The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis:

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.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.

With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.

My Thoughts:
Darkly, intricate and twisted from beginning to end. Totally original, the most buzzed about book of the Year lives up to expectations!!

“A visceral, darkly haunting fever dream of a novel and an absolute page-turner." Libba Bray, New York Times bestselling author.

Liggett’s thrilling, and suspenseful book brilliantly explores the high cost of a misogynistic world that denies women power and does it with a heart-in-your-throat, action-driven story that’s equal parts horror-laden fairy tale, survival story, romance, and resistance manifesto, I truly couldnt stop turning page-after-page!!! Absolutely thrilling, and gritty I hope y'all love it like I have cause wow!! Each character was so unique to the storyline, and the author just nailed it!!

I finished "The Grace Year" about 30 minutes ago- I realize I should take some time to process what I just read, but I really want to talk about it.
That's a pro- I want to talk about it... not yell at it or argue about it, which is the way I've felt about a lot of YA dystopian fiction lately.
This was really good.
Things I really liked:
-It was a fun concept. I don't feel the need to summarize the story at all- there are so many outstanding reviews for this book :)
-It was a one shot. I see the potential for another in order to make it a series, but it ended in a way that I could live happily without there being a second one. It's rare for me to find a good one-shot type story like this.
-It was entertaining. I got through this really quickly. It's slated to be a movie produced by Elizabeth Banks. SO ENTERTAINING.

THING I didn't really like:
-Whyyyyyyyy oh whyyyyyyy does YA fiction have to center around a romance? I was so good with this book until the unnecessary PG-13 'steamy' romance. I loved the relationship building (or destruction of) between the women. It really made the book stand out and I liked how the author portrayed women that hurt each other, rather than build each other up (this point kind of ended up being part of the "things I liked" category, oops). I feel like the story could have been the same, if not better, without the romantic interlude.

"The Grace Year" was a satisfying read. As for the romance that I mentioned not liking, I have to admit that I would have eaten it up as a teenager. As a 31-year old reader, it's not really my demographic anymore.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of this book for an honest review :)

The comparisons between The Handmaid's Tale and The Grace Year will be inevitable. Both showcase a dystopian-like time when women are seen as little more than vessels for fulfilling the desires of men. That's where those comparisons should end. The Grace Year does a masterful job of showing the effects of this society on multiple generations of women. The characters are well-developed and I couldn't put this book down!

I loved this book from start to finish. It grabbed me from the first page and never let go. I loved the development of the characters and the environment. Kim Liggett's writing is so amazing. She was able to create an existence that I could clearly see in my mind. I connected with the main character and felt some strong emotions during the reading of this book. There were some surprises along the way and that made me want to keep reading.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher house for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start by saying I don't normally read much YA, or dystopian novels for that matter, but this was a very good book. Especially for the era we are in now where there are serious threats to women's rights. This book is what happens when a society allows the men to be considered "the chosen ones from God" and the patriarchy cares more about pride and ego then it does about the well-being of its people. Especially the women. There were references to a "punishment tree" in the middle of the town where women were punished, beaten, hung, burned alive. It is a book about what happens when a group of people beliefs outrank common sense and logic and the fear induced controls the women, even the 16 yo girls who leave this "society" for one year so they can get rid of their "magic". (It happens around puberty). Before they leave, the men choose their wives and give them a veil. If they survive the year they come home to be married or sent to the fields or the "outskirts". There are poachers around the encampment where the grace year girls stay. They skin the girls who try to escape into the woods and sell their skin and body parts back to the people of the town who believe they pieces of the girls are full of "magic". You see, the best thing a woman can do is marry and make more men.
The main character is very easy to like. She doesn't think things need to be the way they are. She thinks things can change for the better.

The Grace Year is a YA Dystopian novel which is being compared to The Lord of the Flies, The Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games.

