Overview
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett is a dystopian novel set in a society where young girls are sent away for their 16th year, known as the grace year, to expel their “magic.” The story follows Tierney James, who must survive the harsh wilderness and navigate the treacherous dynamics among the other girls to return home safely. As Tierney uncovers the truths about their society and the brutal traditions that oppress women, she becomes determined to challenge the system and forge her own path.
The Grace Year Thoughts & Review
I recently read “The Grace Year” by Kim Liggett, and it was sooooo good. I am surprised it’s not popular. This book kind of reminds me of that show “The Wilds” on Prime Video, where a group of girls is trapped on an island and things start to go bad. Yeah, that, except they aren’t really trapped.
At first glance, I thought this book would be a fantasy book because it does mention magic. But as I read the book, it turns out it’s just a world where men think just because they are attracted to a 16-year-old, it MUST be magic. But actually, they just need to be put on a list. That being said, The Grace Year does include some feminist themes, as the main character, Tierney, tries to change the experiences of other girls who enter their grace year, while also wanting to change this “tradition”.
These 16 are being sent into a cabin away from their homes for 1 year, in hopes that they don’t kill. While they have to watch out for monsters outside, they also have to learn to work together or die.
This book was a little slow in the beginning, but around 20% into the book, it started to pick up pace. There’s a lot of suspense that made me want to keep reading it. Romance is included towards the end, just a little bit, but that’s not the main point of the story.
The story was well-paced and I really enjoyed it. Overall I gave it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
- genre: YA, Dystopian
- available on kindle unlimited
- page count: 409
- publish date:10/8/2019