OH MY GOD. This book was absolutely amazing. It took my breath away and it left me with tears in my eyes.
Heartbreaking and so emotional "The Grace Year" is a must read.
From the very beginning I was hooked. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what will happen next.
Every time I opened the book I was transferred into this dystopian world ruled from men and women didn't have a say at nothing and yet they hold so much power...or a magic?
I found myself holding my breath at so many parts. My heart felt emotions so strong for all those girls who had to brace their destiny. For Tierney who was so brave through out her jorney..
Gosh that book was brilliant. I have never read this genre before but now it becomes one of my favorite. The writer's words touched my soul. She did a great job with this book and I really hope they make it into a movie.
I will always remember THE GRACE YEAR. I highly recommend it and I think everyone should read it. It teach us some great lessons.
Thank you so much Net Galley and the publisher for my copy.

This book is getting a lot of hype; and the hype is well deserved. It’s definitely a mix between The Handmaid’s Tale and Lord of the Flies, and it’s just brilliant. The writing was gripping and poetic, and all the characters were fleshed out. The plot was also just so intense, and there were a few twists I did not see coming. And the ending was perfection. I’ve read some great books recently, and The Grace Year is definitely near the top. 5/5 stars and a new favorite!

This book only has five chapters which is something that would normally freak me out and make the book feel never-ending. This book, however, skipped along and made me stay up LATE to the point where I had to wake up in four hours because I couldn’t stop reading. At first, the book was creepy and mean, my head broke for the people living in that horrible world. But once things became clearer, and the book moved along, I was happy to see the glimpses of kindness and hope especially for the women in the society. The book was not at all what I expected which was a pleasant surprise. Overall, I loved the writing style and everything else about this unique novel and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Grace Year is already receiving a lot of buzz. Touted as a mix between The Handmaid's Tale, Lord of the Flies, and The Hunger Games, it was quickly snatched up by Universal and Elizabeth Banks to be made into a film. I didn't even read all of the synopsis before I hit request on Netgalley. But even if I'd read all the way to the end of the synopsis, it wouldn't have helped much. The synopsis barely scratches the surface, which I'm sure is the intention. And while it does have threads of those three great novels previously mentioned woven throughout, it also has some problematic issues that I found hard to ignore.

The first half of this one was slow for me, and I felt confused for most of that half. We jump right into the story, but without much explanation as to why things are the way they are in this town. And ambiguity can be good in a story, when it's done correctly, like in the aforementioned, The Handmaid's Tale. But here, there are already too many other mysterious issues piled on top.

There is a character introduced about halfway through that I actually think is a well-rounded and engaging character, but by the end, only seems to serve one purpose, which makes me sad. Unless there's a sequel and something changes. Which is always entirely possible--especially with the ending the way it is. (Which I still haven't decided if I love or hate.) Like I said, too much ambiguity for me.

But let me talk about the pros: The writing is superb, and I highlighted many beautiful lines. I love how flowers and their meanings are woven throughout, even becoming clues at times. And I love how the main character consistently embodies strength and bravery.

If it's done well--and maybe some plot points are tweaked--The Grace Year may make a better film than a book. Which is very rare.

This book was pretty slow in the beginning and the pacing of the book is really hard to follow. BUT if I look past those two issues, this book is intriguing as all get out. It's definitely disturbing, but still a very compelling read. The Grace Year is very much a dystopian book where women solely exist in their society with either the role of child, child-bearing wife, or working in a field. It centers around Tierney and her Grace Year, the year when all the sixteen year old females go off to live in a camp to "burn off" the magic that they are born with so that when they return to their town they are ready to wed and they can't bewitch the men in their lives.

Tierney James is living in a world that believes girls and women possess a magic that will drive men to do anything. When girls are sixteen years old they are forced to go live in the woods for a year on their own to release this magic and become ready for marriage. They call this the grace year and it's shrouded in mystery.

