This one caught my attention when it was compared to The Handmaid’s Tale and I was really intrigued by the concept. There were some tropes and similarities to other books that made certain twists feel predictably but overall, I loved the girl power vibe and I loved the relationship between the sisters even though they were in separate areas. They couldn’t have been more different from each other but they had each other’s backs no matter what.

Serina was the older sister, the one who’d been training to be a Grace her whole life, the one who was supposed to be chosen by the prince to serve him and save her family from poverty. Nomi was the younger and serving as Serina’s handmaiden, which meant leaving her twin brother behind. Nomi was rebellious and everything a Grace shouldn’t be but she ended up catching the attention of the prince. The author didn’t waste any time setting up the stakes of the book with Nomi chosen as a Grace and Serina taking the fall for a secret her sister was hiding very early on in the book.

With the sisters separated, it gave the book the chance to show other female characters and gave the sisters other people to turn to besides family. This was especially true of Serina, who was imprisoned on an island with many other women and I enjoyed seeing the survival aspect while also seeing that these women took care of each other, even though they were forced to fight each other for food. Nomi had less female influence in her corner. She had her handmaiden to help her with dressing and daily tasks but they other two girls she spent the most time with her other Graces, who would likely go running to the King or Prince if they caught wind of Nomi doing anything wrong. It was really interesting to see each sister have to transform into someone they’d spent their whole life trying not to be: polite and submissive Serina had to learn to fight while rebellious Nomi had to learn how to fit in with the demure Graces.

The story caught my attention right away and didn’t let go. It was a very addictive read with lots of twists, some predictable and others more surprising. I definitely cannot wait for the next book.

I don’t know why I waited so long to read this book. It was perfectly flawed. Filled with love, hate, suspense and a lot of passion. Passion for a free world where women can rule, read, make their own decisions. Not to be told to stand there and look pretty.

Nomi and Serina have become my own personal idols. The love and strength they have is inspiring. They aren’t perfect and that makes them even more lovable. They each take their own journey and discover things about themselves that they thought they never would. I could talk about them all day and write many pages about them. But unfortunately I can’t. I don’t want to spoil anything for you.

Grace and Fury is more than a story of two girls finding their own paths. It’s about being a woman and standing up for yourself even if the situation is not ideal. It’s about finding your inner voice. Fighting for what’s right. It’s about love and friendship. Sisters. Don’t pass this book up. You’ll regret it. I am for the fact I didn’t read it sooner.

Nomi and Serina live in a world where women are completely oppressed. Women are considered weak things, who have no say in the matter when it comes to men. They have to listen, obey, put their head down and never speak when it’s not asked of them. Women aren’t meant to be able to read or go to school, women are meant to be illiterates and naïve things, a woman definitely cannot be smart.

While Serina has made peace and has accepted this is the life she has been born into, but her younger sister Nomi is more defiant, with a stubborn streak and a loose mouth, who doesn’t like being told what to do by a man, or believes she is inferior to a man.

The Superior, the sovereign head of their world, takes 3 young beautiful women, who have been trained all their lives to be one of the women-owned by him, to do as he pleases with. But this time around The Heir, his first son is to take 3 young beautiful women, these women, the chosen ones are called Graces.

The story starts with Serina been chosen as the woman, who will represent her hometown, because of cause it’s a highly reputable and sort after position to be a Grace, forever taken care of and considered royalty. To Serina, it means she never has to worry about going hungry and is honoured to be thrust into the role, even if she has to leave her family and hometown behind.

The only plus is Nomi comes with her and two of them will always be together, has Nomi will be her hands maiden for life. But from the onset, Nomi is upset that Serina was chosen because she doesn’t believe the laws of the land to be right and believes women should also be given a choice.

That’s the only sensible thing or moment that Nomi had in this whole book, because from then henceforth, I only saw her as a nuisance. Yes, she still had her fiery spirit but all she ever seems to do is make things worse.

I felt Serina’s heartbreak when not only Nomi gets chosen and in the next heartbeat has to be a dutiful and protective big sister and take the fall for Nomi which gets her banished to the worst of the women’s prisons.

Nomi is so gullible and easily trusting for someone who has such a jaded view of the world she lived in, I could sense the love triangle from the onset and the betrayal that would happen and it made me royally roll my eyes. You can say she was blind to her cause because of the guilt she felt for being the cause of her sister’s detainment and wanted to try her best to help, in a naïve way of course. Gah! Just Nomi for someone so strong willed was just too weak of a character and her story arc is so overdone by authors. Why are there love triangles? I love love triangles where the three people end up falling in love with one and another.

