I just loved this - I think the twist at the very start of the book, where the heir notices the 'wrong' sister, sets up for a different kind of story than I expected. I loved that it put both young women out of their comfort zones, and we see them having to adapt quickly to deal with the challenges they are facing.

Without giving away any spoilers, I really liked reading about both the situation the girls end up in - the brutality of the prison, and also the political issues that Nomi finds herself in the middle of in the palace.

Like I said above, I don't know how it took me so long to read this one, and I'm hoping to get to the sequel (Queen of Ruin) sooner rather than later!

Thank you Hachette for the review copy! GRACE AND FURY captured my attention right from the start but I found myself losing interest a bit by the middle. and kept me interested till about halfway point and then it started to drag a bit. I'm excited to see where the second book goes though!

Grace & Fury was an amazingly well-written book. At first, I was a little unsure about the storyline, but as it continued and I began to get into it, it was hard to put the book down. One of the things I loved the most about how this novel was written were the chapters, how it went from Serina to Nomi. I for one absolutely enjoyed Serina’s side as you saw her life come tumbling down before her and to see her became such a strong character over time.

However, I found it a little hard to stay focused on Nomi’s chapter until about page 200 when everything began to change and Nomi began to spend more time with the heir. Nomi started off as the character I thought I would enjoy most but given her circumstances, she turned into such a boring character with little of her bite left. Unfortunately, in the end, her character became soft.

Looking at the comparisons, since the girl’s separations, they both began to look at why the other did what they did. Nomi lost her bite and began to see why Serina was the way she was and in some way became Serina. Serina had to forget everything she’d learnt about being a Grace and to take a stand for herself and again in some way became Nomi.

I loved the way the novel ended so much changed, so much happened. How Serina’s chapter ended was like she was the new “Oracle” and I live for that. How Nomi’s chapter ended, my god I can’t wait to see what happens when they arrive. Overall, I thought this novel was great by the end of it, I actually forgot how slow Nomi’s previous chapters were once it all came together, it went surprisingly fast. Such an outstanding storyline.

This is such a fantastical feminist read for a regal story. I loved the dynamic between the two sisters and was constantly kept on the edge of my seat.

*I received this ARC via NetGalley n exchange for an honest review*

Hot damn I loved this!

This book is Feminist AF and I am HERE for it!!!

I had no idea where this was going to go, every time I expected the story to head one way, a plot twist would throw everything on its head.
I expected Serina to frustrate or annoy me but she just came out of nowhere firing, and Nomi was really interesting to watch as well.

The Italian setting was really unusual, and I loved that half this story was basically the Hunger Games and the other half was The Selection. It's quite jarring jumping from one to another, and there's always the risk that readers will be more invested in one story than the other but every time I'd be wanting to go back to one story line, the other would ramp up as well. Especially by the end there was so much going on and it was really captivating.

I loved how Feminist this novel was and I am so so so very excited to read the sequel because I love being surprised in YA fiction and this book delivered that in spades.

st release by Tracy Banghart and is a highly enjoyable tale of rebellion, romance and unexpected betrayals that sweep readers up into a world of female oppression and two sisters who dare to change it all.

Sisters Serina and Nomi live in a world where women have no rights and face vastly different futures; Serina at the palace as a Grace to the Heir to the kingdom and Nomi as a handmaiden and provider for the rest of their family. Serina has trained her whole life in the art of poise and submission to become one of a few women to stand at side of the heir to the throne while Nomi chaffs at the restrains of being a female in a male controlled society. Everything is going as expected, until rebellious and headstrong Nomi is the one to catch the heir’s eye at a party. When Serina takes the fall for one of her younger sisters secrets, she pays the price; shipped off to an island where women are forced to fight each other to survive. Trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one chance to save her sister and that means accepting her newfound fate as Grace. As time begins to run out for Serina, Nomi may need to take a big chance if she hopes to save her sisters life…..

Having fallen in love with Tracy Banghart’s writing when I read her Rebel Wing series, I was beyond excited to begin Grace & Fury and am thrilled to say that Banghart doesn’t disappoint with this novel. Told through the dual perspective of two very different but still very likable sisters, Grace & Fury was an enjoyable novel that had a forward moving and fast paced storyline. I very much devoured Grace & Fury as I did not want to stop reading Serina and Nomi’s journey and found myself caught up in the dangers, romance and anticipation that flittered throughout the novel.

