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megj23's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse and Genocide
carriepond's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- 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
4.25
My book club chose This Vicious Grace for this month's read, and I have to admit I approached it with a little skepticism. I have found YA fantasy romance books to be a mixed bag for me-- sometimes I love them and am totally swept away, and other times I find them annoying, with the storytelling not outweighing some of the common tropes that make me roll my eyes. I am pleased to say that Emily Thiede's debut novel falls into the "totally swept me away" category.
This Vicious Grace is a riff on oft-used "chosen one" trope-- our heroine, eighteen-year-old Alessa, is a Finestra, chosen once in a generation by the goddess Dea to save Saverio, their island home. Finestras have the power to amplify the magical gifts of their bonded partners, called Fontes, which makes them the perfect weapon for battling the insect-like demons called scarabeos that invade the island during an attack called the Divorino. When the novel opens, Alessa is mourning the death of her third Fonte, killed because Alessa has been unable to harness and control her power. The Divorino will begin any day, and the Fontes' death has left Alessa shaken and has started rumblings in the town-- fueled by the sermons of a zealous priest named Ivini-- that Alessa herself is a demon, rather than a savior. After thwarting an attempt on her life by a would-be-assassin, who Alessa realizes was one of her guards, Alessa hires Dante, an outsider with a heart of gold and bod of steel, to be her bodyguard.
This was a really strong debut novel. The most compelling part for me was the relationship between Alessa and Dante, which had great banter and felt very natural. I loved how Thiede made them make sense-- they are both outsiders for a variety of reasons, with reasons to question the status quo, and they're both lonely, isolated from friendship and family for so long that they were able to develop a really strong bond quickly. I also loved how, although Alessa and Dante were the main event, there were a lot of side characters who had mini story arcs, so to speak, which leaves a lot of room to build on in the second installment.
And, speaking of the second installment, I very much appreciate how the big plot points were pretty much tied up by the end of the book. Lest I spoil anything, I won't go into detail, but Thiede leaves us lots to look forward to, with some unresolved issues and a preview of challenges to come rather than leaving the reader hanging with an extreme cliffhanger, which is something that annoys me for planned multi-book series. This Vicious Grace could stand on its own without reading the next installment, but Thiede creates such compelling characters that I am looking forward to returning to their world, no manipulation-by-cliffhanger needed!
I think the main place the book showed Thiede's first-time author status was the magic system. It wasn't fleshed out as much as I'd like, and what there was came in several info dumps toward the beginning, so I had a hard time understanding how it worked and what was at stake. But honestly, I was willing to shrug that off because I was enjoying everything else about it.
I recommend This Vicious Grace to anyone who enjoys YA, especially YA fantasy, to folks who are looking to be transported to a pretty cool world for a little while, or those who like romances with witty banter that feel genuine. I will definitely read Thiede's follow-up, which comes out in August!
This was a really strong debut novel. The most compelling part for me was the relationship between Alessa and Dante, which had great banter and felt very natural. I loved how Thiede made them make sense-- they are both outsiders for a variety of reasons, with reasons to question the status quo, and they're both lonely, isolated from friendship and family for so long that they were able to develop a really strong bond quickly. I also loved how, although Alessa and Dante were the main event, there were a lot of side characters who had mini story arcs, so to speak, which leaves a lot of room to build on in the second installment.
And, speaking of the second installment, I very much appreciate how the big plot points were pretty much tied up by the end of the book. Lest I spoil anything, I won't go into detail, but Thiede leaves us lots to look forward to, with some unresolved issues and a preview of challenges to come rather than leaving the reader hanging with an extreme cliffhanger, which is something that annoys me for planned multi-book series. This Vicious Grace could stand on its own without reading the next installment, but Thiede creates such compelling characters that I am looking forward to returning to their world, no manipulation-by-cliffhanger needed!
I think the main place the book showed Thiede's first-time author status was the magic system. It wasn't fleshed out as much as I'd like, and what there was came in several info dumps toward the beginning, so I had a hard time understanding how it worked and what was at stake. But honestly, I was willing to shrug that off because I was enjoying everything else about it.