I don’t know how long the happening in the books spans for, but I think it’s almost a month. Serina is in jail and she has come to the horrible realization that women who come here and never to go home again and so to survive there is a battle where women from different prisoner clans, go up against each other weekly, battling till every single woman but one, the Victor is alive, to gain food and other basic necessities for their clan. Barbaric.

I thought Serina was a bit meek and accepting, but she blew me away as she is the sister I love. She is so brave and I love that about her character, as she sticks to her beliefs and holds them close in the cruel world she now belongs in. I would love to say more but spoilers, the only thing I didn’t like was her love arc.

I hated all the love/romance arcs in the story and it just's cringe and so fast or predictable. I had a lot of problems with them. Then that ending, it was a mess. It was like a fast work hurriedly put together, just to get the desired cliff-hanger effect and it would have worked for me if not for the fact that once again Nomi had not only annoyed me but made stupid decisions she could have easily righted, she is just a blind bat.

With that out of the way, I do not know if the finished edition of this book is better, I definitely hope it is better than this, because this is a book with a lot of potentials and I still want to know what happens with Nomi and Serina, because the cliff-hanger brings forth a lot of questions, that I’m sure I’ve already figured out some, I just want to be surprised and be like “Oh I didn’t see that coming!”

This is my honest opinion and I’m grateful to the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book and of course Netgalley.

Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me. I didn't connect with either of the MC's at the beginning of the book and so I really didn't care what happened to them. The introduction of the "heirs" also didn't give me someone to root for.

I can usually get over unlikable characters if there is something to drive me forward. In this case, it didn't happen for me.

I was also very surprised when the story ended... right during what seemed to be the climax of the story. So it was an unsatisfying ending with a major cliffhanger. Not my thing.

Would not continue with the series.

4.5 Stars for Grace and Fury! (review posted on my blog www.pinotandpages247.wordpress.com as of July 4th and goodreads account as of July 3rd).

I didn't know much about this going in. At about 50%, I was at a 5 star read. I honestly couldn't find anything I didn't like about it. Towards the second half there were a few things I had issues with, but I still give it 4.5 stars. Thank you so much to Little, Brown for the opportunity to read and review this book! I loved it!

WHAT I LOVED:

-The issues. This book was FULL of them. Feminism, women's rights, equal rights, LGBTQ rights, etc. Picture this book as a modern-day The Handmaid's Tale with a YA fantasy twist and a small dash of Sister Wives. This book depicts a world in which women have no rights at all, and while a little heavy-handed at times, Nomi (one of the sisters) is constantly spouting feminist quotes throughout the first half of the book.
-The first twist. I NEVER saw this one coming, and it happened so early! I had a couple ideas of things that could happen, and literally none of them were right. Props to the author for such a sneaky twist.
-The FEELINGS. This book made me feel so many feelings, and it didn't stop throughout the entire book. And talk about a cliffhanger - I'm almost mad I read this book so early, because now I have to wait until the second book comes out.
-The GREYNESS. You guys know I love grey area, and both sisters have this in spades. They both have their own strengths and weaknesses, and are both thrown into situations in which their strengths turn into faults. I loved watching them both evolve, and have to learn other strengths and tools to help them through. This brings me to my next point that I loved: Serina's character arc and development. I did not appreciate her in the first 25% of this book, and I definitely loved Nomi's sections more. But Serina managed to surprise and impress me. She grew a super strong backbone and definitely had my favorite portions of the books from there-on out.
Rep - like I've already mentioned, there's a small LGBTQ rep. I wish this had been a little more fleshed out!

WHAT I DIDNT:

-Predictability. This is probably my #1 issue with this book. I already mentioned that I did not guess the first twist, but the second twist was PAINFULLY obvious, and the build-up to it was way too long - I was in pain for the whole second half of the book. I wanted to bash one of the character's heads against a wall, they were being such a bone head. To me, writing an ENTIRE BOOK about feminism and girl power, and then making one of those girls into a typical, naive, swooning plot device kind of defeats the purpose. And WHY was I able to guess this twist? Why did I have trust issues throughout this ENTIRE BOOK? Because I have read The Selection, and Red Queen, and every other YA book in the past year. Selection + Red Queen + a lot of feminism + a lot darker = this book. I'm not saying I didn't love it. I did. But just be prepared for that.
-This is partially my own fault: I truly thought this book was a standalone. I wanted it to be a standalone. And it's not. And the cliffhanger is ENORMOUS and PAINFUL. And now I have to wait over a year for the sequel. I truly wish this book had been a standalone.

