I really enjoyed this book and gave it 5 stars! The premise really got my attention with “Three weddings. Three funerals.” Plus I love the Italian passages at the beginning of every chapter and the Italian language that is scattered throughout the story.

Alessa fells a bit like your typical main character. She is a girl who has a greater purpose, she was chosen by the gods to help save her people; yet things start to go horribly wrong. She never gives up and I really admired her constant fight to try and not fail at her ‘purpose’. I found her character to be enjoyable, fun, and quirky.

Dante, is probably my favorite character of this entire story. He is the typical “I’m a bad boy/doomed character”, but in reality is just a huge cinnamon roll of a person. I eat up that trope! Plus his secrets and back story were something I really enjoyed and would love to go into more detail, but do not want to include any spoilers.

When it comes to the story telling and pacing, I enjoyed it and found myself flying through this book. I think its an easy and quick read. I would highly recommend it, especially if you love YA fantasy.

Absolutely loved this audiobook! The narration was amazing, and the story was entertaining and unique. I can’t wait for the follow up to this book! Definitely would recommend! Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for access to this audiobook in exchange of my honest review.

Ahhh okay I’m done!! I have to admit I liked it! I would agree with others it wasn’t perfect though. I usually grade books so I give this a B.
Likes: I loved the romance. Dante was sweet but sarcastic (though I wanted more from the banter). I really liked his section where he’s frustrated he’s dying and we see his perspective (it helped the audiobook had a man voice for those chs that was super sexy 😅). I liked the role of religion/faith and naysayers. The cultish atmosphere where Ivini has followers is all too realistic and I liked it. I also loved the very light found family trope beginning. That’s what hooked me when they went to the beach. It’s my fave trope so I liked it in this. The community aspect was great! Them all working together — though I definitely saw it coming personally.
Dislikes: The aspect of them not practicing and her forgiving her family very easily. Also, I wish she showed more love for her people. Like we see glimpses with the poor girl Dante helps and her accepting the Marked, but I feel like it’s not enough when she’s standing there in battle thinking about her love and protection for them. She mostly had a “poor me” attitude and it did work for a time but I wish we saw more of her change to do with the people than her love for Dante. I agree about the suicide aspect was poorly placed/dealt with. It made sense but it just poorly executed. The writing could have been better at times. I wanted MORE from the banter at times, but I just love banter so I felt a little let down here. Overall I felt it was good, not superb! It was a good debut and I do think I’ll read the second one because it left us with an interesting ending! I did like that about it.

Give. Me. More.
I have been on a huge fantasy kick lately and every single one I've read this month has been right up my alley, including This Vicious Grace. I don't understand how this is a debut.
Alessa, as finestra, is supposed to be one part of a power couple, ready to defend their people and island. Except she's three for three for killing them on touch. She's almost out of options and facing more than an external invasion as loyalties start to crumble. Hiring Dante, the last man one would expect, to be Alessa's bodyguard is a calculated move to buy time and give her one person to trust.
The constant build of the story and world-building made for an extremely easy immersion into this world Emily has created. The Italian influence makes it unforgettable in addition to a pretty swoony romance buildup.
I requested the audiobook of this on a recommendation from a friend and have zero regrets. The narrator, Carlotta Brentan, did an amazing performance bringing the words on page to life. I hope the next book gives us more of Michael's voice through Dante's POV.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the alc and Wednesday books for the gifted copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

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.

This Vicious Grace is a mixed bag. The concept is interesting, the prose is strong, and the main protagonist is likable enough to root for as she faces the wrath of gods and villagers. On the other hand, the slow pace begins to drag as the story wears on, and the love story is exactly what you would expect from this genre, with the love interest being such an archetypal Brooding YA Hero that his picture could be used to headline the Wikipedia page. I enjoyed the few spare moments we got with the supporting cast of characters, although all are relegated to the background--with the exception of one character who becomes very likable after his personality unexpectedly does a complete 180 halfway through the story--and I would have liked to see more of their powers in action. The final conflict is not terribly exciting, although it takes a much more interesting turn at the very end.

