DNF around 30%
This is one of those rares "it's not you, it's me" moments.

I saw how much everyone loved this one and I wanted to give it a try. It really did seem the type of book I'd love. However, I just can't physically stomach it. It is by no means a graphic novel in its description but the insinuation is ever-present and I just felt physically ill when the Betsy thing happened. It seemed to all click into place.

I also want to mention that this isn't structured by chapters. There are 5 parts dividing the book, but within each part, it is a continuous narrative, and I personally didn't care for it. I also felt some scenes or transitions happened too quickly or never at all. It's just an odd writing choice, one I wouldn't pick.

So, I am disappointed in myself since I was anticipating this release, and I feel ridiculous by my reaction. That being said, I think that, if the summary intrigues you if you read other reviews (most are raving about it), and you enjoy horror/thriller, READ IT! I really believe this is just an abnormal issue of my own.

DNF at 35%.

I really wanted to like this, but I guess it's just not for me.

I can't bring myself to continue any further. So far I've found the story incredibly slow moving, a third of the way in and nothing has really happened. I don't feel anything for any of the characters, and particularly don't like the MC.

I saw the only twist so far coming a mile off, and was annoyed that the MC didn't.

I think the premise is interesting and sounded original, but in practice I'm finding it a bit samey and not unique or captivating enough to make me read on.

It's very rare that I give up on a book like this, but I don't have time to keep reading when I'm not enjoying it right now.

I hope that other people will give it a chance and get more from it than I have.

Thank you NetGalley for this book in exchange for a honest review.

Loved this book! The story flows the characters are fascinating and I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.

I can see why this one is being compared to The Hunger Games.

It has also been compared to some other dystopian novels, but I have only read The Hunger Games. There is a wilderness/ fight for your life/ being hunted aspect that is quite terrifying.

This one is YA and focuses on sixteen-year old girls who are banished into the wild to be purified. Insanity, yes.

The world-building is vicious and the worst of human nature comes into play - betrayal, envy, cruel intentions and brutal chaos.

I had a hard time with the darkness of the plot and the characters seemed too artificial for me to connect to any of them.

I do think many will find this more of a page turner than I did. I little over the top for me and slow moving in places. I just never felt invested.

Many others have glowing reviews, so I'd say give it a try if you enjoy the darker dystopian themes.

I should stay away from anything that is or might be considered YA. I just cannot connect with the characters whatsoever. I believe that is why I did not care for this. It also felt like it wanted to be another Handmaid's Tale, and I am definitely over that! Flat characters and absolutely bizarre plot.

It's 12:30am and I'm not sure I actually have the words to articulate how I feel about this book. Despite how tough it can be to read at times, I haven't been so enthralled by a book in quite some time. I almost didn't want it to end, because it meant I would leave Tierney behind. Since I've finished it, I am as haunted by The Grace Year as I am made hopeful by Tierney and her bravery. I am amazed at her capacity to love and show compassion under perilous circumstances. I cried with her, I wanted to fight alongside her. I may never be able to write a proper review about how this book made me feel. The Grace Year feels like one of those books that will stick with you long after you've read the last page, but one you probably don't revisit because you don't want to relive the horrors of the encampment, the threats of the outskirts, or the complete loss of autonomy at such a young age. In times such as these, I think we could use a few more Tierneys in the world. I'm glad to have her here, and I'm glad that other people will read her story.

This book is described as a cross between Handsmaid Tale and Lord of the Flies. This is an accurate statement. A sense of horror crept over me as I read about the oppression of women in this dystopian setting. Even in their oppression, the women submitted and channeled whatever feelings they had about it to hate the other women. The entire female population is deemed worthless and manipulative with their “magic.” Women must be silent, and never say what’s on their minds. Pretty messed up. That being said, I was not a huge fan, and did not finish the book.

I think this book had one of the most satisfying endings I’ve read this year and, yes, there may have been tears.

