The comparisons to The Handmaid's Tale, Lord of the Flies, and The Hunger Games are all spot on. Although, The Grace Year is also very much it's own story. Fans of dystopian fiction will be thrilled to get their hands on Kim Liggett's new novel. The story will spark many discussions about the role of women and what it would mean to have no control over their lives. Fast-paced with phenomenal world-building, The Grace Year is set to take the world by storm. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy dystopian fiction.

Not your average "coming of age" story. The fear of who you can trust--and who you can't--makes this all the more interesting, coupled with the girls in their sixteenth year battling the elements and surviving literal man-hunts. The story will grab you, the realism will keep you.

The grace year is Hunger games meets Warrior of the wild. And it is the book we didnt know we needed!

The grace year is the girls sixteenth year. When they are said to come into their powers and have aphrodisiac powers over then men. In their sixteenth year the girls are banished to the woods to rid themselves of the magic. This book follows Tierney during her grace year and the struggles she and the other grace year girls face with their “powers” and out in the woods. They face poachers, the harsh elements and one of their biggest obstacles, each other.

I could not put this book down. So twisty and amazing. A little bit of girl power, a little bit of magic and a lot of love. This book is a must read of 2019!

I was truly stunned by "The Grace Year". I had never read anything by this author before but was intrigued by the plot and by the fact that it seemed to have been rated so well among early reviewers. Still I was a bit apprehensive diving into it. In fact the first few chapters I still remained unsure of where it was going and I almost felt like the book might be like so many others I have read in the last several years. I couldn't have been more wrong. This was unlike anything I've read before. In fact, without naming names, this book took a similar theme in YA literature (oppression of women, dystopian societies) and succeeded where so many others have failed. Besides a powerful message about women it also is completely entertaining. Once I was really into the book it was nearly impossible to put down. The premise is that in this particular world, girls turning 16 are believed to have bad magic and they are banned outside of town in the wilderness for their "Grace Year". When they come back at the end of the year, if they even come back, they are 'tamed' and the magic is gone. When the girls are left in a fenced in area (community seems too gracious) it turns into almost a Lord of the Flies atmosphere. The girls threaten to turn on each other or worse. What happens to them during Grace year? How can they stay safe from the poachers outside who are ready to hunt them down and sell their body parts? (Which is totally acceptable in this society). This is action packed and still has an emotional punch. I won't say it is overly gory but there is definite violence and description of what happens due to that violence. I am very impressed with this one. I hope it garners the attention that it deserves because I think this could blow up in the YA community.

😮 I’m not sure I know where to start with this one...Wow! ⁣⁣
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I saw hints of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Hunger Games in this book, yet Kim Ligget created a new dystopian world that is all her own, but belongs to every woman.⁣⁣
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In this society, men hold all of the power over women. A woman’s purpose in life is to be a wife and bear children (specifically sons), or to work in the fields or workhouses. ⁣⁣
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⚡️When girls turn 16, they are sent out into the wild to live on a remote island for a year, The Grace Year, to rid themselves of their “magic.” Its obvious that the men of the county are simply terrified of the power that women have and aim to squash it down before it has a chance to grow. ⁣⁣
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🔪 There are many dangers on the island- the girls themselves and the poachers who aim to capture them, skin them alive, and harvest their body parts to be used in a medicinal concoction back in the county. Not to mention that many of the girls begin to quite literally lose their minds within the barrier. ⁣⁣
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💐At one point, the narrator, Tierney, is forced out of the fortified compound by a “leader” who has risen among them. She is forced into the wild beyond the barrier to fend for herself amongst nature, the animals, and the poachers. While clinging to life beyond the barrier, Tierney meets someone who changes her whole outlook, her whole life. ⁣⁣
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I can’t give away any more, but I can say that when I read the last page, I just couldn’t believe it was over. I wanted Tierney’s story, the story of The Grace Year Girls, to continue on.⁣⁣
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📖 Whenever you’re able to get your hands on a copy of this, DO IT!!! ⁣⁣

I wanted this to be similar to Suzanne Young, but it just didn't come off like that. I think I have maybe just had my fill of dystopian womens' YA fiction for a while - I suspect if I pick this up as a hard copy later, I might enjoy it much more.

In this dystopian novel, young women are forced from their small and conservative community to an island where they must spend a year fending for themselves and trying to avoid the hunters—called poachers—who would kill them and sell their body parts as elixirs of youth back to the community. Tierney has witnessed two of her sisters depart for and return from this rite, broken and scarred. She’s been raised with,live-sustaining and saving skills, and soon learns that her understanding of science, above the beliefs of the other women in magic, will save her and as many other women she can convince to believe her. The characters are well-drawn and evolve in interesting ways; the setting is original while not too alien to understand; and the writing is well-paced and vivid. In the end, Tierney’s discoveries hint at resilience and resistance among the women of the com, and with that, a hope for change.