Grace & Fury introduces readers to some wonderful characters. From heroines Serina and Nomi to the supporting characters we meet, I have to say I loved them all. Grace & Fury features a great cast of individuals who have varied purposes within the tale. In a world were women have no rights, I highly enjoyed seeing two sisters experience two very different situations. From Serina’s time on the island where she meets a lot of strong willed and capable women to Nomi’s time within the palace, we discover that not everyone is who they seem and some people have ulterior motives.

Both Serina and Nomi were wonderful to follow. Nomi had fire to begin with, while Serina finds hers overtime. Neither is fearless; they just choose to do what they need to do to survive and as such you couldn’t help but support them, hoping they’ll manage to succeed. Both face different struggles and dangers in the story and I liked seeing them navigate the circumstances they found themselves in.

As a romantic at heart, Grace & Fury wouldn’t be the same to me without some romantic possibilities sprinkled into the story. At this point in time both Serina and Nomi’s love lives are but an undertone to the overall storyline, yet I still enjoyed and appreciated the small moments they shared with the men who capture their attention. I have some inkling as to where Banghart plans to take both sisters and am looking forward to discovering this.

Grace & Fury is a fantastic read from Tracy Banghart. Set in a fantasy world without a magical element, Grace & Fury’s strength comes from its action and solid determination of both sisters to find their way back to each other. The ending of this novel is nothing more than a cliffhanger and leaves me dying to get my hands on the next novel as soon as it is released!

I love YA fantasies about young girls finding their power, but I’m a bit overwhelmed specifically by the ‘women are super oppressed because men find them dangerous’ trope that keeps popping up.

Grace and Fury was absolutely fine as a YA fantasy (no magic!) and OK kind of novel really. The best thing about it was that because it followed two sisters, it could intertwine two completely different stories: one the rags to riches tale of the oppressed girl thrown into a life of glittering privilege, and one about the privileged girl losing everything she’d worked for and forced to survive on an brutal island prison. This worked really well because, coupled with cliffhanger chapter endings, there was almost never a dull moment and it made it easy to flip the pages and consume.

However, there was something about the characterisation that seemed really… I don’t know… shallow? I couldn’t tell you anything about the characters except that one was sad and guilty about her circumstances and the other was angry and guilty. I have no idea how they really felt about anything. The romances for both of them were really sudden, and I hate to say it, instalove: but not in the usual way! The girls didn’t lay eyes on their beaus and instantly fall in love, no; it was more like ‘no mention of developing feelings whatsoever, then suddenly making out.’ Like… we didn’t really get to see into their heads beyond the first layer of their emotional state of being sad or angry (or scared). Nothing developed, it just happened, like flipping a switch.

My biggest problem though, was the actual inciting incident that split the sisters apart. View Spoiler »

Once I got over my major issue with the plot, I actually enjoyed it in places! The description of the food and clothes were nice. There were a couple of interesting twists that you’ll probably be able to guess but it’s nice to have them confirmed. It was really great to see Serina’s characterisation grow from this plus-size pretty pampered thing to a scrappy survivor forced to kill, although Nomi was much more annoying if only because she was so freaking mouthy all the time and no one really seemed to care. It’s not brave of spunky to be rude to royalty, it’s stupid, and it annoyed me.

Overall, if you skip this one I don’t think you’re missing much, because it’s nothing we’ve not seen before.

"I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"

In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison.
Serina has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace - someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. But when her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, catches the heir's eye, it's Serina who takes the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding.
Now trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one way to save Serina: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to release her sister. This is easier said than done. A traitor walks the halls of the palace, and deception lurks in every corner. But Serina is running out of time, imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive and one wrong move could cost her everything.

Let me start of by saying I would of loved this book so much more if it was not for Nomi. I have never disliked a character this much for a long time. She makes such rash and stupid decisions without thinking anything through and puts so many peoples lives at risk, I wanted to yell at her throughout the whole book.

Serina I liked, there was so much character growth with her and she thought about other people not only her self when making choices (not that I agreed with everyone).

I gave this book 3.5 stars and if it wasn't for Nomi and the fact that I felt like there should of been more to the story at the start (such as more world building and explaining more about the sisters family life etc) I would of given it a higher rating. I was really looking forward to this book but I think my dislike for Nomi really stopped me from getting into it as much. I am still excited to see what happens in the next book and I hope Nomi goes through her own character growth other wise I may scream.

A little side note I am hoping to see more of Val ( I am hoping that Sarina and Val get together) and Malachi (please , please be okay).

Read it in just a few short hours and loved every moment.
Fast paced, exciting, empowering, and leaves you hungry for more.

