The Grace Year- Kim Liggett

Sometimes I’m really glad I judged a book by its cover. It’s so rare that you find a “pretty” cover for a thriller so when I saw The Grace Year all over Bookstagram, I knew I had to get it, if only for a photo prop. I am so happy that this book was just as captivating as its cover art.

In Garner County, there is an annual tradition in which sixteen-year old girls are cast off to be purged of their menacing magic. The girls are left to fend for themselves against the harsh elements, poachers out for their blood, and most dangerous of all: each other. This is the Grace Year. The girls who survive either go on to live a docile and obedient life with a man who has chosen her to be his wife or are subjected to manual labor and menial status. It’s not long before paranoia turns into something much darker- a twisted madness none of them would have imagined themselves capable of and the idea of sisterhood is nothing but a fever dream. It falls on Tierney James, a rebellious outcast who refuses to accept the hand she’s been dealt, to band these girls together before they rip each other to shreds. If they can only survive this grace year, maybe, just maybe, there is a spec of hope for a better future for all the women of Garner County.

I devoured The Grace Year, immersed in a story that should be absolutely outlandish but actually hits closer to home than one might think. Yellowjackets meets The Hunger Games meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this almost precautionary tale reflecting the social injustices of our own world. Okay, maybe women aren’t looking to viciously rip out each other’s throats out, spread wicked lies, and demoralize one another so that we can claim a better lives for ourselves.….but aren’t we?   

The Grace Year is powerfully and beautifully written; an encapsulating mesh of love, revenge, connection with nature, and a primal desire for freedom. Memorable. Visceral. Twisted. Enchanting. This book is going to be nestled into my top shelves with my other favorites.

5/5 bloody starfish for me

Can we please get a sequel?

#crushthepatriarchy #teamryker

Read if you love:

Ø  A badass, female protagonist

Ø  “Girl power”

Ø  Magical realism vibes

Ø  A romantic interest that has actual substance 

Twisted tales