A review by kgorobets
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

challenging dark hopeful tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

I think this book had real potential to be a five star read for me, and there are many aspects that I appreciated despite the one flaw that knocked off a star. This one flaw is the pacing. As I read the story, I felt that I was missing time, like we skipped over "boring" parts and jumped from action to action. Seasons flew by very fast, and I wish the book was longer and made me feel the passage of the year, rather than skipping around to action. However, it did add to the overall atmosphere of disorienting madness, so it may be a very intentional choice - it just did not work for me.

Other than the pacing, I really enjoyed the story. I appreciated that it didn't feel cliche - despite very clear inspiration material and parallels to the lord of the flies, hunger games, the crucible - I still could not ever predict what would happen next. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book the most, I think the author did a very good job setting scenes and painting imagery. Again, if I wasn't disoriented about seasons, it would have been even better.

Overall, a great dark feminist read that has a more nuanced and subtle take on female oppression than many other books I've read. Definitely recommend for the Crucible vibes ✨
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