4 1/2 fully realised female characters out of 5.
I kept trying to thing of clever analogies to write in this review about the different kinds of meals that different cooks can make with the same ingredients. Then I realised that I was just trying to be a smarty pants. Yes there are elements similar to some books I’ve recently read, but Grace and Fury has a magic that’s all it’s own. Plus, if I was comparing it to The Belles, or to the Red Queen series, they’re both huge sellers.

I loved these women. They started out as girls, who only saw themselves as one thing, and they became women who understood their own strength, and the strength of others. They learned to be fierce, and to be gentle, to have the power of grace AND of fury.

Yes, there was a cliffhanger of an ending, that has been haunting me ever since, but I will definitely be inviting everyone else to suffer along with me. Sweet cliffhanger book pain!

Grace and Fury was one of my book club’s book pick for August, and I confess to knowing little-to-nothing about it to begin with. As with all books like that I just tend to start reading and see where it takes me.

Nomi and Serina live in a world where women have been treated as less than for generations, forced to conform to certain roles in life with little room for growth in additional rights. The only way to rise in status in this society is to become a Grace, one of three women who stand beside the heir to the throne as the epitome of womanhood – put out on show, more as accessories than anything else.

So you know something’s going to give, because even a fictional world like that doesn’t fly any more.

Despite Serina having trained her entire life to be selected as a Grace, she suddenly finds herself a prisoner who needs to learnt to fight and defend herself while Nomi finds herself in the one place she loathes – the palace, attending to the whims of the heir.

There are a lot of things to like about Grace and Fury – it has strong female characters in its’ protagonists, and more than that, they’re sisters and (for the most part) good friends. Nomi, in particular, is quite a fierce young woman for her world, having learnt to read and understanding that the way their world works is an injustice.

I also really liked the scenes set on the island, with the women who are forced to learn how to fight to survive and to build bonds where they never thought they would, and stand up for themselves when the time comes.

What I struggled with with the supposed ‘twist’ in the story, which was less of a twist and more of a repeated riff on a common pattern in young adult fantasy books that I saw coming the second the girls set foot in the palace and was just waiting for it to play out (which it didn’t until the very last chapters) so the climax was more of a fizzle than a bang. I am hoping that the next book in the series will take that reveal and doing something different with it, because it’s honestly not my favourite thing.

Overall, Grace and Fury is a solid book – it’s fast-paced, easy to read and has a strong focus on female strength and is an alright beginning to a series of books. I gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

This book was surprisingly brutal, and it didn't follow the set pattern I thought it might. This was refreshing, especially for YA. I liked both of the sisters, but at first I was enjoying Nomi more than Serina. By the end though, I'd switched! Serina has really grown on me, and I felt like she grew most as a character. Nomi was still making the same mistakes, although she gets an interesting ending to this book.

Basically this is the first book, and it ends on a cliffhanger for both sisters. It made me want to know more, and given the very little history of the world we're being presented, I wanted to know more about that too. Both romances are interesting and complex too!

I liked this one, and look forward to a sequel. Four stars.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I am woman, hear me roar.

If there’s one thing I never grow tired of reading about, it’s women supporting one another and finding their inner strength, even when all the odds are stacked against them. As Banghart’s author’s note says, this is:

For every woman who has been told to sit down and be quiet…and who has stood up anyway.

Who, What, Where?
Grace & Fury is set in the kingdom of Viridia – think Gilead from Handmaid’s Tale without the fertility issues and religious nut jobs.

Women were forbidden to read. Women were forbidden to choose their husbands, their jobs, their futures. Forbidden to dive for pearls or sell goods at market to help their families. Forbidden to cut their hair unless a man told them to. Forbidden to think for themselves. Forbidden to choose.

At the country’s head is The Superior. Every three years he selects three women to join his household as Graces (basically, glorified concubines). It’s the highest honour to be selected and although it’s a life of subjugation, it’s also one of luxury.

The novel alternates third person POV between two protagonists: Serina & Nomi. Serina, beautiful and soft-spoken, has spent her life training to be a Grace, while her sister, Nomi, smart and strong-willed, desires more from life than simply being Serina’s handmaiden. When it’s announced that the Superior’s heir, Malachi, is to make his first ever Grace selections, the girls travel to the palace. However, plans are turned on their head when instead of Serina, the Heir selects Nomi.

