I was really looking forward to this one. And I did like it, but I also DNF. It's been a while since I read it so I cannot remember why I didn't finish it. Thinking back, it might've been that it was just slower paced for me or some places where it felt too basic? Don't get me wrong, the writing was good and I have a lot of respect of this author, this just wasn't a book for me. I did enjoy the Italian language used and the romance building between the two characters.

I picked up this book, thinking it would give me the same vibes as Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series, since the premise of the main character not being able to touch anyone is similar. However, I felt this was more interesting, especially with the friendships the main character makes along the way and the ending...

Another first book in a series, I'm waiting for the second to come out so I know what happens next.

Loved this Italian-adjacent YA romantic fantasy that features a girl trying to harness her powers to save her island and its people from invasion by demons. The world building is believable, the heroine is sympathetic, and the love interest with the dark secret is hot. I loved the growth of many of the characters and the ending was so great that I made myself late for holiday festivities just to finish. I‘m ready for book 2!

Oh wow. Of course that’s how this book ended! Now I have to wait half a year for the next one?!

Dante. Oh Dante. I loved me some Dante.

I loved how they finally had Alessa’s power come to be and how she used it. That was a cool twist. I hate Ilvani, he needs to go away somewhere. I’m pretty sure Adrick should get with Kaleb.

Now I’m off to keep my fingers crossed the sequel comes to NetGalley soon.

I loved this book! The characters, the setting, the story… all of it was well written and pulled me in.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This one was a treat. So magical and whimsical, i will definitely recommend to others! So good that i grabbed myself a physical copy to keep on my shelves!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for this arc! This was a very interesting and fun story. I enjoyed the Italian influences in the storytelling as well as the romance that blossomed between Dante and Alessa. I was completely immersed in the world, even though at times, the world building did feel like an info-dump. Overall, this was an enjoyable novel to read.

It wasn’t you, it’s me. I didn’t realize that I had gotten an arc copy of this book last year through NetGalley, however, we did acquire this title for the library. I had some difficulty sustaining attention while reading this one, it just felt not entirely fleshed out to me in terms of the characters. I ended up putting this one down around 30% of the way through. I do hope to go back and give this another try as I have heard such wonderful things about it. At which time I will give more feedback. Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for working so well with all of these authors to give us such a variety of wonderful stories.

This starts slow but once it gets going (~25%) it just keeeeeeps going. The world is fascinating and the love story is SO good. Just so good. Alessa as a character is incredibly compelling and her growth is both believable and sweet.
There are places the "debut" of it all shows - the world is fascinating but there are a lot of unanswered questions, but honestly that just makes me want to read whatever she does next more. This is the first of a duology but could almost be standalone in some ways. I'm stoked for whatever is next.

I wanted this book to grab me more than it did. I tried it a few separate times but despite the nice writing and interesting premise, I just found it unable to hook me.

This Vicious Grace is such a beautifully written fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out This Vicious Grace today.

I really enjoyed the relationship building between Alessa and Dante. The slow burn was well done, holding my attention.
Alessa's gift is complicated - and deadly. Waiting to find her partner, she decides to work with Dante - building his tolerance slowly. Dante is clearly working an angle.
I really enjoyed Alessa's strength and determination.

This was definitely one of the best releases of 2022! What I thought was going to be a run-of-the-mill YA fantasy ended up being filled with political intrigue, an incredible cast of characters, and a swoon-worthy romance. Every scene served a purpose, and the tension between the two main characters was just incredible. I can't wait to read the sequel!

This Italian-inspired setting is what Kingdom of the Wicked WISHES IT WAS!

Folks will mould a sacrificial lamb & then hate it when it tries to survive, it's all fine as long as you don't have to pay for it, and this book shows that.

A huge plus of this novel is the character banter. I loved the chemistry, TENSION and growth of friendship & relationship between Alessa & Dante, plus Alessa growing into a sort of friendship/cohabitant ease with those who are trying to become her 'partner' was awkward and sweet with most of them; which is understandable given the situation of her killing her partners usually.

Poor Alessa; I felt for her throughout this book. She tried to do everything and be the saviour & they hated her & asked her to die because things weren't working out. I want to hug her and punch people -especially her brother after what he pulled.

Also, while not much happened, it was more character-driven, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year so far. The magic system is so intriguing - I love how it needs more than one person to control the power, delivering the message that things get done easier if we all work together.

The characters in the book are really great. Alessa had to go through so much - death, betrayal, isolation, etc, that would have broken so many people. It took her strength, devotion, and the power of her friends to get through it all. My favorite character is Dante. I’m always drawn to the brooding male with the tragic backstory.

I can’t wait until the second book comes out!

My favorite part of this book was Alessa. She had depth, complexity, and personality, you could understand her actions and sympathize with her easily, and her narrative voice was enjoyable.

However, most of the rest of the book did not work for me. I found the worldbuilding weak, and since the plot was based on the world, it likewise did not seem to hold up at any close inspection. The entire conflict with Dante and his identity was confusing and did not feel serious to me when first presented because it was not built up beforehand or demonstrated more than the characters repeatedly saying "his people are bad." Alessa's powers did not make any consistent sense, and while I did like the concept of the way they interacted with others' magic, it was not executed well or explained at all. The religion aspect was forgettable and was therefore surprising when any of the characters went to pray or accepted prayer as an excuse for her to get places and do things.

I liked elements of Alessa and Dante's relationship as well, though Dante's character development felt weirdly abrupt at times.

I think this book had a lot of potential, but most of it was not realized. The best part, and the element that made me keep reading, was Alessa herself.

Oooooh it is dangerous how much I loved this book. It made me want limoncello so bad! I love Italian themed settings a lot and while this was a fantasy, the vibes were simply immaculate. The writing was easy to get into—fun and light and teasing. But the tone is there for the book, that despite the budding romance and friendship, this is a life or death situation. I dunno, I just loved all of it. The characters were so much fun and the pull between Alessa and Dante had me sweating. I can't wait for book two and for more of these characters!

THIS VICIOUS GRACE surprised me; I'd gone into it expecting to enjoy it, sure, but I couldn't have predicted just how much I'd come to be invested in this tale. Thiede's debut starts out feeling like your typical YA fantasy read, meandering along in the set-up as it sticks closely to the details provided in the official synopsis. But eventually Thiede's novel really finds its own footing, with a great cast of characters (led by Alessa, who blossoms beautifully as she grows into her own; Dante is obviously also a treat, but that's likely biased due to my taste in fictional men), a plot that escalates at a great pace, and a compelling end that leaves the reader satisfied but also curious about what more our characters will have to face. Did I mention that there's also excellent dialogue (I was a fan of the banter and one liners) and a romance that I could totally root for? Because that exists too. It all came together to create an absorbing tale that I flew through. Can't wait to pick up the sequel!

3 stars

This was pretty good! I don't read as much YA fantasy as I used to but I liked this one. I may pick up the sequel if it is just a duology. It didn't feel as high stakes to me and I wanted more world building. Hopefully we will get more in the next book.

First, this book definitely has one of my favorite covers ever, which is 0% shocking as Wednesday Books always kills it with the covers.

This book was solid, but I can't call it a favorite. I love the Italian vibes, but this book does a lot more telling than showing, and the plot moves forward with a series of fairly tidy resolutions. I also wish the main character could have seen herself as more separate from "hot guy."

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy!