I love this cover and the synopsis of a bodyguard romance drew me in. I dabble in fantasy and this one just kind of lost me. I tend to like my fantasy novels to be more on the realistic side and some of the descriptions had me confused. So my rating is personal preference. I would imagine a regular fantasy reader would enjoy this much more than I did.

I had trouble getting into this one; for me, at least, it started slowly, with a lot of character development, and I was quite sure what was going on with the plot for several chapters. Once I got into it, however, it started moving faster, and I understood much better what was going on. The plot sped up significantly in the second half of the book, and from that point on, I enjoyed it.

Alessa is a Finestra, a power focus, destined to marry her Fonte, her power source, so that between them, they can defeat a periodic scourge, the scarabeo. To help her focus her power, she is kept is relative isolation, separated from her family and forbidden to touch anyone with her bare skinBut there’s a problem: not one, not two, but three of her matched Fontes have died as soon as she touched them during the wedding. Now the attack of the scarabeo is mere weeks away, and she still doesn’t have the partner she needs to fight them. Her Council assembles a group of potential Fontes, and they practice together, the hopes that one of them will prove acceptable… and will then survive the wedding. But will their plan succeed?

Alessa’s touch kills. She’s had three weddings and three funerals for the spouses who couldn’t survive. But Alessa has to try again. She’s the Finestra, the chosen one whose touch is supposed to magnify her partner’s elemental magic so the two of them can save their realm from the demons prophesied to end it. It’s a cycle and Alessa is the first Finestra who seems unable to find her match. And when an assassin attempts to end her life, it’s clear that Alessa isn’t the only one who doubts her ability to do what needs to be done. And her new hired bodyguard just might prove more key to the prophecy than anyone could have ever imagined.

This book was a lot of fun! It felt a bit more on the younger side of YA with a more juvenile protagonist, but does contain sex (not overtly graphic) and the main conflict feels a bit dark for the tone in which it is written, so I’m not sure what exact age group this is aimed towards. It’s very similar in immediate concept to Rory Power’s In a Garden Burning Gold, if execution and endgame are entirely different – I will admit to liking this book a lot more.

The romance takes over at a certain point, so much so that the reality of the situation the characters are in falls by the wayside – though the dialogue and banter are admittedly top-notch. The rules of the world are never fully explained at the get-go, most details left to be sprinkled in as the story unfolds – without ever sacrificing full commitment to the stakes, however.

A deus ex machina save at the end was a predictable twist that nevertheless makes the prospect of a second book more exciting than if it hadn’t happened. I’m very curious to see where this series goes!

Content warning: death, gore, forced marriage, attempted murder.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Unfortunately, this book was a letdown for me. It contained some great lines, but it felt like the book was built around them rather than the lines resulting from great storytelling. It was almost as if the author thought up a bunch of cool phrases or sentences and then thought, “Okay, now how can I work these into a story?” The writing tried to hard to be epic and dramatic. Overall, it just didn't impress me.

I found myself asking "why" a lot. For example, why the weddings? It's not as if they were necessary or even had to be marriages in the traditional sense--they were simply a way to form an official partnership between Finestra and Fonte. My only guess goes back to the "cool phrases" ("Three weddings. Three funerals."), as well as an easy way to add an obstacle between Alessa and Dante (although why did it matter, as it wasn't actually a marriage and it was permissible to take a lover after Divorando?). Again, just lots of questions and things that didn't make actually make sense but felt like they were in there just because.

Alessa (18) seemed 16 to me; in fact, I frequently forgot she was technically an adult. Dante (19/20) was a little more believable as his age, but not by much. Between the two of them, I liked him more, though I can't say why. And honestly, I couldn't help rolling my eyes when Alessa's response to Dante's question about one thing she wanted to do before she died was "lose my virginity." Yeah, she really said that.

I am aware this is a series, and This Vicious Grace leaves off on a slight cliffhanger (not for the book, necessarily, but for the overall story). I just don't see myself continuing it, though. However, if someone else reads it and feels like messaging me with a summary of what happens in subsequent books, I wouldn't complain.

How it ends: (view spoiler)

Note: A little swearing. Innuendo. A couple of mild sex scenes.

