DNF at 42%. I wasn't enjoying this at all. I'm a huge fan of dystopias, but I didn't like any of the characters and found the way they treated each other not to feel realistic or believable. To an extent, maybe, but eh.

This was definitely an anticlimactic book that wasn’t for me. I normally like dystopian books but I think this one was overhyped for what it was. I was surprised with the ending, which was good, but otherwise didn’t really find this one as compelling as I expected.

There was so many emotions while reading this book. I love it and truly wish I read it in 2019 because it would have been in my top 3! The ending broke my heart and then gradually gave me hope for women someday. Thank you Kim for this book.

I loved this book so much. It keeps you interested the whole time, it feels faced past but also doesn't speed past important moments. This is one of the best dystopian books I've ever read and I've been telling everyone I know to read it.

This book was very different and absolutely thought provoking. It kept me engrossed until the last page. The writing, the characters, the setting...these all were well-plotted. I’m interested to see what the author writes next.

Weird dystopian YA feminist novel which really wasn’t my cup of tea at the time. Thanks for the free review copy Netgalley

This book was a hard read, not because it was bad but because the treatment of the women felt so so so reflective of where it feels like society is heading these days. Definitely make sure you're in the right headspace, because the content may be triggering (no on page sexual assault, but it always seems nearby).

The Grace Year has everything I love about dystopia, without feeling too cliche. The MC is badass and strong willed, the type of person you can't help but root for even when she makes questionable choices.

Highly recommend for fans of the Hunger Games and folks who are intrigued by the concept of Handmaid's Tale but maybe couldn't handle actually consuming it (that's me. Cannot handle that book/show.)

This book has one of my favourite narrators - partly because of how well the book is written but also because of how unexpected it was. The Grace Year delivers on being a strange, creepy and atmospheric read that has fantastic characters and world building.. I loved the pace of the story and as my first Kim Liggett read, I really appreciate the time the author takes to really immerse you in this world. Definitely recommend especially if you are looking for a book that is a little darker.

The Grace Year creates a creepy world that feels both faraway from our own and frightfully near. It's a blend of Lord of the Flies meets The Crucible meets The Handmaid's Tale with a strong, flawed protagonist who is coming to terms with her fate within a small superstitious community and the limitations of being born as a woman. It's thrilling, suspenseful, and psychological as you try to process what is really going on; a book that you will not be able to put down.

One of my favorite books published this year. I read it in a single night and have recommended it to so many people since that time.

The Grace Year is Handmaid's Tale meets Hunger Games. In a town where the women are believed to have magic, girls are sent to purge their magic during the Grace Year. For a full year, these girls must band together to survive more than the elements. They must survive each other. Thrilling, thought-provoking, infuriating, and incredibly woven, The Grace Year is a must read for teens.

This had been on my TBR list for a while and I wish I would have picked it up sooner. I devoured it! It doesn't have traditional chapters like most novels, and normally this drives me crazy - but it worked for this book. These girls are sent away to lose their "magic" before marriage, so they cannot cast spells or bewitch anyone upon their return. If they leave the camp though, they will be killed by poachers who sell their body parts back to the town as they have powers because of their magic.

Not everything is as it seems and we learn about the girls' magic over the course of the story. It is really one girl's journey to understanding, finding love, forgiveness, and acceptance over the course of the grace year. It has a bittersweet ending. I highly recommend this one!

Good Gracious Kim Liggett THE GRACE YEAR! (#shockandawe)
Moreover, months after reading this, I’m still reeling from it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday books for providing me a copy of this novel to read.
This book is not what I expected at all. (In a good way) Even now, I want to reread it again and again.
This book is stand alone and it has excellent ‘grip’ from beginning to end.
As always, this will be a spoiler free reivew! Let’s get to it~~


“A person is made up of all the little choices they make in life. The choices no one ever sees.”
― Kim Liggett, The Grace Year

First, there is no reason why my review should have taken this long. I’m not sure why I held off on writing it. I rated the book 5 stars immediately but trying to put into worlds all the nuances and points of the book I loved, seemed overwhelming to do.
It’s still overwhelming.


The plot, when reading the summary, felt like a ‘hunger games’ scenario. When reading the book, it was not that straight forward. Women are betrothed before they are sent to the woods to ‘purge’ their magic. Their ‘Grace Year’, if you want to call it that….That is honestly just the tip of the iceberg of this plot and its roots are vast.


The characters grow so much. All of them grow. Unwillingly or willingly, but frightfully and roughly they learn and grow. Tierney leads this movement. She’s the catalyst and the car that drives it. She is amazing and I adored her. The characters, all of them were unique and contributed to details, the intricacy of the tale. As a result, The Grace Year hits hard and with feeling.


I’m being vague but I truly think this a book you experience. In short, I would recommend it if you enjoy psychological books. Books that make you think. A novel that makes you question.
My hat is off for The Grace Year and the writing was incredible.


Happy Reading~
Ash

This was such a beautifully written book and my emotions were on a constant roller coaster. I love a good dystopian novel and I feel like we haven't had a good run of those in a few years. This is the dystopian you've been craving! A. little bit of Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale but honestly still remained original. Will definitely be recommending this one!

