This is a story of a girl who has magic bestowed upon her from the gods. She has to train to fully access her own power and enhance the power of another, and they will work together to protect their society. There's a really nice focus on the psychological impact of loneliness (via not being able to touch others,) as Alessa has killed many potential suitors already and is looking for "the one."
I had a fun time but wished it has been aged up to an adult novel, as it didn't need the youthful fun gimmicks and had the potential to feel more epic (romantically as well as fantastically) if we had aged up the characters.

This Vicious Grace was sent in a past time but you are not sure when the story takes place. It's the story of one girl with the survival of her whole island on her shoulders. She finds and unlikely allies in her quest. Sometimes you have to break the rules to find salvation.

I loved the world building for this magical world where the protagonist has a deadly gift she is forced to test repeatedly on potential suitors.

Huge plot twist at the end, so really need to see the sequel!

Excellent audio narration.

I really enjoyed the relationship building between Alessa and Dante. The slow burn was well done, holding my attention.
Alessa's gift is complicated - and deadly. Waiting to find her partner, she decides to work with Dante - building his tolerance slowly. Dante is clearly working an angle.
I really enjoyed Alessa's strength and determination.

I really loved This Vicioius Grace. It usually takes me a while to get into a book that relies on world building, but this one captured me from the beginning. It was so atmospheric and beautifully written. I loved the Italian influences in it--those little references immediately put me in the scene. Dante was my favorite character, but Alessa was so relatable, even if she's supposed to be 'the chosen one'. Her anxiety and loneliness seeped through the pages and was just so very real. I love the focus on community that the book had and I really, really,really cant wait for the next one.


I received a copy of this book from netgally in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Alessa needs a partner, but after three weddings and three funerals, she is running out of hope. She was chosen by the gods to fight in a great battle in order to protect her people, and as the battle draws nearer, her people begin to lose hope as well. Needing protection, she finds a bodyguard of her choosing, with hopes that once she has chosen her final partner, she can do what is needed at last.

This book HOOKED ME. I couldn’t stop listening(apart from a painful stretch when I had to go to work, booooo) and I was fully invested in Dante as soon as he entered the scene. WE. LOVE. A. BAD BOY.

The camaraderie between Alessa and the was slow to develop, but I loved the bonds and burgeoning friendships they shared. Even Caleb, for all he was a jerk at the beginning, won me over.

I love stories where the heroes put aside their differences to battle alongside each other, and while I know that the story isn’t over(and HOLY HECK I NEED A SEQUEL) this book still has a somewhat satisfying ending. But also… sequel now please.

Carlotta Brentan was brilliant as a narrator, and I clung to her every word. When Michael Gallagher joined near the end and we got to hear from Dante, I thought he was the perfect match. I really hope we get to hear both of these narrators in a sequel!

Family tradition, demons, love, demons, Italian culture, demons.

This book had all of the ingredients for a gripping YA story about a girl named Alessa (The Finestra--one who can fight off demons who try to invade Divorando).

I did, at times, have trouble following what was happening in the book, and that could've been story building or my own attention span here.

I think it's one that I would like to revisit in the future, but for now, lots of beautiful world-building!

Three weddings. Three funerals. Alessa's gift from the gods is supposed to magnify a partners magic, not kill every suitor she touches. Now, with only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons devours everything on her island home, Alessa is running out of time to find a partner and stop the invasion.

This was a slow burn read with forced proximity and a forbidden love trope. I thought the story was interesting and what a unique concept that the heroine to inadvertentlykeep killing off each suitor. The audio was well done, and I actually preferred this format to the physical copy.

*many thanks to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

Book review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This Vicious Grace - by Emily Thiede

This is a
slow burn
force proximity
forbidden love
slow burning plot
Young adult book

The search for a compatible match to channel powers and to protect the people from the monsters that are about a month away from the attack

She has been unsuccessful in finding a match without ending their time and now has a bodyguard who is very dark cranky and mysterious.

The story is very interesting and the plot is very unexpected this is not something I have heard before and I enjoyed the new tale however it was a very slow burn for me I struggled when finish the last 1/4 Of this book.

I would’ve enjoyed a little bit more perspective on the people and the cultural beliefs to grasp more of what they were thinking.

We obviously saw that the family was toxic and afraid and probably ashamed as their beliefs would have it.

