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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
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
joygarcialim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
The main characters were kind of bland and replaceable. They didn’t really stand out individually and the writer didn’t give them enough personality to show what their characters were supposed to be. Other than Alessa and Dante of course. Alessa is kind of a woe-is-me character and I get that her life is difficult in many regards but that’s most of her personality. Dante is a tortured devil archetype and kept saying he was evil with no proof. I get that they lived in a world where that mentality is enforced on him but it wasn’t really explained well. Dante was the most interesting character imo.
The chemistry between Alessa and Dante seemed kind of awkward too.
The world-building wasn’t great either. It was there but it wasn’t at the same time. It was just kind of vague but written about enough to let readers know it was there. The author emphasised a lot more on the romance part than the fantasy part.
Overall, very underdeveloped and poorly executed.
Graphic: Hate crime, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, War, Abandonment, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Blood, Death, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse and Fire/Fire injury
marine2907's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Hate crime, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, War, Alcohol, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Medical content, Death, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Torture
wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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.
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
toffishay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Alcohol, War, Death, Murder, Xenophobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Grief, Genocide, Confinement, and Child death
Moderate: Abandonment
themoonlightarchive'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
5.0
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.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, War, Abandonment, Gore, and Violence
idealpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This Vicious Grace is an easily readable pageturner set in an intriguing world with likeable characters. This is the kind of story I enjoyed whilst reading it, but appreciate it more since finishing it.
Despite struggling to wrap my head around the world building at first, I really liked the world of Saverio. It explores the idea of good vs evil and the conflicts of having the fate of the world vested in one all powerful being. I particularly liked how Thiede explored the purpose, interpretation and practice of religious ideals. Do scriptures truly mean what they mean? Are they interpreted correctly? Through Alessa, the Finestra, who lives under the thumb of stringent rules that are deemed reasonable due to religious precedent, Thiede explores this dilemma.
As a result, for a good portion of the book, it was hard to know who Alessa truly was and who her role of Finestra required her to be. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this. It made her a mystery to unravel, and definitely relatable when one is trying to figure out who they are versus who they’ve been told to be. I could feel the pressure closing in on Alessa. I could feel the loneliness drowning her from within. I could feel her inner plea of desperation for connection to others. I was bursting with pride every time she resolved to continue the good fight.
I’m not one for spoilers, but I feel I need to state this: at Alessa’s lowest point in the book, she is encouraged by other characters to contemplate (and even commit) suicide. I personally did not find this written in too distressing of a manner, however, one size doesn’t fit all, so I felt it prudent to mention this.
What can I say about the mysterious underground fighter turned bodyguard? I *loved* Dante. I must commend Thiede for ensuring that Dante is not reduced to a powerful protagonist’s love interest. As the story unfolds, it’s clear he has his own arc, with a seemingly pivotal role for the sequel. Dante is mysterious and aloof, but deep down, Alessa and I were both certain he’s a morally good sweetheart who can’t not help someone in need.
The friends-to-lovers relationship between Alessa and Dante was so satisfying. Dante is the Flynn Rider to Alessa’s Rapunzel. Just as much as I relish love triangles or starcrossed tropes, I equally adore devoted lovers, and so far, that is what Dante and Alessa are. Thiede, please I beg of you, don’t blow a hole in my ship! Also, the supporting characters definitely enriched the story, rousing intrigue and suspicion.
Undoubtedly, This Vicious Grace is one of the most exciting YA fantasy debuts of 2022. The end of the book sets up the sequel’s direction nicely, and I’m very much looking forward to where those threads take the story next. Can I have it now, please?!
Thank you kindly to Hodderscape for an eARC in exchange for this honest review
Moderate: Abandonment and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child abuse
foreverinastory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5/5
Oh my god I loved this!!! This Vicious Grace follows Alessa, who is the Finestra of her island. Being the Finestra is a life changing and powerful position. You are both a celebrity, and a savior. Finestra's are responsible for saving their islands from Divorandos, some type of calamity. Alessa has been the Finestra for several years and while she's been training since her powers awoke, she hasn't learned how to work them completely. When this book opens, Alessa has attended the funeral of her third Fonte, a person with magic whose gifts she should be able to amplify as Finestra. Instead, Alessa has killed three Fontes. Now she only has days to come up with a plan before her Consiglio either kills her or sentences a new Fonte to almost certain death.
I really loved Alessa's character. She was so easy to relate to and I almost immediately wanted her to succeed and learn the secrets of her magic. I truly love the storylines of characters who are touched with dangerous magic and then isolated because they are dangerous. Seeing these characters find ways to control their powers and break out of that isolation is so compelling to read about. Plus they usually melt someone's heart along the way.
This book was equal parts romance and equals parts friendship. Alessa hires a bodyguard and expects nothing from him, but Dante surprises her and the two grow close. He challenges her to think outside the box and do things differently since the only thing she knows for sure is what doesn't work. I loved watching these two grow close, their banter was so fun and then they got drunk together. Oh my god that made me laugh so much.
At the same time, Alessa is also working on her power, training her body and trying to find a way to work with at least one Fonte. I loved seeing her work with the Fontes and see them go from being terrified of her to steadfast friends. It was so empowering to see them all cement such close friendships.
The worldbuilding of this book was really cool too. We get a peak into some of the answers about the mythology of the world, but I think there is only more to come in the sequel and I am really exciting to see where the series takes me.
Rep: Italian inspired world and cast. Female MC (possibly bi), white cishet male love interest, cishet male side character with a heart condition, supporting cast of BIPOC characters and queer characters.
CWs: Suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, violence, blood, death, gore, injury/injury detail, war, abandonment, attempted murder, religious bigotry.
Graphic: Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, Suicide, and Abandonment