I recommend This Vicious Grace to anyone who enjoys YA, especially YA fantasy, to folks who are looking to be transported to a pretty cool world for a little while, or those who like romances with witty banter that feel genuine. I will definitely read Thiede's follow-up, which comes out in August!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Imagine, if you will, Rogue from X-Men but transported into a historical quasi-Italian island setting. That's basically our heroine, but with the addition of a chosen one trope. Her power is to amplify that of someone else but if she touches the wrong person, they die. Her divine goal is to save the world from an apocalyptic event that occurs roughly every 5 years and once the chosen one has saved the island, they lose their powers and another person awakens theirs. Rinse and repeat.
The chosen one chooses a (life) partner to weather the battle with, and with our main character, she has chosen and killed three times while trying to train for the end of the world.
I have some issues with the book, but overall it was very readable and the ending left enough questions and plot for the next installment. Not sure if I would continue, but I'm not immediately opposed.
The chosen one chooses a (life) partner to weather the battle with, and with our main character, she has chosen and killed three times while trying to train for the end of the world.
I have some issues with the book, but overall it was very readable and the ending left enough questions and plot for the next installment. Not sure if I would continue, but I'm not immediately opposed.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Outing, War, Child abuse, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Blood, Police brutality, Torture, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Sexual content
frantically's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Loved this so so much! I was shocked to find out that this was debut — it reads like it was written by someone who's had way more experience.
Dante and Alessa absolutely had my heart. They are so perfect for each other, even though they tried to deny it.
This had such a good "found family" trope and the author was able to really differentiate the characters (something I was scared she wouldn't be able to do, after they were basically all introduced at the same time).
I'm looking forward to the next book! 😍
Feminism is when the male LI looses his power at the end and not the female MC 😉
Dante and Alessa absolutely had my heart. They are so perfect for each other, even though they tried to deny it.
This had such a good "found family" trope and the author was able to really differentiate the characters (something I was scared she wouldn't be able to do, after they were basically all introduced at the same time).
I'm looking forward to the next book! 😍
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Self harm
The sexual content is mainly fade to black but is a bit more graphic than typical YA.luckylulureads's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- 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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Self harm, War, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
holthmsn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Just beautiful writing - how can you not love Alessa & Dante! The perfect mixture of Juliette Ferrars and the found family trope from Shatter Me, the tension between Alessa and Dante as a bodyguard forbidden romance like from From Blood and Ash, and all the Italian (omg the food!) vibes from Kingdom of The Wicked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Violence, Death, and War
Moderate: Sexual content
demjin's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Pre-review 3/Jul/22
This is 3.5 stars, it was gonna be 4 but the ending ruined it for me. I was here for the book and fine with the lackluster worldbuilding when I was enjoying the romance but the ending brought too much plot into the picture that I didn't care enough about. It was like it was trying to be something it didn't need to be.
But I'm always here for grumpy-sexy-deadly bodyguard would do anything for girl when she bats her eyelashes at him trope and I'll stand by that
This is 3.5 stars, it was gonna be 4 but the ending ruined it for me. I was here for the book and fine with the lackluster worldbuilding when I was enjoying the romance but the ending brought too much plot into the picture that I didn't care enough about. It was like it was trying to be something it didn't need to be.
But I'm always here for grumpy-sexy-deadly bodyguard would do anything for girl when she bats her eyelashes at him trope and I'll stand by that
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Murder, War, and Suicide attempt
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an alc of this book.
The Finestra has one job--to find a Fonte, enhance their power, and save the island from the encroaching demon army. But Alessa is unable to touch a fonte without killing them, and her time is running out.
This book was so good! I absolutely devoured the audiobook and could hardly put it down to sleep. Alessa is an amazing main character and I love her growth and passion and raw need. I love that her strength is in the way she loves and not just her magical powers. I love the lessons of family and togetherness and hope and faith. The magic system is so interesting and I loved watching Alessa learn to wield her gift. And, of course, I love Dante.
The Finestra has one job--to find a Fonte, enhance their power, and save the island from the encroaching demon army. But Alessa is unable to touch a fonte without killing them, and her time is running out.
