If anything is going to draw me to a book, it has to be a smoking, queer nun on a stained-glass-style cover. Douaihy brings a character to life who has to solve a crime a little too close to home and it is intriguing and beautifully written however, sometimes not enough to the point to really keep me engaged.

The gorgeous writing style is already apparent in the opening lines and continues throughout the rest of the book. At times, nearly every paragraph ends with some type of wisdom or at least quote-worthy text and there are detailed descriptions. This is great for anyone who enjoys very wordy books however, it does take away from the action a bit.

The action happens a little too late as well, making me wonder halfway through when it will get exciting. Luckily, the eventual climax did end up being pretty good. Again, very well written and it shows a lot of cinematic potential. The thing that really intrigued me, however, is Sister Holiday’s past which slowly but surely gets revealed as the story progresses. It ties in well with the present conflict and the parallels add a lot to the story’s quality. I think if the overall mystery had been as intriguing as the backstory, I would have loved it a lot more.

Through the backstory, Sister Holiday’s motivations and character become a lot more clear. Her ideas of God and religion as a whole make her both complex and relatable, which her queerness definitely adds to. Having “a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun” as the main character is an automatic win but with her cleverness and again, her backstory, she ends up being an incredibly interesting and refreshing mystery lead. I would read more novels with her, or even a prequel about pre-nun Holiday. With the other characters, I feel like some were almost equally interesting while others faded into the background a bit too much, but overall, I liked a lot of them as well.

Note that Scorched Grace may have a queer character to root for, but not quite a queer relationship, as it isn’t giving space for a present romance, which definitely favours the tone of the book. There are a lot of homophobic scenes and flashbacks but the queerness is overall very relatable which I appreciate. Aside from that, many dark themes are explored, which definitely makes this an adult book. Think a dark, queer, religious crime novel is right up your alley? Absolutely check out this Sister Holiday book and get ready to be drawn in by its linguistic beauty and thematic gruesomeness.



Thank you to NetGalley and Zando Projects for a chance to read an ARC of this book for free, in exchange for an honest review.

SCORCHED GRACE by Margot Douaihy is the first installment of the Sister Holiday Mystery series. This is a hard-boiled crime series featuring amateur sleuth, Sister Holiday. Sister Holiday is an ex-punk-rocker-foul-mouthed-tattooed-cigarette-smoking queer nun that I guarantee you will love! She’s a dark, vibrant, hilarious, and unique narrator who kept me on my toes. This is a brilliantly plotted, murder mystery set in one of my favorite places, New Orleans! I guarantee you will be as enamored by Sister Holiday and SCORCHED GRACE as I am.

New Orleans in the sweltering summer, a convent, seared by deliberate fires. Who is targeting the Sisters of the Sublime Blood? The cops think it could be Sister Holiday, after all she doesn't exactly fit the religious mould of the others sisters, heavily tattooed, a cigarette dangling from her lips, a shady past, she ticks all the boxes, except one ,guilty. Holliday knows the real culprit is out there and she knows she'll stop at nothing to protect her home, after all the sisters gave her a chance when no one else would. Douaihy has created a singular heroine in Sister Holiday, certainly a character to keep an eye on after this unique book.

Scorched Grace is a detective novel, as I've never read one before. Sister Holiday, a queer nun with a sordid past, enters our lives as a string of arson attacks frames hers. When the first fire takes the life of someone close to her, she sets out to find who exactly is targeting the convent.
We alternate between clues leading up to the final "who-done-it" and the details of Sister Holiday's life, before she became a nun. I found both to be interesting, though with every new layer provided, I loved her more and more.
This was a fresh, exciting and gripping take on a genre that's been around for a long time and I cannot wait to see what comes next from this series.

This book was... okay. Not horrible, not amazing. Just okay. Kind of like grabbing a coffee twenty minutes after you brewed it and it lost a lot of its heat, but you might as well drink it because its a good brew and its better to not waste it.

I wasn't expecting it to be so heavily focused on religion, I thought it would be more against, or Sister Holiday would be less pro and more "stuck in and against" the school she worked for. That's my won fault for going in with such expectations. It did critique a lot of the issues in Catholicism, in the police force, in family dynamics. I did appreciate it for that.

Sister Holiday was a very interesting character to follow, clearly trying to atone, constantly getting put through the ringer, all in an effort to prove herself not only to herself, but to people who can't even see her anymore. I did enjoy her wrestling with her faith, with her past, especially so new into her nun-hood.

