Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC.

This one was interesting. I enjoyed the story and the main character Alessa. She started out as the scared little girl who grew into a commanding leader toward the end.

I am not super huge on romance in an entirety of a book but this one was good. I liked Dante and Alessa together so that helped.

The second book should be good so I will be looking forward to that.

Book: This Vicious Grace

Author: Emily Thiede

Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars



I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with an ARC.



This is another title that I knew nothing about. The only reason I agreed to pick it was because the summary sounded very interesting. I was surprised at how many different layers there was in this one. I first thought that this was going to be your typical young adult fantasy. On one aspect it is your typical young adult fantasy. However, it is much more than that. Yes, we do have a lot of the YA tropes, but we also have this girl who has been chosen by the gods to save her country. Now, I know that this has probably been done before in YA, but it’s not something that I have seen too often. It was just something different. Plus, while we do have romance, I thought the biggest part of the book was focused on the friendship element.



To me, it was the friendship element that made this book stand out. I love seeing how this group does know each other, but they don’t. Alessa has been chosen by the gods to be this savior for her country. She must marry and form an alliance with her mate so their powers can become one. However, she always kills her spouse. This makes her not want to get close to anyone, which I am sure that anyone who has had this happen many times would feel the same way. I thought that the author did a great job with this. We see a main character who is lonely and isolated, while being a group of people. It's something that is hard to capture. While you are surrounded people who are together, but they aren’t. I really don’t know how else to describe it. It’s like you are there, but you aren’t....If that makes any sense. When someone comes into Alessa’s life who can stand to be by her side without dying, she really latches onto him. Again, what person in her situation would not do so?



This group of characters really made the book for me. However, I am not without issue when it comes to the characters. While I did find that some of them are really fleshed, there were others that were lacking depth. To me, it felt like the author did have some uneven character development. There were some who I thought was just stuck into the book for the sake of being there. I think they could have been great characters, but there just wasn’t enough there. I am talking about some of the characters in Alessa’s inner circle.



Now, what made me drop a star off of my review. Throughout the course of the book, we are leading up into the final battle. That's mainly what the book is about. We are building up for this moment, but when we got that moment, it just felt a little underwhelming. I felt like that stakes were supposed to be high, but it just didn’t come across that great. I never did once get the sense things were as bad as what they thought. What I am getting is that I felt like everything was going to be okay and that we were going through the motions just for the sake of saying the book had an epic fantasy battle. I wish that the high stakes had just came across the page like it was supposed to. I just would have liked to feel just how dire the sakes were when I was reading this part.



Overall, I do think this is a strong start to a series. However, there are just cases where I would have liked a little bit more.



This book comes out on June 28, 2022.



Youtube: https://youtu.be/LZBEr76mqgY

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

Not totally unpredictable, but definitely thrilling and filled with my favorite tropes. I binged this book and enjoyed almost every minute of it! Just when I start to lose hope with YA Fantasy a book comes to its rescue and this time it was This Vicious Grace which kicked off The Last Finestra series with the most swoon-worthy, epic, fantastical, binge-worthy story. Look, all I really know is that it hit the sweet spot when I read it and refused to let me walk away until I'd read every page.

Emily Thiede has debuted with a thrilling fantasy filled with battling gods, unlikely heroes, heart-burning romance, unyielding hope and humor, and an ending that will have you in a frenzy for more. This Vicious Grace is a must-read that ought to take the summer by storm and I am in agony that I will have to wait so long before the sequel.

3.5 stars

This Vicious Grace follows Alessa, the new Finestra who is meant to wed her Fonte to be able to use his powers in order to stop a sward of demons. She doesn't have a lot of time left but when her touch killed two Fontes already, everyone starts to doubt. What if Dea sent an impostor? What if Alessa isn't going to be able to save them all? When someone tries to kill her, she will offer Dante the post of personal guard. Dante is an outcast marked as a killer but there is more to him than just a mark.

