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A review by meredithgweiss
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
Did not finish book. Stopped at 68%.
I love young adult fiction, especially dystopian young adult fiction. I was a huge fan of Divergent, and the Hunger Games, as well as the Delirium and Matched series when I was a teenager. I really wanted to like this book given it had a lot of the tropes I generally enjoyed when I was reading young adult fiction.
Ultimately, I felt like the label young adult fiction was misleading because even as an adult, the graphic violence and gore in the book was almost too much to bear; you can write an engaging novel without explicit discussions of blood and gore. There are adult fiction books out there that still have the same adult themes without being uncomfortable to read. This is definitely a book meant for adults; there is no question about it.
Spoilers below.
I truly cannot believe that in a purported “feminist” work of literature that the protagonist fell in love while fighting for her life with a man who was originally meant to kill her. Not only that, they have absolutely nothing in common other than him not killing her and taking care of her. Especially given the revolting displays of violence, the idea of her ending up with a poacher was absolutely ridiculous in my opinion.
“Well he’s not like the others.”
Sure, alright, but Riker has a map of her ENTIRE BODY. Every freckle and scar. Not only that, the main reason why he didn’t kill her was because of a deal her dad made with him. Only AFTER he saved one of the other poachers from smallpox
Calling this book a feminist and young adult piece of literature is incredibly misleading and inaccurate. It should be marketed as a horror, adult fiction. I don’t even think you could even call it a feminist novel given the above. The romance arc did not reflect the feminist plot line at all.
Ultimately, I felt like the label young adult fiction was misleading because even as an adult, the graphic violence and gore in the book was almost too much to bear; you can write an engaging novel without explicit discussions of blood and gore. There are adult fiction books out there that still have the same adult themes without being uncomfortable to read. This is definitely a book meant for adults; there is no question about it.
Spoilers below.
“Well he’s not like the others.”
Sure, alright, but Riker has a map of her ENTIRE BODY. Every freckle and scar. Not only that, the main reason why he didn’t kill her was because of a deal her dad made with him. Only AFTER he saved one of the other poachers from smallpox
Calling this book a feminist and young adult piece of literature is incredibly misleading and inaccurate. It should be marketed as a horror, adult fiction. I don’t even think you could even call it a feminist novel given the above. The romance arc did not reflect the feminist plot line at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood