This Vicious Grace is the first in The Last Finestra series by author Emily Thiede. Alessa has a gift but it comes at a terrible price. She must find a suitor before she faces a hoard of demons and unleashes the full potential of her power. The problem is she keeps accidentally killing them before they can begin their training. I loved the chemistry, the banter, and the concept of deadly touch. Alessa teams up with Dante, a fighter with dark and mysterious past, reluctantly being hired to be her bodyguard. The plot itself was solid, the action, the drama, the romance, and everything was perfectly balanced, which made this Italian-inspired fantasy an impeccable and delectable treat. For YA fantasy lovers, I highly recommend this book

High fantasy and a slow burn romance. I was hooked from the description. A must read. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an e-arc.

This Vicious Grace features a religiously ordained savior who isn't getting the job done, instead accidentally killing the people whom she is meant to partner with as a conduit for their power. Three spouses have already come and gone, dead from Alessa's touch, a touch that is necessary for her to amplify their magic and fulfill her sacred duty as Finestra. She's the next in a long line of Finestras tasked with protecting her island home from a hoard of insect-like creatures, and they're on schedule for their next attack soon. Alessa can't face them alone, but she also can't seem to partner up with anyone as she must. In the meantime, someone is trying to assassinate her, apparently in the hopes that a less hopeless woman will be chosen by the goddess Dea to take her place.

I love a touch curse for the angst, and this book piles on the extra emo trope layer of a bodyguard romance to make things super fraught with forced proximity and forbidden pining. Alessa's crush on her rough-around-the-edges bodyguard, Dante, is also intense because both are isolated, lonely people-- Alessa for her dehumanizing role and inability to touch anyone and Dante for the looming secrets in his past. I wasn't convinced by the love story at first, but it grew on me in the second half (which is good because that's more the focus than the fantasy plot). The author is skilled at portraying the little moments that make the story feel close and emotion-laden rather than a plot spinning out at a distance. That's what won me over. I admit that "doomed romance" vibes irritate me even when I anticipate it will eventually be resolved happily, but the doomed angst doesn't taint every tender moment so I was grateful for that. There's also a nice little conversation about consent, and I appreciate that Alessa unabashedly asks for what she wants and seeks physical affection when and how she wants it. She isn't some passive being waiting for someone else to make a move.

Alessa's friendships also have good vibes with the kind of loyalty and support that the author makes palpable for her readers. I was just left scratching my head a bit about how we ended up there in the first place. We start with everyone being afraid of Alessa's power but end up with bonds that can weather treason, life-threatening danger, and political trickery. The scenes between points A and B didn't have the level of depth I would need to make this growth feel natural.

Similarly, Alessa undergoes such a rapid switch in her attitude and actions that I was left unconvinced. She goes from bumbling and self-pitying to decisive and commanding just because she met a love interest? It bothers me to see sheltered girl protagonists who learn the evils of their societies from knowing, jaded love interests because it makes it feel like it's another person's job to teach people how to act right, and it also seems to suggest that you can have a dramatic perspective shift overnight without any further thought or mistakes. Another character also does a personality 180 with little explanation for the sudden, welcome improvement. Dante doesn't have quite so dramatic of a turn, but he is a predictable, trope-y love interest in that he's mysterious in an obvious way, i.e. being a creature that is viewed as a monster but is actually just misunderstood and only dangerous in an alluring way. He's also brooding and romantic under a tough demeanor. I actually quite enjoyed him as a character, but he felt more like an ideal than a complex person.

The book ends with some resolution but also with a question about what comes next, definitely cliffhanger adjacent. Now that the characters are a bit settled and their relationships are solidified, I am curious what they'll do next and how they'll continue to grow as they face new dangers side by side. Pick up this book for the ya romantasy vibes and you won't be disappointed. Thanks to Wednesday for my copy to read and review!

I love a fantasy with some emphasis on romance. This cast of characters was great and I loved getting to know them some and look forward to continuing that. A bodyguard romance is always a bonus for me! The world building was a little lacking for me, but with this being a series I look forward to learning more about the world as well infuture books

A refreshing addition to the YA fantasy space. I love supporting debuts and this one did not disappoint. I can't wait to recommend this and hype up the sequel.

I tried giving this a shot in multiple formats thinking maybe the problem was me. But I just couldn't get into it. I read until about 75% before I realized I just didn't care what happened to the characters. It was unfortunate because I really was excited for it. I had used it as my WoW and everything. It just wasn't meant to be I guess,

‘This Vicious Grace’ by Emily Thiede was such a riveting, emotional, swoony ride! Definitely recommend!

While this is not an original story by any means, the setting and situation differ enough from the normal trope to be interesting and engaging. The characters were varied and relatable. The writing was, at times, too saccharine for even a Hallmark movie but, balanced with the modern and sarcastic tone of the voices, made the narrative just short of cringeworthy. I look forward to the next installment so, all in all, I liked it.

The latest Chosen One (Finestra) is supposed to save her island people from the hordes of demons who invade every few decades. She does this by choosing a partner (romantic or not) to bond with and supercharge their power so they can defend their big city. Except Alessa's power has accidentally killed the last three people she tried to bond with and now she has just a couple of weeks to convince the few remaining candidates to even try. Worse, the council is trying to kill her and there's well... a horde of demons on the way. She hires a sexy maybe-murderer to be her bodyguard and you can guess where the story goes.
 The promo for the book was intense and early, so I was curious if it would live up to the hype. Overall, it felt like many of the Murder Princess subgenre I've read before, but the author did diverge in a couple of ways. While I can't tell you what they are for spoiler reasons, I  think This Vicious Grace was worth reading. The chemistry between Dante and Alessa, some found family/unexpected friendship and the constant sense of danger propel the plot forward, even if some of it's easy to predict.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher for review.