SOME TRIGGER WARNINGS: physical abuse, violence/murder/death, animal cruelty, imprisonment

I honestly loved this book. It was such a quick page-turner, and like I said, for the first half of the book I was sitting at 5 stars. This book sucked me in and I did not want to put it down. If you love a good feminist, girl power anthem, this is your book. Pick it up. I already preordered my copy.

What do you get when you mix together badass female characters, an amazing plot, and an interesting world? The answer: Grace and Fury. From the second I started this book I knew it was going to be fantastic, and it did not let me down. Tracy Banghart tells the story of two sisters, Nomi and Serina, in such a way that draws you in from the first sentence and leaves you begging for more at the last. I don't even know where to begin in writing this review because I loved everything so, so much, and I can guarantee that none of my readers want to read a ten page essay on how much I enjoyed this book.
The world building throughout the story is great. Set in an Italian inspired fantasy world where women are oppressed, the reader immediately gets the sense that something isn't right. Girls aren't allowed to learn how to read or write, and to do so is a capital crime. Men rule over everything, and the women who don't submit to them are sent off to the Hawaiian inspired prison at Mount Ruin. Banghart does a fantastic job in describing both the prison at Mount Ruin as well as the palace, which also happens to work as a prison for some of its inhabitants.
I will admit that I was a little worried when I read the first couple chapters of Grace and Fury--it gave me major Selection vibes with the whole Heir and Grace thing, and anyone who knows me knows that I strongly dislike the selection, but luckily that ended as soon as the Heir selected his Graces and I WAS SHOOK! I love it when a story catches me off guard, and that's what Grace and Fury did from the very beginning. There are a multitude of twists and turns which are absolutely wonderful and unpredictable. The ending in particular left me absolutely shell shocked, and I kept trying to flip the page on my kindle, hoping there was more because I was not ready for it to be over. Banghart leaves the story on a cliffhanger which has the reader already begging to have book two in their hands (I NEED IT NOW!!!).
While both the setting and the story itself are incredible, it's the characters who truly steal the show. Nomi and Serina couldn't be more opposite: Serina has trained her whole life to become a Grace and be submissive to men, while Nomi is a rebel who constantly fights the role which has been set for her. Both girls end up somewhere they never could have imagined, and they have to fight to survive. If someone asked me to pick my favorite of the two sisters, I would not be able. Both characters go through so much throughout the story, and neither are the same person they were at the beginning of the story at the end. Their character devlopment is fantastic, and I can only imagine how much effort Banghart put into bringing these characters to life. Even for the side characters, Banghart does an incredible amount of characterization. She gives each and every one their own backstory, and she doesn't skip over any details. Personally, I really enjoyed getting to know about the others on mount doom--specifically Oracle and Val, but I also liked getting to know those within the palace--especially towards the end when I started to doubt everything I'd been told. The characters are the shining stars of Grace and Fury, and the character development throughout the story is truly some of the best I've ever seen.


In conclusion, I give Grace and Fury five out of five stars for being a fantastic opening to a new series as well as a fun story that promotes feminism within its pages. Grace and Fury is a story of strong women and family love, and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Be sure to pre-order a copy today because I can guarantee this is a book everyone is going to be talking about.

WOW! I had been struggling recently with YA fantasy-- struggling to find something different and captivating.

I FOUND IT!

Grace and Fury had me manically turning the pages to see what happened next and actually yelling "BUT WHEN DOES THE NEXT BOOK COME OUT!?" at the book after I turned the last page.

This book is a brilliant feminist meditation on the nature of female power and sisterhood (both blood and chosen). I actually don't even think I have anymore words for how much I loved it-- it's the first 5 star review I've given out in awhile.

If you like feminist, fantasy/dystopian YA, THIS is the book for you. I promise.

I will be purchasing a print copy of this book once it goes on sale to keep on my shelves and shove at any of my friends who find themselves in a book slump.