This book definitely had some Handmaids Tale dystopian vibes. I have been wanting to read this book for forever and in really enjoyed it. It was weird at first but then everything became clear and I understood why everything was happening the way that it was. This book was filled with suspense, mystery, and a coming of age story like no other. There were some hard parts to read but Liggett didn't hold back how utterly raw this story is. I loved it.

The Grace Year is a book that will make you angry in the best possible way. It makes you want to fight and change the world. It is wonderfully written and definitely keeps you on your toes. It's not for the faint of heart, so go in knowing there are some rough scenes. But ultimately, I think this is such an important book and one that all teens should read.

I'm sad to say that I've given this book 1.75 stars. The concept was interesting, the ending was great, but the process of it was slow and boring.

This was one of my most anticipated books from that time and I'm really sad that I couldn't enjoy it the way I wanted to.

I think dramatically immature YA books don't excite me anymore.

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the free ac of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Girls possess magic and come into their power at 16 and are sent into the woods for a year to burn the power they' have in a ritual called The Grace Year. The power drives men into fits of lust and attraction and drives older women to jealousy. Consuming their skin alone is considered to be an aphrodisiac in their community of Gardner County. Tierney James is now sixteen and must prepare for The Grace Year, but she just wants to come home and work the fields. She dreams of living not as someone's wife (the goal of most girls) but about living on her own terms. When she is sent into the woods she has nothing but her sense of self and determination to keep her alive as she must deal with the poachers a group of men who hunt the girls for their skin, and the others girls in the camp. Tierney the Terrible they call her and she's public enemy number one to popular girl Kiersten.

Tierney felt very reminiscent of Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice and I instantly related to her wanting to make her own way in life and resenting the men in her life who thought they knew what was best for her. Kiersten was the typical mean girl that I think every girl knew in high school. At the same time I just wanted to know why she was the way she was. This beautifully heartbreaking book demands to be read In one sitting. I could not put this down and I could not stop crying near the end. This isn't a book about magic so much as a book about what it's like to grow up female. The pressures society puts on you to look like an adult when you're still a child and then bashes you for being too sexually appealing and it's not men's fault for feeling that way. For the older women who are afraid of losing their significant other in a world full of people trying to replace what and who they have with a new younger version. Finally it's about what women can do if they're allowed to work together instead of pitted against one another.

Wow. Just . . . wow.

I did not know what I was going to be getting myself into. I just know I kept hearing how good The Grace Year was, and I don't usually buy into the hype or when I do it's nothing like what everyone was making it out to be. I have major black sheep syndrome.

However, this book was so much more than I anticipated. In so many amazing ways. It is such a raw emotions experience of reading about these girls going off to be secluded from their family and friends for a year, and fighting to the death . . . because that's how it's "always been."

This book has a lot of Handmaid's Tale vibes, but for younger girls. Being told what to do in society, being chosen for marriage, what job you'll have, etc. It's a very interesting take on society that I feel is slowly becoming a reality in today's world.

Several plot twists made The Grace Year a wild ride. I thought we'd be following along with the girls going at each other's throats and just waiting for them to kill each other off. Which, of course, they did. There was one scene that really bothered me, because it really sounded like one of the girls was raping another girl with a feather. However, I cannot be certain that is exactly what happened.

However, there was more to the story and a great plot twist with Tierney getting away from the other girls because they banished her. Tierney is a free thinker and very logical, and she was quick to take charge. The other girls saw this as a threat. The ending was a complete holy shit moment. I was shocked and then so moved by emotion. I might've cried.

This is a book about female empowerment, a twisted "coming of age" element, and a look into how girls can treat each other when left to their own. It's a book you'll want to read!

Kim Liggett presents a dystopian society that will chill you to your marrow. Tierney's society believes that sixteen-year-old girls have siren-like powers that make him susceptible to their allure, preying on their weakness as men. To solve this problem, the girls are sent away for a "grace year," during which they relieve themselves of their power and prepare to marry a man who selected them prior to their departure. The girls, I must emphasize, have no say in who picks them.

Tierney bristles against all of this, viewing it as nonsense. She has drive and a strong will, which put her at odds with just about everyone in her community. She also has a tendency to misread people, particularly those closest to her, believing she's smarter than them. Liggett builds toward her comeuppance, making them moments of growth for Tierney.

The girls' experiences during their grace year will remind you of The Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies, which ought to tell you how harrowing some scenes are. The grace year intends to break these girls, making them pliable, malleable wives. The more Tierney bucks, the greater her risk of harm or worse. She has to learn to play the game, which makes her an entirely different sort of future wife.

Love assumes different shades in this book, including a selfless love shown Tierney from an unexpected source. That particular character, by the way, deserved more than they were given in this book. Tierney lucked out with a friend who proved to be there for her when she least deserved it but desperately needed it.

Teens will love this book. It's dark and edgy yet hopeful, and it's even a bit swoony. There is much to discuss: what would you do if you were Tierney? How would you have adapted to the grace year? Why do you think Tierney's community started the grace year tradition? Why do you think they are able to continue it? Why don't more people question it?

Let me know what you think of The Grace Year. If a teen in your life reads it, let me know what they think, too. It's a book you will want to talk about.