Things go from bad to worse when Serina is caught in a compromising position and sent to Mount Ruin, an island prison designed to house the worst of Virdia’s female offenders. Here, women are pitted against each other in violent matches to the death for sport and rations, and every day is a struggle to survive.

In the palace, Nomi is forced to adjust to her new life as a Grace, knowing that one wrong step could prove fatal. She soon comes to realise that her position may, in fact, present the perfect opportunity to create permanent change in Virdia, and the Superior’s second son, Asa, could prove her ticket to freedom.

Why you Might want to Skip it (But Please don’t!)
Normally I start off with the positives, but let’s change things up, shall we?

Pacing
While Serina’s story jumps into gear quickly and remains engaging right to the end, Nomi’s takes until at least halfway to find it’s purpose. Following Serina’s departure, Nomi spends a frustrating period of time trying to find out what happened to her. It makes sense for the character but it offers zero interest to the reader. The search eventually leads her to Asa and kicks off her main storyline but I would love to have seen more of an investigative and active element on Nomi’s part and earlier on, too.

Will the real Nomi please stand up?
I have to say, I feel a bit disappointed in Nomi. At the beginning of the story, she’s rebellious, questioning, and sassy. During her first conversation with Malachi, I was like, YES, you go girl. And then poof! Where did you go spunky Nomi? WHERE? I get that you’re sad Serina’s gone and terrified The Superior is going to murder you but what happened to your spirit? The promised Nomi does emerge later on but I wish she’d been a stronger character throughout.

Why You Should Read this Book
Balance
One of the things I loved about Grace & Fury was the contrast and balance between Serina and Nomi’s stories. Setting wise, with Serina, Banghart gives us a very harsh environment in which women have to be both physically and mentally tough to make it through. Then we have Nomi, living in the most glamorous place in the country, but which, to her, feels just as much like a cage.

Serina’s path is very much action-oriented and involves a lot of big, bold moves to get her to where she needs to be at the end. Comparatively, Nomi’s relies on secrecy, a bit of cloak and dagger, and thinking her way around problems.

The ending of these storylines is also in stark opposition – one a triumph, the other a complete disaster. These differences are great in that they give the novel fantastic variety in terms of plot and tone which keeps the book engaging and in motion.

Likeable MCs & Bonds of Sisterhood
Grace & Fury’s success stems largely from its well written and distinct leads. Both Nomi and Serina are very likeable and you have no difficulty rooting for them. Serina, in particular, starts the novel off quite soft and submissive, but over time, we watch her transform into a strong, brave, and resourceful, young woman who’d rather die than compromise her own humanity.

Both girls are also very different from one another. The wonderful thing is that despite this, and a situation that should make them resent one another (as a sister, trust me, I know), they remain loyal. Each desperately wants to break free of their situation, not just for themselves, but because they believe they need to rescue the other. It’s a quality that only makes you love them more.

The absence of her sister was a hole in her chest, growing larger and larger the longer they spent apart. She had to save Serina. If she didn’t, there’d be nothing of her left.

Twist
If you’ve read Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, you’ll be able to predict this twist from a mile away. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, no way! But don’t get me wrong, even though I saw it coming, I loved the direction. Once I realized this was where the story headed, I was really excited, even impatient, to see it play out and it completely changed how I viewed interactions between certain characters. It ended up being interesting and dramatic, provided more character depth, gave Nomi a chance to shine, and left us in an exciting place for the sequel.

Female Empowerment
“We are not flowers,” she said firmly. “Like you said, Oracle, we are concrete and barbed wire. We are iron.”

This is a book that showcases the power of women in so many ways. Seriously, Grace & Fury will make you want to take on the world and more importantly, believe you can win. This is a novel about women surviving and even triumphing under adversity. It’s about refusing to just accept your situation. It’s about striving for more and overcoming fear. And most of all, it’s about women supporting other women.

My Mother raised me never to trust other women because we would always be in competition. But it’s not true. Look at how we take care of each other here…We heal each other…We share food…We die for each other…We need to stop killing each other and fight them.

…

“In all the stories, women give up everything,” Maris said, her voice tight. “We are always supposed to give. We are never supposed to fight. Why do you think that is?”…

“Because they’re afraid of what will happen if we do.”

I wish I could say more but that would be spoiling it. What I will say is, read this book. You won’t regret it.

4.5 Stars

I'll be honest, Grace and Fury was one of those books that I hadn't heard of until a friend mentioned it in passing and when I saw it on Netgalley, I had to click the request button!