An atmospheric and unique novel that girls and women alike can relate to! Sure, this book is more dystopian than contemporary, but Kim Liggett splices real life into the story line! What an excellent read. I know this is going to be a major hit this fall!

[ Full review to come on release day ]

I really enjoy YA books & find many of the authors to be really amazing. Im actually jealous that my children have so many options for great books that I didn't have ( growing up in the 80's & 90's). So although I know im not the target audience for this book, I was happy to get the chance to read it.
Overall im not an enthusiastic reader of books like Handmaids Tale, and this book is very much like Atwoods book, though written for a younger audience. It's p probably not a surprise that I didn't live this book.
One issue I had was the lack of character development and setting description. Im fine with books having a "timeless" quality, but we need to know some details to get into the plot. I felt like that piece was very much missing in this book, and I had a very hard time really getting into the story or even caring much about the plot or characters. With some development, some description, the book could be much more engaging.

Im grateful for the opportunity to read this ARC and thank the author, publisher & Netgally for the chance to read this one. Im rating it 2 stars, which is m my rating for "it was ok" m meaning that I didn't hate it & didn't really like it. An unpopular opinion, I know, but I have to be honest.

This was a fascinating dystopian novel that's been compared to The Handmaid's Tale and Lord of the Flies. Throw in a side helping of (Really) Mean Girls and you have a darkly disturbing book about girls who must spend their 16th year away from society in an encampment to supposedly get rid of their "magic" which will seduce and endanger the men. Of course they are "chosen" the day before they leave with the expectation they will marry the man who has "veiled" them upon their return--IF they return as there are poachers lurking who will kill and skin them to preserve their magic for the men. I was angry through most of the book (which is the author's intent) as we see a patriarchy that once again belittles women and gives them no voice, just the promise they will wed and provide children. Fortunately, our protagonist Tierney is stronger than she realizes and even as she endures harsh conditions and brutal treatment, we are left with hope for a better future. Very intense but so good!

The Grace Year was a compelling dystopian tale reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale. Some clever plotting moved the story along quickly, though the ending tied up a little too neatly.

First off, I wasn’t sure if this was “my type” of book, I was so wrong. from the beginning I was captured in and following along waiting to see what happens next. This was an amazing story and wats written beautifully. I didn’t see any of this going the way it did. This was a beautiful and also gruesome story. This is now one of my favorite books!

“A heady blend of Lord of the Flies and The Handmaid's Tale” is not far from the mark. Sprinkle in a lilttle Salem Witch Trial and you may have the perfect recipe for this novel by Kim Liggett.

In a world where women are not allowed to congregate together, dream or hum, a world where public punishment for women can be as “mild” as flogging or as serious as hanging, a world where the sins of one sister may mean the banishment of the others, the girls must spend their 16th year, the Grace Year, burning off their magic.

Girls entering their 16th year are betrothed or not before being led to an encampment, far from the county, where their only job is to “urn through their magic” and survive the elements, the violent natives and each other for a year.

This is a gripping tale, so thought provoking and angry-making. An incredibly fast read the leaves the reader wanting more.

It is impossible to say more without releasing spoilers into the world.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was the first time in a while that I’ve been so sucked in by a book. The premise alone was super interesting. You’re basically just thrown into this world and I spent the entire time trying to make sense of it all. I had nonstop questions that kept propelling me forward through the pages. There was a ton of mystery behind what exactly the grace year was, and once it came to that part of the story, I was constantly going back and forth as to whether the magic was real or just something made up in their heads. I liked how dark the plot got as well. The author definitely didn’t shy away from having horrible things happen to the characters. This wasn’t one of those books where each conflict is nicely wrapped up with a happy ending.

I was definitely going to give this book five stars, but there were some things that happened in the last third or so that I had issues with. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll be vague. For example, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance. The chemistry just wasn’t there and, given the circumstances, the guy himself wasn’t someone that I could understand the protagonist wanting as a love interest. Also, the ending left me kind of confused. I mean, I think I understood what happened, but there were certain things that I felt could have used more of an explanation. The book was just over so abruptly and I wanted a little bit more from it.

Overall, though, I did really love this book. There were a couple flaws, but the delivery and the general entertainment factor were top notch. To be honest, I’m just really excited for any more books that this author comes out with in the future because the ideas behind the two I’ve picked up have been really fun.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

This was a very intense and enthralling read, I read it in just a day although I was supposed to do other things. Even though I was disappointed by parts of the story and world-building, I couldn't put it down. It also rang true in so many moments that I just have to give it five stars even though it's more of a four. The emotional impact it had on me did it.

In this sort of dystopia, women are sent to a remote settling when they turn 16 to get rid of their magic. Their magic is supposed to be seductive, sinful, connected to their youth. When coming back after a year (if the girl come back at all), they are to be married off. It's Tierney time for her "Grace Year", leaving home as a child and coming back as a woman and then wife. Having been taught by her father, her survival skills are better than those of the other girls. She perceives herself as a lone wolf, climbing trees with her childhood friend Michael rather than socializing with the other girls who all seem to hate her.