However we did not really know why besides the fact that she had some partner’s pass, it’s was implied That this mismatching was the fault of the main character and not perhaps picking of the wrong person to pair with.

Why did they not have her practicing her interactions before the point of matching if it was not the match being wrong but more her inability to control herself

I gave this book 3 stars as the story was very good and itself but I felt like the buildup was just a bit too slow for my liking and I got frustrated towards the end waiting.

Thank you to @netgalley and the author for the copy of the audiobook for my honest review

Current #audiobook on #netgalley #thisviciousgrace #emilytheide #bookstagram #bookworm #bookshelf #lemonscrub #slowburn #forcedproximity #youngadultbooks #youngadultfantasy #youngromance #bookreview #bookreviewer #blogger #bookblogger #netgalleyreader #bookblogs #bookstagram #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #arcs

*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

The audio was well done, if you like to listen to your books I recommend this format. I like to speed my audios up and I listened to this on 2x speed which was perfect for me.

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!

Alessa is unsure if she truly is the chosen one, The Finestra. Her gift from the gods is supposed to magnify the power of her partner's magic, but unfortunately three weddings have led only to three separate funerals. Terrified of being touched and killing another, she finds herself both terrified of the people around her, and the pending invasion of a swarm of hungry demons coming to destroy her home. It is her duty to match with a magical partner and defeat the demons, or her entire homeland will be destroyed. After an assassination attempt from one of her own soldiers, Alessa hires a personal bodyguard. Dante is marked as a killer with a tattoo on his wrist. With that mark, he will not be allowed within the protective walls during the demon attack, but rather would have to fend for himself. Alessa's offer to have him act as her bodyguard is too good a deal to pass up, and he may be the one person who helps her master her gift. 

Emily Thiede's fantasy debut is fascinating. Her world building is believable and entertaining, especially as we find out more about both Alessa and Dante. The side characters in this book help imbue the book with fantastic energy, leaving the reader, or listener in the case of the audiobook, to find themselves enraptured with the world Thiede has created. I'm excited to see what happens next in The Last Finestra series. 



This Vicious Grace is now available.

I tried reading this book in 2 formats, but I just couldn't get through it. It wasn't that it was bad. I made it about halfway before I lost interest. I put it down for months and just never picked it back up.

I found this to be a fun fantasy read. Alessa must bond with a partner to save her island. She has bonded with two other partners to find that they could not survive her touch. Time is running out, Will Alessa find the one whose powers will meld with hers to save the island., before the demons arrive?

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede. I've been getting a little bored with most YA fantasy, but Wednesday Books was kind enough to send me an ARC so I definitely wanted to give it a try. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised by this book! Alessa keeps accidentally killing her spouses, demons are about to descend upon her island home, and she needs to figure out how to control her power so she doesn't kill her next suitor. I was hooked from the beginning! The pacing wasn't perfect and the love story felt pretty standard, but the unique setting and concept, found family aspect, and the urgency of the story all kept me riveted. I'm excited to see where the next book takes us!

Three weddings. Three funerals. Alessa’s gift from the gods is supposed to magnify a partner’s magic, not kill every suitor she touches.

Now, with only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons devours everything on her island home, Alessa is running out of time to find a partner and stop the invasion. When a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the island’s only hope, her own soldiers try to assassinate her.

Desperate to survive, Alessa hires Dante, a cynical outcast marked as a killer, to become her personal bodyguard. But as rebellion explodes outside the gates, Dante’s dark secrets may be the biggest betrayal. He holds the key to her survival and her heart, but is he the one person who can help her master her gift or destroy her once and for all?

I loved this book! It was a great fantasy romance. I loved the characters and the world building. Looking forward to more of this series!

Unfortunately couldn't get into this one, it could just be that I don't like the romantic tropes or the familiar feel of the same type of fantasy novel, and less to do with this specific book.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book! The synopsis really hooked me and so did the first page of the book. I couldn’t put it down. The story is so unique with Italian influences. Magic, demons, slow-burn romance. The romance is a big part of the plot and I really loved it. The characters chemistry was written so well. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

AMAZING romance! Loved them together and the banter and feelings so much! Plot and everything else wasn’t too spectacular. the last 100 sadly was such a drag, last 15 pages picked up and ended on a good not though that didn’t save it for me. Enjoyable for 75% of it :)