In Margot Douaihy’s Scorched Grace, Sister Holiday is a tattooed, chain-smoking nun looking to redeem her past. However, when witnesses her school catch fire, she sets out to find the arsonist responsible.

At first glance, the story’s premise sounded amazing and I wanted to love this one so badly. However, what I got instead was poor character writing and an unconvincing crime procedure.

There were so many character motivations to choose from (like the eye for an eye motif was right there!), and the author went instead with the least compelling one. The main character is driven more so by the fact that she likes to amateur sleuth than to get revenge for losing half her vision or out of a desire to protect her students, and it feels so baffling shallow.

I also felt like it was such a missed opportunity for the narrative to not explore the fire’s physical impact on her. Like how does she cope with having reduced peripheral vision and depth perception?

On top of that, Sister Holiday berates and questions a potential suspect right in front of the cops. In cases where it’s a desperate parent trying to find their kidnapped child in a race against time I might understand, but her trying to show off is sheer stupidity. Like, ma'am, are you trying to incriminate yourself? Do you want to get charged with obstruction?

Overall, this book felt like such wasted potential, but, since this is the first in a series, I’m hoping that the writing might improve over time.

Thank you, NetGalley and Gillian Flynn Books, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ｂｏｏｋ ｒｅｖｉｅｗ

𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 by Margot Douaihy
Published: February 21, 2023 by @thegillianflynn
Reviewed by: Mel
Format: eBook ARC

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @thegillianflynn books for gifting me this eBook ARC — it was exciting going on an adventure with Sister Holiday! #scorchedgrace

Sister Holiday isn’t your typical nun and I’m so excited that this is the start of a series — “Hail Mary. Holy Ghost, give me a break, for fuck’s sake.”

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
✽ Unique characters
✽ Subtle thriller/mystery/whodunit
✽ Coming-of-age
✽ Chain-smoking, tattooed, guitar-playing, queer liberal nun

𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
Ok, first of all, what a unique freaking character! I loved the dichotomy between Holiday’s life pre-convent and the flashbacks that gave a well-rounded picture of who she is, and the penance that she’s trying to pay now in her new life.

Having grown up in a Catholic household, I don’t think a character like this could exist — but I certainly love the idea of her. No one is perfect, humans are flawed by nature, so seeing this side of someone who is ‘supposed’ to be pious was immensely engaging.

Douaihy’s writing was also incredibly sharp, funny, and extremely vivid. Her descriptions sucked me right into the storyline, and I felt that I had a movie reel playing in my mind of the entire book.

“Playing an electric guitar, isn’t as much about taming an instrument as it is about riding a tsunami. A sonic palette — pushing and pulling. Thrashing power chords. Distortion, dissonance. Kinetic prayer.”

I knocked off one star because it did somewhat feel like the story was a wonderful slow burn (pun intended) but then the resolution happened in what felt like, a few short pages. I’m not sure what would have fixed this, but by the end, it felt a bit rushed.

I absolutely adore Sister Holiday and I can’t wait to see what other antics she gets up to.

Scorched Grace stars a unique protagonist, Sister Holiday, a novitiate nun in the Sisters of the Sublime Blood. She is devoted to her faith, but also covered in tattoos and a proud lesbian. When a spree of arson/ murders begin happening at the Catholic school where Sister Holiday teaches, she decides to use her own sleuthing abilities to solve the case. Especially important since someone seems to be trying to frame her.

I love the amateur sleuth genre, and Sister Holiday definitely stands out as a stellar protagonist. She's a relatable character, with flaws. You really want to see her succeed. A lot of tough subjects get discussed in this novel, both in flashbacks and current events, but they're not overly described. The mystery is engaging, with enough red herrings to keep you guessing. I really enjoyed this one, and an excited to see it hopefully blossom into a series.

I couldn't resist the description of the main character of this mystery as a chain-smoking queer nun, and she didn't disappoint. Sister Holiday is as irreverent as I'd hoped, and a hard-boiled detective to boot. Her small enclave of nuns in New Orleans is threatened by arson in their abbey and school, and Sister Holiday is impatient with the progress the police are making. As she delves deeper into the crimes she puts herself in danger and at risk of being accused of arson herself. The complexity of the characters, the uncovering of their secrets, and the dialog all make this an entertaining read, and we can hope that the series is quickly on the way.

Scorched Grace has an excellent MC in Sister Holiday, but the rest was a bit lacking.

Holiday is by far the best part of this book - a former punk musician who becomes a nun in the aftermath of a traumatic event (I'm trying not to be too spoiler-y here). She's a really well fleshed out character, and I genuinely enjoyed reading about her and the exploration of her back story, including her relationship with her family and former lover.

But everything else in this book didn't quite work for me. Riveaux - the fire investigator and sorta potential love interest - fell flat. Holiday's involvement in the investigation always felt a little forced. We do see why she is so determined later on, but for most of the book it comes across as she's getting involved just because she's 'good at solving mysteries'. And the ending and reveal of the killer felt anti-climatic.