And yet, for all my ambivalence, I still found myself eager to find out what happens in the next installment. All things considered, The Vicious Grace has promised, and I hope to see it cultivated as the series continues.

Alessa Paledeno is eighteen years old and just killed her third lover (accidentally, of course). Alessa is a Finestra, a weapon created by the gods to protect her island from harm, but she can't do that without a mate. The only problem is that she keeps killing them with her touch.

When Alessa's third lover, Hugo, dies and the people of the island start to lose faith in her, she begins to fear for her life. With no mate to fight alongside and only weeks before a swarm of demons destroys her home and everyone she loves, she begins to fear for her life and enlists the temporary protection of Dante, a cynical outcast and her temporary bodyguard until she finds a new mate.

This was a wholly unique fantasy that puts an emphasis on both romantic and platonic love. Alessa was a great and sympathetic protagonist, isolated and longing for connection, and watching her relationship with Dante evolve and her come into her own was wonderful, I can't wait to see what the next book has in store for these characters.

I adored the relationships between the main character and her potential suitors. I also loved the relationship between her and Dante. They were GREAT. It reminded me of a lot of books, but it was a fun amalgamation of a variety of fantasy and romance stories. I'm excited for book 2!

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was a really good read, a little slow at times but i will be looking forward to reading more from this series!

4.5 rounded up
Alessa has received a gift from the gods that is supposed to be used to amplify her partner’s powers and safe their people, however, she ends up killing anyone she touches instead. With only a short time left before her home island is devoured by demons, Alessa must find a way to find a partner without killing them before it’s too late. After an assassination attempt by one of her soldiers, Alessa recruits a killer off the streets, Dante, to be her personal bodyguard. Will Dante be able to help Alessa control her powers, or will one (or both) of them die trying??

Love love love!! I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for the next one! I listened to the audiobook and will by buying a physical copy so I can reread before the next book comes out!

I truly loved the characters and can’t wait to read more about them. Alessa and Dante were obviously by far my favorites. They were just so real, flaws and all.

One of my favorite things about the book was that it didn’t just focus on saving the world and romance like so many fantasy books do. Alessa developing friendships, first with Dante, then her Fonti (the chosen group she has to pick from to become her next partner) made the book so much more real.

I loved the world and enjoyed how easy it was to understand. I especially loved the Old World Italian influence. The world was a character itself, adding to the story which is something I always love in books.

I don’t want to say too much and ruin the plot but I’ll leave it with this, that cliff hanger!!! Oh my! I CANNOT WAIT for the next book to see what happens after the cliff hanger!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I overall enjoyed this book and I enjoyed the fantasy romance aspect. I think that if I read this when I was younger I would have been obsessed but it was just a good read for me. I will look out for future books by this author though because I really did like the writing style!

Disclaimer--I'm quite biased, as I wrote this book!

Three weddings. Three Funerals. Alessa was chosen by the Gods to ward off the coming apocalypse, but to do so, she needs a magical partner, and unfortunately for her (even worse for them) she can't quite figure out how to stop killing everyone she touches. As rebellion simmers outside the Citadel's gates, her own guards turn against her, and a desperate Alessa badgers a reluctant street-fighter into becoming her bodyguard, but Dante has dangerous secrets of his own. He might be the one person who can help her master her gift... or the perfect assassin to take her out.

The narrator for this audiobook is absolutely fantastic, and if you like atmospheric fantasy, apocalyptic stakes, gallows humor, RomCom-style banter, and characters who can't resist cracking inappropriate jokes while the world crumbles around them, I hope you'll check it out!

If you are looking for a fantasy romance novel with a lot of tension, this book is perfect for you!

I went into this book thinking it was going to be an action filled fantasy story with some cutesy romance scenes since that's how these stories go. I clearly was wrong, so that is on me. I loved the first third of the book, but then it got redundant with the love tension. It was cute at first, then I was over it.

I really liked the MCs Alessa and Dante. They were strong and likeable with fun character developments.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2022. DEFINITELY in my top 10 FOR SURE.