Grace and Fury puts a lot of intriguing ideas into play without managing to capitalize on them. Combining a dystopian fantasy with historical fiction, it envisions a Venetian-inspired civilization where women are forbidden to read or write and have very few opportunities presented to them. Eschewing a life of factory work, Serina has spend her entire childhood training to become, in essence, a concubine for the future leader of their kingdom. If she is one of the few girls selected then she can also bring her sister, Nomi, along into a life of relative luxury. However, the two sisters spend hardly any time together in the capital before an unexpected series of events results in Nomi's selection as a Grace and Serina's banishment to an island prison after getting caught with a book. As a result, the sisterly bond meant to drive much of the book's conflict has little time to develop before getting torn apart.

Without this foundation to rely on, both Nomi and Serina's alternating perspectives quickly fall back into a repetitive pattern of thought. Action and intrigue run throughout the palace and prison alike, yet this key relationship between the two protagonists depends almost entirely on a generic loop of reminiscing and regret. Through being told, rather than shown, the bond between Nomi and Serena their shared history lacks gravitas and fails to inspire much empathy.

The prose also borders on bland. Plainly structured sentences and paragraphs don't necessarily lack direction, yet they do severely want for momentum. As both girls continue struggling to resolve their circumstances without satisfaction this inhibits the reader's ability to immerse herself in the world at hand. Rather than seem vibrant and real everything feels an arm's-length away.

Grace and Fury also incorporates its progressive, feminist themes awkwardly. Several of the notions bandied about by the young women are more than rebellious: they're downright anachronistic in their foundations and sophistication, incredibly well-developed for teenagers presumably questioning the justice of their reality in-depth for the first time. Reading a more modern twist on medieval or Renaissance-inspired stories is quite welcome, although certain concepts require a finer touch than Banghart applies here.

Tangential to this issue is the development of female friendships in both storylines. While the various prisoners isolated alongside Serina form different alliances and relationships, there's a startling lack of interpersonal politics among the women in the palace's harem. The Graces display a range of attitudes over their vocation, from grudging resignation to pride and delight. It was disappointing that all of these differing approaches weren't shown to create subtle divisions within the household.

Although the concepts at play behind Grace and Fury—the melding of historical fiction and dystopian fantasy, a strong female cast, and the relationship between two sisters—immediately capture one's attention, the execution of those ideas fails in several key areas. Additionally, this is only the first in planned duology—a publishing schedule not easily apparent from Goodreads or NetGalley. The slow pace makes more sense when the story is split between two books, however this is ultimately a tale that can be told in one. Neither the characters nor the overall plot have really compelled me to continue, so the ending to this one will most likely remain a mystery.

This book exceeded my expectations. I very much enjoyed this. The last half of the book was so intense. I was shocked at turn of events because I didn't see it coming. I really hope there is a sequel because I need to know what happens next and see what is next for these characters. I feel like both sisters grew so much even though the story didn't take place over a huge amount of time. They were well developed and I liked them both. I love the women empowerment feel this book has.

PROS:

Headstrong, outspoken, risk-taking women who fight for their sisters and stick up for the women around them. These girls were raised to accept gender stereotypes, to remain uneducated, demure, and submissive. Their whole purpose in life-if they weren’t training to be a Grace-is to work in a factory or be sold off into marriage. They were denied the power of knowledge, of words, of BOOKS. If they were trained to be a Grace, they had to look a specific way, eat enough to have “womanly curves”, speak only when spoken to, and were taught to deny their own opinions, their voice, and do whatever pleases the Heir.

Love between sisters. I’m not sure that I have read any YA that fully captured the beautiful bond between sisters and their willingness to sacrifice themselves to protect one another. Nomi and Serina are opposites. They rarely see eye-to-eye and fight quite a bit, but they love each other with that bone deep, eternal magnitude that pushes them to survive when they are on the verge of giving up just to see each other again. Throughout the story, this feeling only grows and is reinforced through both actions and words.

There is some SERIOUS heat between the couples. I had to stop and fan myself during one…kind of extensive scene. More sensual than sexual, but fire.

Gladiators meet Amazonian women. Ruin Mountain has clans of women who each have their own subculture and are forced to fight to the death for food rations. They’re fierce, crafty, and willing to do whatever it takes despite their horrifying circumstances.

The pacing is great. It flows, sucks you in, and it took me a little over a day to plough through.