Overall, a mystery with an interesting MC, that others might still really enjoy, but didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Sister Holiday is a badass and I loved following along with uncovering the mystery. Also the cover is amazing!

Thank you NetGalley and Zando Projects for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

This worked so well! I was initially pretty dubious - a queer riot grrrl nun in a noir seemed a bit too much, but Douaihy's clearly talented and this was insanely compelling and interested. I'm immediately hooked for anything and everything Douaihy puts out moving forward, this really is so great.

I just finished reading "Scorched Grace" by Margot Douaihey and I'm blown away by the beauty and depth of this book. It's a story that blends the mundane and the magical, the real and the surreal, in a way that feels both familiar and extraordinary.

At its heart, "Scorched Grace" is a story of love and loss, of grief and healing. The protagonist, Grace, is a young woman struggling to come to terms with the death of her mother and the ways in which it has shaped her life. As she grapples with her own pain and confusion, she begins to encounter strange and wondrous things: a bird with a human voice, a tree that grows literal memories, a boy who can ignite fires with his touch.

Douaihey's prose is lyrical and evocative, full of vivid imagery and sensory detail. She creates a world that is both grounded in reality and infused with magic, a world that feels rich and alive. But what really sets "Scorched Grace" apart is its emotional depth. This is a book that explores grief and trauma with compassion and nuance, that recognizes the complexity of human experience and the ways in which we all carry our own wounds.

Overall, I highly recommend "Scorched Grace" to anyone who loves contemporary fiction with a touch of magic. It's a beautiful and powerful book that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page

Margot Douaihy’s new book, Scorched Grace is a great kick off to Gillian Flynn’s Books. This book is a pout a queer, heavy tattooed nun who is also a bit of an amateur detective. The mystery was just so-so for me, but I did enjoy the flashbacks in Sister Holiday’s slightly sordid past. Overall, great debut novel in the hard boiled detective genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found this an interesting read with a unique protagonist. I liked the representation it delivered by having a queer nun as a protagonist and multiple Black side characters, and I liked that it was set in New Orleans. I also thought the plot was intriguing at times, and just engaging enough to keep me reading. However, I thought aspects of the mystery could have been written better, as I found the motive of the "bad guy" to be rather unconvincing and the overall plot relatively unmemorable. I also thought the flashbacks were a little excessive, as they seemed more like devices to add more and more trauma to the main character's backstory. Nevertheless, I do think others would enjoy this read a bit more than I did, and I'd still recommend giving it a try if you're looking for an original whodunit-style mystery.

Content Warnings: homophobia, death, arson, sexual assault

Description
Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun, puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test in this “unique and confident” debut crime novel (Gillian Flynn).
From the Publisher:
When Saint Sebastian's School becomes the target of a shocking arson spree, the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and their surrounding community are thrust into chaos. Unsatisfied with the officials' response, sardonic and headstrong Sister Holiday becomes determined to unveil the mysterious attacker herself and return her home and sanctuary to its former peace. Her investigation leads down a twisty path of suspicion and secrets in the sticky, oppressive New Orleans heat, turning her against colleagues, students, and even fellow Sisters along the way.

Sister Holiday is more faithful than most, but she's no saint. To piece together the clues of this high-stakes mystery, she must first reckon with the sins of her checkered past-and neither task will be easy.

An exciting start to Margot Douaihy’s bold series for Gillian Flynn Books that breathes new life into the hard-boiled genre, Scorched Grace is a fast-paced and punchy whodunnit that will keep readers guessing until the very end

Mysteries and new detectives are having a moment right now. If you are interested in a new detective with a fresh twist, this is for you!

Sister Holiday is a cool character that deserves many more books. She is smart, she is queer, she is savvy and she will solve the mystery of the fire that has come to disturb everyone’s peace. Highly recommend!

What's not to love about a queer, tattooed nun solving crime and chain-smoking? An excellent new series launch from Gillian Flynn's press.

This was SO GOOD. A queer, tatted up punk rocker turned nun solving the mystery to a series of arsons at her church/school? Sign me up.

Initially I was unsure if I could get into this, but once I started it was so hard to stop. Such an incredible cast of characters and a great setting. I was immersed in the story.

I love that this will be a series because I need more Sister Holiday.

I highly recommend listening to this as well as reading it.

sister holiday was unlike any other main character i’ve ever read before. she’s a tatted, chain smoking, queer icon. i enjoyed reading about her so much and solving the mystery with her was so much fun. this was very funny and full of such colorful characters.

“Is there any torture more elegant than chasing what you'll never catch? A love kept pure by denying it, trapping it in glass.”

This was my favorite quote from Scorched Grace, a story about a chain smoking, lesbian nun thrust into the middle of a murder mystery. The flashbacks into Sister Holiday’s old life were my favorite parts of the book. Although it was a fun read, the ending felt a little rushed when it came to finding the arsonist. It was still a quick, unique read!

thank you NetGalley and Gillian Flynn Books for this arc!

