Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this fantasy debut early! This Vicious Grace is the story of Alessa, whose magical gift is meant to protect her island by magnifying a partner’s magic. Unfortunately, her gift has backfired and killed every suitor she’s touched. With only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons arrives at her island, Alessa is desperate to survive and hires Dante, an outcast fighter, to become her personal bodyguard. Can he help her master her magic before it’s too late?

This Vicious Grace is an engaging fantasy with a superb setting. I loved the Italian influences and all the little details including the food, atmosphere, and language. The romance was a bit cliched and the twists weren’t particularly surprising, but I found it an enjoyable read. I was intrigued by the lore and I’m excited to read the sequel and discover more about the world.

I was first attracted to This Vicious Grace because I heard it had ADHD representation but frankly if I hadn’t been warned beforehand I never would’ve noticed it. I think it helped add dimension to the MC but it’s really a tiny part of the book and only has effects on the past. I expected more and I admit I was rather disappointed.

For my fellow fantasy fans, I think this book is good fun. But I’m a bit hesitant to label it as a strong disability rep read and would like to hear more from reviewers with ADHD before I recommend it in that way.

Magic. A touch that kills. Forbidden love. Dante. - all things that made this book so good!

Alessa, the Finestra of Saverio, must find her Fonte in order to be able to fight off a swarm of demons that will attack their island. The problem? She has already killed 3 Fontes...

Everyone begins to doubt Alessa, even her own soldiers, and if they won't guard her then she must find someone who will. Enter Dante, brooding and grumpy and delicious. Alessa hires him to be her personal guard. Their banter and growing tension was what this needed to keep moving forward.

As is common with a first book, the pacing was a bit slow. In Fantasy this is a necessary process as the worldbuilding is just as important as the growth and depth of the characters. We needed the set up to fully understand the scope of what was happening. There are a lot of side characters to track and I honestly connected with them all. I enjoyed seeing this group shift and change as they grew.

That ending though....cliff hanger extreme!

I listened to this one while traveling to and from my weekend with booksta besties! The narrators did such a great job!

Thank you to @wednesdaybooks, @netgalley, @macmillan.audio and Emily Thiede for the gifted copies!

"How cruel, that sharing someone else's grief did nothing to alleviate it for them."

Oh, I have so many feelings, and I don't know what to do with them. First, I want to gratefully thank the author for giving me a happy enough for now sort of ending that I can feel good about. Gah, more authors need to do this when planning a series. I could create an entire review based on that joy alone. But I digress...

Poor Alessa, I feel like I would risk death to hug her because I cannot even imagine the absolute loneliness of being unable to touch others. And she's so funny! I highlighted so many things she said or thought that made me laugh out loud. Seriously, she and I would become besties. I loved this cast of characters, every single one of them. Even the ones you're supposed to hate were perfectly hateful. Everyone had their quirks, making the book much more fun.

"... but like a flame appears brighter in the darkness, her isolation cut even deeper with a stranger filling spaces usually left empty."

This is such a fun read. It has lore and romance, magic and peril, and a bit of everything. If there was anything I didn't love, it was how we jumped into the middle of the story, and I had no idea what was going on. But Thiede was like, "don't worry, I got you." And my patience paid off. I love, love this book, and I think others will too. Many thanks to St. Martin's for sending this absolute gem along.

An Italian influenced fantasy focusing on a girl whose touch can kill? I'm listening.

I loved the idea of this society, where a pair is chosen to fight an incoming siege of (essentially) bugs. It occasionally gave me vibes of The Selection series, though with a fair bit more of sexual tension. Dante, of course, was my favorite character though I did love many of the fonti. However overall the plot was very predictable and I don't see where it'll be going in the next book. But I think that many people new to the genre will be wowed by it!

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Fantasy with kissing is one of my fave genres & Emily Thiede’s This Vicious Grace does it so well.

If you like the thought of:

🍊 forbidden love! One lead is a Finestra—a protector of her people—& the other is her bodyguard. Also there’s a *teeny tiny* extra plot complication related to how she must save her people that’s related to their relationship 🤐.

🍊 danger & intrigue!

🍊 & demons are trying to destroy them all

🍊 Plus some friendship sweetness as boundaries between enemies / competitors / resented saviors & the saved break down

🍊 & an ending that will leave you wanting more

maybe you should check this one out. Enthralled by this unique fantasy with romantic elements & the possibilities of where Thiede will go next, I can’t wait for my questions to be answered in a sequel!

4.5 ⭐️. Release date: 06/28.

Please check out a trusted reviewer for CWs

[ID: three open hardbacks are vertically staggered on a wood floor. On the top & bottom books is a clementine; on the middle is the ebook.]