CONS:

The “plot twist” was fairly predictable. It was so much like another book I read a year or two ago that I called it within the first few chapters. There are shades of The Sin Eater’s Daughter, The Red Queen, and Cruel Beauty.

While the world-building is fairly solid, I would have loved to hear more of the back story. The brief moments of history and the folklore were intriguing and those legends, it was like a new brand of mythology meets historical fiction.

Nomi’s twin Renzo. There was zero development there are hardly anything about their relationship prior to the Grace selection and yet, Nomi expects him to take life-threatening risks for her? There wasn’t a strong enough foundation or enough for the reader to care/appreciate the risk that was being taken.

I find myself getting so excited every time I have the opportunity to pick up one of these sort of dystopian YA offerings. I have loved so many books like this, so very fiercely, and it makes me want to try them all.

Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. I didn't find either of the sisters interesting or likable enough to really invest in them. I also wasn't crazy about how the major themes in the book were simplified and I felt like the pacing of the story was off. I would be interested, and then I would skim five pages.

It is possible (likely even) that the problem here is me. I need to be hooked immediately or there's no saving the book for me and, indeed, by the time things started twisting, I was already losing patience and realized that it didn't matter to me how it ended. This was a DNF at 25%.

"In all the stories, women give up everything. We are never supposed to fight. Why do you think that is?"

"Because they're afraid of what will happen if we do."


It was very well-paced and made a world that was solid and rich precisely because it was so simple and confident with what it had. But I wish it had some extra pages, because it didn't have the time to really build an emotional connection with me - and so every time it tried to get deep, it felt manipulative or shallow, and it couldn't quite claw its way out of that impression throughout the whole book. Which is such a shame because there were some really nice building blocks here - but I felt like I was reading a prologue for a lot of it. But it instead placed a premium on the action and exploring the environment which, honestly, suited me just fine - for most of it...!

Regardless, I had some fun with it! I adore sister stories and the whole world was just shining in gold~. The twist would have been predictable if I tried to be a sleuth, but I still loved it (view spoiler). Both environments appealed to me and while the palace was standard YA, the crazy Hunger Games prison island was awesome. All in all, it felt familiar and comfortable because of that. The sisters had my favourite dynamic that I'd seen with Cruel Beauty, Cruel Prince, and Sisters Red...they deeply love each other but are bitter and fierce all the same with each other's mistakes. And damn, did Serina have reason to hate Nomi in this one, yikes.

(However, maybe I'm just picky these days, but it did suffer from a plague of the unnecessary heteros. (i should make a shelf for that too lmao) As friends or otherwise, Nomi & Miras - goodness I hope her name is right - had more quality time together, as did Serina and like...everyone in her crew. But as usual, as soon as a named guy shows up, I check my watch to see how long it takes before we end up in a half-hearted romance simply because we have to. I begged for more time with Oracle, but noooo, here's some more whitebread instead.)

Overall this wasn't revolutionary, but as usual I had a good time and the sisters felt dear to me. I'll slide the sequel into my to-read list!

This is a beautiful example of a young adult book that plays with gender roles in a harsh but eye-opening way.

Grace and Fury is a fantasy novel where women have no rights. They cannot learn to read. They cannot cut their hair without permission. They must listen and obey. Serina and her sister Nomi are raised for one role each: Serina to be a Grace, one of the select chosen by the King to mother his children ——-, and Nomi to be her sister’s maid. Serina has waited for her moment her entire life, with everything she has ever done being a calculated movement to an ends. Nomi has rebelled, learning to read and yearning for more than what this life has to offer her.

I was getting major Handmaid’s Tale vibes from this and I am oh-so-glad. I am all for the eye-opening, hard-hitting Margaret Atwood novel, but let’s face it: it’s a classic piece that can be intimidating by that category alone. But give the world a novel like Grace and Fury, with its beautiful language and characters, and I am 100% here for this.

I have so many passages of this book highlighted and bookmarked that my screen is a constant flow of color. Tracy Banghart has an incredible way with words and packing a full lunch in a single sentence, such as, “It isn’t a choice when you don’t have the freedom to say no. A yes doesn’t mean the same thing when it’s the only answer you’re allowed.”When I first read this line, I had to close the book and sit there for a few minutes, stunned. It’s so true, and yet something I never thought of until this moment. Now, I’m still thinking about this line, this book, and everything hidden in its depths.