This book was so good! I absolutely devoured the audiobook and could hardly put it down to sleep. Alessa is an amazing main character and I love her growth and passion and raw need. I love that her strength is in the way she loves and not just her magical powers. I love the lessons of family and togetherness and hope and faith. The magic system is so interesting and I loved watching Alessa learn to wield her gift. And, of course, I love Dante.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide attempt
ode_to_readers's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was so good and so fun to read. I was close to tears when finishing it. I don’t even know what to talk about because I think I’m already in a book hangover and I don’t want to wait another year for the next book😭
I was trying to read this at every chance I had. On the bus to and from work, at work (during lunch of course..), before bed, in bed, in the morning in bed, during breakfast. Surprisingly it still took me two days to read but I’m glad because I got to savour every second I was reading.
Alessa’s growth was just astounding to see and I couldn’t help but feel so proud for her. Her friendship with Dante was absolutely perfect at pushing both their boundaries and challenging their beliefs. Their banter in every scene were my favourite parts.
Even the growth of the other Fontes (sorry- I mean Fonti) was developed perfectly. You can flick from the front to the back of the book and see a complete difference and yet it didn’t feel rushed at all. Their growing trust and friendship was so heartwarming.
Even the battle scene at the end had me on the edge of my seat. It was written perfectly and had me wanting to cheer and sob all at once.
Basically I need the next book NOW please and thank you
I was trying to read this at every chance I had. On the bus to and from work, at work (during lunch of course..), before bed, in bed, in the morning in bed, during breakfast. Surprisingly it still took me two days to read but I’m glad because I got to savour every second I was reading.
Alessa’s growth was just astounding to see and I couldn’t help but feel so proud for her. Her friendship with Dante was absolutely perfect at pushing both their boundaries and challenging their beliefs. Their banter in every scene were my favourite parts.
Even the growth of the other Fontes (sorry- I mean Fonti) was developed perfectly. You can flick from the front to the back of the book and see a complete difference and yet it didn’t feel rushed at all. Their growing trust and friendship was so heartwarming.
Even the battle scene at the end had me on the edge of my seat. It was written perfectly and had me wanting to cheer and sob all at once.
Basically I need the next book NOW please and thank you
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Hate crime
themoonlightarchive's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede follows Alessa, a girl meant to be the savior of her island home, Saverio. As a Finestra, her duty is to protect her people from a swarm of demons that comes every couple of decades by amplifying the powers of people with magical abilities called Fontes. Unfortunately, Alessa keeps killing her Fontes when she touches them. There have been three weddings and three funerals in her time as Finestra and time is running out.
The people of Saverio are beginning to doubt her ability to protect them and she no longer trusts the guards who are meant to protect her. Alessa hires a brooding street fighter with a few secrets up his sleeve as her bodyguard and begins to train with the Fontes that remain on the island, the few that didn’t leave in fear, hoping to build a connection that will stop her from killing them. But will this be enough to stop the demons when they come?
With beautiful, engaging and atmospheric writing, This Vicious Grace was a compelling debut with so many things that I adored, like the italian-inspired worldbuilding and mythology, the found family trope, a grumpy but sweet bodyguard, and endless batter. Thiede pairs divine magic and religious tension in the best way and crafts characters who grow with each page, who are deeply fascinating and loveable. If you love books with all of this, several scenes that will have you sobbing into the pages and more, This Vicious Grace is perfect for you.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The people of Saverio are beginning to doubt her ability to protect them and she no longer trusts the guards who are meant to protect her. Alessa hires a brooding street fighter with a few secrets up his sleeve as her bodyguard and begins to train with the Fontes that remain on the island, the few that didn’t leave in fear, hoping to build a connection that will stop her from killing them. But will this be enough to stop the demons when they come?
With beautiful, engaging and atmospheric writing, This Vicious Grace was a compelling debut with so many things that I adored, like the italian-inspired worldbuilding and mythology, the found family trope, a grumpy but sweet bodyguard, and endless batter. Thiede pairs divine magic and religious tension in the best way and crafts characters who grow with each page, who are deeply fascinating and loveable. If you love books with all of this, several scenes that will have you sobbing into the pages and more, This Vicious Grace is perfect for you.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, War, Abandonment, Gore, and Violence