A speculative thriller in the vein of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Power. Optioned by Universal and Elizabeth Banks to be a major motion picture “A visceral, darkly haunting fever dream of a novel and an absolute page-turner. Liggett’s deeply suspenseful book brilliantly explores the high cost of a misogynistic world that denies women power and does it with a heart-in-your-throat, action-driven … heart-in-your-throat, action-driven story that’s equal parts horror-laden fairy tale, survival story, romance, and resistance manifesto. I couldn’t stop reading.” – Libba Bray, New York Times bestselling author
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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The Grace Year is another of those rare books that has left me speechless. This is what I knew about this book going in…
“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.”
I was immediately lured into this world that was at once so bizarre and so familiar in theme. It has all the feels of The Handmaid’s Tale (a dystopian patriarchal society). The Hunger Games (sending away teens who may, or may not, return) and Lord of the Flies (the psychology of people existing under duress and away from the confines of society).
Tierney has just been sent to a remote location for her grace year, and survival against the elements isn’t the only thing she’ll have to endure. Almost immediately the power structure among the thirty-three girls is established and the cruelty of some of them becomes evident, with simmering grudges boiling over into vengeance. Danger also lurks outside the compound as poachers are waiting for the opportunity to kill the grace girls in order to sell their body parts to people looking to capture some of their magic.
From the start to the end my heart was pounding and my mind reeling at every turn of the storyline. Kim Liggett has done an amazing job of building this shocking world and weaving tension and hope amid world that seems so bleak. The Grace Year is available October 8, 2019 and I highly recommend it.
*I received a copy of The Grace Year from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review
My Rating:
Content Rating: 18+
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Expected Publication: October 8th, 2019
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett was my surprise book of 2019. I read the blurb on Goodreads, and it did intrigue me somewhat, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was slightly reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, which I read probably over forty-five years ago. Ms. Liggett puts a modern-day twist on the dystopian genre showing us that women are not necessarily the fairer, weaker sex.
The Grace Year is not an easy book to read. It is gritty, disturbing, and dark but also uplifting and hopeful at the same time. This book will keep you thinking long after you have finished reading. The book is both beautifully and harshly written. That may seem contradictory, but it’s the only way I can explain how I felt while reading it. Harshly because of how all the women are treated in the country of this dystopian setting. The monstrous, nefarious acts the grace year girls inflict upon each other while in exile. Beautiful, at times, because amid the horrors these grace year girls endure some of them find joy in womanhood and friendship. The mental images the author paints with her words seize your heart and soul from the first to the last page. I loved the way the author incorporates flowers throughout the book as a way of communication; it showed pure ingenuity. The book grabbed me from the first sentence;
“No one speaks of the grace year.”
The Grace Year tells the story of a dystopian society where women are perceived to have magical powers that can control and lead men astray. When the women of the county turn sixteen, they are sent away as a group, to spend the year releasing their magic into the wild. Only after they release their magic and are deemed pure can they return to civilization to be wives or work in the fields.
I would love to tell you more of the story, but there are many twists and turns that I don’t want to reveal.
“White ribbons for the young girls, red for the grace year girls, and black for the wives. Innocence. Blood. Death.”
Tierney James, our main character, wants a better life for herself and the women in the country. Tierney is an easy character to relate to, she is strong and resilient, but she also is plagued by self-doubt. There are many other supporting characters, all of which the author does an excellent job of developing. My favorite was Ryker, and I loved the way he saw through Tierney’s hard exterior and saw her for the beautiful person she was.
“The men will never end the grace year. But maybe we can.”
Although this book is a work of fiction, the author’s writing is so vivid and realistic; I had no trouble visualizing the entire story. I would love to tell you more of the story, but there are many twists and turns that I don’t want to reveal. I highly recommend this book.
** Please note the quotes in my review are subject to change once the book is published**
*** I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this is my honest opinion.
A provocative novel about young women being sent into the woods to release their power, the power the men claim over them. It is a tragic and empowering novel all at once because the novel focuses on the power these women have, or rather do not have and the voices they inside them.