This Vicious Grace is a very fast-paced fantasy! It is full of romance, action, and magic! I like the Zora Liam references in this story! The characters are likable and complex! The world-building is immersive. The writing is very beautiful and is filled with lush descriptions! Therefore, I recommend this for fans of Kingdom of the Wicked, Star Mother, and Violet Made of Thorns!

Emily Thiede has busted into the book scene with her debut This Vicious Grace and it’s everything I never knew I wanted in a book.

First, big thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Secondly, This Vicious Grace goes on sale June 28, 2022. I’ll be honest, I’ve already preordered a hard copy of this one cuz it’s going on my shelf.

This Vicious Grace does seem to be book one in a new series. We do have a placeholder showing up on goodreads stating an ‘Untitled’ for 2023. I admit I’ll be doing a countdown when the date’s announced.

Also, let me take a moment to say how amazing it was to have an Italian influenced high fantasy book. I didn’t realize how smooth this pairing would go but I completely credit it’s seamless impact to Emily Thiede’s writing and plot design.

I always do my best to do ‘spoiler free’ reviews but as always, go forward at your own discretion! :)

The Review
“Chi cerca trova. Seek and you shall find.”

This Vicious Grace starts off strong and with fast pacing. The reader is thrown immediately into Alessa’s chaotic life and gets to hold on for the ride. Additionally, the first few chapters are where the world building is the most intense, and yet it was beautifully written. The information was not ‘info dumpy’ and there was a lot of ‘show’ not just telling, which I prefer. Also, these fight scenes JUMP OFF THE PAGE. My emotions were not ready. (Note: prepare yourself for feels)

Characters, my goodness the line up is AMAZING. Alyssa has had a weird mixture of freedom and then extreme shelter. It makes her life relatable and then tragic. She is whip smart though and the reader is able to easily relate to her thoughts and feelings. Also, let’s talk the men of This Vicious Grace. Dante is our main guy and he is SO SASSY I adore him. He compliments Alessa’s character so well, there is no other option for ship and this ship better sail or Emily Thiede will be receiving some notes. LOL

In Addition, the supporting characters (as we know my favorites) are well done and have fully flushed out stories of their own. I’m hoping we get a bit more information on a few of them in the next book but honestly, a good part of their personalities and back stories are already included. Also, yes these characters have some sass and especially sarcasm. Had to add that part as I know I love that in my dialogue. #TeamAllTheSassy

Something to note, this novel does have more of a ‘New Adult’ feel that full ‘Young adult’. There are more mature themes with the fighting, life, and yes also the romance. We get some solid new adult spice in this book.

This Vicious Grace IS a book one. I read it, loved it, and needed more. HOWEVER, it does not end on a complete cliff hanger and that makes all the difference. I would say it’s a mini cliff, but more of we’re just left wanting more information and an impending sense of ‘oh no, oh crap’. Not sure if that’s better or worse. LOL

“The gods gave and took for their own incomprehensible reasons, and only fools tried to make sense of it.”

Overall, the writing of this novel is phenomenal. If you enjoy high fantasy, intrigue, or adventure books - this is for you. The pace is perfect and the story is solid. I’m not sure I can ask for anything else more perfect.

Overall Rating: 4.75 Stars
Plot: 5 stars
Character Development: 4.5 stars
Dialogue: 4.5 stars
Writing: 5 stars

Happy Reading!!
Ash

I had been off of YA fantasy for a bit when I decided to read THIS VICIOUS GRACE, which immediately hooked me and reminded me why I love this genre so much. I was interested in the world that Thiede created and outside of the book's main romance, really enjoyed the larger found family narrative among Alessa and all of the Fontes. The main and extended cast of characters felt really strong and I am already DYING for the sequel!

Thank you Wednesday Books for the eARC of This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede in exchange for my honest review.

I can't wait to own a copy of this book. I loved every second of it.

It was an interesting, new concept that I hadn't heard before and you immediately fall in love with the cast of characters. I love a found family story and a dark haired, brooding love interest -- and this one is no exception. I absolutely loved it. It keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the book and sets up the sequel perfectly.

5/5 for me, and one of my favorite books I've read so far this year.

First of all, thank you to Wednesday Books, to Emily Theide's brilliant imagination and to Netgalley for this eARC.

I FINISHED IT AND I AM NOT OKAY. THIS BOOK MADE ME FEEL EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE. One moment I was snickering, others was being pulled in like a magnet, there was anger, grief and parts that hit me hard, bringing tears to my eyes and it's honestly been a while since a book has made me lose my sanity in such a quick pace. This book was a crazy, thrilling, passionate rollercoaster and I KNEW this was on my antcipated book list for a reason.

