The Grace Year by Kim Liggett captivated me from start to finish, earning a solid 5-star rating. Set in a dystopian world where young girls are banished to endure the ominous 'Grace Year,' Liggett weaves a gripping tale of survival, sisterhood, and rebellion. The protagonist's journey through this treacherous landscape is both haunting and empowering, as she navigates the complexities of societal expectations and the brutal realities of her environment. Liggett's writing is atmospheric and evocative, drawing readers into a world teeming with danger and intrigue. I found myself completely immersed in the story, unable to put it down until the final page. With its richly drawn characters and thought-provoking themes, **The Grace Year** is a must-read for fans of dystopian fiction. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking a compelling and unforgettable read.

I really enjoyed the storyline in world building in the novel. I also really liked the characters. I thought this was a solid read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

4.5/5 stars

The open water, the breeze, the unobstructed sun glaring down on us - it feels like freedom, but we know it's a lie. This is how they break us. They take everything away, our very dignity, and anything we get in return feels like a gift.

A perfect mash-up of The Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games during the Salem Witch Trials, Liggett's The Grace Year features a patriarchal society that fears the power of women, claiming a woman's luring gaze is downright witchcraft.

[Women are] told we have the power to lure grown men from their beds, make boys lose their minds, and drive the wives mad with jealousy. They believe our very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That's why we're banished for our sixteenth year, to release our magic into the wild before we're allowed to return to civilization.

Tierney, our female protagonist, is sixteen-years-old and is expected to marry and start a family, as is many of the other girls in her town. However, before she begins her role as a dutiful spouse and mother, she must embark on her Grace Year, during which all sixteen-year-old girls in the town will reside collectively in the wilderness until their "magic" dispels. Entirely alone and free to make their own decisions, these girls' choices will either strengthen or weaken their relationships, thus affecting their safety. Yet, when loner Tierney is unexpectedly courted by her best friend Michael, she is plunged into the female-female rivalries she spent years avoiding. Will Tierney be able to survive the year, or will her "magic" and the competition drive her to madness?

- - -

In the past year, the word "feminism" has been frequently raised on social media - to the point that I question whether I know what actual feminism is or if TikTok's toxic version has come to dominate my world. My initial thought of Liggett's feminist story was, "Like The Handmaid's Tale?" Although the story is placed in a dystopian era, the culture is more traditional and the practices can be compared to those done during the Salem Witch Trials, especially as the opinions of females are challenged with deathly punishments such as hangings. However, Liggett's take on a heavy subject and her storytelling easily made this an exciting and gripping novel.

Liggett's prose is executed wonderfully and places you exactly in Tierney's shoes. Although learning about the history of the town and its events from varying perspectives would have been interesting, the intimacy of following young Tierney makes the story do unputdownable. As Tierney readies to participate in the forty-seventh Grace Year, the reader is told that Tierney's mother previously underwent the ceremony as well and possibly her grandmother. Thus, since Tierney's knowledge of the the Grace Year is limited to what she has been told, there is so much mystery involved in the world itself. This quality not only lends to the reader's role as a detective aiming to understand the reasons behind the characters' actions but also unravels the town's repulsive and toxic nature. For example, women are plotted against each other from a very young age. In the town, men prey on and brainwash them; outside of town and during their Grace Year, this toxicity is fueled by their insecurities. Further, beyond the town's outskirts, ruthless poachers seek to kill these girls during their Grace Years and present their remains as trophies to be sold to the town's men and woman seeking to preserve their youth. However, as noted by the quotation marks surrounding the women's "magic," it's all false - a lie maintained to control these young girls as they develop into women.

There is no doubt that Liggett aims to reflect our society, particularly its cliques. The mean girls lead the young women during their Grace Year and inevitably punish anyone who disagrees with them. Tierney, with her set of survival skills, sets to improve the lives of the girls during their Grace Year. Rather than drink from an algae-infested well and rely solely on the rations they packed before their trip, she attempts to produce several solutions to help the overall experience of the Grace Year. Rather than the expected praise I would give Tierney for her creativity and resourcefulness, she is mocked and banished from the main pack. It's truly remarkable how Liggett skillfully portrays the influence of brainwashing over several decades and how much I literally want to hug each of these ladies.

However, Tierney's banishment leads to an unlikely romance with a poacher Ryker. Although I was at first flabbergasted with Tierney falling in love, Ryker fit the story extremely well. Tierney, at the beginning, is wanting her life to be entirely up to her. Since women are basically treated like property in her world, she despises courting, the Grace Year ritual, and anything to do with marriage. Tierney's initial wish is to not be chosen for marriage at the choosing ceremony and work in the fields where she can remain free. Although her plans are turned upside down after being courted by Michael, I enjoyed Tierney's love for Ryker was her choice, and I love that Liggett included this romance in this story, especially since it is not un-feminist to fall in love or do tasks that are stereotypically feminine. I love the maturity and bravery exhibited by Tierney during her time with and after Ryker, and these scenes definitely encompassed the strength and intelligence of Tierney wonderfully.