This book has echoes of other stories - the Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games,and Lord of the Flies. It wants to be a story about feminism, but doesn't quite get there. Tierney is a loner who refuses to engage with the other girls in her grace year. She instead spends her time with her father learning skills usually only boys are taught. Her best friend is Michael, son of the head of council. She shuns her sisters, mother, and other girls basically. Then she must spend a year with all girls in the woods.

This had great promise, but for me, the characters were just not well developed. It also felt like I was missing parts of the story. I think part of the problem was formatting the in the ARC I was reading. There was probably a break, but it just all flowed together instead. I would be reading about Tierney in the lodging house with the girls and in the next sentence she was back in the woods. I hope the final copy makes the breaks a little more clear.

There was also a chance for the girls to come together and change things away from the men being in charge, as we learn the women outnumber the men two to one. Yet that doesn't happen in any big way. Tierney also gets derailed with a love interest that makes no sense. This was a quick read, but left me wishing it had been executed differently.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

The Grace Year is another chillingly terrifying feminist novel in the likes of The Handmaid's Tale and The Natural Way of Things. With an achingly familiar message of strength and resilience, The Grace Year adds its own spin to the classic feminist tale of resistance.

The Grace Year begins with main character Tierney, on the eve of her Grace Year. In order to remove the evil magic that so tempts men, girls on the cusp of womanhood are sent to an encampment in the wilds to last a year. There, strange occurrences happen as their magic arises and burns out, and nobody knows who will last the year as poachers try to hunt them, selling their parts back to the county.

The Grace Year is a familiar yet new story about finding the strength to resist. It's a tale about trust and forgiveness. Although we open in the county with their strict control of the women, the majority of the book is set in the encampment. The setting is so beautiful and made for such a haunting and creepy atmosphere throughout. With ghostly stories, there was always an edge to everything, as if we didn't quite understand what was true and what wasn't (which we really don't). I loved the uncertainty - the mysterious atmosphere and magic of The Grace Year affected Tierney so much that it was hard to know what was real and what wasn't. I loved that at the end of the day, the most danger came from the girls themselves as opposed to the men of the county, or the poachers. So caught up with the power granted to them during the year, they become mad with the power, the last sliver of 'freedom' before they are forced into marriage or work.

It is such a dark and brutal journey, one where a happy ending is never certain - and the definition of happiness can really be debated as well. I loved some of the secondary characters - the way Tierney's mother comes to life throughout the book is wonderful, and I loved the slow reveal of Ryker. There are many twists and turns, some utterly shocking which I never saw coming but which are just so clear afterwards! I feel like this is a book that will shine even more in a reread, with so much foreshadowing more noticeable.

Although a dark novel, there are moments of hope and joy. There is fierce love and friendship and ultimately, there is such resilience and strength in these characters. This was a brilliant read, and one which follows its predecessors shoes very well!

Wow!

The Grace Year was absolutely stunning. It was powerful, thought provoking, haunting, and impossible to put down.

It was property described as a bit of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Power, and Lord of the Flies. Not only were the themes powerful and well executed, but the plot itself was enjoyable to read even without all it represented.

So many books market themselves to the theme, try too hard to send a message, and fail in the execution. This book took a solid plot that hammered the message home, but the story was complex, drawing me in for more than just the theme. I felt invested in Tierney’s story and never got the feeling that anything was happening to further send the message. It never felt heavy handed or manipulative and I felt that the characters mattered, were well developed, and their struggles were felt authentically.

The Grace Year was haunting, shocking, and so completely messed up at times. The setting was wholly different, slowly described throughout Tierney’s journey as the reader pieced together how it all worked, why girls were sent away, what that meant, what everyone’s place was, etc. It was fascinating, but also terrifying. I loved Tierney’s account throughout the grace year and her experiences with the other girls, the conflict and power dynamics of their group, the struggles she went through, her survival in the elements, and everything else.

I cannot rave enough about this book. I already decided that my book club MUST read it and it doesn’t even come out until October. I want to discuss it. I want to reread it. I want to see it on screen. I absolutely recommend it.

