First of all, I am surprised this book is YA - it reads very adult, and is quite dark and disturbing. I would definitely only recommend it to older teens.
Secondly, I LOVED it. The atmosphere is so creepy and horrifying, and the characters are easy to root for as they try to overcome religious trauma and escape abuse.

The book is extremely feminist almost to the point of being misandrist....but in a good way, lol. I was also really taken aback by a twist about 100 pages before the end of the book that reminded me of the 100 - if you know, you know!!

I love Claire Legrand.

I will read anything Claire Legrand writes. She absolutely killed this YA horror!! It was a step above Sawkill Girls for me! There were a couple scenes I had to put the book down! I don’t love reading creepy or scary reads, but as I said for Claire I’d do it! I loved the main character and her best friend so much. They were not wrong in saying to read this if your fans of The Grace Year or the Handmaid’s Tale. These girls are taking their power back from men who has abused them for far too long. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a review!

I have adored Claire's writing since I first read Furyborn, and this one is no different. I have a feeling that I won't want to read it again, even if it was so fantastic, just because I don't need the nightmares! Haha! I cannot wait to see what comes next from her, and I have a feeling I'll be randomly thinking about this book, just like I do with Sawkill Girls. Solid, and highly recommended!

First, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thematically, this story is so smart. I really liked the conversations it was bringing about and the themes it explored. Well done. The horror was perfect for YA. Creepy, a bit gory, but still tame enough that I think folks who don't love horror will still enjoy it. Also I'm always down for a Sapphic story! Unfortunately, outside of that, not much worked for me.

I don't mind slower paced stories usually but the first 50% of this was a slog to get through. The second half got better for about 70 pages but then the end fell apart again for me.

I felt like a lot of this was disjointed, specifically the main character and how she changes. It felt really slow and then incredibly sudden.

This is definitely going to be a favorite for a lot of folks, and I'm very interested in seeing what Legrand writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Tegen Books, and the author for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This is a hard one to describe. I'd say the description that advertises a mashup of Handmaid's Tale plus The Grace Year is spot on, if you add in a soupcon of the Village and maybe a hint of The Scarlet Letter. With witches.

I'm sort of a horror noob. That being said, I wouldn't necessarily classify this as "scary" so much as "eerie." Upsetting, chilling, angering, even, but not frightening. Unless you find the entire notion of patriarchy frightening, of course. This was patriarchy to the extreme, and many other issues on top of it. Abuse, internalization of and indoctrination to abuse, was also a huge theme. Misogyny, too, and vengeance. Lots of dark themes here. It's not an easy book. It wasn't one I would care to revisit for a pleasant re-read. All that said, it was good. Very good.

Ok I was liking this book, getting very strong Year of the Witch vibes, but then IT happens and I was just excited about a sequel that I flew through the ending 🤣

But, it’s not all one-trick-pony. It has absolutely gutting and visceral imagery, strong feminist (under?)tones, and lots of gory little details. If you’re a fan of cerebral and witchy, this is definitely one for you!

It does get super into itself and I can see how some people would be bored with the internal monologue at times. It does seem a bit repetitious, but that’s actually necessary for the character arc, so I’ll forgive it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

I'll start off by saying I will read anything Claire Legrand writes as I am a huge fan of the Empirium Trilogy and Sawkill Girls, and Extasia was another masterpiece! I simultaneously wanted to hurl the book across the room but also never put it down! I devoured it in only two short days and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. This story tackles religious trauma and misogyny routed in religious practices and the badass women who fight against it. Watching Amity discover her true power and fight against the oppressive communities (both Haven and Azazel) was an inspiring experience. I would recommend this book to any lover of young adult horror and all things occult!

I was a big fan of SAWKILL GIRLS and was very excited for EXTASIA -- while I don't think the novel is quite as captivating as her previous title, I couldn't stop reading Legrand's newest atmospheric horror. The overall concept walks well-covered ground (neo-Puritanical ultra-patriarchal society in a post-civilization future, heroine makes contact with radical feminist group who open her eyes to the horrors of her world, etc.), but Legrand has a way with visceral, grotesque horror that keeps the novel exciting. I was very willing to roll with a slightly slow beginning and somewhat confusing supernatural aspects because I was so compelled by the main character and her cohort, though at times the feminist allegory was a bit too on-the-nose. I wish the last third of the novel had been expanded a bit, as it felt rushed, and I particularly wish the heroine's sexuality were more developed--she went from literally not even knowing queerness was a possibility to having a sapphic sex scene with very little buildup. (To be fair, it kind of ruled & by the end, I was invested in their relationship.) All in all, a bit uneven but a thrilling, spooky read perfect for burgeoning feminists!

