The Grace Year by Kim Liggett [book review]

The Grace Year book Summary:

The Grace Year follows sixteen-year-old Tierney James. She never thought this year would come but it is now her year for the grace year. The people around her think that women have these sorts of powers and when they turn sixteen is when it comes in full force. It gives them the power to lure men and make other women jealous. That’s why all of these girls are sent off to an area in the woods to take care of themselves. But the area is surrounded by ghosts and poachers and not everyone is going to make it. This is unfortunately the only way they can burn out their powers and come back the way they should be. What all will the grace year entail? And how will it affect them physically and mentally after a year?

What I thought of The Grace Year

Before I get to my review.. You might also like my list of some of my favorite dystopian novels. You can find that list here.

The Grace Year is a pretty hyped young adult book. It seems like everyone has read it but me. But I finally got the chance to read it and it didn’t take me as long to read it as I thought it would. The book follows a group of girls who basically become men’s property before the grace year. They are given a veil and have to marry the man that gave it to them afterward. That is if they survive. And not every girl is going to get a veil but if they do they will have a “better” life.

I can’t even begin to explain how mad this book made me. The women aren’t treated right, but I get that it’s the whole point of the story. When they are sent off for the grace year things start to happen with the girls that are a bit off the wall and not what I expected. The way the girls treated each other has to be the worst of it all. I wish I didn’t have to be so vague with what happened but I don’t want to spoil anything if you’re planning on reading it.

The characters

Tierney James is probably one of my least favorite characters in a YA dystopian book. Mostly because in certain parts of the book she could have played dumb and she might have been fine. Maybe not but we never would have known if she wasn’t so stubborn and played a little bit smarter. 

Another thing that made me not like her so much is that she didn’t tell the people inside the barrier what she was going to say about what they discovered. I get it, she wanted to save her family but why let things there continue the way that it is? Please let there be a sequel to The Grace Year just so we can find out exactly what happens and if things are uprooted with the “government”. 

I do have to say that this book reminds me of a good mix between The Hunger Games and The Handmaiden’s Tale. Even though it made me mad I still liked it really well.

Do you enjoy dystopian books?

If you enjoy books like this then you might also like The Perfect Outcast.

If you like this review then make sure to check out my review of The Unseen Ones.