Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Grace Year, by Kim Liggett

37 reviews

bells_shelves's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was going to rate this book a 3.5 until I got to the very end. The book started out slow, too on-the-nose in my opinion, and then after page 200 I really got into it. The ending just really threw me for a loop & I thought that it went against the entire message of the book.

Spoiler

You’re telling me that Tierney chose to CONTINUE A DEAD MAN’S BLOODLINE over LIBERATING ALL OF THE WOMEN IN THE COUNTY - DEAD AND ALIVE?

Spoiler

A lot of the book felt rushed and super obvious. It was extremely YA. I’m disappointed because I think it could’ve been written better. All of this to say that I did read this book in 3 days. I was hooked. I’m just baffled by the ending. So many unanswered questions.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Slavery, Blood, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Vomit, Animal death, Bullying, Misogyny, Murder, and Sexism

dreamowl24's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Injury/injury detail, Torture, Pregnancy, Suicide, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Child abuse, Deportation, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Blood, Cannibalism, Misogyny, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Gore, Grief, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Fire/Fire injury

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Tierney lives in a society where men are in charge and women are nothing more than men's possessions. It is believed that women develop magic and have the ability to turn that magic against men.  Every year girls who turn 16 are sent out on their Grace Year. During this year, the girls are sent to an isolated island where they are expected to rid themselves of their "magic". The girls must fight against the threat of poachers, starvation, and each other to make it through the year. The girls who make it back home, are either turned over to the men who claimed them as their wives or sent to work camps.  

Spoiler

I was really hopeful after reading about the premise of this book. I understand the message that was attempted in this book, unortunately it didn't quite hit the mark.

Tierney was shown as this strong, independent character. We were built up to believe that she would be able to fight for herself through her Grace Year. After all, she came armed with more skills than the other girls. Yet, her survival was heavily dependent on men. Without these men, she would have died. 

I hate the stereotypes that were heavily played upon - the mean girl clique, the meek girls, the outcasts... 

I feel like the storyline with Ryker missed the mark. We are supposed to believe that this fiercely independent girl all of a sudden wants to abandon her sisters in order to run off with and marry a poacher? I WISH the focus would have been on the girls in the camp instead of the storyline with Ryker. The love story was not necessary.  It would have played so much better has the girls come together sooner than the very last day. 

I did appreciate the ending. We were not given an unbelievable HEA. We were shown the small changes that were happening and how Tierney's dreams would become reality. I liked how we got to see the truth about Michael and how he would be instrumental in helping make changes. 

I wish that the feminist angle had been explore more. 
 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Blood, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Grief, Murder, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

savanhahope's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow wow wow wow wow. This is the best book I've read in a long time! It's handmaid's tale meets lord of the flies, (and maybe a little hunger games) and everything was so well thought out. Don't even get me started on the ending because I'll cry. Needless to say, you need to read this. This book was written for women everywhere who have felt like their voices haven't been heard. Check TWs!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Grief, Classism, Confinement, Pregnancy, Murder, Death, Misogyny, Mental illness, Child death, Blood, Sexism, and Animal death

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Incest and Infertility

aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

Overall, loved this one. Very lord of the flies-esque and like Wilder Girls. My only criticism is that the message is like don't let men decide the fate and everything of women (women are their own entity and should fight for freedom/equity) but a lot of the defining moments for Tierney, the main girl, is centered around men. I could've dealt without

Spoiler

two men being in love with her and her falling in love with a poacher. And the fact that her love for some dude motivated her for survival. The ending was giving me "Katniss learning to love Peeta" vibes with having kids even though in the beginning the main character didn't want any domestic life. The guard thinking she was his property and being entirely unhinged was a nice surprise moment in the book for me tho

. Well written and kept me enthralled the whole time. Couldn't put it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Blood, Bullying, Death, Animal death, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, and Confinement

Moderate: Infertility, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Vomit, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia

Minor: Pedophilia

sierrabedwell's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I loved this book! It was very good from start to finish and I couldn’t stop listening! (Audiobook) the plot was unique - a mix between the hunger games and the handmaid’s tale - and the characters were realistic!!! There wasn’t a time when I thought that something wouldn’t actually happen in the given situation. I won’t spoil the end, but it’s not the traditional happy ending, and I liked that, because it was realistic! I also loved the political relevance of the topic and the metaphors that could be pulled from this book while reading. The ONLY thing I didn’t like, was

Spoiler

that Tyranny falls in love. I liked that it was with a poacher because it showed us that side of the community, but the fact that she ended up getting pregnant, and she thought she loved him even though they only really knew each other for a few months… just didn’t sit well with me. I also didn’t like that she got cleared of the charges when she got back.