Extasia is a dark twisted forest of a book. It blends magical realism with edge of your seat suspense. This is definitely one you wont want to put down!

After finishing this I really think Claire Legrand is not for me.

The beginning was slightly confusing and slow. I enjoyed how there was the religious aspect and how the characters played into that.
I felt like the characters were 2 Dimensional, I did not feel anything for them.

The Middle of the book was the best part. I was so engrossed in the story and could not get enough. The magic did not make any sense though, I was truly lost on that front.

The ending was the most confusing part, I guessed in a way what would happen, but it was so rushed and kind of pointless.
I wish this book was better but truly it was just a meh time reading.

3 stars

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I was granted eARC access to Extasia by Claire Legrand via NetGalley in conjunction with the HarperCollins Canada Influencer program and #FrenzyPresents. Thank you for the opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

This book is everything I was hoping The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson when I read that in 2020, and yet somehow it just didn't work as well as I had hoped. When I read The Year of the Witching I was hoping for a feminist Blair Witch meets The Village, but there was no The Village element in sight. Extasia has it in spades and does similar things to The Year of the Witching in terms of religious perversion.

Some readers are going to absolutely love this book and declare it a new favourite, and I'm happy for those readers! I do think it's good and will speak to some readers, it just didn't click with me. All the elements I wanted were there and Legrand's writing skills shine through very strongly, but the final result was a little lacklustre.

This book is extremely graphic, and I don't mind that, but I must make note for the sake of future readers that there are a lot of potential triggers. Religious trauma, physical, mental and sexual abuse, and murder.

I do love the IDEA of where Amity and the other girls decide to go with their situation. I love the idea of them taking this messed up magical religious cult they've been raised in, rising up into high positions themselves, and then using their power to tear it all down. That's the sort of awesome girl power I look for in a fantasy horror! I'm 100% on their side. Where I think this all went wrong is that there were so many girls wanting revenge that I had trouble keeping track of who was who, what each wanted, and who each wanted to destroy.

I must praise this book for being so loudly and positively sapphic, and for adding a vital plot element similar to The Village much more successfully than M. Night Shyamalan was able to achieve in his film.

If I weren't reviewing an ARC I might have given up and DNFd this one, but I'm glad I didn't because the latter half is what I loved. That's where we go from the horrors of Amity's reality with this girl as a captive bystander to Amity the strong and powerful priestess who's going to destroy everything. Perhaps if the plot had been squished and stretched differently I might have enjoyed it a little more.

If witchy YA horror is your thing and you're up for a lot of graphic violence, this book might just be your next favourite! If you're squeamish or not looking for something that looks a little too much like fringe Christianity doing evil, maybe check out a different Legrand title instead.

A super special thank you to #Netgalley for a chance to read another one of Claire Legrand’s treasures. I truly enjoyed reading “Sawkill Girls” so I was hoping for a new and even weird story to entertain myself with. I did enjoy the horror aspects of the book (ominous tone, creepy creatures, etc.) but the religious theme didn’t appeal to me as much as I originally thought. The abuse that these girls had to endure as possible “saints” in their community was more anger inducing than it was “scary”. Although the religious theme wasn’t my cup of tea, I do think this was a well-written story that someone (who enjoys this specific trope) will enjoy. Thank you NetGalley and Claire Legrand!

Shout out to Claire Legrand and her talent for creating the most unsettling stories you can imagine. It is hard to describe this book without giving too much away, I will instead give some highlights: religious cult, LGBTQ+ (YES!!!!), spooky, strong women (!!!!), and monsters (maybe!!!). I will say no more, except you NEED to read this book. Claire Legrand has again created a world that leaves goosebumps on your skin and an inability to put the book down.

