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.

Damn. This book is good. Somewhere between the budding Feminist Dystopian genre, The Hunger Games, and Lord of the Flies, this book is what I've been dreaming of. It's dystopian, but it's more realistic in scope where clearly one girl can't change everything, but maybe she can help in small ways.

I found I was hooked from the first (very long) chapter. I think this book is very important and any teenage girl would be better off reading it. From a content perspective, gore and sex is in the book but I found it ok for most teenagers

Thanks for the ARC! I enjoyed this book. It gave me all the Hamdmaid’s Tale and Lord of the Flies vibes. If the author decides to make this a trilogy or series, I would definitely read the subsequent books.

Given the rave reviews this book is receiving, maybe my thoughts should be taken with a grain of salt, but I just can't jump on this bandwagon with everyone else (though I really wanted to!). A dystopian novel at its heart, THE GRACE YEAR details the experience of Tierney who is part of a misogynistic community that banishes her and the other teen girls who have "come of age" to an island to rid themselves of their "magic" within the year, which is referred to as the grace year. I suppose the thinking is that, upon their return from the island devoid of any magical power following this grace year, they are ready to become complacent, subservient members of their society. The catch is the island life is one that leaves the girls both mentally and physically scarred and, in the most extreme cases, even dead. None of the women who have experienced the island and survived are allowed to discuss their grace year, which adds to the mystery and horror. If anything sums up what's at the heart of THE GRACE YEAR, it's Tierney's thought that what "we're all yearning for"--particularly the oppressed--is "escape" and "a respite from the life that's been chosen for us."

Without a doubt, the premise of this novel is fascinating, which I haven't changed my mind about. For me, it was the delivery of the novel that just didn't work. Scenes are glossed over quickly without being explored as fully as they could be and gave me the sense that I was watching the action in fast-forward mode. Transitions are unclear, and there were times that I didn't realize I was experiencing a dream with Tierney rather than reality, which resulted in me having to backtrack and read over sections to see what I missed. Unclear as well was the physical layout of the island itself, and I was never certain where the boundaries and "safe zones" actually were. Maybe the inclusion of a map would have helped? And, without getting on a literary high horse too much, there were countless examples of writing that became more "telling" rather than "showing" (i.e., "A strange sound escapes his lips as he staggers back," "the pain is so eviscerating that it robs me of breath," "I wake to the sound of breaking bones." What exactly does a "strange sound" sound like? What about the pain is eviscerating? What exactly would we hear if bones are breaking?). The heavy use of ellipses to stand in for pauses is unorthodox in more formally published texts such as this one and, I confess, became a pet peeve of mine midway through the novel. And, finally (I promise, this is the last point I'm ticking off), I never fully accepted this as a possible "real" world because I didn't understand its genesis. Why does this society exist? Where is it? What is the particular history of their community that has created so much malice toward women? I could keep listing questions, but I'll stop myself there.

Overall, this novel has a lot of good ideas behind it, but I didn't enjoy the actual experience of reading it nearly as much as I wanted to, hence my two-star rating. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

**Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
**read my full review at my blog

Whilst this was overall an enjoyable read a lot of the relationships felt a) predictable and b) not fully fleshed out.

This book is fabulous. Fabulous!

I've been talking about it to anybody who will listen since I started it. Then I was eking it out so that it lasted longer. And now I don't even know where to start to write about it. It is being marketed as being YA, but I'd argue that it is for anybody.

The girls of the County are sent away for a year, into a fenced area in the wilderness. On their return, bedraggled, broken, injured and unable to talk of their experiences, they never speak of their time away on The Grace Year. Before they even head away they are chosen as brides by the eligible men of the village. This includes those who have found an excuse to get rid of their loyal wives on feeble excuses to get at one of the new crop of eligible new brides. It is the beginning of the horror of this story. It is going to get way more uncomfortable!