I had such high hopes for this book but in the end, it was just okay for me. It's an interesting premise but nothing about it really stood out for me and I found myself bored at times. I definitely enjoyed the last half of the book more than the first half. There was an insta-love story thrown in. I'm usually a fan of romance in my books but this one was unnecessary for the story, in my opinion. The ending left me a little confused and wanting more.

I'm sure a lot of readers are going to love it. I can actually see it getting a movie deal. I'm sure it will be a big hit. It just wasn't for me. Maybe I've just read too many similar type Dystopian books?

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

The Grace Year--no one speaks of it after it happens. Women come back missing fingers, maimed, confused, some of them don't come back at all, or they come home in poachers' jars, their magic will be used by those later. We follow Tierney in her 16th year, as she gets ready for the grace year and then tries to survive it.

It's very Salem witch-y, in that it's all about girls and magic that may or may not truly exist, but definitely exists in the minds of the girls and the town. I love that, because I'm all about Salem witch-type hysteria, in a different story with very different stakes. The timeline of the ending is a bit of a mess, but otherwise, I really enjoyed this one.

The publisher, St. Martin's Press, kindly offered me an advanced reader copy (ARC) of The Grace Year by Kim Liggett via NetGalley. Yet, this is an honest review of the book expressing my humble opinion.

The Grace Year is deliciously addictive and the very definition of 'page-turner'. Addictive prose. A tornado of plot twists. And a unique story-line that keeps you guessing at the edge of your seat.

The book is a speculative thriller, perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and Naomi Alderman's The Power. I adored The Power, so I was very excited for The Grace Year, and it obliterated my expectations. Fast-paced and with a wonderful heroine, The Grace Year is definitely one of the best books of the year, and an excellent example of its genre. There are so many plot twists, and it has an ending I couldn't have guessed. I've read many books, and this ending is one of the most delightful, exciting, and unpredictable I've ever seen. I didn't always agree with Tierney, the main character, but I always understood her, and that's rare.

Kim Liggett is a masterful story-teller, and I can't wait to read more of her books. She's an author to watch out for.

I urge you to buy this book immediately. You don't want to miss out on this. Trust me.

I devoured The Grace Year, and I'm certain other readers will, as well. Outstanding speculative thriller. Intricate, elegant, and effortless world-building. And a prose that keeps you craving for more.

5 stars – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Kim Liggett
Publisher: St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books

I haven't read The Handmaid's Tale, but this has been compared in great lengths to it. The first 25% of the story hooked me. I loved how Tierney wasn't afraid to show her differences to the county; she has a guy as a best friend, she doesn't want to marry or have children, and she is adamant on how she wants to work in the fields the rest of her life. She refuses to be part of the sexist society they live in and doesn't care about the hatred it bestows from the residents.

Things change when Michael, her best friend, gives her a veil, proclaiming her as his property from that point forward. She didn't know Michael had been secretly in love with her and it destroys her because even though she shared her dreams of freedom with Michael, he still enslaved her to a future she never wanted.

Thus the Grace Year begins when all girls of a certain age are shipped off to an enclosed area in the middle of the woods to burn off their "magic". Things change upon arrival which I wasn't a fan of. The boldness and independence that Tierney encapsulated in the county quickly diminished. One by one the 31 girls turn against her, led by ringleader Kiersten who is vindictive since Michael chose Tierney as his wife instead of her. And Tierney just lets herself be abused and pushed around by these ridiculous girls that she wasn't afraid to stand up to back in the county. I know how personalities can change outside of familiar situations so I can only believe that that is what happened to Tierney.

The girls banish Tierney from their camp and leave her to wander the land and forage for food and water. Instead of rejoicing over departing from her crazy camp mates, she occasionally stumbles back to the camp just to be harassed and almost killed. I was waiting for her to reach her limit and snap back at the girls, but that never happened. Despite how the times they attempt to kill her on top of the nonstop abuse, Tierney kept trying to redeem the girls and would sweep in to save them before they met their demise. And each time she was rewarded with them trying to kill her. I guess that shows how strong and determined Tierney is as a person, but if I had been in her shoes I would have let the girls kill each other with their tainted water supply and leave them for the poachers to dispose of.

