This was equally good and upsetting (upsetting b/c the situations in the book reflect the reality of today so well). Very well written.

“The Grace Year” has been advertised just about everywhere I look around lately, so I was super excited to read it for myself and get into the hype. Kim Liggett…you have a new fan! This book was bananas! I hate to compare it to another book that came out this year that promised to be a ‘female Lord of the Flies’ but fell flat. This one delivered big time! I was freaked out, I was intrigued! I loved the twists and surprises. Some characters could have been developed just a smidgen more. I also didn’t think the romance was necessary. It was almost just put there as a trope which, ugh! Overall, I really liked this book and will be reading more from this author in the future.

* I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Great premise and lots of twists and action! Took me long than I would like to finish it but thats my own fault for life getting in the way.

This was definitely a book I could not put down, but I was ultimately disappointed with some plot points. First, I loved the premise and the overall storyline. The first third of the book was my favorite, where there is this incredible growing tension between the girls as the grace year begins. I found myself so uncomfortable and frustrated with some of the girls, but partly because it was so realistic to how teenage girls would be in that scenario (which is the most disturbing part). I could have done without a romance in the book, but I am generally someone who doesn't love reading romances. But in this book in particular, I think the feminist themes would have been stronger had there been no romance.

This book was definitely in the vein of Attwood's The Handmaid's Tale! That is something I cannot deny. It was dark and bold in every statement.
This is definitely a book to read for those who really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale.
Recommended for lovers of dark (very dark) fairy tales that imbue contemporary themes.

What a fast-paced, well written novel! Tierney, a young teen, has known her whole life what would occur when she officially became a woman. Unfortunately, it was not the life she wanted, and she especially found twists in her expected outcome in life. Having embarked on her Grace Year, a year spent surviving poachers and other Grace Year girls, none of it was what she planned.
I found this book very challenging to put down and I hope to see more from the author in the future!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy!

I expected more from this book. The premise was intriguing and the story kept me reading long after I should have stopped for the night, but I thought the ending was flat. Questions were answered, but not enough. Or they were answered, but not clearly. Like the reader could interpret the ending however she wanted and I was too exhausted to do so. I wanted clear answers, just like all the Grace Year girls!

That being said, The Grace Year is a new twist on a dystopian story of feminism. It will strike a chord with some, just not with me.

I received an ARC of this story from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

It's extremely creepy, but unfortunately the pacing completely was off for me. There were no there chapter breaks which also was hard to get used to.

This book felt like a mash up of Mean Girls, [book:The Handmaid's Tale|38447] and [book:Lord of the Flies|7624]

Apparently in Garner County, when girls turn sixteen years old, all things go to hell in a hand-basket - well that is unless they are sent away for their <i>Grace Year</i> You see, these girls are full of magic, suddenly at sixteen years of age, a young woman suddenly has the power to lure men, make women jealous by simply coming into their magic. So before they are sent away for their one year to release their magic in the woods, the eligible bachelors choose which female he wants as a wife.(oh, and if you are married and want to become an eligible bachelor - just get rid of your wife- it's that easy). What happens to the young women not chosen to be wives? One must read to find out.

So, off these young women go into the woods to release their magic but wait...there's more. They won’t be alone in the woods. Poachers will be there. What!?! Who are the poachers???? Read to find out!

A year in the woods with those you have grown up with should be somewhat easy right? Wrong. Difficult times are ahead for this group. Who can be trusted? How will they survive a full year? Why are they beginning to act like mean girls on crack? Is their magic real? Is it all in their minds? What is the cause of their strange and threatening behaviors? Who and what are the poachers? Why does not one ever tell these young women what to expect? Who do you trust when you can't even trust yourself?