Tierney our heroine is plucky and sharp. The other girls don't like her, they are suspicious of her for many reasons but partly because she is friends with Michael, who chooses her in the betrothal ceremony and also because her father has set her up by teaching her practical skills, these are skills none of the other girls have. They have been trained to serve and kowtow to the men, not Tierney, she's a fighter. As they head into the awfulness of the Grace Year she is going to need every tiny scrap of her feistiness.

There is so much in this book. It requires a certain amount of grit to cope with its horror. Tierney is so awesome. There are so many favourite moments in this book, she finds seeds sewn lovingly into her cloak, the love scene, the fearsome way she deals with the psychological persecution of the awful mean girls and their terrible leader.

If you like a dystopian fiction this is going to make you very very happy. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to this great novel.

Tierney James is getting ready for her grace year. The year that she and all of the other sixteen year old girls in her village will spend on the island, getting rid of their magic--their power over men. No one speaks of that year, and Tierney is entirely unprepared for what she must face.

Wow. This book reminded me of The Crucible, mixed with Lord of the Flies, and is so important for a discussion about men and women and their relationships. I could not put this one down, despite how difficult it was sometimes to continue.

3.5 stars.

Kim Liggett's upcoming novel The Grace Year feels like a mashup of The Handmaid's Tale and Lord of the Flies, with a little bit of The Hunger Games mixed in for good measure. Yet at the same time, it's an immensely unique and disturbing story all its 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."

Girls are told that they are dangerous, that they possess the power to lead men into destructive temptation, much as Eve did to Adam. They are led to believe that they have "magic"—that their bodies give off a certain essence when they're on the cusp of their 16th birthday. So all of the 16-year-old girls are sent away for one year, their so-called "grace year," and they're expected to release their magic into the wilderness so they can return purified and ready for marriage if they've been selected, or ready for life as a laborer if not.

Tierney James has always lived her life caring little for convention, not listening to the commands of her mother or the insults of the other women and girls in the community. She's not interested in getting married, in being the property of a man—she looks forward to living a life working in the fields, spending time at one with nature. She's known by many as "Tierney the Terrible" for her wild ways, and no one expects her to be chosen for marriage anyway. But when she is chosen, she is uncertain that she wants that kind of life for herself, although refusing will have grave consequences for her and her family.

The girls are sent into the wilderness and left to fend for themselves. They must deal with the brutal elements, forage for their own food, and avoid the so-called "poachers" that lurk in the woods, who wait for one wrong step so they can kill a girl and sell her essence to the black market. But as the girls begin to form a society of sorts, Tierney realizes it's not the wilderness or the poachers that pose the biggest threat to their survival—it's each other.

"We hurt each other because it's the only way we're permitted to show our anger. When our choices are taken from us, the fire builds within. Sometimes I feel like we might burn down the world to cindery bits, with our love, our rage, and everything in between."

The Grace Year is at turns violent, disturbing, sad, defiant, sexy, romantic, and hopeful. It is a story of young women being made to believe they are dangerous yet deficient, that their only true worth will be recognized if they marry and have children, and that they need to destroy each other in order to secure a happy future for themselves and their families. It is also a story of how much men fear women and seek to control them to overcome those fears.

As outrageous as this story is on many fronts, there are definitely places in which the book is eerily prescient of what is happening in our society today. Liggett did a great job ratcheting up the tension in the book, and creating characters I found myself rooting for, as well as some I was definitely rooting against.

At times, I found the violence in the book to be really disturbing, and after a while, the cruelty of the girls' was very hard to read about. The violence may be a trigger for some, because at times it's fairly graphic. But even when I had difficulty with the book, there was something about the story that I couldn't turn away from.

Reading The Grace Year definitely got me thinking, and I'm certainly thankful that we're not in this kind of situation in our society today. This is one of those books that I won't be able to get out of my mind for a while.

NetGalley and Wednesday Books provided me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

This book will be published October 8, 2019.