Douaihy's exploration of New Orleans is gorgeous and her descriptive language is absolutely stunning. Every picture was so clear, fleshed out with how she described, never relenting from reminding me about the New Orleans heat, that if I were there right now I would be sweating, and sticky, and uncomfortable. It really threw me into the space Sister Holiday was in, built the setting so well.

On top of an okay story, there were okay stories. I didn't feel connected to any of them, felt weirded out by a few, and would prefer to have a few others slammed into the ground. Some of the things that occurred with them were so... pointless. When the surprises dropped though, I can't say I was surprised myself (I must be getting better at reading mysteries because I was able to guess the arson-bug 20% in). It's not a mark of a bad story, Douaihy seeded the thoughts early on just didn't supply the actually emotional weight to it so when it came I was... underwhelmed because the characters were lacking.

I did want to love this book. I was so excited! A chain-smoking queer nun solving mysteries in New Orleans sounds like it can't fail. It didn't... but it didn't exactly do well either.

TW: gang rape (not graphic, but it's still there), homophobia, animal death

I enjoyed the mystery of this story, but overall I was bored through a lot of it and the ending wrapped up way too quickly. I understand this will be the first book in a series, so background information on Holiday is necessary, but the book was less about the mystery and more about her and how humid New Orleans is.

Sister Holiday isn't your typical nun. Sure, she's queer, she's tattooed, and she even sneaks the occasional cigarette between classes, but that's not the only thing that makes her unique. She's also a natural born detective, always ready to step up when there's a mystery about. When we meet her, she's about a year into her life as a nun. She teaches music, volunteers in the community, and is adjusting to the spartan life of the convent. Pretty soon it seems like everything is going up in flames, both literally and physically. Scorched grace is write!

Margot Douaihy's really pulls you into the scene and makes you feel like you're present in the moment. I loved how she focused on the colors and the details of the surroundings. Her prose vividly pulls you into the location, makes you feel the heat of the city and the smell of the places around Sister Holiday.

I recommend this for a fun mystery read! Can't wait to go on more adventures with Sister Holiday

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early! I absolutely loved this story. It was so utterly unique from any other detective novel or thriller that I’ve read in a long time. I loved the inherent contradictions in Holiday and how that informs her character and her actions. As a queer, atheist reader, I went into this book intrigued by the premise and how a queer woman could choose to become a nun, let alone a crime-fighting one. But I was pleasantly surprised at every turn. Holiday doesn’t shy away from her contradictions, instead she owns them. And that is what makes her such a unique character that felt so alive and human. As for the other characters, you couldn’t take them at face value either. While some of them fell into stereotypes, that was simply a ploy to get you, the reader, to consider them as more human when more of themselves, and their own contradictions, came to light. All in all, I loved how all the characters were so realistically flawed, as all people are.
The story was intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat until I found out each clue alongside Holiday. I absolutely loved this. For anyone who thinks the crime, thriller, and mystery section of their shelves seems to be too overwhelmed by straight men, this is the book to pick up and have you begging for more.

This book is all vibes, but I couldn’t quite connect with the characters or the plot. The writing is lyrical, and the author is clearly talented, I just think this is truly a case of “it’s not you it’s me”. DNF, but would still possibly recommend to some folks.

Sister Holiday is a compelling character. A lesbian nun who isn’t afraid to say the word “fuck”, smoke cigarettes, and insert herself into an arson investigation when she loudly deems the investigators are not doing an adequate job.

The writing style featured too much stream of consciousness that made the mystery feel like it took a back seat to Sister Holiday’s random inner monologue. While interesting at times, it ultimately made it difficult for me to stay engaged with the story.

Sister Holiday’s past comes full circle in a very satisfying yet devastating way. Sister Holiday has one of the saddest backstories I’ve ever read.

A novel about a sleuthing nun is obviously going to be very religious. However, Sister Holiday and the other nuns are one of the more progressive groups. Sister Holiday’s views on religion are interesting and is one of the reasons I enjoyed the novel.

Scorched Grace is one of those novels I had a hard time truly enjoying while reading, however now that I’ve had time to digest the novel I appreciate it more.

Overall, Scorched Grace is an interesting concept, but fell a little flat in its overuse of stream of consciousness writing despite its compelling main character and views on religion.

this was just okay for me. i really started to enjoy it in the last 20% but to get to there was a little bit of a slog. i think the thing that threw me the most is that the writing isn't always linear which i don't mind but there were times were i found myself completely lost and having to go back to figure out what was going on. i'd definitely check out more from this author (or any in this series) but this one was just meh for me :/

I haven't read a good mystery in a long time so I was excited to jump right into Margot Douaihy's debut novel, Scorched Grace. I loved the amateur-sleuth, chain-smoking, tattooed, queer nun protagonist, Sister Holiday. This is a character who drew me in immediately, kept me hooked, and was curious about her own background and the reason behind joining the order—The Sisters of the Sublime Blood. The more I learned about her past, the more interested I was in the story. My favorite scenes in the book were flashbacks of her life before joining the order. These are the types of characters I want to read more about. The pace was steady, the plot propulsive, and the clues were expertly placed. I loved the setting of New Orleans and could feel the sticky air in Douaihy's vivid descriptions. The scene that sticks with me the most is the flashback image of the burning car left parked outside the bar, and her mother sleeping inside it. Such a shocking reveal!