A romantic fantasy that gave me a bit of Rapunzel, a bit of Pushing Daisies, a bit of Woven in Moonlight, a bit of everything I’ve ever loved in any fantasy I’ve read.

I think this book is best going I’m not knowing much, so read the synopsis if you want, but I’m not going to describe the book much.

What I will say is I HAVE FOUND MY OFFICIAL BOOK BOYFRIEND OF THE YEAR IN DANTE. We have an AMAZINGLY complicated female leader. AN INCREDIBLE CAST OF SODE CHARACTERS A LA SIX OF CROWS.

It ends on an epic cliffhanger that has me THIRSTY FOR MORE GIMME GIMME GIMME RIGHT MEOW!!!! But also, this section of the story left me very satisfied at the ending so I am so excited to see where this whole story goes. LIKE PLEASE CAN I HAS THE NEXT PART NOW? PWEASE?!

Anyhoo, I’m a ball of mush, and I just wanna read it again. GO. READ IT. NOW.

This book had such an interesting premise, but I just couldn't get into it. I felt like it moved really slowly, and I just didn't really mesh well with it.

I enjoyed this! It was part Shatter Me, part Court of Thorns and Roses, but with far less sophisticated world building and less layers. I enjoyed the 2 main characters & their banter. I felt for them and was pulled in by their journey. The battle was well done. I needed more twists & turns and more world building to give it a 5, but it was enjoyable.

This one is a mix between dark fantasy and a romantic comedy. It has a beautiful setting with some great characters and the writing was totally entrancing.

3.5

It’s really hard to review this because while the writing/narration and world building was fantastic, I just never got to the point where I was invested in the characters. The setting was beautiful and I could imagine myself within the Italianesque landscape. But I wasn’t a huge fan of the religious system. Alessa and Dante were swoonworthy at times, but again I never got fully invested. The main conflict of this story is resolved to a point but it was definitely left open for the next book and I just don’t find myself caring to find out what happens next.

Thank you to Macmillan audio and NetGalley for the ALC. My thoughts are my own.

If you're looking for your next book boyfriend, I've already found him for you.

Alessa should have cause to celebrate her gift from the gods. She is the last Finesta and is expected to save her small island nation from an approaching swarm of demons; however, Alessa has be born with such great powers, she has trouble controlling them, ultimately killing her first two partners. Now she's in a race against time to find a partner that will help her harness her gods-given ability and save those she loves most.

Help comes in an unsuspecting form: Dante. He is quite possibly my favorite book boyfriend of 2022. He's dark and broody with the air of mystery us book girlies love. I wouldn't quite qualify Alessa and Dante as enemies to lovers, but there is a sunshine and grumpy component to their dynamic. Dante is reserved and protective, his broodiness pushes Alessa to be her best version, as Dante sees her potential and knows what she is capable of. He wants to best for her, even if it means sacrificing a piece of himself. I typically don't write about book relationships in my reviews, but I loved their dynamic so much, I just had to highlight it. It's not every day a man is comfortable playing second-fiddle to the woman in his life, and Dante is the blueprint.

I should also make a note that I listened to this as an audiobook, and I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator. She did a fantastic job of changing her tone and inflection for each character. At times, it can be distracting if not done well, but she crushed it! So definitely consider giving it a listen.

This Vicious Grace follows Alessa, the chosen Finestra, whose powers are supposed to amplify her partner’s magic—not kill them. People start turning on her, and after an assassination attempt, she hires Dante, a cynical outcast from the city, to be her personal bodyguard. Only, she couldn’t have known he’d become her friend—and the island’s only hope of surviving the swarm of demons on their way to devour everything.

This was a stunning debut novel with such a compelling plot! I was drawn in by the idea of someone longing for touch but unable to touch anyone without killing them. Of course, add in a bodyguard love interest who changes the game, and I’m in! The romance built slowly and authentically, and I adored that their relationship started off as a deep and important friendship for each of them. In the end, they saved each other in more ways than one. The book had beautifully descriptive writing, complex world building, high stakes, and a stellar cast of characters.

The voice actors for the audiobook did a phenomenal job!
I am ready for the sequel!