At first I thought the book seemed cliche and quite predictable, but all of a sudden it wasn't and when I turned the last page, I found myself staring at the screen unable to comprehend what just happened! The summary gives quite a bit away so I'll attempt to write this review spoiler-free.

I do wish that the beginning was more drawn out and we had more time to see the sisters interact with each other before the dramatic swap occurs. Had this happened, I think I would have been more invested in Serina's story. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, because I did, it's just that I found her reaction a little off-putting and that prevented me from connecting with her character as a whole. 

However, what I really appreciated from this novel is how oppression and female strength are portrayed. One sister follows and believes in what is expected of women, and the other is rebellious, not believing in the way women are treated and silently works towards equality. But both characters grow and develop so wonderfully during the course of the book and I'll leave the rest for the rest of you to find out when you read the book! Like right now, maybe?

It was action packed and enthralling! I thoroughly enjoyed it and I need the next book! A huge, huge thank you to Tracy Banghart and Hodder Children's Books for providing me with an ARC of Grace and Fury in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest I had no idea this book was a thing until I saw it on Netgalley and thought why not?

The tale of two sisters whose fates have become tangled, I found this to be above average however still cliched.

I absolutely loved the character development of the majority of characters - Nomi was the exception as by the end I felt she was just ridiculously naive and deserved everything she got. Serina's plight is well written with her development taking her from timid and obedient to a strong young lady to which any parent would wish their daughter to aspire to (except maybe the murdery bits). I found the princes a little grating however by the end I was so glad one of them turned out to be a manipulative little so and so.

In general the world development was adequate although I felt Banghart took the easy way out for half the book with one protagonist being confined to a castle.

I found the changing of points of view helpful for the story where I would normally find it difficult to keep track. To be honest if the entire story was Nomi's I may have fallen asleep or thrown my ereader against a wall in frustration. Serina's POV provided excitement and allowed the reader to stay interested in the narrative as a whole.

The love triangle was just cliched and I found no joy in it. I really wish that the princess type had spun it so as she deliberately played each brother off the other to fit her purpose. Instead I felt she was a helpless priss and I honestly wished she was killed off so as to end the gut churningly boring love interest portion.

Overall I felt the book was above average and will read the next instalment however I really hope Nomi;s story gets more interesting or she gets killed off - malicious I know but she's just so wet paperbag throughout.

Grace & Fury by Tracy Banghart is the story of two sisters who fights a system filled with female oppression to get back to each other and to make a stand and change the world.

Grace & Fury by Tracy Banghart is a spectacular debut novel, following two sisters, Serina and Nomi as they essentially swap roles and lives.

Serina was trained from a child to be a Grace, somewhat a "Princess" but there is more than one Grace each year.

Nomi on the other hand has been trained to be Serina's handmaiden, blend in the background and ensure that her sister is well looked after, so when The Heir makes a bold and rash decision, they find a tumultuous journey as each tries to work around the hand that they were dealt.

Grace & Fury was so much more than two sisters trying to find their place in the world, it had family love, treachery, rebellion, feminism...it had so much packed into this first novel and I loved it!

For every woman who has been told to sit down and be quiet...and who has stood up anyway

The beginning of Grace & Fury seemed a bit slow, although I was quickly pulled in once the Heir made a certain decision, and was then very eager to find out what happened to both girls. The start may seem a little slow, but stay put my friends, and I promise you will love the book just as much as I did.

This novel was very character driven and I thoroughly enjoyed how both girls rose to the occasion despite their personal suffering. Family love was a strong topic for this book, I just loved how the siblings (brother included, Renzo) just kept pushing through to ensure the safety of each other, it was wonderful and realistic. Anyone that is close to their siblings can really attest to the lengths you'll go to save each other, and you all know I'm all about family love.

"How was it that homesickness could be more painful than a bullet wound?"

I cannot talk about the rest of the characters I'd like to talk about without giving spoilers, but the support cast is totally amazing!

Grace & Fury is a beautiful book that makes you feel the oppression towards females from the very beginning. The journey each female went through is miraculous and beautiful...I'm all about girl power as you can tell, so this story was just right up my alley. I can't wait for the still untitled sequel!

Grace and Fury is a dual point of view novel focusing on two sisters in very different circumstances. I enjoyed the novel overall- Banghart developed the characters quite nicely, and it's well paced so that your attention is captured throughout.

There are some nice twists in the novel, but if you've read a lot of other similar novels, you would probably easily be able to pick up on them. The plot overall was pretty predictable, but that didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the book because it was still well written and well developed. I actually hadn't read the blurb before reading the novel, but if you haven't read the blurb yet I would say not to- it's not quite spoilery, but it does tell you what to keep an eye out for and I think it would make the book even more predictable.