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I recommend to readers who enjoy fun mysteries with a morally grey protagonist, interesting settings, and a diverse cast of characters.

This was such a fun read. Completely unique, and I love the character and voice of Sister Holiday so, so much. Douaihy sheds a really fascinating perspective on life, god, religion, and queerness, all while keeping readers hooked in a classic whodunit. Truly so much fun to read, beginning to end. Thank you so much for providing me with an e-ARC!

I spent preschool through sixth grade in a Catholic school, only to end up being queer. The fifth and sixth grade classrooms were actually on the top floor of the convent. My fifth grade religion teacher was a nun named Sister Rita who adored pop culture, and I had her the year Britney Spears had her public meltdown, and in retrospect, Sister Rita's take on the whole situation was very ahead of the times. All this to say that I'm probably very much the target audience for reading about a queer tattooed nun being an amateur sleuth.

Sister Holiday - tattooed, queer, and with a rocky past - is the newest and most unlikely recruit of the Sisters of the Sublime Blood in New Orleans. When a string of arson targets her school, St. Sebastian's, she decides to take matters into her own hands and try to solve the mystery herself.

While the main mystery is the arson, I was most intrigued by the flashbacks that slowly illuminate Sister Holiday's past. I really appreciated the way that the author navigated Holiday's faith and identity - it was nuanced and thoughtful. She was absolutely a fascinating character.

I did guess who did it, but I suspected several people along the way first. My biggest note would be that the pacing sometimes felt off for me - sometimes too slow, sometimes too fast where I'd find myself having to go back a few paragraphs to figure out what I missed. It sometimes felt a little disjointed. However, I think this sets up really well for a future series - there's plenty to still learn about Holiday and the various side characters. Overall, I enjoyed this debut and will keep my eyes open for what this author writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A queer-smoking-heavily tattooed nun has to figure out who the serial arsonist is at her Catholic School. This novel had everything! Humor, darkness, thriller/mystery, and a little bit of spice! I really enjoyed Margot Douaihy’s writing style, and I am so excited for what else is to come from this author! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

This is the kind of mystery where the main character and the setting are what keep me reading as much as the plot. I wanted to find out whodunnit, of course, but I grew to care about Sister Holiday and her rag-tag New Orleans Catholic School crew. I rooted for them, suspected them, and was immersed in their world in a way that only comes from a truly unique story. It was surprising, tragic, heartwarming, sharp, and special. I hope there are more Sister Holiday books. I'll be first in line.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book.
Unfortunately. Nothing about it was working for me. The dialogue felt weird and stilted and the prose just wasn’t to my style.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

CW: Arson, rape, homophobia, physical assault, biphobia

When I heard this book was a mystery about a tatted, queer nun, it moved straight to the top of my TBR. I had no idea how that would actually play out, but it was a wild ride with a combination of hilarity, seriousness, trauma bonding, and just plain absurdity! While the mystery at play was interesting and kept me guessing (to an extent), I was much more captivated by Sister Holiday’s past and what led her to become a nun. The entire cast of characters was well-written to make each person a viable suspect, even though some of their stories were a little disjointed. I wasn’t thrilled with the ending, and the religious message was way too heavy-handed for my liking. Overall thought, I enjoyed the read. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Scorched Grace took me to a place I'd never imagined: a convent/school in New Orleans.

Sister Holiday isn't your typical nun, tattooed, queer, ex-rocker, adulterer. She becomes an investigator when one of her colleagues is killed in an arson attack at her school, and two of her students are injured.

Things aren't quite as they appear when everyone is a suspect. Sister Holiday muddles through, trying to eliminate her friends, her students, and even the police working on the case.

Holiday's pre-convent life was wild, with sex, drugs, music, a fire of her own, and guilt. The book makes you think about the complexities of religion, addiction, guilt, tests of faith, friendship, and desire.

Can't wait to see where book 2 takes us!

I wanted to enjoy this one but I found the plot, story, and characterizations hard to follow and not really resonate the best for me at times.