Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of The Grace Year in exchange for an honest review!

Throughout the year, we were promised feminist retellings of works such as The Lord of the Flies. Some readers may have enjoyed those books, however for me, they were complete flops.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett is the book I deserved this entire year & I’m kicking myself for how long it took me to pick up my ARC of it.

The Grace Year has been out since October 8th, 2019, and I urge you all to pick up that unread ARC (because I know a lot of y’all got it when it was a Netgalley READ NOW title). & if you don’t have an ARC, buy a finished copy! It’s 100% worth it.

The Grace Year is a book that I feel confident in recommending to both horror readers and YA readers. It’s not necessarily shelved in the horror genre, however, there are so many elements in this read that absolutely screams horror.

With that being said, yes folks — this is a graphic story & Kim Liggett does not shy away from writing violent scenes. The Grace Year is intense but so extremely well-done. I’ve seen some complaints about pacing issues & how it felt slow. I, on the other hand, was turnin’ pages like it was nobody’s business.

There are twists. There are turns. I don’t think there was one moment in The Grace Year that I actually knew where it was heading. I was in a constant state of suspense.

One of my favorite things about The Grace Year is the romance component. At some point, Tierney falls in love. This is a YA dystopian read, so it’s to be expected. However, Kim Liggett doesn’t care if she rips your heart out & stomps on it & doesn’t even bother to put it back together. Take that as you will, readers.

Another concept that I enjoyed was the sense of sisterhood. Something we have all learned from reading & just real life, in general, is that we gals need to stick together. That’s exactly what the characters in The Grace Year learned. There’s a huge difference between how some of the characters started & where they ended up. I definitely applaud the character development.

If you’re looking for a soft read, this isn’t the book to choose. However, if you’re anything like me — you love getting your emotions completely destroyed. In that case, pick The Grace Year up immediately.

The Grace Year is a brilliant piece of suspense writing. Whilst not quite the feminist piece I was anticipating, the book explores womanhood in a raw and brutal setting.
A wonderful example of a soon to be classic piece of literature.

I finished this novel a few hours ago, and I can’t stop thinking about its characters and their plight. I was instantly hooked into Liggett’s dystopian world and couldn’t wait to see what became of the girls on their mysterious grace year. I was chilled — and at times annoyed — by the antics at the camp, which felt reminiscent of the female-led hysteria in The Crucible. The book then took an interesting turn in the middle that I also really enjoyed, but for very different reasons. And while it worked to display different character motives it felt like this whole section came from a different book, making our MC’s return to camp all the more jarring. After our heroine’s return to the grace year girls we’re treated with twist after twist — some of which were more predictable than others. One (around the 88 percent mark) made me so angry I almost put the book down, but I’m very glad I didn’t because I would have been robbed of the powerhouse scenes Liggett saves for the very end. Scenes that felt so real and emotional that I found myself wiping away tears.

Ultimately I don’t think this is a “feminist masterpiece” like some are dubbing it, but I do think it was an interesting read that’s content will linger long after the final page is turned.

Notes: this is a graphic story that depicts vivid scenes of violence so make sure you’re prepped for that when diving into this novel!

Kim Liggett has proven to be the master of suspense with THe Grace Year. An all consuming novel that will keep you guessing all the way throughout, until the very end.

The Grace Year is a YA dystopian similar to The Hand Maidens Tale as well as the Hunger games as it has been advertised. It’s literally almost and ode to both books.

I usually don’t read dystopian, I never got into the craze. Reading this makes me wish I was into that period when everyone loved reading dystopians. I really enjoyed this book and just couldn’t stop reading.

What I enjoyed most about it is that even for a YA it was hard hitting as well as gritty and dark. It made you almost believe that there wasn’t going to be a “happy ending” a lot of YA’s have. Which in theory is the reason why I gave it 4 stars. I’m sort of tired of the way YA’s are wrapped up nicely in the end. Other than that I really loved everything else about the book. I really enjoyed the sort of magical realism, how it almost made you believe it was a fantasy book.

Definitely recommend if you want a lighter version of the hands-maiden tale.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!**
Magical. This book was hard to put down! This may have been one of my best reads of the year. The story is slightly dark but it needed to be in order to tell the story in the way that it did. The story has a mix of anger, frustration, unfairness, harshness, survival skills, and a heaping dose of feminism. It is a smart novel with the world building as it's own character. The book itself was almost an homage to Hunger Games. Girls are banished to an isolated camp during their year sixteen. During that time they are to get rid of these unnatural powers that sixteen year old girls have; not all of the girls make it back. Some of the girls turn on each other and a lot of anger is thrown about. It is very dark and without spoiling anything, it is definitely horrific in parts but a complete page turner at all times.

In a world where girls are told they are too dangerous, too powerful and too magical, men still make all of the decisions. Upon their 16th birthday, the girls are sent away for a year to purify themselves of the essence that controls men. It is a ritual that each woman must perform to make herself ready for marriage. But the Grace Year is not easy fare. Many never return and some come home mangled and disfigured. What happens to the girls during Grace Year? None of the girls know as the women have been sworn to secrecy. Their own Grace Years are never spoken of. What dangers lie ahead? Can the girls survive the elements, the poachers and their most pressing danger . . . themselves?