I enjoyed the inclusion of Ryker (the one and only good poacher), but the way it was written I did not. Their relationship went from enemies to info dumping life stories to instant love within days (I'm ignoring the weeks where Tierney was severely injured (due to her camp mates almost killing her) while Ryker nursed her back to health). I would have preferred to nix the chunk of Tierney wandering around the woods (after being banished from the camp) delirious from tainted water withdrawals because it took up too much of the story. With that cut, more time with Ryker could have been inserted to make their relationship more believable.

Some twists I saw coming while others were shocking to read, especially at the end. There's a death (that I honestly believed wasn't really a death because come on, no one stays dead in books, TV shows, and movies anymore, but alas, this character remained dead) and then a major revelation, and even though I saw coming it was still a shock because of the impact it had on the whole story and the society that was constructed. That way it was handled was also another shock since I expected Tierney to be burned at stake.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. This will be a story that sticks with me.

This was an intense read. Packed with drama and tension, The Grace Year is like Mean Girls meets Survivor. There are so many levels, so many shades and shadows that the girls are hidden in and from, that there is no way any of them could not come back changed, whether for better or worse.
As I read the story, what kept floating through my mind was how cultish the Garner County of The Grace Year is: how secretive people are, how the girls are only given enough information and knowledge to barely survive (but to return only as broken vessels), how dissent is violently discouraged. Scary to think of how easily people can be duped in a closed society.
But the heroine of The Grace Year, Tierney, is the one who questions, the one who wonders if the “truth” that has been fed to her is really the truth, the one who dares to believe that there is more to life than what those in power have told her all her life. What a wonderful heroine for young people to have! Someone to remind them that the established norms are not always what is best for you and that you should always search for the truth yourself.
The only issue I had with the novel was that the “chapters” were very long with no real breaks, making it difficult to find a place to stop or to figure out where exactly I was when I did stop. But, that is a minor issue in what was otherwise a well-written, emotionally powerful story.
The Grace Year releases in October of this year, so pre-order your copy now and know that you’ll enjoy it when it comes in!
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this novel for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own!

The Grace Year is a good entry for the YA Dystopian genre. In the beginning it did remind me of a Lord of the Flies with girls. The difference is Lord of the Flies is a study of human nature, The Grace Year isn't. There is a reason behind what the County does as well as why the girls act as they do, and it is more than just human nature. I know others have likened it to The Handmaid's Tale, but I can't respond to that comparison. I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review of the book. I hope by the actual publication there are some changes to the formatting. Since it is about a year in the life of these girls, having it broken into seasons makes sense. However, there should be some kind of page break or indication that time has passed, or the scene has changed, instead of just continuing on paragraph after paragraph within those seasons. An extra line space between these paragraphs would be helpful when there is a change. Upon opening the book the author has you jumping into the middle of a whole new "world" and it takes several pages until the reader becomes comfortable that they actually understand what is going on. Stick with it, it is a moving tale. #TheGraceYear #NetGalley

WOW....I stayed up all night reading this book because I could not put it down! It is a mixture of everything that is my favorite in a book....strong women, danger, intrigue, passion, moments that take your breath away, worlds that are created entirely different from anything we've ever known....I could go on and on. This book WILL BE the next "big" hit. I have already told about 20 of my students to put it on their TBR list and I have already pre-ordered multiple copies of it. The world created by Kim Liggett hooked me immediately and never let me go. I am still thinking about this book and pondering on the many fascinating themes and ideas it presented. There are so many amazing plot lines in this book, it is one that will stay with me and continue to toil over in my mind endlessly. I cannot recommend this enough and I am so excited to see where she takes us with hopefully more to come! HIGHLY recommend!