Overall, this book was interesting and entertaining. I did find however that the part before the big finale, the battle, was a bit too long and I ended up losing some of my interest. The battle scenes also ended up feeling anticlimatic to me. The best parts of this book were the main characters and the overall plot. I loved seeing their relationship evolve and finding out the truth.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

What a spectacular debut… just wow! This will quickly become a cult favorite for YA fantasy readers. I couldn’t put it down and I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in this series.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Characters: The development of Alessa’s character is one you can rally behind and will have you rooting for her to take up her rightful place and show the world what she is capable of. From socially awkward to valiant leader, you can truly see the transformation of her character throughout the story. Dante will have you swooning for the misunderstood bad guy. I think Alessa and Dante just might be my new favorite book couple. They have an intoxicating chemistry and a supportive tenderness that everyone will crave more of. This is a relationship with actual depth, where they truly become friends - not just a sexual spark or the love at first sight trope. Even the the side characters are layered, quirky, and lovable. They become a found family that I enjoyed getting to see take shape and grow.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Plot: This story had never a dull moment. I was hooked from beginning to end and so invested in everything that was happening. The dynamic atmosphere of dark and light draws you in like a magnet. The political undertones of the story creates drama in the plot and really speaks to themes that are forever relevant - like equality, power, and prejudice. There are unexpected turns and some twists I was so excited to be right about. It all leads to a calamitous conclusion that will leave you both quenched and thirsty for more.

⭐⭐⭐⭐World-building: I am utterly obsessed with this doomsday world. I would love for more depth into the lore, that is the one place I felt was a little flat, but only because I found the world the author created to be so intriguing and magical it made me want to learn more about how it came to be, the legends of the gods, and the epic creation story. It was all so fascinating that the scant amount of information given left me a little lacking. I would be thrilled to continue learning about this story world in the next book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Writing: The voice and style creates an emotional climate. The banter of dialogue is glorious and will have you laughing in the face of all the darkness. The entire story is a mood. There is a near perfect balance between all the narrative aspects in this book. I never felt bogged down or slowed by anything in particular, which is a wonderful achievement, especially for a debut (still hard to believe this is a debut with how good it really is). It is the perfect mixture of all things to create a masterful story that I got lost in.

HOW CAN YOU SAY NO TO THE BODYGUARD TROPE!

The story started out a bit slow and confusing bc of the worldbuilding, but then once I got used to all the characters and the plot, I was immensely surprised at how much I adored Alessa—she did come off a bit whiny in some parts bc of what she had to accomplish (saving her entire island from demons) but she eventually overcame that.

NOW the real thing I wanna talk about is how much I adored Dante and Alessa’s relationship. Their banter, Dante’s sullen facade and sarcastic quips, Alessa getting under his skin and making him melt—UGH it was so cute I think the romance is the key selling point of this book tbh.

I adored this story so much and I hope the author puts out more books like this

Thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was enjoyable; the characters are likable, I enjoyed the romance, and the world-building was interesting. However, I thought the pacing could’ve been streamlined a little bit. At times it felt like there was nothing happening, but then too many things would happen all at once. I also wanted more in-depth world-building (which I’m guessing we might get in the next book, based on that ending).

Solid YA fantasy with just the right amount of heat and a seriously interesting magic system. Loved the character development and build, who DOESN'T love an evil propaganda spouting priest and YES to the complicated mentor/mentee relationship. Can't wait for more in this series, Dante is my boy, and cannot wait for the hunt to begin and for barely tolerated sass from Alessa.

I loved this book so much. With an interesting world and magic system, a cast of complex found family characters, and a romance with some of the best banter out there, I can’t wait for the publication date so everyone can read it!

Thank you so much netgalley for letting me read this!

Someone else on GoodReads called This Vicious Grace “the seductive lemon book” and I cannot stop thinking about that 😂
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This is book one in The Last Finestra series & with that cliffhanger ending I’m already saying sign me up for book two ASAP! The book is full of unique magic, Italian phrases, community, some romance, & weird killer bugs. I truly was laughing out loud during parts while other parts made me cry. An impressive 5⭐️ read from a debut author. 438 pages long with a pub date of June 28, 2022 - you won’t want to sleep on this one!
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Thank you to NetGalley & Wednesday books for the eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review! This did not affect my opinions in any way.