Wow. Wow. I don’t know how to put my thoughts about this book into words. It’s a good sign when a book leaves me speechless.

Read this book now!! But it should also come with a warning. WARNING: start this book when you have some time because you won’t be able to do anything else fully until you finish.

The Grace Year is the story of Tierney, a 16 year old about to leave her family for her grace year. She doesn’t know exactly what that means. No one does. It is forbidden to talk about it. But girls are all banished for their 16th year - out into the woods. They don’t know what happens there - but they know they don’t all come back and those who do have been fundamentally changed.

While there are valid comparisons to The Handmaid’s Tale and Lord of the Flies - this is a story entirely its own. I was fully drawn in right from the opening pages - and while I had to put the book down at times to live my life - Tierney was always in my thoughts. This book will stay with me for a while. I expected a great story - but was surprised by all the emotion I felt reading it and finishing it.

I alternated between reading and listening (and sometimes both at the same time). The audiobook performance is phenomenal and I highly recommend if you are looking for a great audio - and stick around for the author interview at the end. This will be one of my favorite reads of 2019.

Thank you to the publisher Wednesday Books, Netgalley and Libro.fm for the advance reading and listening copies.

In this dystopian novel, women are feared because of their “magical powers,” and therefore ruled with psychological warfare- not permitted to hum, congregate, choose their own spouses, or even dream in the Puritanistic county where they live. When the girls are 16, they are sent away to live in a small colony by themselves for a year. Here we find competitiveness and brutal fighting instead of cohesiveness. The herd mentality prevails, and those who do not follow are banished, injured or killed.
In the same vein as The Hunger Games, this book was compelling yet hard to read at the same time. The vicious woman-on-woman violence, as well as the blind following of a malicious leader were both upsetting, and I found myself taking breaks to separate myself from the story. However, the captivating plot and strong protagonist brought me quickly back.

I agree with all the other reviewers that this is a mixture of The Handmaid's Tale and The Lord of the Flies. This was so good that I flew through it in two sittings. The plot is fast-paced and, at times, brutal and terrifying.
At sixteen years old, girls come into their "magic", which is their ability to seduce men. They are sent away to a compound for a year to supposedly release their magic into the wild before returning home to marriage, if chosen, or to work as a laborer.
The main character, Tierney, is strong young woman--both mentally and physically. I loved that she knew what she wanted and that it wasn't marriage. She didn't want a veil (which means marriage), but she ends up receiving one. Because of this, her time in the grace year was more than she had bargained for due to a vindictive woman.
4.5 stars

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This summer has been the season of feminist books for me and I have loved each and every one of them! Adding to the latest feminist reads is The Grace Year by Kim Liggett. I have to admit that it was labeled as a "young adult" book but everything about this book is geared toward women of all ages. It is phenomenal!

In this dystopian novel, the women live very subjugated lives along side men who rule with an iron fist. They are not allowed to gather and talk with one another in public, not allowed to hum or sing believing that they are using their "magic" to seduce or trick men - because we all know that men are easily seduced or tricked. Yes, we do. When they sixteen years old, the girls are sent away to a camp far in the woods to survive on their own for a year in order to rid themselves of their "magic" and come back pure and ready for marriage. The woods surrounding them are filled with "poachers" who are waiting for the girls to make a wrong move so they can skin the women alive, capture their magic and sell it back to the men in the county. There are outcasts and usurpers and these girls know that they do not want to become either of those women. Only a few will survive their "grace year" and those who do never breathe a word about what transpires in the woods. Until now. Tierney is determined to survive this year and prove there is no magic at all. As the girls become more insane and more of them are dying and being killed by the poachers, Tierney is targeted as one who much be cast out. Survival becomes her only goal - will she succeed?