A unique main character in an interesting book. Solution didn't make a lot of sense. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

rating: 2.5/3 stars

i have so many thoughts about this book.

the premise was absolutely metal and i was so damn excited how this conceptually technicolor nightmare (said lovingly) would pan out.

the most conflicting part of this novel is by far sister holiday. the whole queer punk nun thing played out in very interesting ways. it just felt very “why is she supposedly punk but supporting various Institutions as a personal preference?” i know people contain multitudes and that punk as a subculture and punk as a conceptual aesthetic have become very malleable to personal repertoires and internet trends over time; but as a person who is culturally punk, this definitely felt slightly removed from, or slightly contradictory by design, what defines and upholds punk beliefs. it made the book fun to ponder and discuss with friends, but difficult to buy into. ultimately, i decided to suspend my disbelief until i was given more context. once more nuance and detail was afforded to sister holiday’s storyline, i definitely started to understand her more. however, in the end, i was not able to reconcile her saying things like she hated to hate cops but was punk. i can’t logic out someone who likes cops being someone who, in background and identity, is supposed to be a punk troublemaker who got queerbashed by the cops. people contain multitudes but the interplay of her beliefs and identities left me puzzled. personally, certain things were too far of a stretch to logically coexist for me without removing my immersion in the novel. i know she was written to be complex and bold, but she just veered too far into contradictory for my taste.

some of the discussions of queerness and sister holiday’s past were very engaging for me, especially at the beginning when the newness of the dramatic novel made everything quite electric. however, there were graphic depictions of heartbreaking homophobic violence, so trigger warning for that.

by far one of the highlights of this novel is the lush, descriptive language margot douaihy uses. extremely sensorial figures of speech and exceedingly witty one liners. at one point there was a metaphor INSIDE a simile! INSIDE IT! the prose and descriptions were dope. i bookmarked so many parts of the e-book to go back to and marvel at the word choices. very entertaining and thought provoking. i bought the book when it came out (before even finishing the e-book) so i could start underlining.

the twist in the end made SO much sense in hindsight. i like what the commentary of the twist provided. i feel like this is a book that i will come to appreciate the longer i sit with it. so many of the characters are problematic in some way and it DOES bring color and meaning into the novel in moments like this. very, very funky.

overall, i think the things i liked and disliked evened out to create a fairly standard quality debut novel. lots of really invigorating elements, but ultimately it could not keep me fully immersed. i’m not a thriller/mystery reader too often. it takes a really unique premise to draw me in. this absolutely did and does deliver in that way; however some elements just didn’t fully sell it for me. glad i tried it out though, i’m sure it will do something for various others.

thank you to netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to love this one so much...it's got:
-the best cover ever
-a tattooed, smoking, queer nun at its center, who's investigating things on her own
-a ragtag group of sisters
-a series of crimes making up the mystery

...But it's just a little to slow for me. The background contextualization often slowed things down more without adding substantively to the story. I'm so sad this one didn't work for me.

Thanks to Zando, Gillian Flynn Books, and NetGalley for complimentary copies of this book.

Scorched Grace grabbed my attention with the beautiful colours, stained glass, and smoking nun on the front - but, as we know, don't judge a book from its cover. I wanted to like this book so badly. As a queer woman myself, I often love stories with LGBTQ leads - however, Sister Holiday was over the top.

The story features two timelines: her past as Holiday Walsh - a queer, guitar playing addict - and her present as Sister Holiday - a (still) queer nun and guitar teacher at St. Sebastian's Catholic school. I found the interweaving of the timelines to be messy and difficult to understand.

This story feels like it features representation for representation's sake and exists only to highlight that the author understands sociopolitical issues. Additionally, I feel like Holiday's queerness is a caricature and an unrealistic representation - especially the "sex scenes".

Many times while reading, I considered DNFing the book. However, I wanted to persist so that I could share my thoughts in case there were any redeeming qualities or twists: there were not.

The writing in this book reminded me of a creative writing assignment where the author needed to pad the story with contrite metaphors and description to get to her required word-count. This made the book boring, especially where the plot and mystery were not riveting.

The present storyline takes place over a short period of time (maybe a week or two) where a number of fires are set, targeting St. Sebastian's. The police and fire department in the book are incompetent and untrustworthy, according to Sister Holiday, and therefore she decides to investigate this on her own.

Sister Holiday's past life and involvement with amateur investigatory work would have worked better as separate chapters. However, the author would instead have Sister Holiday start dissociating and thinking about her past in ridiculous detail in the middle of a large event - causing me to forget what was happening in the current storyline. I would have gone back to try to figure it out, but it wasn't interesting enough.

If you choose to read this book, please know there are a number of content warnings, including: homophobia, police brutality/gay bashing, gang rape, incest, rape, substance abuse (opioids, cocaine), alcohol abuse, murder, suicide, cancer, infidelity, religious trauma, etc.

I received a review e-ARC and audiobook ARC of Scorched Grace from Net Galley and Gillian Flynn Books in exchange for my honest review.