I adored the relationships between the characters. The sisterly dynamics between Serina and Nomi felt real and believable, as they pulled on all emotions: love, hatred, jealousy—all of it. As the book continued and the relationships expanded (and broke), I found myself in a constant state of turmoil of cheering and rooting and screaming. It was a fantastic reading experience.

“For every woman who has been told to sit down and be quiet…and who has stood up anyway.” And so reads the dedication of this first book in the series, and introduces readers of all ages a truth about the fantasy world that is seldom seen and what they can expect more of: the role of women. So often do we fall back on the “prince charming” or “knight in shining armor,” letting the women and girls, strong in their own rights, take a back seat in the plot. Tracy Banghart explores this thoroughly and carefully, and presents a cast of strong, interesting, amazing female characters, with great execution and a big payoff. I cannot wait to follow this series and see what’s to come.

This arc was provided to me for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 STARS

Let me start by picking my jaw up off the floor because holy crap. Grace and Fury was everything I didn’t expect. Not going to lie, I wasn’t a fan at first, it seemed very cliche and I thought I could guess where the book was going. But it fooled me and it instead was this brilliant novel.

Tracy Banghart created a world where women have no rights, they do not have the right to choose their husbands, they cannot get an education, and they are only allowed to work a few jobs. This book follows Serina and Nomi, two sisters who are completely opposite. Beautiful and submissive Serina has spent her entire life training to be a Grace, a concubine for the heir because she knows ultimately it would be better for her family. But wild, Nomi who has trained to be her sister’s handmaiden believes women deserve better rights and should be free to do what they please. In a turn of events, Serina is caught with a book that Nomi has stolen and is sent to Mount Ruin, a women’s prison on a volcanic island. Separated, both sisters find a way to get back to each other, but while both facing their own hardships.

Now, this is what I wanted, strong females rising up to take what is theirs. I am so glad I stuck with this book because it turned out completely different than I thought. For every twist and turn, I expected something else. And I think I am going to go impatiently wait for the second book. Because holy cliffhangers.

Strong female characters, great twists, and even a little romance, this book has it all. I am definitely pre-ordering this book. I need it to grace my shelves.

P.s. When does book 2 come out?

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Grace and fury is a great book and has a pretty big hype surrounding it and I enjoyed it but if I want to be honest it didn't really reach my expectations either. The thing is that the beginning of the story is really slow and I struggled a lot to get into the story and while there are a lot of phenomenal things in the book when it takes me such a long time to get into a book it sours the experience for me. Alas, that was a pretty big drawback for me.

The world building is interesting and for fantasy, because it is fantasy, it has pretty strong historical roots, which I enjoyed quite a bit. Yet, after the initial set up is established things speed up considerably and the storyline is a crazy, twisty, whiplash-inducing adventure that ends on a huge cliff-hanger. I mean, when is the next book coming!?? But really what was the most amazing thing about this book, what I love to pieces was the characterization of the two main character, who narrates the story alternating.

Nomi and Serena are sisters and they are so different from each other, practically two sides of a coin. My first thought about them was that they are the two kinda cliches (bear with me I getting to a point here) personalities we usually get in YA fantasy and they are kinda pitted against each other. Well, not literally but I found this method from the author so interesting and original. Okay, so it is entirely possible that I only see things into it that are not there, still.
There is Serena, tho law-abiding, soft-spoken and sweet sister who sees her family redemption, rising in following the rules and getting ahead with political machinations and some womanly manipulation but still good intentions. She sees the opulence and possibilities in her current situation and she is a dreamer, a hard-working one, but still a dreamer.
Then there is Nomi, the younger sister, the one who overlooked all her life and the more rebellious, outspoken and hot-tempered one. She sees the problems with her current society and firmly believes that some changes are in order and she is willing to fight for it. She is not the one to lay down and accept her fate without voicing her opinion.
However, then comes the big shock when their roles get reversed, and neither of them really knows what to do with the new situation. A flip was switched and both sisters needed to learn to navigate their new lives if they wanted to survive.
It was a really great and original idea and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Personally, neither of the sister's personality was among my favorites but I can apprentice their brilliance.

Maybe the plot seems like something we all read before but the way the sister's evolution is introduced is unique and definitely worth the time to read about.
One more thing I really wanted to mention was the whole feminism aspect to the book. So lately it became kind of a trend to call every book that has a female protagonist, a 'true feminist take on things' and such when I don't think that because the main character is female she does something remarkable it means that the story is automatically a representation of feminism. However, I don't want to get into this because it would be an endless debate. Anyway, what I was getting to that this book, this story is truly relevant and a great take on feminism. So it is a deserving adjective to use for Grace and fury.