Can I just say that this was one of my favorite books of the year. I know that it has been compared to The Handmaid's Tale and Lord of the Flies but I found it to be an original compelling story centered on the complexity of female relationships. <b>The Grace Year</b> is feminine magic - extolling the virtues and the strength that comes from empowering others and unity.

<i>Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Kim Liggett for access to this work. Special thanks to Kelsey Castro for sending a hard copy of this wonderful book my way.</i>

A twisty dystopianish view of a society where girls are released to the wild for a year to unleash their wiles where they can't destroy humanity.

This book was juts not for me. Dystopian reads aren't really my preferred genre but everyone raved about this book so I gave it a shot but I should have trusted my initial judgment. It was very well written but I just didn't get sucked in or find the story compelling. I was also concerned about the underlying anti-female feel and implications of some of the book themes. I *hope* they're cautionary warnings but I just wasn't a fan.

I received this free ebook courtesy of Netgalley however all opinions are my own.

Wow! This book was my first book I got to read from this author and her writing was amazing. I first heard about this book through one of my favorite book tubers. And I was really surpised with the ending and how fast pace it was. It got me out of my reading slump.
I also buddy read this with my bookish friends Mandy. And we both loved it. I also loved the narrator of the audiobook. I actually didn't read this book until December this year. But boy it was such a great novel!(:

Thank you to NetGalley and Kim Liggett for allowing me to read and review The Grace Year. I enjoyed this book.

Admittedly, I don’t read much YA, however after this book I am thinking I should start!

The Grace Year is a compelling dystopian horror/thriller that was The Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies.

At age 16 in Garner County girls are banished to an island on the outskirts because of fears that they have some magic over men that needs to be dispelled. They call this The Grace Year and many won’t survive. It turns out their biggest threat isn’t the elements or starvation or even the Poachers who lurk around the camp, hoping to catch and dismember them to profit from their magic (ears in a jar!!). Their biggest threat is actually each other.
This books is at times violent and disturbing, but the edges are softened as we experience classic teenage drama, forbidden love, and even uncover clues to old myths and murders right along with Tierney, the headstrong main character who challenges the status quo and stands up for the little guy.

If, like me, you loved the heart pounding survival stories of The Hunger Games, the forbidden love in Twilight, and the savagery of Lord of the Flies, you will love The Grace Year.

Best paired with some beans with a few rashers of thick-cut bacon thrown in for flavor.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book. I’d heard great things, but I also saw the dreaded (to me) word: dystopian. I got so burnt out of dystopians years ago and have mostly stayed away since then.

I am so glad I read this one anyway.

The Grace Year is a moving, rage-inducing, heartbreaking look at how a society can turn on women. It is beautifully written and keeps you on the edge of your seat - not only wondering what will happen, but what the heck IS currently happening. It focuses on the power that one person has that can change the future, even if it is only a little bit at a time, as well as the importance of trying to make the world a better place for the next generation.

Part Hunger Games, part The Handmaid’s Tale, this feminist novel will have you thinking about it long after you’ve turned the last page.

This is one of the books I had most been anticipating, but unfortunately I was very disappointed. Although the premise sounded original and feminist, in execution, the story followed more or less the exact same treads as The Hunger Games - right down to the quiet teenage protagonist whose father taught her how to survive in the woods and the male best friend who hangs out with her in aforementioned woods - and 90% of the book's feminism was of the "I'm not like other girls because other girls are catty and vapid and frankly quite stupid" variety. Maybe that was radical about twenty or thirty years ago, but I can't stand these depictions of the female condition anymore. Nor can I stand to read any more new versions of Lord of the Flies, which I have never actually read but feel like I have thanks to YA's recent obsession with teenage tribes eating themselves from the inside out. This book's synopsis led me to expect woman-against-patriarchy, and instead we got woman-against-woman-against-woman-against-woman. While the last twenty or so pages make a hasty attempt to redress that balance, it feels like too little too late. It's not enough to make up for the painful majority of the plot and it's too rushed to really make sense as a conclusion or fit the tone of the rest of the book.

Speaking of things that don't fit the rest of the book, I was really not a fan of the romance that came out of nowhere, felt shoehorned in, progressed at a breakneck speed, and made so little sense that I had absolutely no emotional investment in it.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into this story / book as I’m not a fan of the Dystopian genre. I ended up DNFing.

Utterly gripping and suspenseful. I was shocked by how quickly this book pulled me in. From the hauntingly beautiful cover, to the final page. It me laugh and cry....happy and mad. SO sad and mad, a few times!

Romance doesn’t appeal to me, so I usually steer clear of YA books and their youthful drama. But I enjoyed watching the “Handmaid’s Tale”, so I snatched this one up when NG offered it as a “Read Now”. I was pleasantly surprised! Yes, there was romance and adolescent drama, but not the type that put me off or made me roll my eyes.

