Review: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
Genre: YA Dystopian Fiction
If there was one book I saw EVERYWHERE and that everyone was talking about, both good and bad, it was The Grace Year. I participated in a Christmas book swap at the end of the year, wishing for this book. A generous friend made it happen (I also gifted her a copy! 😂) and could not *wait* to read it. And then...I was a victim of hype.
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life--a society that doesn't pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it's not just the brutal elements they must fear. It's not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other. With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.
What I loved:
It’s a story about women, by a female author.
It’s dystopian and extreme, something I think that can have a profound impact on readers of fiction
It showed women coming together for a greater good and that our greatest enemy is turning against each other.
What I Didn’t Like:
I felt like the story was kinda lost. It couldn’t decide what it wanted to be.
The Ryker story line. I was so invested until one particular moment, and then i felt like his character completely shifted and I was not about it.
The writing kinda dragged on for me. It felt fast paced and then decidedly slow. More evidence that there were way too many elements at war with each other.
Overall thoughts: it’s good. It’s an interesting concept, but I do think it’s been done before and better. It would make a great movie or miniseries and thanks to Elizabeth Banks, we’ll get to see it as that!
TW/CW: hanging, violence against women, suicide/alluding to suicide, general violence, manipulation.
Character Authenticity: 3/5 Steam: 2/5 Overall Rating: 3.5/5