I really enjoyed how dark this book was. I was very concerned going into this that the author would go soft on the horror aspect of this book bit they definitely didn't. This book was definitely dark and visceral. I can't say I enjoyed this exactly (and I'm not sure you're meant to) but I was definitely sucked into the story. I absolutely can not wait for this to come out so I can gush about it to all my customers.

Extasia is set in a post-apocalyptic world where only one village, Haven, appears to have survived. This village is made up of mild people that follow a strict moral code. The story is told in first person by a nameless girl getting ready to take the mantle of saint. She states that her name is unimportant until she receives her saintly name, along with her sister and other
chosen girls.

The privileges of being a saint are many and every girl longs to wear the saintly mantle. What does it mean, to actually become a saint? The word has many meanings and many consequences as Saint Amity (our nameless girl) finds out.

Extasia lived up to its name, ecstasy. I absolutely enjoyed every minute of this dizzying rollercoaster ride. I went through a mental workout. The story had me reading wildly and then needing to pause for a breather before diving back into the fray. I worked through many emotions from laughter, squeamishness, and anger, to victory.

Extasia kept me up late reading by torchlight. You simply can't put it down. Although not for the faint of heart, this story has it all. It’s for any reader that enjoys dancing with fire to the power within.

Hopefully what will emerge from this novel is a blockbuster movie. I have already started casting the film in my head.

The author drew me into the plot to the point where I felt like I was living the novel as I walked with the characters. To say it was intense is an understatement. It's also an excellent study in belief. By the end of the book, I wanted to be Amity.

I was absolutely blown away by the superb writing and depth of character.

I have to make an admission. I chose to read this book because the cover was beautifully crafted. However, because of that, I thought I was reading a vampire novel. Boy, was I ever wrong! And I am so thankful that I was pleasantly surprised.

I barely know what to say about this book, so let me start with what I think is the most important: readers must check trigger warnings. I found these on the HoneyPop..com and I think they cover it: branding/knife violence, cult/religious trauma, killing of raised animals, body horror, mentioned physical abuse & domestic abuse, mentioned gun violence, torture, execution by fire, attempted sexual assault, dog death, victim blaming, cannibalism, suicide, public lashing, nonconsensual bleeding. So yeah, be aware of all this when recommending to young readers. Now I can get into my actual thoughts.

There were moments of this book I loved. I loved the female empowerment, and the journey our characters went on. I loved the girls taking a stand against their patriarchal society. I think Claire Legrand's writing is absolutely beautiful, and she also has a real talent for writing female relationships, whether they are romantic, friendship or familial. Also, I love that she always has to throw in a soft boy to balance stuff out. I think watching Samuel learn from Rage, Hunger, Sorrow and Vengeance was important and compelling and complex. It was powerful to watch this man fully understand the consequences of his actions. It was even more powerful to watch these women grow into their power. However, the female empowerment came with a ton of trauma and that's where my issues come in.

I am a firm believer that one can write about the violence women face at the hands of the patriarchy without explicitly showing it in what felt like every chapter. Once or twice, I understand, so we can establish the world, but as the book went on I just got annoyed. There's no good reason to show that trauma over. Also, there was no good reason for the CANNABILISM. I guess I just hate when a book is full of disturbing content for no real reason. Don't me wrong, some of the violence was completely understandable and had consequences for the plot. I get why we had to see some of the men killed the way they were, I get why a SA scene was necessary, but I don't think Legrand had a limit and I wish she did.

Also, no spoilers but that ending??? Weird as heck and not really in a good way. I can't wait until this is out so I can hear more readers' thoughts.

I don't want to end on a negative, so here's a few things I appreciated. Legrand does a great job of showing how the patriarchy especially harms women, but also the men living in it too. I also think this sparks great conversation about religious trauma. If this is something you struggle with, maybe steer clear of this. Overall, this is a fascinating book about religious trauma, female rage, and sisterhood. Read if you can handle it.

