The Grace Year: A Novel

5 out of 5 stars "White ribbons for the young girls, red for the grace year girls, and black for the wives. Innocence. Blood. Death." The sixteenth year of Tierney James life as she prepares to go on her Grace Year she dreams of a better life. A more promising life away from the county, in the outskirts working in labor as she would rather do that if she survives. You see, in the county each Autumn every sixteen year old girl is given the chance to receive a veil from a male in the county. Those who do not get picked are sent out to become laborers or become prostitutes to service the men from the county. After the veiling ceremony the girls are sent out to spend a year far from the county to fend for themselves and to find their magic and get rid of it. You see, all the men in the county believe that girls and woman are the source of evil. Eve was the first woman and she tainted all woman that came after her. She carried with her a terrible magic and the only way that the men of the county can feel safe is to send the girls off. Not every girl makes it back. There are poachers that will happily capture the girls and skin them alive to collect their "magical" blood to sell to the county. Plus they want the bounty. The girls that make it back are never allowed to even discuss the Grace Year. When I read the premise of this book I was very excited to read this but as I started reading it took me a bit to get into this. I must say that after a little bit I was completely hooked. There is more to it than that though. There is something really special about this book. Even though this is a dystopian mystery in the climate that we are living now this is a very important novel. When I read The Hand Maid's Tale I remember thinking that could never happen, even in the distant future. Now, not so much. I can see this happening sometime. This is more than a cautionary tale. It is gruesome, bloody,bold and sometimes very hard to read but in the best way.

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.

The Grace Year is aptly introduced with quotes from The Handmaids Tale (Margaret Atwood) and Lord of the Flies (William Golding), two classic works that obviously acted as strong inspiration for Kim Liggett’s new novel. Although marketed as a YA title, The Grace Year would also appeal to adults who enjoy dystopic fantasy along the lines of The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) or Divergent (Veronica Roth). The action takes place in either a pre-industrial past or possibly a post-technological future-it is unclear which. Regardless, is a bleak world in which women outnumber men but are subjugated due to superstition and fear. Liggett’s narrator is Tierney, a young woman on the verge of adulthood, who is preparing for a ritual practiced in Garner County where she lives with her family. The Grace Year refers to the rite of passage endured by Garner’s young women who are sent away to a locked encampment for one year. During this time, they are left to fend for themselves as they rid themselves of emerging magical abilities believed to be brought on by adolescence. Their potential power is highly feared, and the danger inherent in the girls’ emerging sexuality is used as justification for their exile. Many do not return, and those that do often come back with deep scars-both physical and emotional. No one knows what happens during their time away, since speaking about the Grace Year is forbidden and punishable by death. Before they are cast out, the girls are selected by marriageable men and will be consigned to their houses when/if they return. Male offspring are the priority, and the women who do not produce them are regularly discarded, cast out and replaced by others. Those who are not married are destined to be servants or are sent beyond the gates of the County to be hunted by predatory men. Of course, Tierney is very different from the other girls in her Grace Year- she has survival skills she learned from her physician father, keen intelligence and an iron will to resist the path that tradition has paved for her. When her trial begins, she seems uniquely advantaged, but what she could not have prepared for is the cruelty of her fellow exiles and a mob mentality that can suffocate even the brightest of independent spirits. The Grace Year is a good example of nice pacing and character development that can often be absent in the ubiquitous landscape of YA dystopic thriller offerings. Tierney’s adventure and challenges are exciting to follow, and the book’s setting as pitted against its strong feminist viewpoint makes this story at once infuriating and satisfying. It is unfortunate that the author chooses to position her heroine in ways that are ultimately subservient to the males that assert dominance in her world. If Ligett is paving the way for a sequel, hopefully Tierney’s story will continue in a way that feels more vindicating for those readers who demand a heroine worthy of admiration and respect. Thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Books (Wednesday Press) and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.