In this The Handsmaid’s Tale meets The HungerGames meets Lord of the Flies dystopian, the world is one in which women are nothing more than wombs to bear children.

At the age of 16, it is believed that girls acquire magical powers in which they can bewitch a man, so they are sent away for one year, the grace year, to burn their magic out. Only then can they come back as wives, to bear and raise children for their husbands.

What happens beyond the borders of their county during the grace year, stays beyond the borders of their county.

I read this book in one day. I couldn’t put it down for more than a few minutes at a time. It was haunting, disturbing, and at times, beautiful.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy!*

I could not wait to read this book and man, it did not disappoint!! This novel totally lived up to the hype - I could not put it down. It was suspenseful, addressed crucial, timely issues, and wrapped it all up in a beautifully written package. So good - would definitely recommend.

DNF @ 9%

I kept reading, expecting to get some sort of detail about what happened during the Grace Year to make it such a monumental thing, but so little had happened by this point that I felt no draw or pull to keep pushing myself forward. The pacing and characterization were minimal, and the lead-up to exploring the plot felt slow for slow's sake as it wasn't written to entice, but instead for the sake of keeping you on the hook (and not in the good sense). For such a striking blurb and beautiful cover, I expected more oomph, stronger worldbuilding, better characterizations, and more of a payoff to the draw, and unfortunately I didn't get any of that. I'm sure many others will love it, but I didn't have time to keep sticking it out hoping for something to happen to move things forward.

For Tierney and the other girls in Garner County, their sixteenth year is when they are banished from the county. Their grace year. In the county, women have magic, and the girls are sent away to rid themselves of it. While away, they could supposedly be nabbed by poachers any chance they get, who sell their parts on the black market. Many don't return home, or if they do, they are missing body parts (ugh, I know). Tierney has always wanted a different life. Not an arranged marriage, nor a world where women are inferior to men. But she realizes as the grace year nears, her fellow girls may pose the greatest threat of all.

"No one speaks of the grace year. It's forbidden."

I really liked the premise of this book. I'm sure you've heard all the comparisons by now. This is "The Handmaid's Tale" plus "Lord of the Flies." Throw a little "Hunger Games" in. Sold, right? The idea that society sends girls away at sixteen to rid themselves of their "magic"--it sounds really cool. A society that fears women and takes away their status, yet relies on their parts (literally) as medicine. Yes. So much of this book is really amazing. I highlighted so many powerful lines.

But, I don't know, guys... I am still wrapping my brain around this one. I just couldn't get into it. I never wanted to pick it up--I should have cared deeply for Trinity, and I did. Sometimes. Part of the reason I had problems going back to the book was because it stressed me out. These girls were mean. Sometimes I was confused. We were thrown into the story without any backstory--what time period, why they think women have magic, why medicine consists of body parts, who are the poachers, what are the outskirts, why is the original language flowers, etc. I guess that adds to the mystique, but I don't like reading when I can't figure anything out.

"But not all of us will make it home... not in one piece."

It seemed like this was going to be a power anthem. The girls rise against society. Or maybe just Trinity escapes and the outskirts rise against society. Someone should be revolting, right? And yes, Trinity definitely had her awesome moments. But it also seemed like there were lots of moments that involved rescue--by men. There's also a really convenient insta-romance in here. Everything just seemed a little jumbled and crazy for my taste. There's some amazing, underlining worthy lines and then some that just make you cringe a bit.

So, overall, I'm not totally sold, though there's potential here. I rate based on my enjoyment, so this is a 3-star read for me. But it's getting lots of rave reviews from others, so don't let my review necessarily hold you back.

"After all, it's just a flower. And I'm only a girl."

This has got to be one of the hardest reviews that I have ever written. This story was a blend of The Hunger Games, Crucible, and The Handmaids's Tale. I really wasn't sure what I was going to be reading in this one. I knew it was some kind of dystopian story where girls had no say in anything. But other than that I knew nothing. What I found was this beautiful story about a girl who was so much stronger than she thought she was.