So, now I will go reccomend this to every reading soul out there who needs to hear me and this crazy, chaotic review that is (and will hopefully) convince you to give it a try.

Here we go. Now, when you get lemons, we usually make lemonade, right? Or, well... more like lemon juice in the case of this book.

Three Weddings. Three Funerals. For Alessa Paladino, the current finestra in her island, she would kill to touch someone and in the past three weddings, each of her fontes (basically her battle partner to save the world) dies. And with each death, the people of Saverio lose their hope in her. With Padre Ivini (the dastardly priest who I still want dead) spreading rumors like a gossipy old lady from the telenovelas, the attempts on her life begin. And with the dwindling of hope to save the world before Divorando (which is basically like the apocalypse), Alessa runs into the dangers of the city outside her palace for an answer.

Cue... Dante.

But like seriously, the cameras will focus on him and we want to protect him at all costs, being the grumpy, cynical bodyguard killer that Alessa chooses to hire (she did it for the looks, that's all I'm saying!). Dante hides a secret that can get him killed, but at the same time could save them all too. The chaos that ensures between them is what keeps you hooked. Witty banter, an agonizingly slow burn romance with tension that keeps you at the edge of the seat, Emily Theide has mastered the art of angst in the slow burn genre.

For a debut novel, it's a brilliant one. The world of Saverio is done well, with nice imagery and beaches I want to visit and the urge to add Italy onto the travel list and to learn the language is overwhelming me now. I also need and want to make a book of quotes like Dante's book of proverbs. (like I would love to read all the proverbs in his book!)

Alessa is an interesting character to follow, not because of her rotten bad luck and her doubt of being able to save her world, but because, she grows and flourishes along the way and the process is chaotic and wild just like life is. Her loneliness was a big facet of this book and Chapter 29 will forever be the one part that will make me cry and clutch at my heart because the feelings are super raw at that point and one way or another, we can relate to the desires of someone who wants to be loved. I have many favorite scenes: From the drinking game between her and Dante, to the pronunciation lessons on the proverbs, to the guessing game of Dante's real name and even the teasing of the romantic books with the smutty scenes LOL, these are some of the many parts I enjoyed (and let's not get started with the bakery innuendos... baguettes will never be seen the same way again) it's a heartwarming story that tears at your heart, stitches it up again and reminds us of three important lessons:

1. We are never truly alone even when it feels that way.
2. We need more cat-loving love interests like Dante.
3. A lemon trend better start after this book comes out.

We go from meeting a grouchy bodyguard-turned outcast lover to recruiting unwilling fontes to practice surviving Alessa's deadly touch, to eventally becoming friends and unexpected betrayals that leave us surprised to a chaotic battle that passes as fast as it came. I really enjoyed this book and NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT BECAUSE DANTE NEEDS TO GET BETTER. We need for him to get that cat he desperately wants. We need to see Alessa continuing to stay friends with the fontes who fought with her. We need Ivini dead and for someone to give Adrick a reality check. We need Kaleb to stop being so annoying and for Alessa and Dante to see the light without any threats.

Please no more threats to this couple because they have my heart and my tears too.

Thanks for attending my TED talk :)
Now, go order your copy like now, because it will be worth it.

I need the sequel and this book isn't even out yet.

The concept, the friendships, the love story. The feelings of isolation and need for human contact. Without ruining too much, I loved the lesson Alessa gained from her journey throughout this story.

4.6 stars rounded up.

This was a sweepingly romantic and adventurous upper YA fantasy. The ADHD rep felt very authentic, tied to the main plot while not solely defining the protagonist. I loved how the full cast of characters was carefully introduced and gradually became more and more defined and brought to bear on the plot in surprising and interesting ways. The midpoint twist had me racing to read on, and the ending has me desperate for the sequel. The world building is so clever, incorporating Italian language and details into a unique setting, and I can't wait to learn more about the greater world in book two.

Absolutely fabulous book.
Love the vaguely italian like island setting. Very easy to visualize as one is reading the book. Greatly helpful translations available if you're reading the e-book.

It's a curious combination of 'oh, I know where this is going'
and it does....

....and 'oh my lord what the heck happened THERE!'
surprises which makes for a VERY entertaining read. I may have stayed up much too late to finish the story.

Yes, the love story is very predictable. I knew the instant Dante showed up, like Wolverine in a cage, exactly what and where this was going. And was NOT disappointed because the interaction between Dante and Alessa are hilarious, very believable banter between obviously flirting interest in each other.