Glad I got the opportunity to read this book early it's just a shame that I struggled so much with the first couple of chapters.

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley. *

I absolutely LOVED this. A feminist plotline with strong female leads, strong female supporting characters, and just a whole bunch of girl power. A fantasy that touches on how restrictive life can be (and has been, and in some places still is) for women. The bond of sisterhood was explored here too, and it was done really well. I devoured this book in a day because I loved it that much.

There has to be a sequel, right? RIGHT? Because OMG that ending!

I read this book in a day and now I have a major book hangover. I loved this story so much. It was like The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games. The plot was tight, the characters addictive and the description of their surroundings crystal clear.

I need more of these characters and soon, please!

This novel reminded me a lot of the Red Queen series with a slight crossover with The Selection so I felt like it was pretty obvious what was going to happen. However, as the characters developed, I was still completely sucked into their world and riveted by the plot, despite knowing how it would turn out.

I was left somewhat bereft when the story ended and need a sequel immediately.

While the concept of girls, even sisters, competing for a crown in not original in YA Fantasy, I felt that this book had a bit of a different spin on the concept. Serina and Nomi have trained for their respective positions their whole lives: Serina will attempt to become a Grace--really a member of the ruler's harem--and Nomi will serve as her handmaiden. When the two arrive at the royal court, however, the Heir chooses Nomi instead. Neither one can process what has happened before Serina is taken to an island prison. Now both sisters, neither one knowing what is happening to the other, must find a way to survive in their new positions. Nomi must learn how to navigate court as the perfect example of a quiet, beautiful ideal of feminine virtue--not wanting for anything, yet with no freedom or independence. Serina, who has been trained to be soft, demure, pleasing and submissive, has been thrown on an island full of what society views as criminals: women who do not conform. Nomi and Serina have to figure out how to become something that is completely foreign to them while still retaining who they really are.
I did enjoy reading this book. It was a quick read and the two sisters' characters were well-developed. I did have a problem with the insta-love between Nomi and Asa. I saw that whole plot twist coming from their third encounter. I would have liked a bit more interaction between Nomi and Malachi. Serina and Val had good pacing, however.
The book ended on quite the cliff-hanger, and I will be interested to see what happens to our characters.

This book was really good!  There was such a great story of the love between sisters, but it was also a story about women's oppression and them fighting back.



Serina prepared her whole life to be a Grace.  The Superior is getting older, so this year his Heir is choosing three Graces to stay with him.  Serina is chosen to be in the running and her sister, Nomi, goes with as her handmaiden.  While Serina was excited to leave Lanos  for Bellequa, Nomi was not.  She had to leave her twin brother at home.  She also knew that she was just going into another horrible situation.



Women are not allowed to read or go to school.  They could work in textile factories, become servants, or be married.  They had no rights and were taught to be meek to all men.  Nomi was defiant and always wanted more while Serina was content to learn how to dance and be pretty.  Nomi learned how to read, but had to hide it.  



The night the possible Graces were meeting the Heir, Nomi slipped into the library and was caught by the Heir and his brother when they were coming out.  She wasn't polite and made an impression on both men.



Serina wasn't chosen to be a Grace.  Nomi was and she was horrified.  Shortly after, Nomi found a book in her room, but didn't know who put it there.  It told of a history different than what she learned. In this history book, women used to rule until the men became afraid.  They took over and oppressed women after that.  Everyone was told a false history where men always ruled.



Serina was caught holding the book and sent to a jail on an island.  This island was filled with women who were separated into different groups.  There wasn't enough food and they were made to fight.  The guards started it and you only won when everyone was dead or surrendered, which was as good as dead.  Serina has to learn how to be tough. She grows close to some of the women and to one guard, Val.



Everything else gets a bit crazy.  There are plots that go wrong and twists in the book that I don't want to give away.  I did figure it out, but it was still pretty shocking when I read it.  I cannot wait for book two!  The pacing of this one was really good and kept me wanting more.



Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy for review.  I gave this book 5 stars.  Grace and Fury is out July 31st by Little Brown Books for Young Readers.  I ordered my copy today.  There is also a preorder special,so make sure you send your receipt in.