This book is a dystopian read in my opinion. It reminded me of for lack of a better comparison to The Hunger Games or even The Lord of the Flies. The Grace Year is when the young women turn 16 and are banished to the wild to purge them selves of their dangerous magic. Of course it's the magic that is said to seduce men, make men do bad things etc... It's very dark times in the wild, disturbing but keeps me turning the pages. I would recommend this book to fans of dark dystopian reads, it was an amazing time spent between the pages, gory at times but a great read!

I loved this book. I started it with very little in the way of expectations....finished it in one night because I could not stop reading it and then purchased copies for 2 of my favorite readers.
I didn't always like the characters but the story line kept my interest and I was left hoping (and perhaps anticipating) a sequel to hear more about how the world changes

I really liked this book! I was engaged every time I sat down to read it. I really liked the pacing of
the story and I loved the main character! I loved the sisterhood and family aspects of this book and that ending!!

I unfortunately DNF'ed this one!! It sounded so good, the cover was amazing so I wanted to fall in love with this, but it just felt heavy-handed to me, and there were quite a few things about it that bothered me. My main problem about it was the lack of intersectionality, every character was white-coded and there weren't any acknowledgment of queer folks

The Grace Year is unfortunately not for me. I had tried this book and set it down in hopes of one day coming back to it, but now it is time to mark as DNF.

A thrilling and creepy read. I was impressed by the atmosphere Liggett was able to generate. Memorable and terrifying.

I am torn between a 2.5 and 3. I was really excited by this book but ended up sitting with my copy as I feared it would not live up to my expectations. I hoped that with buzz dying down I could look at it with fresh eyes but I am still disappointed.

It has been compared to Handmaid’s Tale but definitely trends more to Lord of the Flies. It had a dream fever feel that stopped me from connecting with the story and I thought the relationships were poorly defined.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free book.
This book was intense. This dystopian world is violent and, yet, there are so many realistic scenes of what girls and young women go through in their time growing up. It did take a bit to get going, but once it does, you won't want to put it down until you reach the end. The author holds nothing back. There are so many unexpected things in this story, things I wish didn't have to happen, but they were the reason the story was so good. This is a book that I recommend going into without much, if any, knowledge. It is a journey full of wisdom and fierceness and change. But it's all at a realistic pace. It's a book I will be thinking about for such a long time to come, and I hope to revisit it one day in the future to see how relevant it still is and how, hopefully, some things are different.

I think this was a really interesting concept and I really liked the story, I just didn’t jive with the writing style as much.

Dark and gritty, this YA entry from Kim Liggett is also both haunting and gripping. I loved the main character, Tierney, and following her journey was incredibly satisfying. I didn't much like the world Tierney existed in, and I'm disappointed that in a novel that focused so much on sexuality and gender, there were no non-binary or trans characters, nor were such people even mentioned.

I did like the way Liggett used dialogue. Tierney never sounded too old or too young - both. common problems in YA writing.

I felt the book was well-paced until the end, which seemed a bit rushed.

I've often maintained that YA offers us some of the most interesting and provocative stories being written, and this was no exception.

This book was so good, and is easily one of the best YA spec fic thrillers I've ever read. I was a little fearful that it would be a victim of over-hype, but I didn't feel that way at all.

I was immediately sucked into the story—especially the premise of womanly magic and empowerment—and I couldn't stop reading once I started. Tierney's character is complex, as are the relationships portrayed, and I really enjoyed watching Tierney navigate (and seek to subvert) this flawed world.

I *do* wish we had gotten a little bit more at the end (it felt somewhat rushed), but I think that's more of a case of "it's me, not you" with this particular book. I also feel that, with a book so focused on gender and sexuality, there should have been inclusion of trans and non-binary characters, even if it's just to touch upon how they're treated in this world (not well at all, I would imagine). Needless to say, it did miss an opportunity there and considering that perspective, it could be read as exclusionary. However, it was still a very engaging and thought provoking read, overall!

Very interesting book! Loved the plot and loved the characters. Very brutal and feminist Lord of the Flies that we all need

I don’t even know what to say about this. It’s an unfathomable novel and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to give it the review it deserves.

My face is hot, my throat tight and in desperate need of water, and I need more and I need less of this book.

