This Vicious Grace

A God-given gift isn't always a good thing...

Alessa is not your common girl. She's blessed by Dea and charged with the responsibility of saving her home. Everything comes with a price and soon Alessa finds herself cut off and alone. I enjoyed reading This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede. The beginning of the book lays the groundwork and world-building. At first, I found myself struggling to get through. I promise that it's all worth it once you get into the middle of this story. I had a hard time putting it down! If you're a fan of found family then this is the story for you! Throughout the story, you get to grow with the main characters and find love in unknown places. The love interest in this book share a very special bond. The scenes with them are for the most part closed door. I can't wait to see what comes next from this author! I hope I get to Alessa and the gang once more.

The story might start as a slow burner but it definitely doesn’t stay that way. The author has a great way of keeping you hooked even when you think that the story is slowing down, and she does not disappoint. It was such a unique twist of fantasy and slow burn romance, I don’t even know what other series or book I could compare it to. It definitely stuck with me for days after I finished it, and I told all of my friends to add it to their pre-order lists!

Thiede's debut is an immersive novel with shades of Cora Carmack's Roar and Jennifer Armentrout's From Blood and Ash, but manages to be wholly its own.

I very much appreciated the world building. I also appreciated the plot, which did not go the way I expected. Which is a rarity these days, lol.

It doesn't manage 5 stars because I wasn't engaged with any of the secondary characters. The protagonist, Alessa, is well-written but the supporting cast is mostly two-dimensional. Not to a man, but largely. And characterization is my nit-pick area always. I also wish that it hadn't been *quite* so much of a cliffhanger...but I suppose expecting a YA fantasy to be a one-off instead of a series was my mistake.

All in all, 3.5 out of 5 stars for a well-paced adventure and interesting world.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. This story lashes out with the ferocity of a fantasy with a driven purpose. The characters are wonderfully flawed and it is hard to decide who to believe. I loved the touches of humor and the sometimes poignant moments. I totally recommend this book to readers who enjoy a tale filled with battles, love, remorse and forgiveness.

Alessa is the Finestra, a gift from the gods meant to protect her people. But so far, she hasn’t had much luck—she’s had three Fonte, and has killed all of them. Time is running out, though. Without a Fonte, there’s no way for her to carry out her gods-given duty to defeat the demons soon to sworm her island. Once her own soldiers begin to attack her, sure that’s the only way to save the island, she seeks her own bodyguard, loyal to her alone, and finds Dante.

This book was a little slow starting off, but once I got further in, it was so captivating and I did not want to put it down! The main thing I loved was Alessa and Dante’s relationship. They both helped each other in more ways than one and loved each other so much. I also adored seeing the found family grow between Alessa and the people training to be her Fonte. This was also perfectly set up for a sequel in my opinion, as there are many aspects of the plot I’m eager to learn more about in the next book.

I will probably be in the minority, but I did not love this book. I’m all for fantasy, powers, romance, etc. And this did have all that. But I also want action, conversations between characters that let me crate my own vision of their personalities. This book spelled out everything, in constant prose, detailing every little thing for me instead of letting my imagination fill in the blanks.

The cast of characters are all pretty standard; the young girl with blossoming powers who doesn’t know who to trust, the bodyguard who is constantly brooding and making snarky remarks, the obnoxious suitor who thinks he is better than everyone else. Nothing you haven’t read before.

The storyline itself started out very well. We learn quickly that our heroine has powers that kill with a touch. And that she needs to find a companion who will help her control those powers. And that she has already accidentally killed three potential partners. And that there is a fanatic who is gathering followers who believe they will all be saved if our heroine is killed. (hence the hiring of a bodyguard). Sadly, for me, it went downhill from there.

After all the introductions, I started waiting for the action to begin. And waiting. And waiting. Lots of inner introspection from our leading lady, lots of hashing out of feelings, lots of descriptions of her clothes, her room, another room, the bodyguards clothes, a bunch of other rooms, and more clothes. The final fourth of the book finally picks up a little steam but by then I had figured out most of the ‘mysteries’ and ‘who done it’. And yes, it’s part one of a series because it definitely ends on an unfinished note.

