liggett’s The Grace Year is a dystopian tale in the vein of The Power and The Handmaid’s Tale, but one that has a slightly more hopeful and activist ending than either of those two stories. It not only acknowledges the terrible nature of world these young women find themselves in, it empowers them to come together and change their fates.

(It’s that last bit I think we all really need to hear right now, just saying.)

In the world of Garner County, women are not to be trusted. They’re allowed to aspire to little beyond a life of marriage and childbirth, and if they aren’t chosen for such by a man, they’re sent to the fields and workhouses for the rest of their lives. You see, in this world, women supposedly harbor a dangerous form of magic within their very beings, one which allows them to manipulate, seduce and otherwise control men.

Therefore, when they turn sixteen, all girls are all sent off on what is known as a “grace year,” a trial of survival on a nearby island that will supposedly cleanse them and burn through their magic allowing them to return home, marry and live productive lives. No one speaks of the Grace Year, but the women who come back afterward – and note, not all of them come back – are different. Tired, scarred, tattered and changed in ways that are difficult to understand.

The Grace Year follows the story of Tierney, a smart, outdoorsy girl with little interest in becoming a wife on the eve of her Grace Year. By a trick of luck, she ends up receiving a Veil – the sign that she’ll be married when she returns, should she survive, and a twist that puts her immediately at odds with one of the most popular and influential girls in her year.

But when Tierney, along with thirty-two other girls head off into the forest together to face the unknown, each sporting a red ribbon to symbolize her state of sin, the story takes a dark and disturbing turn. Because these girls face threats from all fronts – the rough conditions of their isolated compound; the constant threat of poachers lurking in the woods, all eager to steal body parts from grace year girls; and each other.

Because as their time away continues, the grace year girls begin to turn on one another, condoning and committing horrible acts against one another in the name of power, magic, and popularity.

The novel is a non-stop read – I’m pretty sure I finished it in just over a day – full of surprising twists, horrifying moments and heartbreak. The girls, as different as they all are and as terrible as their situation is, are all relatable in their own way – even the worst of them, we understand why they behave the way they do.

It’s hard to talk about a lot of this story without giving away spoilers, but suffice it to say that even the smallest choices can change the world, and rebellions can take root with the tiniest of sparks. The Grace Year is not just an incredibly well-told tale, but an incredibly timely one, dropping as it does now, when we all need the reminder about what change really looks like.

Because as Tierney and the other girls face what the grace year really means – about themselves and the world they live in, they’ll have choices to make. About the people they are now, and the women they want to become. And no, the terrible world of Garner County won’t collapse or change overnight during the course of this story. Those things don’t happen in the real world, or this fictional one either.

But this is still a hopeful tale in the end – one that reminds us that no matter how bleak our circumstances, we have the ability to make positive changes, if only we reach out to each other.

This was a super entertaining dystopian story which is explained well in the blurb. It was a fast paced plot and felt a bit Lord of the Flies. I liked the main character a lot and I think that the overall message of women needing to work together is an important one. I don't want to get in to politics and social issues in my review, but I do think that sometimes we women are our own worst enemies. That's the underlying message here in my opinion.

While the main characters are teenagers this can be equally enjoyed by adults. I liked this a lot and will definitely read more by this author.

**ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Wow. The Grace Year was incredible. From the beginning until the very end, it was hard to put this book down. And I'll be honest, that ending had me all in my feelings.

I do not want to give anything away, but please read this book!

Absolutely loved this book! So much that I reached out to the author to ask if she was planning on writing another book about what happens after. Amazingly captivating book that you will just devour and once you finish you will be itching for more.

This was definitely not what I expected- it was better! By that I mean, when I started reading The Grace Year, I wasn't really impressed. In fact, I wasn't really impressed until about halfway through, and suddenly it pulled me right in. The entire concept was just horrifying enough to intrigue, and was done in such a way that it felt scarily real. All in all, I'm glad I stuck with this one despite being unsure for the first bit!

DNF at 60%

oh oh I don’t know how I feel about this book! It may have been me so I may give it another try.

I’m was liking it, especially the premise and then... puff ! I would let me down!

I was liking the characters and then... WTH are they doing??? WHY ARE THEY DOING THAT? they didn’t seem consistent AT ALL!

I was also liking where the story SEEMED to be going but... it never seemed to get there! I would draaaaaaag and then... puff! It would let me down TOO! WTH is happening?? WHY IS THAT HAPPENING ???

I was getting SO irritated!!! As I said, maybe it is me. I may give it another try.

This dystopian ya novel was great. It kept me engrossed and turning the page, anxious to see what happens. I did feel a little disjointed, like Inwould have preferred to have some more information about the village, why they were convinced the magic was so dangerous, etc. but I enjoyed what was given and particularly liked some of the revelations that came. Women(Girls) pitted against each other is hard to take for me when i feel like we should all be helping each other at every chance, but I understand that was part of the story, maybe to illustrate how awful it is.

This book was amazing. It was the dystopian, feminist story that I never knew I needed. I purchased a finished copy for myself and one for a friend. I absolutely loved the themes and action points of the plot.

This book was riveting from the very beginning. A dystopian fiction similar to The Handmaid’s Tale where women are banished during their 16th year, the Grace Year. This is a part YA teenage drama-filled story of survival, but horrific at times so great for adults too. I felt it was a bit slow in the middle, which is the only reason I gave it 4-stars. I enjoyed it and I’m hoping for a sequel!

This book was one of the most exciting dystopian novels to read. It really reminded me of the Hunger Games. It was a very brutal and emotional rollercoaster that had me unable to put it down!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a quick read: A Young Adult dystopian novel. It’s been compared to “Handmaid’s Tale”, and “Lord of The Flies”, and “The Hunger Games”.

Don't let the pink cover fool you, it's a thrilling book. My first read from this author, I'd recommend it.

Let me start by saying if I had to rate this book on the first half of it, it would only get 2 stars. Thankfully though the last half of the book redeemed it. The Grace Year is honestly like the tallest roller coaster—you spend what feels like forever going so slow up this extremely tall hill and just when you think you can’t go any slower, you reach the top and come pummeling down with mind blowing speed. Once things start happening in this book, it’s hard to keep up with everything that’s revealed because there is just so much. I really feel Kim Liggett did an exceptional job with the pacing of the book to reflect the experience you would have as a grace year girl.
I enjoyed the parts of the story that came to light and this is the first book in a long time that I’ve actually pulled quotes from.
This one earned a well deserved 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 from me.

An interesting take on “dystopian” novels. If Handmaids Tale & Hunger Games had a summer camp, it might be similar to this?? Parts might be a little too much to be considered YA, but too young for adults?