Overall, I thought This Vicious Grace was a fantastic debut! Interesting world building, fantastic main characters and some great humor!
—
Forced to leave her family behind after being chosen by the gods as the next great Finestra, Alessa is given a gift that is meant to save her island and its people from an attack of terrible demons. Her power is suppose to work by pairing with another, but instead she ends up killing the last three partners she’s had, just by touching them.

When a priest convinces the people the only way to save them is by killing Alessa, and after surviving an attack by one of her own guards, Alessa takes it upon herself to find her own personal guard, someone not attached to the Citadel or it’s staff. What she finds is a man named Dante, a mysterious stranger with a troubled past, a man who must help her save the island and its people.
—

“𝘕𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘫𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮… 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦?”


I found the 2 main characters so charismatic and charming in their own weird way and the chemistry between them was electric! Their characters were so strong, it may have even taken away from the side character building a bit. I didn’t connect with them as much as I normally would, so I’m definitely curious to see where book two goes, and who comes back in the sequel!

The world building was great in my opinion, and I liked the Magic system, just didn’t love it. I definitely enjoyed the writers style and I’m looking foreword to reading more about the last Finestra 🙌.

This book was almost perfect! There are a few things that I wish would have been different, but overall what a great read. I loved the story and how Italian culture was incorporated. The pacing was great, the love story was adorable, and watching the character development grow throughout this book was amazing. I can't wait to read the second one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Ok I wasn't sure how I was going to like this one as YA has been hit or miss with me lately but I devoured this book. I absolutely loved Alessa and Dante. Their banter and the tension was just *chef's kiss* perfection. Alessa lives on an island where every couple years hordes of demons are sent by a vengeful god to destroy the lands unless the Finestra and her chosen Fonte can defeat them with their combined gifts. In order to achieve this the ruling body has decided the Finestras must be isolated from friends and families. This doesn't work so great for Alessa as she kills everyone she touches.

I really enjoyed her interactions with the different Fontes and watching her learn to control her powers. Dante was also a really fun character. Very sarcastic and funny. I was low-key hoping this was a standalone but as it's not I will just slowly fade into the aether waiting for book 2.

I really enjoyed this one! The main character, Alessa, wasn’t my favourite, but the love interest, Dante saved it for me. He was so grumpy and I loved him - I’m always weak for a bad boy. I also thought the setting and worldbuilding was fun. It didn’t really add anything new to the genre (I can think of many other YA novels that include MC’s with a lethal touch), but that doesn’t matter too much to me. I still liked it and don’t mind reading books with similar elements if the story is enjoyable. I would recommend this one!

With Italian-inspired worldbuilding and a compelling slow-burn romance, This Vicious Grace is a decent debut, though I found the characters more interesting than the plot.

Alessa is the Finestra, so her god Dea has supposedly picked her to save her island from an incoming swarm of scarabeo—insectlike demons. But Alessa has already wed and killed three of her chosen Fonte instead of successfully amplifying their magic. Naturally, these tragedies place Alessa in a precarious position. She must learn to control her abilities, which can kill people with a single touch, while stabilizing her people and the Fontes who now resent her presence. 

I liked the angst brought by Alessa’s inability to touch people, as it made her desperation to master her magic more personal; she fought to save herself as much as she persevered to save her home. Her physical isolation also made her growing relationship with Dante, the streetfighter she hires as her bodyguard, sweeter and intenser. She and Dante were already likable individually, so I appreciated their chemistry, even if it overshadowed potentially complex side characters, including the Fontes and Alessa’s twin brother.

However, the worldbuilding didn’t satisfy me. By the end of the book, I had lost the urgency of the demons invading on the day of Divorando. I still didn’t really understand why the island’s religion regularly accepted these demons as a divine punishment, and the actual doomsday was also rushed. Plus, there were brief mentions of other continents, but the descriptions weren’t sufficient to make them feel real and important in the characters’ lives. 

This Vicious Grace has lots of potential, and I hope Thiede fleshes out the world and characters better in the sequel.

I don’t understand the amount of people who are adding this to their favorite lists. This is so generically boring and mediocre. It sounded pretty good but it just wasn’t executed well. I feel like there are so many YA books like this these days. Its very romance heavy as well which I wasn’t expecting but not surprised. You could literally skip chapters and not have missed anything at all.