The cover does not do this book the justice that this book needs. This has got to be the 5th or 6th cover that I just didn't care for this month. Anyway don't let the cover turn you away as this is a must read title!! The story opens with the girls getting ready to see if they are going to get a veil and get married. Then its off to a ceremony called the Grace Year where they are lead out of town to an island where they have to survive for a year alone. I really liked where the author decided to start this journey as it allowed the reader to fall for Tierney early on. We also received some much needed information about this world. Without it feeling like info dumping.

The writing in this one was very straight forward and easy to follow. The only issue I had with the descriptions were when the girls got to the encampment. I would really like to see what this place looked like. Because, with the author's descriptions it was very confusing to me. But that was it. The rest of the pacing and writing was wonderful. One other thing to note is that this book doesn't have chapters. It's split up by section of the seasons that the girls are going through, then returning home.

The characters in this one were spectacular! I loved Tierney, she was so strong and didn't take anyones crap! She grew so much over the course of the story and learned so much about herself. I don't really want to call this book a coming of age title because its more a finding yourself and changing your world title. But these girls in the Grace Year learned so much about themselves.

The storyline/plot was dark and scary and so so beautiful! It will make you have all the feels you can have in this one from shock, love, sadness, and just utterly falling in love with the world that Liggett has created. I can say without a doubt that this book killed me. It ripped out my heart only to shove it back in to rip it back out. When you goto read this one make sure to have tissues on hand. Because, when you get to that twist of an ending you will be crying.

Overall, this was one story and journey I will not be forgetting about soon. I would love to see a follow up to this one continuing the story. As I would love to see how this world changed after a few years.


This book in six words: Never fear to change your world!
Favorite Quotes:

Please note these are from an ARC.

"Because in this moment, oh how I long to be full of dangerous magic."

"How do you say goodbye to your childhood?"

"That's how they think of us....we're nothing more than in season mates for breeding."

"After all, it's just a flower. And I'm only a girl."

"And I wonder if this is the magic taking over. Is this how it starts-the slip of the tongue? A loss of respect? Was this how I become a monster the men whisper of?"

"But I won't be a broken bird. Not anymore."

"They can call it magic. I can call it madness. But one thing is certain. There is no grace here."

"I told you, I have no magic." "Once again, I reach for the gauzy fabric." "You're wrong." he says, folding my outstretched fingers back into my sweaty palm." "You have more than you know."

"We may be without powers, but we are not powerless."

THE GRACE YEAR
BY KIM LIGGETT

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett has been compared to, "The Handmaid's Tale," and "Lord of the Flies" and "The Hunger Games." While this book can certainly nod to those three nook"s and films it is totally it's own original story. It is based in a setting called Garner County which the novel describes it being somewhere near the Great lakes in the United states. This book has received a lot of hype on Good Tead's and has been optioned for a film and a chilling horror story for Halloween.

Each year when the girls turn sixteen years old they are gathered in the town and some of them are given a veil and a flower and chosen for marriage if they survive their Grace year out in the woods to burn off their magic. Some will survive and some will not.

Tierney James is one of the main characters whose goodness is juxtaposed against Kiersten who is the mean girl who divides the camp and tries to destroy Tierney. I liked the writing style when describing various flowers color and what each flower meant. I also liked the description of nature of the woods. The book doesn't have chapters and is divided by New England's four seasons which are Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring.

Although this book is marketed as horror it does contain some scenes of horrific things, it didn't scare me one bit. I was expecting to be breathless while reading and I didn't experience being on the edge of my seat The book is sort of an examination of how men are superior and how women can turn on each other for jealousy, group or pack mentality, which ones are popular and which ones are scapegoats.

As I said, Kim Liggett is talented in describing the nuances of a patriarchal society, in this case the men are afraid that if the girls don't burn off their magic during their Grace year in the wilderness. Tierney discovers what is the cause of the girls mania and tries to get the girls to see why they believe they have special powers.