The Grace Year has been compared to The Handmaid's Tale and The Power but in all truthfulness I found The Grace Year far more interesting and realistic. We live in a world where women who once were gaining ground, marching on the road to equality, suddenly find themselves at the mercy of very angry, emphasis on very, men. Not just in the US but in so many countries all over the world. We now are marching backward with no say over our own bodies, no say over the world in which we live as we watch strong, intelligent women being mocked by those with half of their intellect. We are, literally, just shy of the ignorance that the males portray in The Grace Year. Sadly, we women are allowing this to happen without whimper.

However, what I found most refreshing was the end of this book. Without giving away what transpires, the women who were raging against one another form a bond. They begin making subtle changes to themselves and toward their group as a whole. They discover that there are men in their county who are willing to stand up for them, who help them and those who have been outcast. While the story itself is extremely dark, horrifically brutal - this really is a story of hope. If only we, as women, could or would bond together as a whole, stop tearing one another down, just imagine the power that we would have and the good that we could do for the world. That is the essence of this book: Hope.

This is a long-ish book and I thought, at first, that perhaps it needed editing to make it more palatable to those who no longer read longish books. However, there is nothing to edit. This book is perfect as it and well worth the time it takes to read it. In fact, I stayed up all night to finish it because I had to know the ending. It was beautiful! If you do not read another book this year, I encourage you to read The Grace Year and then follow it up with Athena's Choice by Adam Boostrom. We'll make a good feminist out of you yet.

My thanks goes out to #netgalley, @WednesdayBooks @StMartinsPress and #KimLiggett for allowing me to read and review this incredible book on sale October 8, 2019.

This was a 3.5 star read for me, that I’m rounding up because it did most things well: female friendship, sisterhood, parent-child relationships, and dystopian worldbuilding (in the vein of The Handmaid’s Tale). The book revolves around a sixteen year old girl who longs to avoid marriage and work in the fields...once her “Grace Year” is over. The Grace Year is the period where all 16 year old females are sent away to an encampment to “release their magic” in preparation for their lives as mothers or laborers. There is no supervision, but there is the threat of murder at the hand of poachers if the girls stray from the encampment. As you’d expect, things deteriorate quickly.

There’s the expected mean girls, followers, rebels, and drama. There’s also the concept of magic and madness, and quite a bit of horror. That said, it would have been at least a 4-star, possibly even a 5-star for me, if it weren’t for the instalove. The author does a good job of building out the female characters, but the men (and arguably the most important man in particular) are cardboard cutouts. There’s no meaningful development of relationships, even when the story relies on us believing in them. This was a compulsive read, and highly recommended for fans of dystopian lit with a feminist bent, but I wish the romantic plotline(s) had either been developed more or removed altogether.

"In the county, there’s nothing more dangerous than a woman who speaks her mind..."

The Grace Year is everything I wanted from a YA Dystopian. The story was gripping and while I was listening to the audiobook and not reading a physical copy, I found it difficult to press pause and take out the headphones. The audio was fantastic and by far one of the best audiobooks I've listened to lately. The story played a huge part in that, of course. But the narrator also did a spectacular job voicing the characters, especially the nuances between Tierney, Kiersten and Gertie, and really made me feel immersed in the story.

The details regarding the Grace Year are kept a secret to all in the county. Similar to Fight Club, the number one rule is, "we don't talk about the Grace Year." Which serves to keep a shroud of mystery wrapped around the entire rite of passage until the girls reach their own personal Grace Year. However, they quickly begin to discover what the year is about, and while I won't spoil it here, I really enjoyed discovering it right along with them rather than from an omniscient narrator with heaps of background information.

My second favorite thing about the book was how the author handled the twists. I won't go into more detail, but Kim did a fantastic job giving the reader just enough information to just begin to suspect a few things... and I'll stop there letting you read the book for the rest.

It's difficult to describe how I felt reading the book without taking away your own experience. But suffice it to say that I still have goosebumps when I think about this story and all the amazing things the author made me feel.

I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy when the book is released and rereading it again soon. And it will always hold a special spot on my shelf right next to The Giver.