However, this novel is not just about the dangers of having to fare for oneself without the help of 'adults' or about the poachers seeking to capture and skin these girls (selling their limbs and skin as they supposedly preserve their youth), but about girls fighting girls, reminding me of "l'enfer, c'est les autres" (Sartre). This story felt like a nightmare on so many levels, yet I just couldn't stop. I was entirely caught up in it, just like Tierney is caught up in this mixture of tradition, torture and a newfound freedom.

Things I liked:
+ Tierney, her pragmatism and reasonable approach to the supernatural
+ Ryker & Michael, even though both their story lines could have been explained a bit more
+ doubting reality, what is real, what isn't?
+ this dark fairy tale, dystopian, claustrophobic feeling in the woods
+ the hints at how this 'society' came to be
+ queer love (even though it wasn't our protagonist)

Things I disliked:
- the incredible violence, reminding me of "Lord of the Flies" (Golding) and the Hunger Games (Collins)
- world-building remains very blunt and dubious, I would have loved to know more about that, especially the Norwegian parts of the story
- the ending in parts, I found it partly confusing
- the cruelty of females when only dealing with females (rings too true!)
- why women accept what is being done to them
- many of the girls were stock characters, like "Red Shirts" in Star Trek (ready to be killed)
- that the evil bitchy leading girl didn't die, I mean seriously, why!?

Yeah, like I said: 5 Stars for me.

This book gives me Handmaiden’s Tale/ Hunger Games vibes. Tierney is amazing. I found myself rooting for her. I was sad, angry, and hopeful for her. The author described things so clearly that I felt apart of their world. A quick paced gripping read. I definitely recommend this read.

I devoured this book like a hungry lion at the corpse of a gazelle. It would be easy and lazy to compare it to other, great distopian fiction; Hunger Games, Handmaid's Tale...It has elements of both, but stands on its own as an excellent piece of YA fiction.

To me, the world was very believable (which is quite depressing but there we go) and the simultaneous fear and repression of women in it is delivered perfectly. The violence gets a bit gory in places, but it's not overdone and I appreciate that it's not censored for the teen audience.

All the characters had depth, including the villain of the story. Nothing is quite black and white and I like the element of the main character, Tierney, doubting herself a lot of the time. In places she is a classic teen fiction female protagonist, a kind of "not like other girls" type, but she's also totally called out on it, which is refreshing.

Ryker felt like a bit of a non-entity to me and the really in-depth love-or-die relationship between him and Tierney seemed to come out of nowhere. But that's really the only bad point.

Overall, a good book, would recommend.

Wow! I’m speechless. So. Many. Emotions. I’ve heard this book compared to The Handmaid’s Tale, but Tierney reminded me so much of The Mockingjay. I loved the symbolism, the language of flowers, and the fierceness and solidarity of the women. The story is purely dystopian but filled with big ideas and much to think about. I loved it. Highly recommended!!

“That’s why they send us here.” “To rid yourself of your magic,” he says. “No,” I whisper as I drift off to sleep. “To break us.”

The Grace Year is brutal. The reviews calling it The Handmaid’s Tale meets Lord is the Flies are completely accurate. The book is horrifying, and yet I couldn’t stop reading it.

At the age of 16, girls of the county must participate in the grace year, a year long banishment to the wilderness to rid themselves of their supposed “magic.” Girls come back from their year long sojourn maimed, disfigured, starved, unhinged, and some don’t come back at all.

This book was a tough read at times, but the story always maintained a level of hope even in the darkest passages. The Grace Year is extremely well written, and the characters showed real depth. I haven’t read a dystopian novel in a long time because they all seem the same now, but this book contained a amazing feminist message with a well concluded ending.

I recommend everyone to read this book.

“But I know what I saw. I know what I felt. They call it magic. I can call it madness. But one thing is for certain. There is no grace here.”

For me personally, this book didn't start off terribly strong. The first 10% seemed to contain an enormous amount of worldbuilding. Horrifying things about this society that might be teased out and slowly revealed in a book like "The Handmaid's Tale," are instead steadily described almost in a list-like fashion in this book. It felt a little heavy-handed to me.

Ultimately we end up spending the vast majority of the book following the girls through their "grace year" in which they make their own makeshift society, (which reminded me a bit of "The Lord of the Flies.") That worldbuilding at the front of the book finally makes sense when grace year ends and the girls return to their village at the end of the book and everything about their lives and their experience is put into context.

Like many others I found this book to be a compelling, powerful read, and I'm sure it will make for a great movie adaptation and many book club discussions. Like many other books in this canon, it's fiercely feminist and tackles some important issues, best summed up by this powerful quote: "The things we do to girls. Whether we put them on pedestals only to tear them down, or use them for parts and holes, we're all complicit in this."

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.