4.5 stars - This Vicious Grace was a very fresh and unique read for me. It’s got the bodyguard romance trope, a high fantasy world inspired by Italy, a found family, and witty banter.

Alessa’s touch is deadly, and she longs to be able to save her people from the monster invasion set to come if she can only harness her power with another pre-approved candidate by her counselors. However, she’s killed the last three of her spouses just by touch alone, and this makes the religious fantasy society she lives in very uneasy. After an assassination attempt, she persuades a street fighter named Dante to guard her, and thus our story ensues.

The religious fantasy world that was built here was very interesting, but I do wish we got more exposition about the world and details in general. I say this only because there were a lot of times it felt like it was just dialogue. In some places this really worked, but I’m greedy, I wanted more details about the characters during this in general. Overall, Dante and Alessa’s interactions were great and I was smiling so much! Also, the found family trope was used well in this book.

Really enjoyed this one! I think there’s gonna be more books to this series and I will be reading on.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for making it possible for me to read this book before its release date of June 28, 2022. The description and the cover page grabbed my attention immediately. Alessa is her island home's Finestra. She has weeks to prepare before a swarm of demons attack and destroy her home, Saverio. She needs a magical soulmate in order to stop the invasion or Divorando, however there's just one teeny, tiny problem: Alessa kills everyone she touches. So far, Alessa has had three weddings and three funerals. When an awful priest spreads word about her deadly touch, the people of Saverio turn against Alessa and in order to survive she hires mysterious Dante as a bodyguard. Dante is all surly and macho and intriguing. As Alessa gets to know him, though, their bond grows and he becomes the only person she trusts with her life and safety.

I am so excited for this book to hit the shelves and to see how it does. I really enjoyed reading this apocalyptic fantasy. I am quite new to this genre but this book was a joy. The world-building was very well laid out and clear. Alessa is an amazing heroine, courageous and romantic. I loved reading from her POV. There was an ease and flow to the writing that made reading it seamless. Look for this book on June 28, 2022 and get your hands on a copy if the genre interests you.

This book was incredible! It was unique in so many ways. It had a unique magic system and theme that I personally have not seen anywhere else. The characters were so well written and I loved the found familly trope, which is one of my favorite! The romance was a slow burn and so well done too. This book is about hope and learning to trust people and get to know them no matter what predjudice you might have. I highly HIGHLY reccomend this book for people that loves a good romance fantasy with a bad ass main character and unique story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for this copy to review for an honest review!

Cant wait for the sequel!!!!

I ended up really loving this and can't wait for the second book.

Alessa is such a great character. She was strong, but she also showed her weaknesses and wanted to change. I loved her growth. Dante is also great. I loved their banter throughout the book. He's tough on the outside, but super caring inside.

Alessa was chosen as the Finestra. Because of this, she can't touch people without taking their power/energy from them. She craves touch, but has to be fully covered. Most people shy away from her. When you're a Finestra, you have no name and no family. Finestras choose a Fonte, a person with power that they can use together to fight the demons that will come. Most of the time, the Finestra and Fonte work well together. But for Alessa, she keeps killing hers. The Finestra marries her chosen Fonte and Alessa has gone through three. She's not sure when the attack will come, but she needs to find a way to fight with a Fonte. Alessa gets death threats and someone tries to poison her. She hires a young man, Dante, to be her guard. She saw him fighting and thought he would be good. He was on the outside. But she was also attracted to him.

Alessa starts working with Dante and tries to find another Fonte. A small group shows up and they work together to choose. At first, they shied away from Alessa. But over time, a friendship grew with them. I loved the friend group and all the side characters. Alessa realizes that she's different than other Finestras so she needs to do things differently to give them a chance. Dante is hiding who he is from her and his secret can be the thing that saves her or curses her.

I gave this book 5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.

