It felt like it was just another reflection of current reality, rather than another slightly-unrealistic fantastical setting that is the scariest part of it all. I soon realized this was because the world within The Grace Year is so similar to our own. We’ve seen this structure before, and yet some part of it felt completely different than the others - in fact, I would hardly even think to shelve it with other dystopias. Then there’s some resemblance of resistance, most notably seen in the novel’s own fierce protagonist. Sure, there’s the ultimate higher power - in this case, the men of the community - that decides what daily life will look like for our characters. Garner County is not your regular dystopian-esque setting. Be warned: anyone looking for a smooth, lighthearted read may want to turn away.īut stick around, and you’ll find yourself swept away in a breathtaking story that both delights and horrifies with each twist and turn. Much like reality, the novel’s leading girl lives in a bleak, frightening world that does nothing to cloak the danger and evil living within it. From first sentence to last, this is a dark tale. It has no intention of fooling readers into believing this will be a floaty, flowery story where all conflicts are resolved without so much as one tear shed. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.įrom the get-go, The Grace Year makes it clear that you’re in for a wild ride. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life-a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. It’s impossible to turn away from The Grace Year‘s prominent and timely themes.
Fierce, focused and unapologetically brutal.
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