Overall, a pretty decent novel. Similar vein to books like Red Queen in terms of the political side of things.

Ratings
Overall: 8/10
Plot: 3.5/5
Romance: 2.5/5
Writing: 3/5
World Building: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 2.5/5

Grace and Fury is one of those books that doesn't really fit into a single genre. I've seen it categorized as fantasy, but I would call it dystopian so who knows? Atlas Rising Books put it perfectly when they said that it should be described as "having the plot of Red Queen against the setting of The Selection". I have read both of these books and couldn't have put it better myself. This is a really fun read and I'm sure it's going to be a hit in the YA book world, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have it's issues.The fact that the plot is in many ways similar to that of Red Queen is a problem for me since having read it I guessed the main twist a mile away, but I still found it enjoyable.

This story is told from two perspectives, which I really wasn't expecting. I found both Serina and Nomi to be enjoyable characters however I did have some issues with Nomi. For someone who revolts against the crown it is entirely too easy for her to be manipulated and deceived. Nomi was also quite immature, lamenting other women who did not have her same likes and dislikes. Serina was far more understanding and was able to see more of 'the big picture'.

The world itself is one where the rights of women are redefined and effectively taken away. This provides some interesting plot points and also makes the world a little bit more unique than the other fantasy/dystopians it takes clear inspiration from.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a gripping YA dystopian.

4.25/5

I flew through this story in under a day, it was a really fun, engrossing read. 

The story begins with two sisters. The first, Serina, has been training her whole life to be one of the Heir's chosen 'Graces' - basically a concubine. The other, Nomi, has been training to be Serina's handmaiden. In the beginning we're led to believe that Nomi is the tough, defiant one, whereas Serina is the well behaved, pliant one. I love how Serina subverts expectations and becomes strong. Whereas Nomi becomes somewhat overwhelmed and easily led astray.

I found the politics of Viridia one of the most interesting aspects to the story. We get glimpses of how Viridia has become so suppressive to the female population and I'm intrigued how this will develop going forward.

Speaking of which, I'm so happy that it looks like this story will be part of a series! Yay!

Grace and Fury is a compelling and thought-provoking fantasy - no magic, just an invented world that feels historical and transports you to a place much like Venice - that asks, what would you do if you were a girl in a world where women had no power?

I am a huge fan of Tracy Banghart’s Rebel Wing series, so when a fellow reader recommended Grace and Fury to me I was quick to take up the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this thrilling and unique YA fantasy.

Tracy has a wonderful way of capturing the essence and voice of her characters, and Grace and Fury centres around Nomi and Selina - two sisters, both trapped in a world that offers women very few choices. Selina has trained all her life to become a Grace - a concubine of the King’s Heir, a position of esteem and luxury, if not power. Nomi hates everything about the world she lives in and rages against the constraints forced upon her. When she accompanied her sister to the palace as her handmaiden, Nomi knows she must hide her rebellion and her deadly secret. But when Nomi is chosen as the Heir’s Grace and Selina is sentenced to an island prison for Nomi’s crime, both girls must decide how much they will risk to survive.

Two girls, both strong in their own ways. At first it is Nomi who stands up, who seems the toughest of the two girls, while Selina prepares to hand her fate and already-limited freedom over to the Prince. Yet as Nomi struggles under her unwanted title of Grace, and as Selina learns to survive in the harsh environment of the island prison, it was Selina and her story that really captured my attention. While Nomi outwardly makes signs of rebellion, tries to plot and create allies and enemies, I found her naïve and silly. Instead, it was quiet, accepting Selina who showed the greatest strength and fortitude.

There is plenty of romantic tension in Grace and Fury, for both Nomi and Selina. While Nomi forms attachments and alliances quickly, Selina takes her time, uncertain in what she wants and how the uncertainty of her future confused that even further. Underpinning the story of two sisters and their private rebellions is a larger message of injustice. What seems like an arrangement of past eras, where women are restricted to marriage and childbirth, is made more complex as Nomi uncovers the history of her world, a history that had previously been hidden from her. Both Nomi and Selina play a role in a new uprising. The plot is perfectly poised for an explosive and revealing sequel, which I look forward to reading.

Grace and Fury ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, the twist revealed and characters’ lives hanging in the balance. The sequel is sure to be an exciting read, and I am keen to continue Selina and Nomi’s story.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.