This novel has over 400 pages and I thought that it was too long and that I am too old to appreciate this message that the author was trying to convey. Each female has a certain color ribbon braided into their hair until they have dispensed of their magic and then they can release their braids and let their long hair cascade down. The ribbons are white, red and black.

While this novel has been described by some of the reviewers as their favorite book this year while a minority of reviewers have not agreed that this book is a masterpiece that has gotten all of the hype. It is an original idea but is not a favorite of mine. I am still thinking about it and don't think that I will soon forget it so I guess that that says something positive about the themes and the writing does contain some beautiful passages. I think that I would rate it a 3.5 star read. I would have rated it higher if it wasn't so long.

Thank you to Net Galley and Kim Liggett and St. Martin's for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

“They call us the weaker sex. It’s pounded into us every Sunday in church, how everything’s Eve’s fault for not expelling her magic when she had the chance, but I still can’t understand why the girls don’t get a say. Sure, there are secret arrangements, whispers in the dark, but why must the boys get to decide everything? As far as I can tell, we all have hearts. We all have brains. There are only a few differences I can see, and most men seem to think with that part anyway.”

Kim Liggett starts The Grace Year strong summarizing what a grace year is. It's supposed to be a time where young girls at the age of sixteen will release their magic into the wild in order to stop luring men from their beds, to stop making boys go mad, and to stop wives being driven with jealousy.

Tierney James is one of 33 girls who will leave for a grace year. As part of a promise of marriage, a boy will lift a veil of a girl of his choosing on Veiling Day. This year there are only 12 boys. However, Tierney doesn't want to get married. Those who are not paired up with a boy will live a life of hard work in a labor house. The girls must survive a year within the forest fending and foraging for themselves. After being purified, they can live a life as a wife who bears many children and takes care of her husband or to be a laborer in the mills, fields, etc.

Tierney is shocked but mostly furious when she can't set her life on her own terms. Tierney becomes the wild card. Besides not being able to live a life she wants, Tierney is stuck with mean-spirited and controlling Kiersten along with the other girls for a year. Kiersten rules with fear and the girls listen to her a la The Crucible. The madness spreads like crazy. However, Tierney is one of the girls who fights back. Tierney's decision for not giving into Kiersten's whim sparks a beginning of a rebellion. Women are pitting against each other in a catfight while trying to stay away from the poachers. It's the survival of the fittest.

Liggett's YA dystopian novel may be a break from her normal thrillers and horror novels but The Grace Year is poignant and thought-provoking. Her writing is gritty yet harrowing. There are hints regarding her love for horror sneakingly woven into the novel. The inklings of blood from the punishment tree to the madness the girls endure remind me of Liggett's previous books. After all she is the YA horror queen!

The novel does have some gruesome scenes that may not be for the faint of heart. Also, there is a teenage pregnancy present. Innocence is the color white during the childhood of a girl. Blood is the color red during the survival of a grace year. Death is the color black to the binding marriage that a woman endures. These colors are depicted in the hair ribbons in the females' hair.

If you are looking for a dystopian thriller that fuses classics with more contemporary novels, The Grace Year is for you. I agree with many other readers that The Grace Year is one part The Handmaid’s Tale, one part The Crucible, one part The Hunger Games, and one part Lord of the Flies. The Grace Year will become a new classic that will be read and liked by many generations to come.

The Grace Year
By: Kim Ligget
I began reading this book knowing that it was being advertised as a mix of the Handmaid Take and Lord of the flies but I also found myself reminded of the Salem witch trials, without the trials. Tierney lives in a society where women are not only viewed as property but are not allowed to congregate together or even hum because it is believed that they have powers that put the men in danger. When young women are 16 they are considered most dangerous because they are coming into their power and are sent out to live in the wild for a year, their grace year, to burn their magic away and come back to be docile wives. And those who were not chosen as wives are sent to work in the fields, if they even come back. This group of girls not only have to survive a year alone in an encampment hunted by poachers for their body parts, but also survive each other’s anger and wrath.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though at times the execution of the story was not well presented. For example, a span of days or weeks will pass in one paragraph and I often found myself rereading some passages to make sure I didn’t miss anything, but other than that this was a great read. I was hooked on page one and all the way to the end. There is a lot of character development, the main character grows and learns a lot throughout her grace year. I fully recommend this book to everyone who enjoys dystopian novels, they will not be disappointed. “My eyes are wide open, and I see everything now”.

