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fiercereadsfiction's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: War and Death
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual content
witcheep's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"I'm tired of being a title rather than a person, I guess."
When Alessa gets the chance to touch again by trying to connect with a Fonte, she takes it ravenously – and it ends in the death of the Fonte too many times because her magic is too strong for the touch. This grants the secondary foes in the book, a religious group of men, a somewhat justified claim to want to murder her as a false Finestra. After multiple attempts on her life, Alessa doesn't trust anyone, and seeks for protecion from a disinterested party by hiring a lone street fighter Dante as her body guard.
Dante says he is not kind, but Alessa decides his actions show otherwise: Dante builds Alessa's confidence up by gentle bullying, and Alessa begins to regard them as friends with the potentiality for more.
Dante squinted, and she smiled brighter. If he was going to tease her about reading smutty novels, she'd fight back by working innuendo into every conversation.
They both are lonely teenagers with recent years in their lives holding such dark times for them that they both have had to grow up fast and become as adult-like as they can to fill in the roles that keep them alive. They open up to each other about their secrets and offer each other support.
Quote in spoiler:
She patted his arm with a perky, "You're doing fine."
"You're desperate, and I'm here, eh?"
"Exactly." She paused. "Thank you."
In the plot, slowly, the concrete truths and rules of ancient sacred texts are questioned by finding alternative translations and interpretations, and Alessa pieces together that the core of the sacred text is community: "Together, we protect. Divided, we unravel." This has traditionally been interpreted to mean the connection between the Finestra and their one Fonte. Gradual spoilers of plot progression: 1.
Hope is what must be found in a YA book, and that is what is drizzled throughtout This Vicious Grace to finally be bathed in at the end. The ending of the book sets up the premise for the sequel, and I'm interested to see where Thiede takes the main characters from here.
Review written 17.3.2024
Graphic: Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Violence, Death, and Racism
Moderate: Hate crime, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and War
Minor: Bullying, Classism, Child abuse, and Death of parent
xvicesx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: War, Violence, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Physical abuse, Cursing, and Suicide attempt
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
4.0
“Keep your gods and goddesses on their pedestals if you want, but the rituals, the rules, the isolation? You know that isn’t really from them, right? That’s written by mortals. Men, mostly. We have a bad habit of locking up people who scare us, and the thing that scares men with power most is a woman with more of it.”
➽ Buddy Read with Destiny ❤️
➽ This Vicious Grace is such an underrated Fantasy!! I don't think I've heard many people talk about it, but it was so good and unique. The story follows Alessa, a Finestra who is tasked with fighting a swam of demons that will try to devour her homeland. The power gets passed down from the previous Finestra and allows her to amplify other powers. She's supposed to have found her Fonte yet, a person with magical powers that she can strengthen in order to fight the impending threat. There's only one problem: Alessa's magic has killed the three Fonte who have tried. At this point she's getting desperate, as they need someone by her side, since her power relies on others. The worldbuilding was so interesting, I loved that it was Italian-inspired! It was nice that the Fonte were people of all genders and that the bond between Finestra and Fonte doesn't have to be romantic. It's a traditional bond, but not really like a marriage, so Alessa would be able to have another romantic partner.
➽ I really enjoyed Alessa and her character Arc! When she became the Finestra, she was stripped of her name and family, so she's been living in the holy Cittadella for most of her life, separated from everyone else. Alessa tries so hard to help her people, but she can't get her powers in control and fears touching others, as it could kill them. The situation is getting desperate as others have taken to calling her a 'false Finestra' and turning against her! I loved how the story explored how stifling all the traditions were and how Alessa has been isolated all her life and treated like a religious prop. She's experiencing true companionship for the first time in years and questioning if she should go along with everything the elders are saying. I loved the taking back agency, but still struggling with her powers and the guilt of killing her previous Fontes.
➽ I loved all the relationship dynamics!! Alessa's final attempt to find a Fonte doesn't start well as the contestants aren't thrilled to be her next victim and don't have much faith in her. I loved how they still slowly grew to respect and like each other, as Alessa really needed a support system. Even unlikable characters like Kaleb became endearing in the end! Of course I also adored the romance. Alessa hires a personal bodyguard, as she no longer trusts her staff. Dante's a trained killer from the undercity, but at least his loyalty can be bought. He ends up accepting her offer and begins to change her perspective. As an outsider and someone who'll be left to fend for himself when the monsters arrive, he's much more critical of the Cittadella. Alessa and Dante's bickering was so much fun and I liked how he tried to help her accept her powers!
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Violence, and War
Minor: Suicide
zarhara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, War, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
Minor: Torture and Child death
brdiaz1123's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: War
one_more_chapter96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Grief, Religious bigotry, Death, War, Gore, Blood, and Confinement
Minor: Torture, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, and Child abuse
xtsukix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Suicide attempt, and Grief
jenniferj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: War and Death
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Hate crime, War, Vomit, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Body horror, Physical abuse, Murder, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Stalking, Bullying, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gaslighting, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Police brutality