Book Review: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

Book: 22/100

Rating: 3.5/100

Summary: 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.

Thoughts: This is my book is my friend's pick for our IRL book club. I had such high expectations for this one but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. I was really curious to learn more about the setting: was it set in present time, or the future? What do other cities/towns look like? I was kind of getting The Village by M. Night Shyamalan vibes, and would love to learn more about Garner County.

I loved reading about these young women and the strength and determination Tierney showed during this horrific and inevitable time in their lives. I did think the book could have done without a romantic love interest - kind of rolled my eyes at that part BUT I do understand why it was done to propel the story forward.

I do think that my rating of this book would be higher if I knew there was a sequel coming. The way the book ended set it up perfectly for another book!