History has proven that men like to base their weaknesses on women. This novel capitalizes on that idea in a setting like that of the Salem Witch Trials. However, instead of condemning a woman to death for their “magic,” although that does happen, here they send them off at sixteen to fend for themselves in the world and rid themselves of their so-called magic. Living alone in the wild gives the girls a chance to release any frustrations they have because, after this, their lives become nothing more than glorified prisons. The young women in this novel live in a society reminiscent of that in The Handmaid’s Tale, one where they are only valuable if they have children and become the voiceless wives they were meant to be, women with no thoughts of their own. That is what is so provocative about this novel because it is relevant to today. However, for Tierney, she fights and goes against the notion. Tierney does not believe in the magic she is a girl of science and fact, and that is what makes her stand out as a character. As a character, Tierney is both fierce and willful, but the part that resonates with the reader is how she pulls herself out when she falters. In these moments, when she thinks of breaking and conforming to the social norm bred out of a culture of misogyny and sexism, the reader sees the strength she has as a female character to fight against it.
That is what makes this novel so compelling the fact that these girls are put into a box and yet, even those who do conform, want nothing more than to escape the boxes. These girls want to express their frustrations, their anger at the world and share their opinions and ideas to make the world a better place. Ultimately, all these girls want to strive for is a world of equality, a world where they do not have to fear the men persecuting them.
As a story, it is compelling and thoughtful. The rising tension keeps the reader rooted to the story, and the story itself, the magic aspect, it keeps the reader guessing as to whether this “magic” is real or just a powerplay used to keep the women subservient. It leaves room for so much discussion and so much thought-provoking nature. It has great twists and turns, as well as incredible character development. Ultimately the tension in the novel and the gripping nature following the brutality of these girls who are so forced to fit into this little box and still live and die every day, much like Schrodinger’s cat, brings a resounding message to the story.
I LOVED everything about this book. I received an e-arc through Netgalley and it’s been a favorite read of 2019 so far. I’ll recommend this book to so many people, and have already. I can’t wait for it to come out to purchase a physical copy for a reread! Amazing main character, GREAT ending! I finished the book and was truly satisfied with the ending!
This story was riveting and I imagine it will consume my thoughts for some time to come. I am in awe of the story writing and amazed at the character development,. Kim Liggett was able to build a world that drew me in and held me suspended in anticipation for what was going to happen next.
The Grace Year takes place in an unknown land and time; known only to the reader as the county. In the county, when young girls reach the age of 16 it is believed they are capable of magically powers. To rid them of this magic, and prevent them from harming others, these girls are exiled for a year. Prior to leaving, the young men in the county select future brides from the girls. Those not selected by a boy to be his future wife will be forced to live a life filled with hard labor. No one speaks of what happens during the Grace Year but it is known that not all the girls survive and many who do return are maimed or scarred. In the wilds, outside the girls camp, are a group of poachers, hunting the girls.
The county is a male dominated society. Women are to be seen and not heard, there only value is their ability to produce children, and really only male children at that. The main character, a sixteen year old named Tierney dreams of being free. She doesn’t want to be selected for marriage, she desires to live life on her terms.
At times I was reminded of ‘The Lord of Flies’. How do young people survive alone, are they capable of governing themselves? When you add to those complexities that the young group of people are all teenage girls you create a tinderbox on the verge of exploding. While there are many factors at play for the girls in exile, I think Liggett emphasizes a group of young girls capability to be ‘catty’, the ability of one to apply peer pressure to get others to collude in the bullying of one individual.
I very, very rarely give a book five stars, I really have to be moved beyond words. This book is a highly recommend from me.
There was a time a few years ago, that I read EVERY YA-dystopian that was released. I loved how they each were their own different world and I loved getting lost in them. The Grace Year, has reminded me how much I have missed reading dystopian. This book has it all, mystery, redemption, a unique world, and most of all a heroine who is very brave! The Grace Year is about what happens the year girls turn 16. It is believed they receive powers and need to be separated from society. No one speaks of the grace year, so girls have no idea what to expect. I enjoyed this book through all the drama, mystery, paranoia, and chaos. I loved Tierney’s journey and I couldn’t put this book down. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw the cover of this book, but the blurb caught my attention. Let me tell you, this book is no sweet pink book, my favorite way to describe it is The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games, but even that doesn’t do Tierney and the other Grace Year Girls justice.
The writing and storytelling was phenomenal, you can feel Tierney’s internal battle as she tries to remain herself through the yearlong struggle. As the year progresses and she learns about not only herself, but what is really happening around her, the story just gets better.
This book was not what I was expecting at all! Completely haunting and captivating. I will admit that it took me a bit to get into this book, but I never felt like I was willing to put it down. And once it hooked me, that was it, there was no way you could tear it from my hands.
Simply amazing.