Extasia tells the story a 16 year old girl who is about to be anointed Saint Amity in the village of Haven. Amity is ecstatic to serve as a Saint and looks forward to performing her duties. She is hopeful that she will help end the series of violent deaths that has plagued Haven during the Winter’s Dead. Before she ceremony, she receives a message containing a drawing with one word. . . Run. Amity does not heed the message and quickly discovers that being a Saint can be brutal, especially when she is blamed that her wickedness is causing the mysterious deaths. Amity decides the only way to save her village is to call the Devil so that she can banish him. Along the way, she discovers the magical realm of Avazel and the power of extasia. Will Amity be able to save Haven?

Wow! This book was powerful. I love a good dystopian tale and I enjoyed the world being of the village of Haven. This is a post apocalyptic world after the destruction of The World That Once Was. The Elders of Haven teach that cunning women brought the downfall of the old world which of course justifies the intense misogyny found in the village. Women essentially have no rights. They are taught to hold their tongues still and keep their hearts meek. The pages dealing with the treatment of the Saints reminded me of The Purge. This is also a coming of age story where a girl discovers her own power. So while the village is clearly misogynistic, the message of the story is anything but. It is actually full of feminism and about finding your own inner strength to make changes in the world. I loved the book and hope that there are more stories in this world.

Extasia by Claire Legrand is a stand-alone YA horror novel. I loved Legrand’s Empirium trilogy, and decided to read this book. Extasia is set in a dystopian future where a small group of men have created an oppressively patriarchal, abusive power in Haven. I must add on that after reading the last chapter of this book, I suspect there will be another book from this world.

Amity, our heroine, has waited all her life to be chosen as a saint, and today she will become the 4th saint of Haven. She looks forward to stand with her sisters to fight evil; though in this book, evil is indeed the people of Haven. The punishment given to the saints is horrific and terrible, as the elders allow the people beat up the girls during ‘visitations’ based on their hatreds/unhappiness.

Amity has been getting strange vibes, and when two of the other saints convince her to travel to meet the witches, who proclaim that Extasia has been calling her. She begins to see creatures and wraiths; in a short time, she learns spells/magic and becomes very powerful. Is she supposed to protect Haven or are the Elders a cult, betraying and harming the girls?

Amity goes through a journey that changes her drastically; she begins to question what the Elders have done, and why are women always hurt, blamed and punished; and the men are allowed everything. Very heartbreaking. As Amity’s powers continue to grow, she tries to understand what she sees in ghost appearances, learning spells from the witches, and trying to stop all the vicious murders in Haven; but she knows that the lies the Elders used on them needed to be stopped, and perhaps the Devil is truly the safe one.

I liked when the 4 saints changed their names in the book created by the witches; Amity became Rage, Mercy became Vengeance, Silence became Sorrow, and Blessing (her sister) became Hunger. The girls were great characters, especially Blessing and Silence; and I did admire many of the witches, even though they were murderers. Amity had a boyfriend (really best friend), Samuel, who was nice and loyal to her.
Extasia was a very dark and violent story line. I did not know what to expect when I started this book, but surprisingly, Claire Legrand managed to pull me in from the start and despite all the evil, I ended up really liking this book. This is a difficult review to write, as saying too much more would be spoilers; you really need to read this to understand it all.

This one I started and was pretty much falling for. But as the story went on I just started losing interest. The story was very lyrical in its writing and I just couldn't get into it as a whole.

I read this ARC via Netgalley.

When Amity is promoted to being a saint in her isolated community of Haven, she hopes it will bring an end to the suffering her mother caused and to the deaths that plague the village. But Amity soon discovers from two of the other saints, Temperance and Mercy, that sainthood isn't what it seems. Amity is shown a hidden paradise where a form of magic called Extasia exists. Amity believes that if she can harness Extasia, she can call forth the Devil and confront him to make the carnage stop.

The worldbuilding, with its similarities to The Grace Year, pulled me in, leaving little clues about how different my conception of sainthood was from the brutal form it took in Haven, where "visitations" with a saint means that the community can beat them without mercy. The magic, too, was also brutal - at one point, Amity is able to conjure a book from her body (which was as painful as it sounds). It was hard to know who was "good" and who was "evil," and I loved that this was explored throughout and there was no clear answer. The relationships were complex and none of them took the forms I expected. The entire concept was believable - a cult who experiences the end of the world would certainly double down on their beliefs until they became this sort of community. The ending surprised me and made me wonder about how the magic came to be, and also left room for a sequel or companion novel.