Overall, the ending was amazing. I never knew what was going to happen, and it was very smart the way that they used the Governor’s words against him to back up Tyranny’s excuse. I also liked that there was no major uprising in the end, because real change takes time, and I think the book does an amazing job at showing that. Amazing read. Would recommend to everyone!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Gore, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

dadimabookernow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow definitely one of the best books I've read for the year!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Death, Toxic friendship, Child death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Blood, and Bullying

Moderate: Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Excrement, Grief, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Vomit, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

jane_austyn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Spoiler

pregnancy

Spoiler

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Confinement, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Violence, Suicide attempt, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Lesbophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and Toxic friendship

kmayatte's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Death, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, and Religious bigotry

her_little_library's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

This book was marketed as a feminist "Lord of the Flies"/"Hunger Games"/"The Handmaid's Tale" retelling... it was definitely a LOTF retelling, that's for sure. The story beats were almost identical, it was eerie. I actually got my copy off the shelf and noted down the events and they matched up a bit too closely for my liking, especially when the author was trying to tell an original story. 

Spoiler

I think the romance in this book was ridiculous and completely undermined the whole feminist aspect of this novel. You're telling me Tierney, who for the whole book has been determined to survive the grace year and return home for her sister's sake, is going to throw it all away for a poacher who has a map of her body and where he would cut her up if she died? Like, she admits that if she runs away with Ryker, her sisters will take the fall for her and be sentenced to the outskirts away from their family, and she's all "as long as I'm happy with the love of my life". You're joking. And for Ryker to go on this rant about how he's only a poacher for money (even though he admitted he's never actually done his job, so he lied) and he's doing it for his family, for him to pawn them off on Anders so he can be happy. Also, the fact that Kiersten, who caused most--if not all--of the deaths in this book, survived. Tierney had this like super-saviour complex, which made her insufferable AND stupid. I would've let Anders kill Kiersten. Her mind was so far gone that she couldn't even feel remorseful or apologise for all the pain and death she caused. She literally scalped a girl for daring to side with Tierney. Even when she was starting to get herself back, she made Tierney drink the well water mixed with another girls blood (?!?!). But Tierney had to be the hero in the end and spared her. When they said that they're the only gods on the island, I think the author took it literally and made Tierney too powerful. The Hans reveal was so stupid and contrived it made me want to eat rocks. Literally NOTHING pointed towards him being the worst person ever, and yet there he is at the bottom of the pit, bleeding out and yelling at Tierney for not loving him back. I was choking back venom. AND THEN THE PREGNANCY REVEAL? You're telling me Tierney is showing and had zero symptoms? And then Michael saved her????? I think her dying on the stake would've been such a poetic ending and would've absolutely started a riot against the men. Also, she literally said she's scared of Michael when she comes home and yet he's such a "good man" for taking care of her and burning the cabinet with the grace year girls in the apothecary. The fact that those girls were brutally murdered by men for men... for Michael to be the one to decide that they should burn (a dishonourable death for a woman in Garner County) instead of being buried is sickening. Every aspect of their lives were controlled by men, and they couldn't escape that in death, either. And then, when Tierney gave birth to the girl from her dreams... giving birth to the saviour. The god-complex in this novel is ridiculous. The fact that the magic was eventually explained to be giving life is disgusting to me and is literally just a "women are only good for having children" statement. It goes against the original idea of feminism existing in this universe.

All in all, this novel was a LOTF retelling, but worse. The feminism was barely there, and when it was, it was destroyed by ridiculous plot decisions. If you're looking for a Hunger Games retelling, look elsewhere. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Death, Suicide, Murder, Misogyny, Injury/injury detail, Confinement, Blood, Hate crime, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Lesbophobia