I'm still not quite sure on my feelings for The Grace Year. It's very feministy and very dark. And it definitely wasn't the story I thought it was going to be. The cover is very misleading even if it is pretty. The Grace Year is an important and thought provoking read.
***I appreciate Netgalley and St. Martin's Press (Wednesday Books) for the opportunity to read it.***

I might be the minority in this.....I liked it but I didn't love it.

The concept and being billed as The Handmaids Tale meets Lord of the Flies is pretty spot on, but I was hoping for more drama. That might be the only way I can explain it. Right as I was getting into certain parts it would jump a month or months ahead and I just wanted to know what happened during that time frame. If it was divided into chapters per month of The Grace Year I feel like I would have been more invested.

It was fast paced and I loved the world and story. I'd love to read more about future Grace Years or (especially) past Grace Years.

Thank you to Wednesday Books, Netgalley and Kim Liggett for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I started recommending this book to friends before I even finished it. One of my favorite reads of 2019! Strong characters and beautiful prose. I love that the dystopian setting didn’t overtake the story. Usually the protagonist annoys me in these types of stories, but I LOVE Tierney!

This story is told in a world where girls are said to have the power to lure a grown man from his bed and draw the ire of every wife around them. These girls are sent away during their 16th year to release this powerful magic so they can return as purified ‘safe’ women who are ready for marriage. This event is called the grace year which is greatly dreaded but never talked about. It is clear something sinister takes place, as not all of the girls make it back alive.

This is a world where men are afraid of women simply because they exist. Men have all the power in this world and women are held at fault for anything bad that happens.
To me, what makes this book is so powerful in that it focuses not only on men’s fear and hatred of women and their power but also women’s fear of other women. It opens up this dialogue of why/how women know the system is broken but they refuse to stand together to change it. As well as what can happen when they finally do.

Tierney, our main character is, of course, non-conforming and independent. This is instilled in her by her father as he taught her to fish and hunt and really fend for herself. She is the middle of 5 siblings and is vehemently against becoming a wife like her older sisters. Through Tierney, we get to experience a powerful lesson on love and relationships. I feel as though sometimes, especially in ya novels, you see girls who are strong and independent but still allow a guy she likes to tell her what she wants or manipulate her into what he thinks she should want. And I really think this is something that younger girl need to be exposed to going forward.

Every sentence reveals some new twisted fact about this world and every time I think it can’t become even more intense it does. I hang on to every word. The first book I’ve read in a long time where I’m not looking at the ‘time left in the book’ and waiting for it to be over.

Overall I think that this is an absolutely amazing new release and you DEFINITELY do not want to pass this up!

5/5 stars

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

This was a heavy read for me. It's well written but very dark. I liked the commentary on "mean girls" that runs throughout and how women need to support each other rather than tear each other down. I've seen it noted that this book is like a mashup of The Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies but what both of those novels did better was world-building. I couldn't discern what caused the scenario presented in The Grace Year; was it set in the future or an alternate dystopian world altogether. I will post links to my blog review closer to the publication date.

"The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between." This sums up this book very well! It's a dark tale with lots of twists and turns which kept me wanting to read!

I really like unique YA dystopias, and this was a good one. The main character felt important without being “the chosen one,” in fact she seemed to choose her role as a world changer herself instead of being thrust into the role unwillingly. Other reviewers were spot on with their comparisons to The Handmaid’s Tale, and also how the author skimmed over a lot of time that we should have seen. But I liked the romance, and thought that it could have been explored more, considering their respective places in the society. It’s a really good book, but I think more could have been done with it.

3.5/5 There have been a lot of these dystopian girl power types of books since The Handmaid's Tale TV series has come out. For me, this one is just so-so. The world is never fully developed and a lot of the main characters don't seem to have a lot of motivation for doing the things they do other than just stating that that's the way it's done. All in all an interesting read, but it doesn't bring anything new to the table.