Inventive story, interesting characters, but not the greatest execution. Would love to have loved this, but just couldn’t.

This was such an enjoyable read. I read a lot of YA fantasy and sometimes its easy to get tired of the same ole tropes. Although there were some common themes, this story felt fresh. There was decent world building, but I would like to see more in the next book. The romance wasn’t insta-love and both of the main characters were likeable. Because of Alessa’s status, she spent a lot of time alone or with Dante, but I would like to see the more of the supporting cast and more development with them. Overall, this was a really good start to a series and I’m interested in seeing where it goes.

Such a good read! The magic system is different than what I’ve seen before, and the world of this story is so beautiful. My favorite part, however, is the dialogue: Thiede’s characters have incredible rapport. There are scenes where I laughed aloud (quite a few), a few where I cursed under my breath (little ears were nearby), and a certain chapter where I was feeling ALL the emotions and would have had some choice words. I love when I am so invested in characters and cannot wait for the second.

Fantasy readers will enjoy this magical slow-burn romantic comedy. The magic system and world building are quite captivating.

4/5 stars for the genre.
If Rogue from X-Men had to play a Tower Defense game and needed an Italian hunk by her side.

A fun, cute, romance story set in a fantasy world that is under threat every five years of demon invasion.

We follow Alessa, protector the city with the ability to amplify magic users (and any other skill) as she prepares the next attack. This amplification talent is neat and immediately set my mind racing for where else it could be applied. I want that concept to be put into a hard-magic system fantasy where the protagonist augments around and is not the main hero.

Emily clearly had a good time writing this - there were scenes where I laughed out loud as our two main characters danced around the main subject, innuendo purposefully abound. The exchange where they discuss Alessa's love of romance novels (meta, I know) was funny. This is an author who knows their genre, knows their audience, and plays around with that.

To the down-side: the world and secondary characters felt a bit flat and interchangeable. I think there were 2 or 3 people who were "boundlessly optimistic", until they weren't and that trait was passed onto another person to suit the plot.

This book was absolutely amazing and I was hooked from like the first page.

Alessa, is a Finestra, goddess chosen and blessed with magic, who alongside her Fonte, her magical partner, are meant to fight monstrous demons sent by the gods and save their home island. However, everything is not going as planned as her last 3 Fontes have died from her touch. Everyone around her is doubting her ability to save them and plotting her murder.

Without knowing who to trust she goes looking for someone to protect her and she finds, Dante, a street fighter, and a criminal.

Times running out for Alessa, as the demonic attack is quickly approaching, and she needs to figure out how to control her powers and find a new Fonte. Which is pretty hard to do when everyone hates her and is scared of her.

Everyone except for Dante that is.

I really liked Alessa and found her to be very sympathetic.

I felt for her and her loneliness and her struggle between wanting to do what was right, protecting the island, and wanting to be herself and live the life she wants to have. She was also so funny though, always found humor in dark situations. She was such a caring person and loyal and loved that she loved romance books. And I would love to be her friend!

And Dante. Ahh I loved him too!

He's a criminal who loves books. soo yeah

He was such a kind person despite how much he tried to convinced everyone that he was a horrible person.

He and Alessa were so great together. I really enjoyed seeing them open up and learn to trust one another.

I especially appreciated how Dante helped Alessa grow into her role and accept herself. Alessa had a lot character growth and learned how to become a leader and be confident in herself.

Also it seems that this is going to be a series, and while the ending sets up the next book pretty well, but most of the conflicts get resolved by the end and there's only a minor cliffhanger. Which I'm really happy about.

This book is going to be a YA classic. Not only does it have the same feeling of epic fantasy that I remember from when I first started reading, but the characters are instantly likeable, the world is intriguing and for the most part, the plot is tightly knit and fast moving. This book is perfect for anyone who loves YA fantasy and the things that make it so unique. Friendship, love, magic, battles, it’s all here. The first book isn’t even out yet and already I can’t wait for the sequel

This was such a fun read. I devoured it in one read. The Italian fantasy inspiration was an interesting choice and fairly well done. I particularly enjoyed Dante - I mean, the plot - and think the bodyguard love story will resonate with lots of teens as a new favorite. I'm looking forward to the next installment and eagerly anticipating more wonderful banter!

