This Vicious Grace is a beautifully written and mature YA that has the potential to be hugely popular. I was struck by the prose almost immediately, and it was clear with "older" teen characters that the author was looking to appeal to a cross-age group crowd.

The start of the book is incredibly slow, which may turn off some readers, and it throws a lot of worldbuilding at you pretty quickly. This is absolutely the low point of the series, though the immediate nod to the main character and her brother was wonderful- it's rare and satisfying when YA books focus on relationships outside of the main romance.

The introduction to Dante was fantastic, and the romantic chemistry between the leads was solid. I genuinely enjoyed the book from here on out. Its a smart and unique gem in a saturated genre.

The romcom fantasy I never knew I needed! Lots of fun, loved the characters, and I can't wait for Book 2!

The downside of getting an ARC is now I have to wait extra long for the sequel. That said, THIS VICIOUS GRACE was fantastic! A fresh take on YA fantasy with some of my favorite tropes (brooding tough guy with a heart of gold? Yes please!) Alessa is a relatable lead, constantly feeling like she’s not enough for her role as Finestra while wanting nothing more than to do the right thing. Dante is a delight. I can’t wait to get a hold of book 2 to see where these characters go after That Ending.

LOVED IT. Brilliant debut. I'm never NOT obsessed with a brooding body guard. The setting is a vacation in of itself - well, apart from the imminent doomsday attack. :) I'm very excited to read Thiede's next book!

This one teetered on the edge of five stars.

I'm not sure if it's just me, but this one thrusts you into a world you know little to nothing about, and I guess the expectation is to learn as you go? It starts out very confusing, a lot of the language used is in Italian, I believe. Ex; Finestra, Fonte, Consiglo, Divorando, etc.

I definitely think a map would be beneficial, as well as a glossary. The world building felt heavy, almost overwhelming? I felt like there was so much to know in the beginning, I almost didn't finish it.

But I'm glad I did! The relationship building in this book is monumental. I loved seeing the friendships blossom in this book. The hurt, anguish, betrayal, love. The banter in this one is so freaking funny. Alessa is hilarious, and works in dirty comments whenever she can.

The relationship between two certain characters made me scream in frustration, laugh, pull at my hair, and tear up. I don't think I've ever cheered for a couple like I did this one. At one point Thiede had my stomach in KNOTS, I was so scared.

This one ends on a cliffhanger, but not a terrible one. It's like being in the eye of a storm, the peace before more battle. So it's bearable.

Thank you St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an advanced NetGalley copy of This Vicious Grace. This review is being left voluntarily, all opinions are my own.

This book was such a good read! I really enjoyed the main characters and the journey they went on. I was never bored while reading this book and could not wait to find out what happens. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All of the opinions given are my own and have been given nothing for my review.

I can't believe this is a debut! A beautiful story with a strong and courageous heroine. I couldn't put this down! The beautiful writing kept me turning the pages!

This Vicious Grace is a is a wonderful and incredibly rich fantasy novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, and the characters.

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so imaginative and detailed that the information of the world building/plot never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I cannot believe I just read this marvellous book in about just 2 days? Where do I even begin? Everything is *perfect* about this book!
I loved reading this book, it was so entrancing and diverse! The characters are so well-developed, complex and most them are so sweeett!! I didn't know this book had a found family trope and it was so heartwarming and beautiful, my heart still aches for them. I found the magic system and the history very thrilling! Dante is just👌😂 Special award to the author for almost making me cry with how accurately she described Alessa's feelings and emotions!😭 I loved the relationships the most in this book! Go read this book everyone!

4.5 stars!💖

This book was amazing, with incredible world-building and a sizzling romance at the center! But first, I have to applaud the book's cover, which is one of the most stunning I've seen this year! Okay, back to the story... fantastic premise: Alessa is chosen by the gods to ward off an apocalypse, but when her soldiers turn on her, she must hire a street-fighting bodyguard, Dante to protect her. Their flirtatious banter is fantastic, and it's a real shock when Dante is revealed to be an even bigger potential threat to Alessa than her disloyal soldiers! In summary, this is a stellar fantasy debut, and I can't wait to read more from this writer!!