Lastly, the ending! Although I am somewhat confused by the ending, it was peaceful. There are spoilers ahead in this paragraph; therefore, I warn any socially awkward turtles to proceed with caution and read this masterpiece so we may discuss at our next meeting. Thank you!

So, the ending! Um...Liggett ended the story vaguely. Passing by Tierney's dismay of a betrothed, her subsequent send off into the scary wilderness, and her life's desire to give women the freedom to pursue their own passions, she gives birth to her daughter and experiences this:

As I close my eyes and let out my next endless breath, I find myself walking in the woods, weightless, free.

And, then Tierney is flashed to a scene of a very much alive Ryker walking around although the reader most definitely witnessed him die. So, it begs the question: is Tierney in too peaceful of a moment in which she dies during childbirth? With Tierney's mom freeing her hair and Ryker's dreamlike appearance, it's assumed that Tierney dies. Nonetheless, Book #2 will have to explain something about this ending scene and the legacy of Tierney's daughter.

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Holy crap, this book was so much more terrifying than I ever expected. Just. Wow. I ended up listening to the final copy in audiobook, and dang what a ride. This was phenomenal in audiobook, I found myself making excuses to have my headphones on to listen. But just holy buckets wow.

Great story and theme. Likeable lead character (TierneyO wo discovers the secrets kept, the punishments to society, and the men who created it.

Same vein as Handmaid's Tale, Hunger Games (more adult). Would recommend to someone that is a fan of dystopian fantasy!

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

The Grace Year is a quick read that builds on the dystopian novels that have come before. What I mean by that is that there seems to be a nod to female driven narratives that pit women against the oppressive societies that rule them, a nod that acknowledges that you know where we're coming from so let's just dive right into the action without a lot of the backstory of how they got there. In The Grace Year, that's not the point. I think the point is that Tierney and the other girls are in it now, so now what?!



In this novel, young women are sent away for a year to dispose of their 'magic' and when they return they'll return to assigned roles, like in a caste system. Some will marry and some will be laborers and some will be sex workers or outcasts. Tierney, our main character, assumes that she'll be a laborer because she's purposely led a life that would make that so. Her assumption is wrong and she starts her journey to their 'grace year' property in a state of shock and determination. Once all of the grace year girls arrive at their grace year destination, the immediate devolution of civility begins. There's peer pressure, bullying, and mob mentality at work ...among other things. Tierney tries to set up a society that would be equitable and helpful and within days, it's all destroyed. Within weeks she's an outcast and not long after that, she finds herself on death's doorstep. It's only when someone who should be her enemy nurses her back to health that she begins to really understand all of the elements working against the grace year girls, and begins to try to work against them to make things right, better for them all. Ultimately, when Tierney makes it back to her original home and has some time to reflect on it all, she gains some clarity and leaves us with a sense of hope for better days.



While I really enjoyed The Grace Year--it's definitely a 4.5-5 star read for me--I did want a little more backstory and information about how in the world they got to this point to begin with, where are they, and when is this all taking place. Other than those things, The Grace Year held my attention, was a quick read, and offered insights about being a woman in the world, insights that I wish we didn't have to learn because we lived in a truly equal and free society.

This is a fantastic sci-fi, dystopian YA novel. It is intense, and difficult to read at times, but it has a certain gripping quality that made it hard to put down, even when I didn't want to read anymore due to the subject matter. I thought it tackled themes of misogyny and the patriarchy very well, and it made no qualms about highlighting how dystopian those ideas are in general. I think this book is a solid choice to add to any YA collection in a library and might even make a good book club read, assuming you have older, more mature teens in attendance.

I was hooked as soon as I heard it compared to the handmaids tale. It definitely gave me similar vibes when I was reading this.

I can not reccomend this book enough. 1st of that ending..I just cant.. I'm an utter mess now. This was like The Handmaid's Tale, and The Hunger Games mixed. The writing was brilliant

Holy intensity!! This book was so fast-paced and intense from start to finish. It felt like a perfect mix of the Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale rolled into one firestorm. It is very plot driven, but keeps the personalities of the characters at the forefront at the same time. Highly recommend if you're looking for a wild ride!

