This was probably my most anticipated book of 2019, but when it came time to read it, I just couldn't get into it. As a result, I put it to the side to come back to read at another time. I am very glad I did that and didn't just DNF the book because The Grace Year was a very interesting read.

Don't get me wrong, there are some truly horrifying things that happen in the book, but the writing is just so beautifully done it really does a great job of conveying those elements. You feel what you are reading. You don't exactly feel that you are part of the story, but you feel like more than just a passive observer.

3.5 Stars??

This is a story about patriarchy, and I think the description of this being a cross between The Handmaid's Tale and The Lord of The Flies fits well. I appreciated Tierney's anger and how it was shown throughout the story, especially in the beginning. You can feel how much she wants to at least stare daggers at the comments that are made about her while she has to just sit and take it.

I thought the writing was well done, and the descriptions of the surroundings were very visual and atmospheric. We really get the feeling of being in this society where women can be killed at the drop of a hat for minor "transgressions" and the fear that these women deal with every day. I would like to point out that there didn't seem to be any women of color in this society. No skin colors are brought up (that I remember, I may have missed it), which may have been on purpose, but a society where all girls are required to wear their hair in a single braid down their back does not seem like one where black people are welcomed.

I was really getting into the story until about halfway through when the "love interest" came into play. I hated how it changed the course of the story. I did not think a story about women coming together and finding sisterhood needed a romance at all, much less with a man. I just incredibly disliked that part of the story, and it really changed how I read it. <spoiler> He had a schematic on how to skin her alive. You cannot convince me that was "love".</spoiler>

Up to that point I would say I was enjoying it, however much you can really "enjoy" a story about violent patriarchy. And there were parts without the romance that still felt haunting and well done, but unfortunately everything was tinged by it. Especially at the end where I felt like the men of this society got off too easily. I wanted a more I guess... violent ending? I don't understand how we could go through everything we go through and then end up how we did. Maybe that's not the story Ligett set out tell, I don't know.

Anyway I did incredibly feel for the characters as stories like this always pull at my heartstrings, there were just some logistical things I didn't like.

Wow, this was a beautiful book. The atmosphere it captures and the emotion it stirs in readers is definitely first class.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I love dystopian stories and this one seemed like it was going to be similar to The Handmaid’s Tale, so I was extra excited. It didn’t disappoint. Tierney and the other girls from her village are sent away for a grace year before submitting to marriages chosen for them by village elders. It’s a bit of a Lord of the Flies scenario with every girl for themselves. As Tierney encourages the girls to work together, others in the group do their best to sabotage each other. And all the while, they are in danger from something on the other side of the fence. This book is full of adventure and twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.

What a page turner .. I enjoyed this dystopian novel set in a colony where every year, sixteen year old girls are sent away into the wilderness for their “grace year” its a time where they are forced to live without much food, water, .. and a lot of danger..all due to the belief that at sixteen their bodies emit a powerful aphrodisiac that must be let go of to later return home and be docile and ready to marry.
Yes, there are comparisons to The Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games, I’ve read both of those books and still think this is very original.
I enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

This is set in a dystopia-like world where women are pitted against each other. On every woman's sixteenth birthday, she is sent away in order to release her seductive magic into the wild so she's doesn't harm those around her, but not everyone comes back alive.

A fever dream of a novel, keeping me turning pages later into the night until I finally finished, drained.

In the alternate reality story, girls are thought to have magic.  In an effort to cleanse them, they are banished to spend their sixteenth year (the grace year) in the wild.  
It is basically a female version of The Lord of the Flies and we learn the girls are no less horrible to one another than are boys.  I am giving the story 3.5 stars - it would have gotten 4, but for the ending.

I liked the story, but it worked better in theory than in practice with me. I just didn't connect with the writing or any of the characters.

This is not like many other books I have read. It fits into the fantasy genre, which I do not normally choose. I was hearing about it everywhere, so I gave it a shot, and I am so glad I did. This was a very entertaining and interesting read. A bit of fantasy, a bit of Handmaids Tale.

