4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books

Date of publication: October 8th, 2019

Genre: Young Adult

Where you can find The Grace Year: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Survive the year.

No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

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.

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First Line:

No one speaks of the grace year.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

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My Review:

From the minute I read the blurb for The Grace Year, I knew that I wanted to read it. It had all the earmarks of a book that I would love. A strong female main character and a storyline that seems to be fantastic. I am glad that I read The Grace Year. It ended up being all that and then some!!

The plotline of The Grace Year sucked me in. It was well written and fast. Yes, quick. This book took place over the girls 16th year, and it flew. Oh, man, it did fly. I loved it!!

I liked Tierney. She was one of the most influential female main characters that I have read to date. I liked that in a society that viewed women as the lesser sex, she wasn’t afraid to voice her opinion. I loved that she didn’t want a man to make her happy. But I felt that her behavior in the last half of the book contradicted that. But that is what made me like her character so much!!!

Tierney and Ryker’s storyline was interesting to read. I am not going to get into it because there are some significant spoilers. All I have to say is that there were times where I was heartbroken and then times where I was elated. I know, such a contradiction but once you read the book, you will understand.

The plotline with Hans surprised me. I was not expecting him to do what he did. I put the book down and said, “No way.” Then picked the book back up and continued reading. It explained so much. So much!!!

I do want to comment on the women in the village. I thought one thing when I started reading the book. By the end of the book, my view about them changed. Tierney’s mother was a huge one.

The end of The Grace Year made me cry. All I have to say is that it was bittersweet. Because of the way it ended, I am hoping that there is a book 2.

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I would give The Grace Year an Older Teen rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread The Grace Year. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**