Book Review: The Grace Year

by Kim Liggett

5 Stars

Book Blurb:

The resistance starts here…

No one speaks of the grace year.
It’s forbidden.
We’re told we have the power to lure grown men from their beds, make boys lose their minds, and drive the wives mad with jealousy. That’s why we’re banished for our sixteenth year, to release our magic into the wild before we’re allowed to return to civilization.
But I don’t feel powerful.
I don’t feel magical.

Tierney James lives in an isolated village where girls are banished at sixteen to the northern forest to brave the wilderness – and each other – for a year. They must rid themselves of their dangerous magic before returning purified and ready to marry – if they’re lucky.

It is forbidden to speak of the grace year, but even so every girl knows that the coming year will change them – if they survive it…

The Grace Year is The Handmaid’s Tale meets Lord of the Flies – a page-turning feminist dystopia about a young woman trapped in an oppressive society, fighting to take control of her own life.

My Review

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC of this book.
Even more thanks for having it nicely formatted ready to read.

In the county, women have to obey their men. They have no rights. No free will. When a girl comes of age, she’s sent ‘out’ for a year, so that she can get rid of her magic. That’s the one thing the men worry about: a woman’s magic. When it comes to Tierney James’ turn, her future hangs in the balance. What will she do to survive The Grace Year?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go. The pace never let up. And the ending was as satisfying as the beginning and middle. All the threads were tied off. I suspect a sequel may be in the offing … I hope so. I can’t recommend this novel or this author highly enough. I don’t think I’ve read Kim Liggett before now, but I’ll be looking out for more of her books. 

As harrowing as this read was at times, I loved it. This was one of those books I didn’t want to end.

***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it. 
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines. 
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.