I would definitely suggest this book!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

A solid YA novel that was a good purchase for my library. Students have read and enjoyed it, and I purchased it because of this review copy.

THE GRACE YEAR is a wonderfully creepy gem of a book. Reminiscent of Angela Carter, this brutal look at interpersonal relationships between women is not one to miss. Liggett's treatment of brutal masculinity is visceral and unsettling, mirroring and amplifying real-world relationships.

When a story takes you from annoyance, to tolerance, to friendship, to love you know it’s special. I really didn’t get this book to start. But I realize now, that’s on purpose. Liggett has given us a journey to experience, much like Hunger Games, we may not understand the constructs or the challenges entirely at first (and our lead gal doesn’t either); but as we progress with our leading gal into the dark trenches of reality and truth, we realize that we knew all along we just didn’t want to believe it. The truth is messy, dirty, bloody, and not flattering; just like real life.

Women’s Competition
This is a powerful story about girls, women, mothers, and childless crones. It is a reminder that we as women are taught to compete; not to further ourselves but to keep us apart, because apart we are stronger.
I tell my husband all the time about how meeting new women is terrifying for me and how I hate the competition. He tells me I imagine it, but I know that it’s my imagination. Especially because over the years I’ve carefully talked with other women and found out we all feel the same. And so we gain progress inch by inch by quietly discussing our realities. The Grace Year shows us how to start (or continue) the work that these girls begin. It lifts the veil (or the shroud) and tells us that not all men are evil, women don’t need to compete, and ultimately that change may be slow and our patience is required.

Change Comes with Sacrifice
From the early chapters of The Grace Year we are shown that not everyone survives, and most return broken or changed so much it’s difficult to recognize them. As our lead gal progresses through her own Grace Year we, of course, start to see why that is. The knowledge or questions our gal starts with aren’t even the most important ones she answers throughout the story.
Everyone in this story sacrifices something in someway. It’s not romantic, pretty or bittersweet. Instead it’s harsh, bloody and stark as bone. Yet each sacrifice made, and the ultimate ones made at the end, are essential for the progress of our story and characters. Liggett has intertwined them so well that I didn’t even realize what was happening to my thoughts and emotions until after I had tears in my eyes.

Romance
Very few real life relationships are fairy tales. In fact I have yet to meet someone with the perfect fairy tale spouse or life. It’s because it doesn’t exist and we are reminded of that in The Grace Year; sometimes the best you can hope for is that it not be awful. Thus when a small speck of hope and love shows up it’s all the more powerful. Liggett takes that knowledge of the poignance of love and how we all crave the fairytale and uses it against us. Watch for your emotions to be twisted and at times you won’t know what you want to happen, or even have a clue what is next. I recommend staying on the ride and letting yourself be immersed in the difficulties of living in an imperfect world (to say the least).

Overall
While the premise is intense and grabbed me quick; it’s the main character that nearly broke me off from this novel. Thank goodness I didn’t give up on it. If you hate our lead gal at the start, find her annoying or just inconsistent that’s okay. There’s a purpose to it. Were I to make a suggestion about edits to Liggett, I’d recommend that she tweak the introductory chapters to focus more on our lead gal and her male friend; and theorize less about the magic. Give us something to at least respect about this girl (and keep us reading) before she’s torn to shreds and rises back up in the most unlikely of ways.
I wonder on a reread how I’d feel about the beginning. Maybe I’d see more to it? Maybe I’d see what seemed obvious wasn’t as clear as it was portrayed? All I know is there is power when a shift happen. My brain, heart and soul shifted while reading The Grace Year, almost without my knowledge. I felt myself recognizing so many of the things said as true to my own life and experience. It’s a treat we get insight into our own lives and makes this a perfect story for the YA/Teen genre.
One of the first books as a pre-teen to make a strong impression on me was The Giver; when the apple flies through the air and changes to red. That moment in The Grace Year isn’t as clear cut, making it even more impactful in the end, but it’s there. Hidden under some small YA tropes; but once you uncover it, and keep on reading, you’ll suddenly know that this isn’t your average YA girls versus girls book. It’s got some magic of it’s own.

Note: I wrote this review within minutes of putting this book down. I may not feel as strongly tomorrow; and normally I allow myself time to digest a book. But I felt like I needed to capture this emotion I have right now before it disappeared and was replaced with the depression of headline news and our own reality. I’ll be intrigued to see how I feel about this book in a week, a month or a year. Do I remember it? Does it stick like The Giver, like Black Panther, Red Wolf, like Hunger Games, like Station Eleven, or so many other dark(er) dystopian books I’m drawn to. Only time will tell.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

I LOVED this one. Easy to read and a decent story. I'd read further books by the author. I'm rating it 4.5/5 stars.

The Grace Year is a thought provoking YA novel with a blend of A Handmaid"s Tale and The Hunger Games with a splash of Lord of the Flies.
In a near/distant future society, 16 year old girls are banished to an isolated camp for one year in order to control or vanquish their "power".
I was drawn into the story very quickly and liked Tierney James right away which isn't always easy with the style of first person narrative that was used. I did find that the book lagged for a short bit in the middle but picked up again. It was not enough to put me off continuing to read the book. One thing that tells me a book is "good" (in my humble opinion) is if I end up feeling emotional at the end of the novel. Well, I cried when I finished reading. It wasn't just the story itself but the parallels to the lives of women and girls today. Mind you, the ending leaves many questions which was done very nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I finished this book long ago, but must have forgotten to leave feedback. This was one of my favorite young adult reads of the last few years. It had everything from excellent character development to a great love story. I have recommended it to coworkers and patrons alike. 5 stars

Books like this one appear to be having a bit of a moment right now (I think of Wilder Girls when I say this). Dystopic but could-also-be-a-little-real in a way that is reminiscent of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaids Tale but written for a younger audience.

In The Grace Year, all women are thought to be born wicked. To redress this, on their 16th year, they are banished from their home in order to ‘release’ their magic into the wild, to purify themselves, in preparation to marry upon their return.

Now while I said this was written for a younger audience, I cannot state enough that this book is dark. Very dark. Any may not be suitable for those of a more sensitive disposition. I myself do not feel like I am sensitive but found myself struggling with some of the aspects in this book.

I did enjoy this book, although like I said, there were some aspects that I struggled with. However, I would go on to recommend it to certain friends and family members.

I really enjoyed this book about a dystopian world where girls are sent into the wilderness to lose their “magic” before becoming wives and mothers. The main character reminded me of the protagonist from The Hunger Games and was strong and capable, and the action moved at a clip. I definitely recommend this one.

I saw this one being hailed as visceral and compelling, so I had high hopes going into it. I'm very pleased to say that THE GRACE YEAR lived up to them - and maybe even exceeded my expectations! Coming-of-age tales about girls are always intriguing to me 'cause I feel there's so much to be done with the subject matter. So much of being a teenage girl is terrifying, and putting that scariness into the hands of a talented writer created a really beautiful marriage here between darkness and purity.

I came across The Grace Year after a friend has read it. I read the description and was immediately intrigued. It has been a long time since I read a dystopian novel but I missed them and The Grace Year seemed to fit the bill. So time passed and I forgot about it but then I came across it again and knew I needed it read it and man was it one messed up book. I mean it was deeply messed up. The fact that females were treated so poorly just blew my mind as did the writing.

The Grace Year is a really crazy look at how women are perceived. I was so disturbed by how these young girls were treated and what they were forced to do to one another. Instead of being able to support other women they were made to turn on one another and that was hard to read. I had such a hard time seeing how violent these girls were made to act based on something they were told needed to happen because a group of man decided it so. It’s really hard to put into words how it made me feel to see these girls so into madness. So hard to explain it will just be easier to tell you to read it and you will then understand what I mean.