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witcheep's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
This Vicious Grace is a book that explores the themes of duty, belonging, and connection through FMC Alessa's character and offers different points of view with different characters. Even if the themes are heavy and the subjects often near traumatic, the tone of the book is quite lighthearted and makes it an easy and fast read.
"I'm tired of being a title rather than a person, I guess."
The main character Alessa is the Finestra, a goddess-chosen magical person who holds the highest rank of the country, but in return is required to give up everything from her previous life, including her name, family, and even the ability to touch people. The Finestra is also expexted to fight an army of foes of the enemy god together with another magical person, a Fonte. She hasn't found that other compatible Fonte yet, and time is running out. Because of this, Alessa has become a secluded young woman who has been touch-deprived for years – a husk of a person, really. This seclusion and touch-deprivation echo the struggles familiar to so many from the pandemic, and makes Thiede's writing more powerful because of it: so many of us can relate to the extreme situation that Alessa is in.
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.
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
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Deeply enjoyed this. The writing really pulls you in and the characters are deeply lovable. You can't help feeling bad for Alessa and the deprivation she's experiencing or root for the slowly blossoming relationship between her and Dante.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Violence, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Physical abuse, Cursing, and Suicide attempt
zarhara's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
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
one_more_chapter96's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Phenomenal story. I absolutely adored Alessa & Dante’s story & seeing them slowly (and reluctantly) fall for each other. The world building, the language elements, the magic system, the religion system was all fascinating and so well introduced. The side characters were so funny & well enough developed, and it was beautiful to see Alessa grow in confidence. Wonderfully written book which made me laugh & cry out loud. One of my favourite reads of 2023 so far!
Content Warnings
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
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved every moment of this. The ending ripped my heart out, sewed it back together and then stomped on it for good measure. This is one of the best fantasy romances I have read in a long time and I will cherish it. It really has a bit of everything I love in it, so it kind of feels like I was meant to read this. I absolutely cannot wait to continue this series and hope that my bleeding heart can mend itself. I really want to see Alessa blossom as a character and I really believe we will see that progression.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Suicide attempt, and Grief
kassidyreads's review against another edition
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child abuse
readwithria's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This Vicious Grace absolutely blew me away! One of the best books I’ve read this year, 5 stars!
Alessa goes through so much growth in this book! She steals every inch of agency she can find, and I love her so much. She learns how to ask for and accept help, she learns how to advocate for herself, and she learns so much about her strength. She’s told for so much of the book that she’s too much - too much power, too much time, too much effort - and she proves to them all that she’s exactly what she needs to be.
This book has such strong themes of connection and community. The found family element was such a surprise, but an absolutely lovely one! The romance was SO CUTE 🥰 Dante is such a sweetheart, even if he acts like an asshole, and he stands up for what he believes in in so many ways. He has so much strength, and he shares it so willingly!
There were twists I didn’t see coming, new informations that I discovered as the characters did, and so many quotes I will want to revisit in the future! But for now I’ll leave you with this:
“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.”
I absolutely cannot wait to read the sequel. 5 stars!
Alessa goes through so much growth in this book! She steals every inch of agency she can find, and I love her so much. She learns how to ask for and accept help, she learns how to advocate for herself, and she learns so much about her strength. She’s told for so much of the book that she’s too much - too much power, too much time, too much effort - and she proves to them all that she’s exactly what she needs to be.
This book has such strong themes of connection and community. The found family element was such a surprise, but an absolutely lovely one! The romance was SO CUTE 🥰 Dante is such a sweetheart, even if he acts like an asshole, and he stands up for what he believes in in so many ways. He has so much strength, and he shares it so willingly!
There were twists I didn’t see coming, new informations that I discovered as the characters did, and so many quotes I will want to revisit in the future! But for now I’ll leave you with this:
“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.”
I absolutely cannot wait to read the sequel. 5 stars!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Cursing
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
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
kirstenf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, and War
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Sexual content, Grief, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation, and Death of parent
Minor: Medical content and Sexism
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