The magic/belief system is intriguing and not something I've encountered before. Kudos for originality!

Really looking forward to future installments.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede is a magical, Italian-flavored romantasy focusing on Alessa, the Finestra of Saverio. Alessa must find her Fonte in order to fight off the prophesied swarm of demons that will devour the island. Unfortunately, she's accidentally killed off her last three and the island's inhabitants are beginning to think she's a false Finestra. Enter Dante, the young fighter with a mysterious background that Alessa secretly hires after numerous failed assassination attempts.

I've seen this book described as Serpent & Dove meets The Bodyguard; indeed, I don't think I could come up with a more accurate comparison. Alessa is certainly sassier that Reid Diggory, but Dante really is the perfect blend of Lou LeBlanc and Kevin Costner.

I enjoyed this book. The world-building and magic system were interesting, if not a bit confusing. The Italian influences were unique. I found Alessa incredibly relatable - she's definitely a strong heroine, but I liked that she admitted her vulnerabilities. The best part of this novel, however, was the loathe-to-love romance between Dante and Alessa. Thiede understood the slow-burn, romantasy assignment.

My only qualms with this novel was the pacing. I found myself struggling to want to keep going before I got to the final battle at the end. Indeed, the only reason I did keep reading was because I was so encapsulated by Alessa and Dante's romance. When the demons finally descended on Saverio, however, I couldn't put the book down - and after the cliffhanger ending, I'm anxiously awaiting the conclusion to this duology!

this debut was enjoyable at best, with its intriguing lore and decent worldbuilding being italian inspired. with alessa's gift from the gods being a deadly touch along with unlikely allies to lovers romance, this is definitely a fantasy for readers that want a more romantic focus with its bodyguard trope and witty remarks in the character dynamics. this just had such an intriguing concept but lacked execution as it was overall slow and predictable at times deficient in those atmospheric fantasy stakes throughout the overall story and had all the action rushed close to end. the romance interactions between alessa and dante were fun but overall dynamics with other characters fell flat as it relied on banter and not much depth given to each character feeling as if the friendships were forced. though this will continue as a series so there's a benefit of the doubt given that the writing and structure can be improved in the next.

At the beginning, I had my doubts. The world-building felt complicated and I kept trying to keep everything straight without much advance to the story. However, once you get about a fourth of the way through, it becomes so much fun! I really loved the characters and the plot kept things interesting up to the very end.

While this book was less atmospheric than I anticipated based on the synopsis, and listening to a podcast interview with the author, the story was still compelling enough that I needed to know how it all came out. The concept and storyline is unique in a lot of ways, but unfortunately I was thrown out of the story by the choice to use phrases like "wardrobe malfunction" and "book haul."

If you like tropes, and tropey dialogue, a sweet romance, the Italian language, and quippy modern language in your fantasy novels, built around a chosen one gone wrong story, you will enjoy this book.

This was a fantastic debut!

The Italian-inspired fantasy world was mesmerizing, and I appreciated the distinctive storyline. It little while for the story to really get going, but now I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel!

Many thanks to Wednesday books and NetGalley for a gifted early copy of this book! It is Emily Thiede's debut and I was really excited to read it. I was promised banter and wit and it delivered on that!

Alessa is the chosen Finestra to help her country battle against this evil beetle demon bug things that come every few years. She's had to leave her family and life behind to live in the castle and get trained on Finestra life. As a rule, she is supposed to pick a Fonte and marry them to help amplify her power and be a success in killing the bug demon things. Unfortunately, Alessa is so powerful she has killed multiple partners and is running out of time.

When someone tries to kill her, she goes looking for someone outside the palace to be her bodyguard and well, you can see where this is going. They trade some verbal barbs but he sees her for who she is and isn't afraid to be honest which is exactly what Alessa needs. Dante becomes the single most important person in Alessa's life and even when a secret is revealed that changes things, Alessa doesn't give up on him.

In the mean time, there are several characters who end up in Alessa's circle of friends and I loved them all. Even the ones I hated at first. It has such a nice sense of found family and I enjoyed it.

I will say the book took a while to get going and once it got going, it stopped too soon. That's the reason for my 3.5 star rating. I wanted a little less on the front end so we could have more on the back end. And woah there cliffhanger ending that I immediately screamed give me book two now please.

Anyway, This Vicious Grace comes out on June 28 and it's a YA Fantasy with some romance in it. I enjoyed it

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. However, after starting this book and reading a few other mixed reviews here, my interest has dropped. The writing failed to grab me and it just didn't feel unique in any particular way or that it would turn into anything unique. Rating does not reflect a true opinion.