I loved this book and will definitely be picking up book 2. This starts out with themes of rejection, self-doubt and isolation that slowly evolves into recognition, teamwork and friendship. I loved the romance as well, I thought that Dante made a great antihero.

3.5 Stars
Overall this was a super interesting concept, with a chosen savior who inadvertently keeps killing her partners before having the chance to battle the evil that is coming. I like the world and the plot, I just found the story to drag on for a very long time before anything actually happened. It was super angsty and slow, more the main character regretting her abilities and life overall with no action. The last fourth of the book picked up and had some great twists in it, but I almost gave up before even getting there (ok that is a lie since I refuse to DNF books, but if I did this would have been one). The shocking way the book ended might be enough for me to pick up the next one, we shall see. Keep in mind that a lot of my book friends read this story and adored it so if you think the plot sounds fun and you like a LOT of angst in your characters then pick this up. PS there were some steamy encounters and violence in here, so I do not recommend for the younger YA crowd

This Vicious Grace was full of fantastic and varied characters that both supported and deterred Alessa on her journey toward fulfilling her purpose as a Finestra, the protector of her island home. Her place in the beginning is very lonely. Usually, she would have been married near the beginning of coming into her power, but acting as what is essentially a megaphone for her Fonte (her partner’s) power. Every so many years, there is an invasion of what basically amount to Giant Beetles From Hell that threaten the people of the ocean communities in which they live. However, Alessa’s power seems to work tenfold to what her various predecessors did, and her touch draws an immense amount of power from her Fontes. She has killed three already, and there are certain factions that are feeling like maybe she is an abomination. If she were to be deemed an abomination, she would have to be killed in order for a new Finestra to be created to take her place. However, Alessa finds a strange ally in Dante, who doesn’t seem to succumb to her touch in the same ways as most people, meaning he doesn’t die almost immediately from her drawing all of his power immediately. There’s a good reason for it, but I don’t want to give it away. She decides to hire Dante as her bodyguard, and because he can touch her and vice versa, they begin training with one another and he helps her to control her powers. This is great, because the day of reckoning is fast approaching when the entire civilization of her island home will be counting on her and her Fonte to succeed. It’s especially good to have control as there are many potential Fontes in the running, and she needs to find one FAST if she’s going to keep everyone alive.

My favorite part of this book was the found family aspect that comes later in the book. The romance was also great. The plot, however? It was a steady underlying pulse that slowly ramped up into a mystery. Something really big is happening and it’s possible that the powers of the Finestra are just a symptom.

I’m super excited to read the sequel to this one. It left so many unanswered questions and I want more of Alessa and Dante’s story.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This Vicious Grace is an interesting start to a series. I enjoyed the balance of describing some aspects of their society off the bat while also slowly revealing additional elements as the story unfolded. I still felt like I didn't have a full grasp of the world by the end of the story which is a good place to be in a series. This felt like the beginning of a very interesting story that still hold quite a bit of mystery.

I found some of the character's actions a little predictable but that's often the case in YA fantasy so it wasn't a deal breaker.

Overall I would recommend This Vicious Grace to YA fantasy readers and will continue with the series.

Well written story. I enjoyed reading this very much. I did find the Italian terms hard and had to look them up. Other than that a good solid read. Thank you for the advanced reader copy.

While the concept was fresh and unique, the execution fell flat for me. I enjoyed the mythology aspect, and the ending came together in satisfying manner, but unfortunately, that wasn't enough to make up for what didn't work. I felt that the novel lagged during the middle, and while no fault of the author's, I thought that the romance would be enemies-to-lovers, detracting from my enjoyment. I also wasn't surprised by Dante's revelation. Like many 3-star books, there was nothing overwhelmingly bad about the book, but the same holds true for the positive aspects.

Many thanks to the publisher for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This Vicious Grace is definitely making my top books of the year! I loved the Italian-inspired world Emily Thiede created, and I especially loved all of the characters that inhabited it. I can't wait for the sequel!

Blessed by the gods, Alessa's gift is supposed to magnify a partner's magic, but instead, it kills every suitor she touches. As a swarm of demons threatens to devour her home, a priest convinces everyone that killing Alessa is their only hope. After a failed assassination attempt, Alessa hires a bodyguard, but she isn't sure where his loyalties lie.

This Vicious Grace kept me interested until the end. Thiede's debut had true potential as it was extremely well written and engaging. Its tropes were delivered with a smooth writing style. The world-building was superb and each scene was easy to visualize based on the character's senses and mood. Action scenes were vividly presented and easy to follow.

I also impressed by the author’s ability to write such engaging and entertaining scenes. The writing style was consistent and used precise words so that exposition didn't slow the pace.

The stakes and the worldbuilding were engrossing too.

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what the author releases in the future.

This was a fantastic debut and quite the pleasant surprise! YA Fantasy books have been hit or miss for me recently, but This Vicious Grace reminded me of my love for the genre. Alessa was such a courageous, strong, smart heroine and I really enjoyed reading her journey. The slow-burn romance was thrilling (love a good bodyguard trope!) and written perfectly. I cannot wait to read the sequel!

'This Vicious Grace' by Emily Thiede is a unique YA fantasy! The characters are well developed and the writing beautiful. It does get a little spicy for YA so you may want to preview it before putting it in to a teen's hands.