Thank you St. Martins Press/ Wednesday Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’d first like to say wow! This book was fantastic. 5/5 stars. It is pitched as Serpent & Dove mixed with a hot bodyguard fantasy and I think that is an accurate description. The authors prose was amazing. The writing is easy to follow even with lots of world building and learning the unique magic system. Beyond just a high stakes fantasy I throughly enjoyed the romance. I especially loved the banter and verbal sparring between the main characters. Alessa’s character was great I loved her complexity and growth. It paired perfectly with Dante’s. Dante is everything a hot bodyguard should be and more. I found his character deeply fascinating. Emily Thiede did an amazing job with all of the other characters too. I found myself caring and connecting with all of them. I also really appreciated the humor and crude jokes. It really helped alleviate the heavy feeling of the impending apocalypse.

Overall this story was unique and held my attention from the very first page. I couldn’t put this book down. It has everything you could ever want. Between a doomsday apocalypse, forced proximity, enemies to lovers and found family. I cannot recommend this book enough and I am anxiously waiting for the next installment.

Whoop! Whoop! Such a great start for brand new fantasy series!

Alessa such a determined, tough heroine to secure her village from apocalypse, looking for perfect partner. It seems like easy task, right! You couldn’t be so wrong because everything or anyone she touches is death man walking. Correction: not walking, just drop dead! Oops!

After a few attempts and death candidates later, Alessa teams up with Dante, a fighter with dark and mysterious past, reluctantly being hired to be bodyguard.

Both of the characters are easy to like and invest which helps us to drawn into the story!

Their growing chemist, well played, smartly developed banters put smile on your faces. You easily toot for them!

The world building based on Italy and old language they used is modern Italian were great choices( my third language is Italian so it was easy for me to concentrate on those passages)

The final cliffhanger made me screamed! I truly wanted to know what will happen next! I’m dying to read the next installment and crossing my fingers to get much faster sequel than I expected!

I highly recommend this to smart, moving, action packed, riveting book to big lovers of well written fantasy series!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After seeing the cover reveal on Emily Thiede's Instagram, I knew this would be a book to look out for and one to be on my 2022 anticipated list. I am so happy I was able to read an early copy of this book and I'm also really really sad because this book leaves us on the worse kind of cliffhanger and the second book will probably come out in 2024 or '25.

This Vicious Grace is about Alessa, a chosen one with the touch that kills. Literally. After three attempts to find the perfect partner to help save her village from on upcoming apocalypse, Alessa needs to get this fourth attempt right. When Alessa is almost killed and feels like no one is on her side to help keep her safe, she hires Dante. Dante, a handsome brooding fighter, grudgingly agrees to help Alessa as bodyguard and to help train her for the impending doom.

This book is so good! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. A gorgeous bodyguard, a strong and relatable protagonist (even with her powers), Italian language (being an Italian myself I loved every moment), and a banter-filled romance.

The only thing I do have to nitpick about and maybe I missed it during my first read (yes, I will definitely re-read this book) is the setting. There were times when I couldn't get a handle on whether or not the characters were living in a more futuristic village setting or more like a past Italy setting.

Overall, I love the writing and Emily's storytelling. I love the characters and the "magic" system though I wish and hope there will be more in the second book.

4.5 stars

Wednesday Books,
What can I say other than you rock and Thank You!

This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede
Pub Date June 28, 2022
(My son's birthday 😍)

Emily's new fantasy debut This Vicious Grace is the first book in
The Last Finestra Series was a phenomenal book.
This was my first book by this author and I'm so excited to say I'm hooked on her.