Needless to say I won’t be continuing the series. Thank you so much to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This book was a DNF for me, which was unfortunate since everyone else seemed to really enjoy it. The main character was just... every cliche you could come up with rolled into one. The premise was fascinating and had a lot of potential, but I think I'm just sort of over the whole "super special heroine is super special in so many super special ways" trope. There are multiple ways to have a strong female protagonist without making her perfect and oh-so-cool and overly talented.

5/5 stars. One of my top 10 favorites of 2022 definitely. I devoured the e-arc and then reread the audiobook. This story is just so beautiful yet so brutal. Life and death. Love and hate. Rich and poor. When life gives you lemons, you uproot everything and change what you've always been taught in order to save people who didn't even believe in you.

Wowza did I love this book! Firstly, the finished cover is phenomenal. I think it will really pop on the shelf and it very aesthetically pleasing.

Slow-burn, strong characters, great chemistry and a bomb plot about the apocalypse is what you have in store with Emily Thiede’s new series.

Alessa is chosen by the god’s to help save everyone from the apocalypse, and she must intrust in her magical partner for help. The problem? She can’t stop killing everyone she touches.

I think this story flows very well and I found myself really invested in the romance aspect of this story. I’m so excited this will have another book so I can escape into this world all over again!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!


This Vicious Grace was a fun, entertaining read and probably one of the best young adult debuts I’ve read in a while.


It follows Alessa, who is known as Saverio’s chosen Finestra. Finestras are blessed by the goddess Dea with the ability to magnify the supernatural gifts of a Fonte. Together, the pair are destined to protect the island from Divorando, a destructive day meant to punish humanity.


It may seem like she’s blessed by the gods to anyone else, but for Alessa… well, she kills anyone she touches. Fontes are supposed to withstand a Finestra’s touch, but instead? She’s killed the only three who’ve tried, and is extremely touch-starved at this point.


I liked Alessa a lot more than I thought I would. At first glance, she just seemed like a typical young adult protagonist with very little personality and a certain attraction to brooding, dark-haired bodyguards (sound familiar? 👀). However, as the story progressed, her character development became a lot more prominent. At the beginning, she was restricted and unsure of herself. She had no idea how she was going to accomplish what was expected of her, and she tried to be as detached and cold as she could. But as she grew into herself, she became strong, stubborn, and independent. Her snarkiness and humor made her personality even more vibrant, and reading her dialogue and thoughts was always really fun.


Now, while Alessa was struggling to find a suitable Fonte, she took it upon herself to hire a personal bodyguard to protect herself from threats even within the palace named Dante. I really, really loved her relationship with Dante, especially towards the beginning.


They had incredible banter, heartfelt scenes, and genuine friendship. I swear, I had to put down the book a few times because it made me cackle. They would tease each other, make jokes specifically intended to annoy each other, and it was absolutely hilarious. Examples that are actually a lot funnier with context but still:


‘She gave him a scolding look. “Be nice.”
“I’m not nice.”
“I think you might be, actually.”
Dante looked mortally offended.’

“I suppose I’ll let you put your clothes on now.”
He snorted. “Like you could stop me.”
“I could kill you with my pinky.”
“I’m shaking.”

"Ever since you called yourself stale bread, I've had wicked cravings."
He paused, shook his head, then pushed back up.
"I adore bread. Especially baguettes. Long, thick, hot and slathered with—"
He hit the ground, shaking with laughter. "Enough. Mercy. You're a champion of lewd baking metaphors."


But, in my opinion, once they actually became romantically involved, their relationship didn’t hold the same chemistry. Maybe I’m just a sucker for banter and angst, and also the book was coming to an end at that point so they didn’t have as many domestic scenes, but I feel like it lost the magic it had before. Hopefully, in the second book, we’ll get to see more of them in general, as it might just be because they didn’t have a lot of time together after that.


I also felt like the ending was underwhelming. The entire book is a countdown, leading up to the terrible and inevitable doomsday, and it just felt sort of rushed. The tension and description were lacking during the actual event and I think I was anticipating something a lot more dramatic.