Holy moly!! This was such a surprise. It's a lot darker than I thought it would be, but wow. It was impactful. I didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. It was so, so good. I highly recommend it!

W-O-W, I was wondering what all the hype around The Grace Year by Kim Liggett was about and now I definitely know. This is one book that lives up to all the hype you have heard plus more, and I cannot BELIEVE I waited so long to read it! This is in the young adult genre, but please don't let that scare you away if you aren't a YA reader. There are so many important themes in this novel and you sure as hell don't need to be a young adult reader to appreciate them. There are so many wild things that happen, and twists that totally blew me away. I loved the strength and resilience that Tierney shows throughout the novel and she is easily one of the heroes of the story. It reminded me a TINY bit of The Hunger Games in the way that these banished girls just completely go after each other. There isn't a ton of gore, but there are enough disturbing and chilling things that happen that I would in no way call this a light read. I loved how dark and gritty it was, and in some ways, it was heartbreaking as well.

I ended up listening to the audio of The Grace Year, and UGH, I loved it SO MUCH. The narrator is Emily Shaffer and she actually interviews Liggett at the end, so clearly if you listen to audiobooks that is how you need to read this book. It was such a pleasant surprise, and I not only loved Shaffer's narration but her interview with the author as well. It made me feel like I was at an author event and post-Covid you know that is a huge thing. This book pubbed before the pandemic hit but somehow still manages to relate a bit to that kind of environment. Above all, it really does speak to the times we live in (not in relation to Covid) and I was in tears listening to the interview with Liggett. Before that though there was the end of the actual novel, and I loved it and it gave me chills. What more do you need!! If you haven't read The Grace Year yet you are missing out and need to do so ASAP.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book had me gripped from the start. With a depressing dystopian future in which women have no power and can be accused of having magic in them. All girls are sent away for their grace year to rid themselves of magic to return and eith become a wife ir work in one of the labour camps.
This will appeal to those who like The Handmaids Tale or Lord of the Flies.
A good read which leaves you frustrated not only iver the cintrol men have but also at the women who don’t fight back instead betraying one another.

I greatly enjoyed this book. The plot was well thought out and the characters were enjoyable. Highly recommend.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is my first five star read of the year, and I have to say, @kim2legit2quit
Has written something incredibly powerful and important that I would pair with The Scarlet Letter and The Hand Maiden's Tale as insightful works dissecting the pseudo-puritanical ideals of modern western societies view of girls.

YA tropes used here with almost parody level deconstruction: ✅ "not like other girls" Mary-sue "manic pixie dream girl" protagonist (fuck yeah, be pretty, smart, handy and nice but also incredibly bitter, selfish, and proud; multifaceted protagonists exist?)
✅ token queen-bee bad bitch (feral but ultimately failed by the system she so adeptly manipulates; fear is a powerful motivator and when paired with a cunning egomaniac: all hell breaks loose)
✅ sweet childhood best friend romantic interest (precious boy who didn't deserve this shit, the road to hell was paved with good intentions ... but he honestly was a good friend and I was proud of him)
✅ dangerous, dark, stranger romantic interest (also precious boy who didn't deserve this shit, gotta appreciate someone who would literally let you hurt them rather than hurt you ... also not get mad when you stab him)
✅ presumed sinner who is actually a saint that protagonist befriends in outcast solidarity (precious girl who didn't deserve this shit; #queerrep )
✅ friendzoning: do's and don'ts (DO: accept that the object of your desire wants and needs different things than you, give them time and space to decide for themselves DON'T: confuse kindness as sexual currency DEFINITELY DON'T: braid their hair and watch them while they sleep)

#fridayreads #review #youngadultbook #youngadultfiction #feminist #fivestars #recommendation #rainbowtbr

The book started strong for me. Like many others, I was initially thinking it reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale, a little but of Hunger Games but with an M. Night Shyamalan element - similar to The Village. But the farther I got into the book, the less I liked it. Big gaps of time went by, an odd romance, an ambiguous ending, and a revolution that never came to fruition. Perhaps if I knew that this would become saga, I would have given it 4 stars, knowing that the story isn't over. Sadly, this book didn't wow me like I had hoped.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it interesting plus there was a slight spin on the whole dystopian theme. I found the characters consuming and the storyline took me for a ride.