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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It's a bit early to say this, and I don't care; The Grace Year by Kim Liggett is the best book I "read" in 2021. You know it's great if I enjoy it in audiobook format because I hate audiobooks. I have so many feelings for this novel, so bear with me as I write this trainwreck of a review. Also, if I spell some names wrong, I'm sorry. I heard the words instead of seeing them/how they're spelled.
This book is The Handmaid's Tale, Lord of the Flies, and Battle Royale, all wrapped together. I think it does what The Hunger Games failed for me. The writing is better; I think the strong female protagonist's character arc is well-developed, the world is absolutely terrifying, and there's a powerful feminist message to it. Most importantly, there is no stupid love triangle.
I think Tierney James is one of the best characters I've encountered in fiction to date. Strong-willed but not stubborn to a fault. Kind and moral, even in the face of hardship and antagonism. She felt like the voice of reason to me in a traditional and harmful society. Clever and unboastful about their resourcefulness. Aspiring because she cares for the collective and seeks to bring change for the next generation. I often wanted to shake her to be a little immoral because some of the characters/what happened were absolutely appalling. Get even! Your revenge is valid! She made me realize how terrible of a human being I am, lmao. Thanks, Tierney... Because she's such a great person and character, I couldn't help but want to cheer her on; I wanted, no, needed, her to survive her grace year and bring change: unite all the women so there can be a more equal, happy world.
I liken the plots to those three books above because the world and oppression are similar to THT. Its brutality and savagery is a page straight out of LOTF; something about trying to survive makes everyone return to their baser instincts. It's similar to BR because society affects our thinking and convinces us to unwaveringly accept the dangerous ideology/practices to survive. (IDK if BR is the best comparison because I only watched the movie. I used it because I think it's what The Hunger Games tried to be.) Can't believe I'm quoting Socrates: "The unexamined life is not worth living." My key takeaway is to questions the systems in place. Why is it like this? How does this system harm people? What can be done to fix this problem?
The plot is horrifying. The acts of evil and cruelty are shocking. I couldn't stop listening. Some parts dragged, but I accept they were all necessary. It's a well-paced and engrossing novel with pleasant and jaw-dropping surprises. The way some things were revealed and became interconnected was like a "Eureka!" moment. It's a difficult novel to go through, but it's so worth it.
I highly recommend it. If you do end up reading it or have already read it, I would love to discuss it with you/read your reviews. Please comment below your thoughts. Have you read it, and what did you think? Will you read it?
Oh my goodness, I forgot to mention this book had some romance, and I liked it... I know, entirely out of character. It's done well and helped the story, so I was cheering this romance throughout. I also cried a couple of times. I don't know where to include this in the review, so I placed it as a sidenote.
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