I found myself tensing up while reading this and gritting my teeth. I loathe the idea of societies like this which is why this is compulsory readable. Tierney’s intentions were always for the greater common good and that is admirable. Kiersten is sadly a very recognizable girl who really has a magic over people just by being a bully. This will make a fantastic companion to other required reading in the traditional high school canon and generate copious amounts of discussion.

This book was very interesting and really surprised me on several occasions. I went into it expecting a standard YA book but this was much darker and bucked a lot of the standard conventions (and refreshingly felt far less like a set up for a trilogy).

I think the comparisons to Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games are accurate, and if you're interested in a book like that, you're going to really enjoy this. While the romance isn't as strong as The Hunger Games, I found the treatment of the love Tierney experiences to be very refreshing for a YA book.

The world building was particularly strong in the way that it was contained to this small group of people, thus making the set up of this culture (and how their ways have continued) feel more reasonable. Even the ending felt measured and true to the way the entire book was handled.

What would I change? Well, I don't know how I would have fixed it, but I felt that a lot of the side characters were easily forgotten. In a story following a large group of girls, I'm sure I would have complained if they only mentioned five of them the entire time, but the way girls names were briefly mentioned and then forgotten left me not feeling for their later actions or their deaths.

Overall, I would (and already have) strongly recommend this to anyone interested in the concept. Whether you're interested in the depiction of women in dystopian fiction or just young adult literature in general, you'll find this book hard to put down.

Kim Liggett just gets better and better with every book—and I’ve read most of them! I simply adored the eerily dystopian cult setting of this twisty, haunting read. The plot is so, so clever and remarkably fresh, but it’s the relationships and the power of female comradery that made this a story that’s lingered with me long after turning the final page. I highly recommend The Grace Year!

4.5 stars

Warning: if you have anything else to do, DO NOT pick this book up. Seriously, I had a hard time putting it down once I picked it up. It just kind of grabbed me by the throat and would not let go. Part of it was that there were no real stopping places - the book is divided into seasons, but there aren't any chapters within those seasons - but mostly it was just because I was completely into the story and needed to know what was going to happen next.

And once the last page was finished, I still found myself thinking about it.

Disclaimer: I received an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a very quick read, helped by the fact that there would be time jumps across scenes that covered months at a time. The premise was also intriguing. Why do they think women have magic? When and where was this settlement founded and why do they have the values that they do? Unfortunately, those questions aren't answered. The main character was, at times, seemingly purposely obtuse. She is on the cusp of her grace year, which is when the women are banished to the woods to "burn out" their magic. She seemingly has no prospects for a husband, nor does she want one, except that she really does have a prospect for a husband. The male in question practically knocked her on her forehead to tell her that he was going to ask for her. There is a "rebellion" among the women that was pretty obvious from the start of the story, but the MC was completely ignorant about.

The pace of the story picks up once they start the grace year and like I said before, months pass with the flip of just a couple of pages. This was fine with me, because I wasn't really interested in seeing months and months on end in the wilderness. The reason for the females descending into madness during the grace year was interesting and I think, pretty well done. Really, my main issues with this book are the main character and how frustrating she was. I wanted to take her shoulders and shake her and yell that things were right in front of her face. The other drawback is the lack of a backstory. The society that the MC lives in is the way it is, just because. We're never really given much history and I was really interested in that.

As far as comparing it to the Handmaid's Tale, I do agree. I think this book had the same vibe and a similar premise.