Although it doesn’t always work out for me, I tend to select a lot of the books I choose to read because of the online book community. I am a sucker for hyped books. So, when The Grace Year by Kim Liggett started popping up on my Bookstagram feed over the past year, I took note.
Dystopia is the genre that started me on this journey into the online book community. After falling in love with The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, I started my bookstagram account, and the rest is history.
With dystopia being my absolute favorite, learning that The Grace Year was a new addition to the genre was thrilling. I haven’t read a new dystopian novel in forever, and I was itching for a taste.
However, looking at the book cover, I had no idea it was from the dystopian genre! I 100% thought this was a contemporary book… As much as I love the cover design, I put this book off for way too long because, for a year, I thought it was a completely different genre!
Thankfully, I was scrolling on book tok one day when a video came across my fyp about this book and my whole views on it changed. Hearing the premise of this book made me so excited to read it. I immediately went to the Libby app and placed a hold on the book! A couple of months later, I was ready to read!
This was a really fun and exciting read. It brought me right back to the 2010s when dystopian books were all the rage! So, here is my book review for The Grace Year by Kim Liggett.
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The Basics
Title: The Grace Year
Author: Kim Liggett
Genre: YA Dystopia
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: October 8, 2019
The Book Review
Rating: 4/5 Stars
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett is a fast-paced and adventurous story perfect for a dystopian lover like myself. I loved the well-paced message woven into this tale. I can definitely understand the hype that this book has had for over a year since its release in 2019.
This book is set in a society where women are treated as objects. They are married off once they turn 17 to whoever chooses them, or they are sent to work. They have no choice in their life. But before this happens, all the girls from Garner Country get sent on their grace year. This is a whole year spent alone in a compound where these girls are supposed to get rid of their magic. The magic that people from Garner County believe gives women power.
Just from this description alone, I know this book was going to be exciting. This is your classic dystopian story, with people in charge harming those under them all for the supposed safety of the masses. It is everything I look for in these types of books. The setting and dystopian elements are incredibly well done. I was immediately sucked into the story, feeling the character’s fear as they went into their grace year.
I also loved the message behind this book. In an interview with the author, they talk about how this book was written for every person out there who has felt like their choices and decisions were not their own. In today’s world, that is unfortunately still a reality. Young female-presenting people are seen as objects rather than humans.
With this message being so important, I appreciate how it was subtle enough in the book that I understood what the author was trying to say. It doesn’t bombard the reader from page one. It is the opposite of The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill. Although I loved the message of this book, the delivery of it turned me off. With feminist rhetoric and buzzwords laced into every page, It pulled me out of the story. That doesn’t happen with The Grace Year.
By the end of the book, the characters take back power, if only in small steps and rebellions, and I love it. I feel like this is a fantastic book for young readers, who are just starting to consciously experience this world. There is a lot of sucky parts of society, but it is the acts of rebellion that can help each other through.
The only reason I couldn’t give this book five stars is because of the characterization. I have this problem a lot with dystopian books, unfortunately, but there is never enough depth to the characters.
I can see what personality and character traits the author is trying to give Tierney, the main character, and the other grace year girls. But that is the problem, I can see the author trying. I want to feel like the characters are talking to me, not the author.
But other than this, I thought this was a fantastic book. This book pulled me in from the very beginning and I was excited to read more. However, I wish there was a sequel! I feel unsatisfied with the ending, which I am sure was the author’s intent. I loved the ending, but I wanted more!
Now I am definitely on the lookout for more dystopian books! I haven’t read one in so long before this, and now I need more! I forgot how much I love this genre.
During winter, I usually read a lot of fantasy, but this year feels different! So far this month I have read two books, a dystopian (obviously) and a romance (Beach Read). Who am I? Switching up genre preferences left and right this year!
Hopefully, I continue doing that into the new year! Only 3 more weeks until we are finally in 2022!
Let me know in the comments below some of your favorite dystopian novels! I am always looking for recommendations!
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