Overall, though, this was a great read. I didn’t expect to be so immersed in the story and invested in the relationships. I grew to care for the group of friends, for Alessa and Dante, and for their story. I’m excited to see where the second book goes!


3.5 stars.


“Keep your gods and goddesses on their pedestals if you want, but the rituals, the rules, the isolation? You know that isn’t really from them, right? That’s written by mortals. Men, mostly. We have a bad habit of locking up people who scare us, and the thing that scares men with power most is a woman with more of it.”

3.5

This was so good. The romance was so ugh romantic! The sexual chemistry was amazing and I just loved the connection the two main characters had. This was honestly the best part, though the plot itself was also effective. If you're interested in a really sweet bodyguard type romance with a little fantasy, this is for you.

The plot itself was pretty interesting, It was essentially a slow build to a big battle at the end. I thought the battle especially was very well-written. It was very intense and chaotic and there really was this sense that a happy ever after was not guaranteed. Like, it felt like characters definitely could die. I actually wish the author had been a little more bold in this regard and really had killed more people.

I also wish we had gotten more worldbuilding. I think this book needed more description and atmosphere to really make the setting effective as Italian-ispired. Like it felt vaguely Italian, but I think it could have been richer overall.

I also feel like the fantasy lore was a little weird? It didn't seem very flushed out. Like essentially there are two gods (who we don't actually meet in the book), one who sends monsters every few years and one who gives some people magic powers to fight the monsters. We don't really know why, who the gods are, or much of anything really. Maybe this will be explored with more depth in book 2.

Very curious to also see how the romance develops in the next book. Based on the way this ended, I think its safe to say book 2 will be all about that angst.

This was fun and I do recommend.

Thank you Wednesday Books for an e-arc of this book. I absolutely loved this book. It totally went beyond my expectations. I was instantly intrigued by the thought of a girl cursed with deadly magic and anyone she touches she kills. I also loved that this book was set in a fictitious town in Italy. I have Italian heritage so it was like being at home in Emily’s writing. This story is all about found family, loving both oneself and others, and the fierce obligation to protect others even when they hold such disdain for you. I fell in love with Emily’s writing, and the characters she created! I can’t wait for the sequel.

I struggled with this book at the beginning because it did not grab me. But it sounded interesting. I felt I got interested when Alessa met Dante. From there I was hooked. I so ship these two. The ending was left open so I look forward to the next one.

This Vicious Grace was a little bit difficult for me to get into at first, mainly for the simple fact I am a mood reader and was in a bit of a book slump when I started to read this. It quickly captured my attention though and held it right up until the very last page.

This book has a slow burn romance between the two main characters, Alessa and Dante , that is full of witty, sarcastic banter and has the grumpy/sunshine trope (which I absolutely love.) Alessa and Dante come to be together when she chooses him as her bodyguard after the threats on her life. Little does she know that his darkest secret is the very thing that will help her.

This Vicious Grace is a book that you will not want to miss out on if you love adventure, slow burn romance, found family, grumpy/sunshine trope, and a world that will pull you in and leave you ready for book 2.

*4.5 stars*
Wow. I am super impressed with this book - the writing style is excellent, I had no idea I was reading a debut! This is one of those rare books where the middle was actually my favorite part of the book! I didn't find any spots slow or lagging, we have excitement and intrigue from the beginning right to the very end.

I loved the characters in this book - Alessa was such a great female lead. She had to undergo so much when she became the Finestra and yet she keeps her head up and her humor on. And DANTE. Omigosh Dante.... he takes the typical broody, quiet, sarcastic male lead and makes it so, so much better. I ADORED their sexy humor and witty banter. Dante is easily one of my favorite book boyfriends of 2022! In terms of side characters, I liked each and every Fonte in their own way - they were all unique and all added something different to the story.

In terms of the plot itself, the pacing was great, the story unique enough to set it apart from other YA fantasies. Yet it still had some great, well-loved tropes! I am unsure how I feel about the ending... I definitely liked it, but I'm curious to see where things go from here. Overall, fantastic debut!

I think the author really struggled when deciding what they wanted this book to be? I enjoyed the plot and the world that the author created, but I found the mixture between fantasy, horror, and romantic comedy off-putting at times. I have decidedly mixed feelings, but this will be great for the right reader.