This was an entertaining read about brutality, trust, relationships, courage, bravery, love, friendship, more brutality, cruelty, banding together, being strong, standing up for each other and small rebellions. This reads like a dystopian fairy tale which checks off the boxes of having a strong female character (Tierney), a love triangle (well sort of), battles, hunting, survival, and bonding between characters. It's atmospheric and chilling at times. I found this to be a fast and engaging read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press - Wednesday Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Grace Year had one of the best narrators I’ve listened to lately, she was SO good and really brought the story to life. I’m not sure if I would’ve liked this as much if I read it in print 🤷‍♀️ The premise was fantastic, really unique and it definitely held my attention. It’s atmospheric, a little creepy and even horrifying, but not in the usual way. The end did leave me scratching my head a little, thankful for @suspensethrill and @kmc_reads for chatting with me about it, I was slightly confused 🤔🤣 but overall a solid read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣

OMG, this book. Probably my favorite of the year. Amazing.

OK, so. This is the type of book that you can’t really talk about without giving away some details. So if you’re the type of person that likes to go into books blind, I’m here to tell you that i loved this book and you have my blessing. Go read it.

Now, here we go.

This book is a dystopian novel about a rural area that has gone back to almost a pioneer type existence, with cloaks and long dresses and apothecaries. Their society is also ultra-fundamental in their religious beliefs, with women literally being bartered for during the year they turn 16 and told that they need to leave the safety of the society for a “grace year,” to get rid of their “magic” that can drive men to lust. No one is allowed to talk about what happens during the grace year, but not all girls return, and those that do are often not in one piece. Tierney is about to embark on her grace year and the book follows her as she finds out what the “magic” really is and why the girls are sent away.

This book is dark. Like, I would say even darker than “The Handmaid’s Tale,” or “The Hunger Games,” in that the author does not hold back with the details. There’s some really screwed up stuff happening in this world. But it really combines to create this picture of a patriarchal society and how they control people. Like, we often wonder how people go along with these things, and this book really answers those questions. The psychology of how these things play out is really explored in a great way that makes you just sit back and think.

And what’s really scary about this book is that unlike in the previously mentioned dystopians, there is no mention of a cataclysmic event that created this world. It’s just told that people came together and made this society to live in. So it really feels like it could happen or even be happening somewhere. The whole time I was reading this, I was thinking that it could be in some remote mountainous or forested region, tucked away from the rest of us. It’s really very haunting.

I could go on and on about this book and all the things I loved and thought about, but really, y’all need to read it for yourselves to see. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in social commentary or dystopian thrillers or psychological thrillers, or any books really.

It’s truly a masterpiece.

The Grace Year was difficult to read at times with important commentary on how men use women with moments of hope for the future. Tierney was a character who had a lot of growth, she wasn't "like the other girls" because her father raised her like a son and she thought being a wife wasn't in her future. In a world similar to the Handmaid's Tale, all of the women were submissive to the men (despite the fact that they out-numbered the men in their county), were married off to whatever man showed interest, and were sent to survive the wilderness in an attempt to burn off their terrible magic and return to town as godly women, ready to serve their husbands. Liggett's subtle observations of society made this book a true treasure that made the reader think about the "why" of society. Liggett tackled men controlling women's bodies, women competing with each other, and a whole slew of other issues. This is an addictive, sometimes gruesome, but very important read.

2.5 stars.
I'm so disappointed - this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. But I had the hardest time getting into this because I had NO backstory. How did we get here? They hint that there's places that are not like they're society.. what are they like? Why is this different? What is up with the magic? Why are their poachers? Who are they? I disliked the romance and a lot of the characters.
I see so many people are enjoying this and I can definitely see why but this was just a miss for me.

This was a unique dystopian depicting an extremely oppressing society that somehow managed to stay incredibly realistic and I became instantly invested in the story. This is a feminist story of survival and superstition that was beautifully written. A harrowing read that I would highly recommend.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an advance copy for review.

This one is a definite must read. At first I didn't think I was going to like it. It sounded a bit weird, but I was in a slump and needed to change things up a little. I'm so glad I did. After reading it I felt a little more closer to myself.

This is over 400 pages, but I would've been happy to spend more time with Tierney and this world.

The Grace Year has been compared to The Handmaid's Tale, and it's a fair comparison. Women and girls in this world are treated similarly, and it's easy to see that one of the easiest ways to conquer women is to subjugate them and punish them, make them afraid of each other.

I would really like a prequel to see how this became the norm; I'm fairly sure that it wasn't always this way. (NOTE: there's no real reason for me to think that, but I do.)