No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

My thoughts:
I thorouglhy enjoyed this book. It was quite different from what I usually read but It had hints of Hunger Games which I enjoyed as well. Can't wait to read more by this author!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

I am always reluctant to read books with so much hype because they usually lead to disappointment. I never seem to learn and still end up reading them...I seem to be the outlier again, with the unpopular opinion of not liking this book. Marketed as a'strong feminist tale', this gave me more 'Lord of the Flies' vibes with all the female characters hating each other. I prefer to read books where women lift each other up NOT tear each other down.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review

This book is the granddaughter of The Handmaid's Tale. While it is hard for me to read a lot of dystopian literature, because it often feels like we are living in a dystopian novel, I enjoyed this one mostly for the way it surgically explained patriarchy and the way it pits women against each other. The idea that women had to rid themselves of magic that makes themselves irresistible to men was the perfect metaphor for rape culture.

While the book was conceptually perfect, oftentimes I felt like some things were being rushed and it might have worked well as a duology or trilogy. Altogether I enjoyed the novel and would recommend it to my students who are looking for something a little darker than The Hunger Games.

Oh wow!! I will be talking about this book for a long time and definitely recommending it to everyone. I knew from the start that this book would be a hit. It was so disturbing and and so powerful.

Thank you to Kim, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for an advance copy of The Grace Year.

When the girls in Garner County turn sixteen, they’re banished into the woods for one year to get their aphrodisiac-like magic out and return pure and ready to be married or take their employment…if they make it back alive. Out there they will battle their own mental demons, the elements, each other, and even poachers hoping to kill and sell their parts on the black market.

Tierney does not want this life. She doesn’t want a marriage. She doesn’t want the traditions, she doesn’t want to feel suffocated. She just wants to spend her days out in the fields and hanging with her best friend, effectively making her an outcast among the town girls. But when the marriage ceremony comes, instead of having no proposal as she expected, her best friend hands her a flower and pledges to marry her upon her return from the grace year. Now, on top of not really having any girl friends to confide in and take the journey with, she has also made some big-time enemies due to her new engagement.

This book was on my radar for so long, I have no clue how it took me so long to read when I had the ARC on my kindle, but life is full of mysteries.

I saw a lot of people comparing this to The Hunger Games and I can totally see that. It’s a weird twist on a feminist / mental battle of the Games, where the town or your belief system is the Capitol. There were so many ‘enemies’ in this book, and very few of them were real tangible things that you could physically address which I think was one of the most fascinating pieces to the idea. It’s such a hard thing to make people see what you see when they’re standing next to you going through the same experiences but receiving it in a totally different way. The struggle to prove you’re ‘sane’ when you feel crazy; to fight the literal man, to go against tradition. These are all things that real people are battling in everyday real life, thus making a dystopian story about something that feels far-fetched hit a little closer to home.

The story itself was good. I am always searching for a dystopian that, like I said feels far-fetched, but can also hit you with the ‘well, it could happen’ vibe. The world that The Grace Year is set in gave me Puritan, almost old-world feelings rather than a dystopian future, but I also could see a future where some societies have rejected. I also felt a strong influence from Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery.

Tierney was a good character, I had a lot of fun following her and watching her try to keep her rebellious nature in check while also remaining true to herself. There was a lot of ‘will she, won’t she’ when it came to her speaking her mind or standing up for what she was thinking/feeling and that led to watching an interesting internal battle unfold.

This book was fantastic! Full of intrigue, great plot, and writing. Everything about this book made it hard to put down and made me want to read non-stop.

I won't lie ... I initially thought this book was going to be really immature and a knock off of the Hunger Games. Boy was I wrong. The horror in this book is so well done and, for me, it was an unexpected surprise. I wish the romance was amped up a little bit and at times the dialogue seemed forced. But, overall, I think this was a smart spin on a theme that scratches an itch for people who grew up on the Hunger Games.

I really loved this book and I ended up giving it a 5 stars! I can't wait to add this book to my collection! I adore this book so much! I loved the main character so much and felt for her! I liked the ending but I wanted a happy ending in this. The main character is helping make a change and I love that too.

This book was hard to put down! And the ending made me really emotional.

The Grace Year is such an exciting mix of horror, survival and the best of YA dystopias from 5-10 years back. It really is like a darker, more feminist version of The Hunger Games. I had a really busy week, but I looked for every opportunity possible to sit down with this book and get sucked back into this ugly patriarchal world. Nothing gets my blood pumping and the pages turning like a heavy dose of infuriating unfairness.

It's dark and gory. It's very much a tale of survival against the odds. But what is so odd about The Grace Year is that it’s about women going wild, being jealous, viciously hurting each other, and yet it somehow manages to be a celebration of women and the ties between them. Mothers and daughters. Sisters. Friends. It's quite incredible how Liggett takes these women to their very worst so that we can eventually appreciate them at their best.