5 ☆ The Grace Year is truly original. I can’t ever remember reading a book quite like this with so many interesting angles fused into one storyline. It’s atmospheric, raw, it will make you very uncomfortable and cringe in parts, and is spot-on describing it as The Handmaid’s Tale meets Lord of the Flies (I’ll add to that The Hunger Games and The Giver.) There’s paragraphs I read that made me question continuing on due to their graphic nature, just look past them and keep reading. It’s a compellingly bold, outstanding novel that explores the power women have and how it’s abused in a male-dominated society.

In Garner County referred to as “county” in the book, grace year is when sixteen year old girls are sent off to a remote location together for a year to be removed of their magic. The girls are not allowed to speak of their grace year when they return. The question circling each of their minds is who will survive their grace year? Death and disfigurements will happen as the girls are preyed upon by men called “poachers,” very gruesome as they are being stalked the same as other animals in the forest. I was soon to discover there’s a repulsive dark secret behind why that is.

From the get go Tierney James is on a higher level from the other girls by using her quick thinking and the survival skills her father taught her. You’ll quickly find poachers aren’t the only ones the girls need protection from. Inside their walled compound they themselves begin changing from their lovely selves into a dark ugliness towards each another.
Just when you think you have the story figured out, that it seems to be winding down, BAM.. through Tierney, the author revs up her story with intriguing major plot twists that massively defies the grace year tradition. I can’t recommend this book enough. Read it especially if you only read dystopian once in a great while like me. Is an incredible heart-palpitating experience that’s well worth it.

I want to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was absolutely riveted by the first 3/4 of this book. It is an astounding story that shows a world completely broken by a violent patriarchal rule. Tierney is an incredible main character who is strong and compassionate in spite of all the horrible things she'd grown up with and seen. I loved her being my eyes into this world; she is so smart and resourceful, but not without her faults.

The story itself is just fascinating. I kept wanting to turn the pages to learn more--the build up to them getting to experience their grace year was perfect, and then they got there and I was hooked by needing to know what would happen next. I liked the girls' characterization, showing how one strong personality can greatly influence others, regardless of logic or necessity. There's a lot of topics that can be studied and discussed in a classroom within this book.

What I most appreciated about this was the multiple layers of patriarchal control and resistance. I couldn't believe that the women just sat back and let these things continue without doing something, but their forms of resistance are subtle and you get to see it more and more as the book goes on. It also shows that women can buy into the system in order to put themselves above the others who don't follow it quite as well. The way it's set up is really beautifully done and provokes further thought about how this plays out in our own world. I loved being able to discover with Tierney more about her world and how it was structured.

The ending was a bit lackluster for me, unfortunately. I was honestly ready for this to be one of my favorite books of all-time, but the resolution just didn't gel with me as much as the rest of the book did. However, I do think it's well worth the read. It sort of reminded me of a Hunger Games meets Handmaid's Tale kind of vibe, and it's overall beautifully crafted.

This is the first book I read in one sitting! I finished at 8 am and I'm still totally blown away by the unique story! Amazing world building and incredibly fleshed out characters. I need a second book ASAP!! I was so excited to read that Elizabeth Banks is going to turn this into a movie! This is such a powerful story! Thank you so much Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC! It is by far the best book I've read in many years!

WOW, just WOW! This story unwinds slowly, building the back story and the characters to a tense point, then opening the gates and letting the world see "what could have been". A society that is run by men, for men, teaches their young women that they are too dangerous to live among the rest of the community. They must spend their 16th year in a secluded group, learning their roles in life are anything but equal. The central character must try and retain her sense of self amongst a group dynamic that is designed to break them all. How she faces these tests and escapes her destiny makes a very good read. Kim Liggett, I'd love to know how you thought of this story!

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for sending me an early copy to review! Since young adult dystopian fiction is one of my favorite things, I couldn't wait to get to this book. It sounds like a mash-up of The Handmaid's Tale and The Hunger Games, and I couldn't have been more excited. The story, the concept, and the atmosphere all worked, but the execution lacked a bit for me.