This book is unsettling but it's also amazing. I loved it and hope there are more books set in this world. Highly recommended.

After reading this synopsis of this book I was intrigued to read it. I was given in this book as an arc but that does not affect or influence this review in any way. After reading this book I have to say I was sadly disappointed that I am getting this book at 2.5 Star rating. In my opinion, the pretense of the book made little to no sense. I was honestly disappointed because I was really excited to read it. I was going to DNF this book at first but decided to give it a fair chance three times. That is how many times I had to force myself to read this book the Kindle version of this book did not have chapters the sections. This made the book feel long and drawn out. Kim Liggett wrote a nice book and many people enjoyed it I, however, am not one of those people. I was made to believe that this book was a cross between the Handmaiden’s Tale and the Hunger Games. I did not see the correlation and did not really enjoy this book.
In the Grace Year, we follow our main character Tierney through a struggle of self-discovery and sisterhood. While that is noble and I am all for sisterhood, bonding, and helping each other out that is not what happened. The story takes place in a dystopian society (which is not clear how we got to this society) where women have little to no rights. Women are closely controlled and made to serve the men in the town. In this society, women are born with magic in their blood that makes men lust after them. The magic is strongest, however, when the girl as reached the age of sixteen. For this ever year ALL the sixteen-year-old girls are given a “grace year” to dispel their magic. After the year is over the girls are expected to return to the male-driven society. Only a few girls are chosen to become a future wife. Those not chosen will either begin working in the fields, subjected to live in the outskirts or become a prostitute. Tierney, however, would rather die than become a wife and rather work in the fields. Tierney is the outcast of society because her parents let her explore her differences. She was able to dream, climb trees, and build fires.
No girl under the age of sixteen knows what the “grace year” is really about because the girls that return never talk about it. So, what happens during isolation stays in isolation. Tierney and some other girls know that during the grace year, not all the girls return home. Some girls go missing but some of their body parts may turn up. But any girl who disappears during the Grace year shames their families and that girls' sister(s) are punished. They are banished to the outskirts to live as prostitutes. However, the only exception is that if the body returns then death is ruled honorable sparing the punishment. So while the girls go into their Grace Year there are poachers that want to kill any Grace Year girl that stupidly years camp or wonders into the woods. Grace year girls skin, body parts, and blood can fetch a pretty penny on the black market. So, while the girls have to make it through a year on their own and not get killed by poachers they also have to survive each other.
Tierney tries to get the girls to understand the reason for the Grace Year. Which really has nothing to do with releasing the magic within. Tierney falls in love along the way with a poacher. Because of the girl power that happens at the end of the story is why I give this story a 2.5-star rating instead of a 1.5-star rating. Again this story is not for me because it is not clear why we are in the situation we are in especially when there is a mention that there are other societies that the people can move to. The book had the potential to be better be it fell flat. Again thanks for the opportunity to read this before its release date.

Wow. What an incredible read. I can certainly understand why this has been called a cross between Handmaid's Tale, Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies. This world that the author created was so dark and twisted. Women are treated like second class citizens, no better than cattle. And they are forced to fight each other to get rid of their magic when they turn sixteen. I absolutely loved Tierney. She was a total bad ass and I just loved her. I thought the plot was a nail biter and fast paced and I absolutely loved the glimmer of hope that we got at the end. The only thing that I didn't love was the instalove romance part of the plot. But other than that, this was a fantastic read.

The Grace Year was everything I anticipated it to be and more! It was hands down one of my favorite reads of 2019, and I am so grateful that I was given an opportunity to read an early copy of it!

I am familiar with Kim Liggett’s work, as I have read a previous book by her, Blood And Salt. Since then, I have become a fan of her writing and have been eagerly looking forward to getting my hands on more of her books.

The Grace year is a thrilling, atmospheric, nail baiting novel that hooked me from the very start and kept me on the very edge of my seat until the conclusion.

This is a dark and emotionally driven dystopian novel that weaves horror, survival, magic, and violence all together. The small community of Garner County is terrifyingly sinister, and leaves you feeling claustrophobic and with a strange, uneasy feeling the entire time that you are reading because you know that something just isn’t right within the world in which in takes place.