Warning for lots of blood and gore.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

This book is a lovely mix of fantasy, YA, coming of age, and romance, so whatever you usually read, you're likely to enjoy a dab of it here.

I don't usually read fantasy because there are often too many characters to follow and too many strange words to learn, but the description of this made me think I'd like it anyway. I was right. All the previous things mentioned were not overwhelming, and the story settles nicely quite quickly into the meat of it.

The main character, Alessa, is quite the minx, not quite knowing what she wants or needs until our hero Dante steps in view and she sets her sights on his full range of aesthetics. Thiede is very adept at parceling these out in shot glasses for the reader - they certainly cause a bit of a cough and a warm glow - and I appreciated the fade to black moments.

Thiede's writing is lovely - like slipping a lotioned foot into a bed sock after a bath and then lying back by the fire to enjoy the warmth. You sink into the story and find it hard to let go.

Five stars here, and looking forward to book 2.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was not sure what to expect as I started reading this book. The summary looked good and it received several positive reviews on Goodreads. After the first few chapters, I really wasn't sure how this book was going to make it over 400 pages.

The novel starts with Alessa attending the funeral of her third Fonte. Alessa is the Finestra of Saverio and it is her responsibility, along with her Fonte, to save Saverio from the scarabeos that attack on the day of Divorando. Alessa's powers seem to be out of control and instead of working with her Fonte, her powers end up killing him/her. After learning that several people want her dead, including her own guards, Alessa goes in search of her own bodyguard.

At this point, between not being able to touch anyone and continuing to kill her Fontes, I was not really sure where the story was going to go or how it was going to keep me engaged for another 300+ pages. But...it did and it did so spectacularly.

Alessa and her mentors decide that instead of choosing a Fonte, that she would train with all the remaining Fontes to figure out which one was best matched with her powers. Alessa hoped that by the end of their training and by the time a decision had to be made, one of the Fontes will volunteer to be her Fonte instead of her having to choose one. One night, after Alessa sneaks out of the Citadella to follow her body guard, Dante, she learns that she can touch him without gloves on. This changes things, and with his help, she begins to learn to master her powers and eventually practice using them on the other Fontes.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like it was compelling and enough was happening to keep me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I was really invested in the relationship between Dante and Alessa. We have the grumpy/sunshine trope! Dante and Alessa grew up differently, but yet have so much in common and it is beautiful (yes, that's the word I'm going with) to see her support Dante and help him see that he is more than his past. I loved their relationship as it grew from Dante just being her bodyguard to him caring about her immensely. There was a lot of sweet moments and I enjoyed their banter. I also loved each individual Fonte and what they contributed to the story. It gave the book a sense of found family as they all started to care and support each other in their own ways.

The ending was enough to leave you satisfied, but I am excited for the second book and to see the relationship progress between Dante and Alessa as well as the role the other Fontes will play. They were a fun bunch to read about as they were all so different, yet they came together to help save Saverio and be there for Alessa and Dante.

A unique blend of high fantasy and romantic comedy, Thiede's chosen one story draws on lots of fan favourites in both genres, blending them with a wry, lemon-scented twist. We get a reluctant world saviour with a refreshingly open interest in understanding her sexuality, an impossibly handsome and delightfully cheeky love interest with a few secrets up his sleeve, a team of teen superheroes who overcome their differences and learn to band together, a hint of political and religious unrest, and a deadly looming battle on the horizon. Though the story begins by leaning into the high fantasy with its focus on the upcoming threat and the inherited rules that will allow the heroine to save her land from a hoard of demon insects, the bulk of the book centers on the banter-filled romance and the development of the band of friends as the heroine breaks out of her isolation and builds connections with others. I suspect teen readers will devour this, particularly after 2 years of pandemic living that have made us all crave more connections, and they'll enjoy the heroine's journey to harness her power and lead her friends into battle. The book ties up nicely, though the final chapters provide hints of the story that will unfold in book 2. No doubt readers will be eager to return for more.

An engaging new YA series for fans of Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns series. Featuring a compelling lead character wrestling with a powerful gift…or curse? And a fun cast of supporting characters.