A knock-you-back debut from a highly skilled and creative author!

Magic? Check. A NOT cringey romance? Check. Cool, fully realized MCs? Check. Action for days? Check and check again. A book so good you will be counting down the day the next one drops? You bet! Check!

Do yourself a favor and CHECK out this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an advance readers copy, all thoughts and opinions in this review are my own!



First off- this is the authors fantasy debut?! Excuse me? Woah. This was a fun cliff hanger of a wild ride and read. Definitely recommending this to my myth/folklore friends wanting to branch out a bit. I haven’t heard of any Italian Lore -
So this was a new experience for me as a fantasy reader. I enjoyed it! Looking forward to whatever comes next in this (series? Duology?) the characters are well written, you’re rooting for the underdog, and on an adventure in this one. Definitely purchasing a physical copy when it is out!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday Books.

This Vicious Grace surprised me with how much I enjoyed it due to a lot of info dumping in the beginning. But I promise, this book is so worth it!

I loved the fantasy and the gods system is so well done!

As soon as the book started, we're immediately thrown into this immersive fantasy world. This book requires a good bit of world building in its early pages in order for everything to make sense. That being said, it does mean a lot of info dumping early on. I didn't mind it in this case because it was really interesting and in depth but still concise enough to keep the story going. I was initially a little confused on everything, but it started to click pretty easily and then by chapter 10, I think, it was really rolling and the story's momentum truly picked up. And, when it did, it was pure perfection. I love Alessa so very much. She's SUCH a good MC. She has so many great qualities, but is also flawed. I think my favorite thing about her was how often she surprised me while still feeling like a true character with clear motivations. She and the love interest were a wonderful match. A new favorite book couple for sure. Their chemistry was evident early on and the banter was top tier! The side characters were also fun. They were pretty mild at first but then really developed right along with Alessa, making them a wonderful found family all fighting for a common goal.

I also have to say that the dialogue and writing were fantastic. The fantasy of it all was super cool and I'd honestly love a little bit more in book 2, which I'm sure we'll get based on the ending. The gods system was super interesting to me. I love how often this book subverted my expectations. It's a YA, so I thought it would follow certain common tropes in the plot, and was relieved when it didn't. When I thought it was going to go a certain way, it intentionally didn't. It made reading this so much fun because every step of the way was refreshing and new!

This Vicious Grace was a book I definitely didn't know what to expect, but I find myself genuinely surprised by where the story went. It surprised me, and it got me heavily invested. This story is as stunning as its cover. I wasn't able to put it down after reading the first page. The beginning was a bit slow, but the set up was worth it in the end. It helped get me invested in the overall story later on. If you're into the concept of Rogue from X-men, or enjoy paranormal stories. I've been blown away by this book. I look forward to buying my own physical copy!

One of the most fun YA fantasy books I’ve read in a while. I immediately fell in love with Alessa and her voice, and I wanted to root for her especially in her heartbreaking circumstances. I heard that this book was basically a romcom with darker fantasy elements. That premise intrigued me, and the story definitely delivered. There was such funny and witty prose, while also being intense and very emotional. And the romance is *chef’s kiss.* Do you like the part in X-Men when Rogue sees Wolverine win a cage match and is like, “Yep, that’s the guy I want to protect me”? Because that is basically this book. It’s Rogue & Wolverine but with a closer age gap so there can be romance. There is a great cast of characters and it was exactly the mood I was wanting to read right now. I know this will be a favorite of so many readers when it comes out!!!

4.5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book. The perfect blend of Italian heritage, fantasy and YA dystopia. I loved all of the characters, especially Dante, and the heritage added a lot of depth to the lore presented throughout.

I can’t wait for the next instalment already!