I instantly fell in love with Tierney and her head-strong nature. She rejects the traditional role of wife and mother. Working in the fields, to hang on to her freedom and individuality, sounds far more appealing to her.

At the age of sixteen, girls are exiled to an encampment far away from their families. This is their “grace year”. The year they “come into their magic”. Become dangerous and irresistible to men. Able to lure them from their wives and families. Elements of magic and fantasy are instant repellent for me, but in this story they were magically (pun intended) mesmerizing.

The young women spend their banished year ridding themselves of their “magic”, so they can return completely cleansed. Imagine a large group of jealous, backstabbing teenagers spending a year together, with no supervision. A recipe for disaster, before you consider the obstacles they’ll face. The story definitely had a “Mean Girls” component. And Kiersten plays the role of catty ringleader excellently. She keeps the girls pitted against one another, while constantly stirring the pot.

Several of the twists were completely unexpected, which I loved. For me, the only downside of the book was the ending. Not clear cut. I’m not sure if it’s left open for a sequel...or if the author thinks we’re smart enough to understand her intent. I’m not that smart! I keep thinking of different ways to interpret it and it’s driving me crazy. But the read was worth a little madness!

<b>My Rating:</b> 4.5 ⭐️’s (rounding up)
<b>Published:</b> October 8th 2019 by Wednesday Books
<b>Pages:</b> 416

<b>Recommend:</b> Yes!

#TheGraceYear #NetGalley #YAThriller
@Kim_Liggett

The Grace Year, the year 16 year old girls come into their "magic" and are banished to the outskirts of town to free themselves of their power to seduce men. This was a wild YA dystopian ride that had me flying through the pages to see if Tierney will break Garner County's ideals or if she will be wore down by the year of survival and cruelty and learn to bend to the will of men. I found the ending to be extremely satisfying and possibly open to a sequel hint hint.

Highly recommend for fans of Hunger Games (although this is definitely grittier) and dystopian novels.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Kim Liggett for an ARC to read and review in exchange for an honest review.

This book instantly skyrocketed to one of my favorites of 2019. It's like "The Handmaid's Tale" and "The Hunger Games" had a creepy, dystopian baby, with a little "Lord of the Flies" mixed in, and I was hooked from the very beginning. I've barely stopped thinking about it since I finished it last week! A must-read.

The Grace Year is a story of women coming together, sort of, but not really. It's a quick read that will end up making you pissed.

There will probably be accidental spoilers in here, so proceed with caution.

In this village the men are in control and the women are subservient to them. The women are not allowed to even gather in a group, for fear that "their magic" will bring harm to the men. You know, because the women cause the men to have lustful urges, and cause the men to stray from their very devoted wives, and it's all the women's fault because they have "magic." Basically, every excuse you've heard from rape apologists, is listed in this book. The men come up with whatever reason they can think of in order to get rid of their wives when they get sick of them and that way they can marry one of the fresh 16 year olds that survives the Grace Year. One of the men claims that his wife was levitating and speaking in tongues the day before these girls go off to get rid of their magic so that he can have a new wife, which will now be his fourth.

The girls go off, with a small sack of provisions, and are supposed to survive in the woods for a year. This year Tierney (which I kept pronouncing as tyranny in my head, though I doubt that's what the author hoped for.) has to go, she isn't expecting to be picked as a wife, and hopes to work in the fields as a laborer when she returns. Tierney isn't like other girls, her father taught her a lot of things that a boy is normally taught, and she spent most of her life in the woods running with the council leader's son, Michael. This has made the village hate her, and all the girls that she's to go with hate her a lot. It gets worse when Michael picks her to be his wife, because he didn't want her to be sent to the fields to work and be raped by the men. OH, also, should the girls not survive their Grace Year, their younger sister is sent to the outskirts of the county in order to a prostitute and as a punishment for the family. I really don't understand why this is a thing. I really didn't get it, I guess it's supposed to prevent the girls from killing themselves in way that would prevent their bodies from being brought back? Or staying in the woods forever? Again, that didn't make sense to me, other then the dirty men wanting to rape children because as soon as a girl starts menstruating in the outskirts, she's free to be raped, oh, excuse me, "visited by the men."

Really this book made me angry.

I get what the author was trying to do, I do, but I really didn't like it. Maybe because I'm sick of having the conversation about men trying to control women's bodies in the real world that I didn't want to read a story about it. I mean this is perfect timing for the book to come out with the popularity of "The Handmaid's Tale" and the abortion issues of the southern states, this might get young girls/women talking about the issues instead of worrying what the men will say.

The ending also made me so angry. All of that, all of what occurred during the book, to have it come back with that /surprise twist/ and then to have her "go back to normal." Sure there's hope, but I don't want hope in a book like this, I want action and resolution.

I'm sure this will appeal to a lot of angry women that are sick of having to bite their tongue, but this wasn't for me. It was well written, it was engaging, it had a message that through all the context is important, but the way the book went about it made me dislike it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed a great many things about this book. Characters were fleshed out and the plot was well spaced. Some of the secondary storylines could've used a bit more page space but all in all an enjoyable read!