Mini Review:
Alessa and Dante our main characters were extremely amazing.
I was so surprised I loved them as much as I did.
The cover drew me in, but the characters and world kept me there.
The world building here is brilliant, detailed and expansive.
The climax was intense and emotional and had me completely breathless.
She really outdid herself with this book.
This story will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The book starts a bit slow IMO but picks up pretty fast and past 30% of the book, it’s truly packed with action!

I'm truly reeling over this YA, Fantasy Romance novel and I can't wait for book two!
Sadly it's release date is January 2023! One Whole YEAR! 😭
Don't think I can make it.

*Thank you to Macmillan, Emily Thiede and Netgalley for providing me with a E-ARC of "These Vicious Grace" in exchange for honest review*

So I liked this. I especially like Dante. I thought that the worldbuliding was interesting with Fontana and such. I really liked Dante and Alessa's banter. I think that the worldbuliding was definitely unique.

I absolutely loved this book. I knew I’d like it, but it was beyond amazing.
First of all, characters! They were all so deep and dynamic, which I absolutely loved. Alessa, the main character and Finestra, discovers so much about herself throughout the story. She doesn’t compromise her values, but she becomes more powerful than ever before, and she doesn’t need anyone to do it, even though her actual magic does need practice with others. The love interest, Dante, is the kind of mystery I actually wanted to read about. He never made Alessa feel anything less than amazing, and he would do anything for her, even when he did have secrets to keep. The background characters, specifically Kaleb, also made so much progress and I loved them all by the end.
In terms of plot and pacing, this was still amazing. There was a clearly timeline from about halfway through, but I was caught up in what was happening, not waiting for the action to hit constantly. I read this book in less than a day because I was so totally engrossed in the story.
This world was inspired by Italy, which I was pretty neutral on, except for the “old language”. I didn’t hate that they used an old language, I just thought it was hilarious that it was literally modern Italian and I could translate it on my kindle as I was reading the ebook.
Basically, READ THE BOOK. It somehow captures the vibes of both Shatter Me and Beyond the Ruby Veil in the best way possible, and I loved every second. There’s healthy romance, dynamic characters, and a plot that’ll have you totally enthralled to the very end.

I was immediately drawn to this book from its gorgeous cover and the Italian-inspired setting, which isn't often seen in YA (the only one I can think of off the top of my head is THE BRILLIANT DEATH, which is also lush and beautiful). This book follows 18 yo Alessa, who has already killed three suitors because of her very powerful ability to amplify magic, inadvertently draining her suitors and killing them. I loved the book's setting, and the descriptions that really grounded it -- for example, the lemon trees, the food, the ocean. I also adored the banter between Alessa and her love interest, Dante. The premise of the story was absolutely fascinating, and I was so intrigued by the magic system, the worldbuilding, and the cyclical threat of these monsters. My only qualm is that the way Dante and Alessa met stretched the limits of plausibility a bit, though in terms of thinking of this as a typical rom-com meet-cute (the book is described as a rom-com meets high fantasy, after all!), I suppose it does make sense. All in all, a very quick and unique YA fantasy full of banter, plus an unexpected and clever twist at the ending!

3.5 stars.

I am removing a star for the cover. Which is rude I know, but since this is an early ARC I am hoping that someone pays attention to the lower reviews and maybe does something about it. Because this book deserves better.

The book is fabulous, well written, with engaging characters and detailed world building. But it is most definitely a fantasy novel. (Italian inspired which was cool.)

However the cover says contemporary thriller set in South America. It is not a fantasy cover and it will cost sales. I almost passed on this one, and only read it after a lot of deliberation and seeing that Tamora Pierce blurbed it.

Which would have been a shame, because it has a swoony grumpy male lead and broken, yet becoming strong heroine, an interesting magic system and a well fleshed out set of secondary characters, plus an end with all the feels that has me desperate for the next book. (It's going to be a while... #ARCProblems )

Highly recommended.

Not at all what I was expecting but I loved it. It made me laugh, cry, and scream. I need book 2 yesterday as the ending just killed me.
The main characters have such growth that you can't help but cheer for them.