Its very much a feminist Hunger Games-esque novel that can also be comparable to The Handmaidens Tale and Lord of The Flies but still stands on its own and is very unique in its own right.

The main character of the story is a girl named Tierny James, who is entering her 16th year, also the year known as The Grace Year. During this period of time, all young women are released into the wild where they go to release their magic. Afterwards, if they are fortunate enough to return from the wild in which they are thrust, and able to survive everything they endure during that period, they return to bleak futures; either to become wives, or perhaps something more bleak and sinister.

This book is fiery and addicting, and raises so many questions while you reading. The main question: who can be trusted? And most importantly, can you even trust yourself?

Such an amazing, breathtakingly beautiful read, and I can’t stress enough just how much I enjoyed it! Kim Liggett is such an immensely talented writer and this is a book that you won’t want to miss out on, especially if you are a fan of dystopian novels.

The Handmaid's Tale meets Lord of the Flies, with a sprinkling of Mean Girls.

A compelling dystopia through the eyes of Tierney, a girl coming of age in a settlement which bears hallmarks of the 19th century American prarie. The community is ruled by a stern patriarchy whose brand of Christianity is centered around the wickedness of Eve and by extension all women. Strict codes of conduct are enforced to keep women "pure" and men safe: women are barred from gathering in groups and their societal roles are demarcated by group names and uniforms, a feature of certain canonical speculative fiction which author Liggett is no doubt familiar with.

Tierney has always felt ill at ease with the docile femininity expected of her. She's more comfortable playing outside with boys or learning about the natural and scientific world from her father, who treats her like the son he never had. All her mother passes down besides the expectations of womanhood are the "old languages" of flowers and Norwegian sayings. Tierney vows never to be like the grown women she knows, but her future is fast catching up with her. She is obligated to join the other girls her age in a mysterious ritual pilgrimage to "rid them of their magic" before they take their places as wives or workers. No one speaks of this "Grace Year," but everyone knows the price of not getting it right: come back pure or dead.

When the girls are left to their own devices, their teenage frenzy at the only freedom they've ever known unleashes violence among them in the only ways they've been taught to communicate: hierarchy, fear, and shared delusion. Tierney feels a responsibility to the group as the only one with knowledge of nature and survival skills, and the only one who dares to speak out against woman's lot in their society. Meanwhile, in store for her alone are many dangerous trials and difficult lessons when desperation leads her to breach the border of a wilderness of fabled monsters outside the perimeters of the known world.

Liggett's plotting is gripping, her narration cinematically evocative; little surprise it's already been optioned for a movie. Although the story is harrowing and involves significant violence and evil, there's also lushly sensual depiction of romance, coming of age, and the natural world. Magic and spirituality are experienced as an interplay between individual purpose and group destiny. Though evil takes the form of excruciatingly cruel acts, the narrative skims over these details as if they are mere dressing to the motives and battles of will that lay below. The story is most powerful when it evokes fable, and some of the core messages falter over the wiring of its extended twisty plot.

The plot is exciting, the setting beautiful, and the interpersonal dynamics hit the right universal notes of teenage life. The weakest point here is characterization, which comes off like a mishmash of tropes and at times undermines the tightness of the other elements. Tierney's "wokeness" to how women are property under patriarchy is expressed repetitively in heavy-handed redundancies which nod to a trend in media culture but don't add nuance to the discussion. The rah-rah female liberation cry splutters out of energy by the end of the book as the author races to balance the timely feminist marketability with embedding the seeds of a story franchise to hook YA girls.

The ending is hasty and unsatisfying but strategically primed for a sequel, easily one of many given how the story world is structured, and hints dropped about how societal change is inevitable but slow. Unfortunately, by the end I'm less invested because Tierney has dropped some of her key motivations without adequate replenishment of her integrity. The wobbly tension between Tierney as trailblazer for the greater good and Tierney as a girl with private desires and attachments increasingly grows muddled and slack. I'm alternately frustrated with her lack of follow through when I expect her to be bold, or her self-righteousness when I want to explore her personal feelings.