For the most part, this book is being marketed as a Handmaid's Tale equivalent for the YA genre, which I would agree with for the most part. Tierney lives in a highly conservative society, where women are blamed for all the wrongs of men. So, they're made to be submissive, but Tierney doesn't want that. I loved this concept, and Tierney's development throughout the book was believable. Her eyes are open to the actual goings on of her society, and we learn more about it through her eyes.

What turned me off about this book was the way the story was executed. For most of the book, I was more reminded of The Lord of the Flies than anything else, with the girls turning against each other as they're trapped in the wilderness. Which is a fantastic story concept! I just wish we were given more insight into this society and some of the other characters. Besides Tierney, most of the side characters fell flat for me. Outside of their direct interactions with Tierney, we don't get much characterization, even for her love interest. I wanted to know more about them and see more vulnerability there.

Basically, I loved this concept, I just wish it was structured a bit differently, with a stronger sense of the world overall. The creepy vibes, though, will make it a perfect October release!

3.5/5 stars

With comparisons of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Hunger Games all abuzz and a movie option already in place, it seems like The Grace Year by Kim Liggett is here to water our crops, clear our skin, perform miracles, AND smash the patriarchy, right? Well, let’s just say it’s a start!

Tierney James’ tomboyishness has always toed the line in strict, puritanical Garner County, but at 16-years-old, she’s just days away from an important impasse: The grace year. Garner County houses an extreme patriarchal society where girls are believed to come into a seductive magic at age 16– Magic that makes them unholy, deviant creatures. During their grace year, each girl who’s just become of age is swept away from society. They live together in a secluded camp, where they “burn away their magic” and any “spirited” personality traits, while they’re at it. Tierney doesn’t exactly know how it happens, of course, because no one is allowed to talk about the grace year. It’s a rite of passage and a forbidden topic all at once.

Tierney hopes to get through the dreaded year as quietly as possible and return to the county to serve as a farm worker rather than a wife, but with no consequences and the darkest of intentions inside and poachers desperate to collect the “magical” flesh of grace year girls just outside the walls, the world becomes much more complex than she ever imagined.

The world building is intense, creating context and helping themes fall in place early on. Liggett does a great job establishing the characters and their community without turning it into an info dump. However, the novel really hits its stride when the girls are left to their own devices. Sure, drama is expected, but what’s happening is far beyond that. Without spewing out all the shocking details, let’s just say that the worst traits of human nature– cruelty, betrayal, desperation, wild superstition– are quick to come to the forefront. Surviving the grace year isn’t about surviving the elements. It’s about surviving each other.

I wasn’t able to give this book a full five stars because the midsection sagged a bit. The fraught relationships between the girls are fascinating, so I was disappointed that the author chose to pull readers away from that for a chunk of time in lieu of a romance that felt forced. It was a means to an end and while I didn’t hate the other character involved but frankly, I didn’t feel true chemistry there either. If the relationship felt more developed and genuine, it could have felt really important, but it never got there for me. Tierney also spends a fair amount of time wandering alone in this same section, which is largely setup and not nearly as enjoyable as her interactions, even with discoveries to be made. It’s not without its merits, but the story is at its best when Tierney is in the midst of chaos.

Despite those qualms, I found the messaging in The Grace Year heart-wrenching and extremely effective. It takes a dark dive into confronting how patriarchal society grooms young women to think about themselves and each other. It talks about the way women break each other down and aid in their own subjugation by holding themselves to wild standards that men would never be expected to maintain. There’s power in confronting these dark undercurrents in society’s structure, though I wish there was more clear-cut intersectionality to it (to be fair, Liggett doesn’t give physical descriptions for many of the characters and she may imagine many as non-white, but the lack of description mixed with the puritanical vibe of the country made it feel overwhelmingly white.)

Though there are enough hints that you may be able to guess the twist at the ending, the execution was still pretty flawless and really changes the full picture of this duology. I’m seriously looking forward to seeing what book 2 has to offer in this intense, heartfelt duology!