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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
This is my favorite read so far this year, even bumping House of Sky and Breath off the top! This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede is a high fantasy about a girl chosen by the goddess and tasked with saving her home. I absolutely loved the world-building, the desperation of impending doom that haunts every page, and the flickers of hope that flash when we need it.
Alessa was chosen by the goddess when she was 14. She is one of the strongest Finestra the island has ever seen, but that strength is also a curse. As Finestra, Alessa acts as a power amplifier, directing and controlling her Fonte’s gift. However, Alessa’s touch is deadly. She cannot control how much of the Fonte’s power she takes and as a results kills them. Now after three failed Fontes, Alessa is desperate. Her people are questioning if she is from Dea or Crollo, sent to destroy them. After an assassination attempt to bring forth a new Finestra fails, Alessa must find someone she can trust and a Fonte to save her home.
I love Alessa. She is so lonely and closed off from all around her. She cannot touch anyone for fear of killing them, and as a result she is starved for touch, desperate to find a Fonte who can withstand her, someone that can simply give her a hug. My heart was so broken for her in the beginning. Her only friend is her twin brother, who technically isn’t even supposed to acknowledge her anymore as a part of her becoming Finestra. After two failed assassination attempts, Alessa seeks out Dante, a street fighter, to be her bodyguard.
Dante *sigh* I love him too. While the story is told almost entirely from Alessa’s perspective, it is so easy to fall in love with him. He is constantly telling Alessa how untrustworthy he is, that he is cruel and unkind. Yet his actions speak louder than his words, which is why Alessa seeks him out in the first place. But there is SO much more to him than meets the eye. He sees Alessa for what she is, a girl blessed with a gift she didn’t want and cursed as a result. He offers her companionship and his own knowledge of the ancient texts may prove useful as he helps her determine a way to work with her Fontes.
This debut took me completely off-guard. Thiede’s world-building is outstanding. I love the blend of fantasy and the Italian-inspired island. She’s built an entire religion and mythology into this book. It’s immersive, beautiful, and haunting all at the same time. I found myself invested in Alessa’s fate within just a few paragraphs of the opening pages. With the Divorando–the demon horde purge from Crollo–approaching, it adds a sense of urgency to the story, conveying Alessa’s desperation to the reader. I could not sit it down!
Overall, I loved This Vicious Grace and eagerly wait its sequel. YA fantasy fans will devour this one and delight in the characters, the world, and the battles that ensue. If you are a fan of YA fantasy and enjoy a little romance with a lot of fun banter, I highly recommend it.
This is my favorite read so far this year, even bumping House of Sky and Breath off the top! This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede is a high fantasy about a girl chosen by the goddess and tasked with saving her home. I absolutely loved the world-building, the desperation of impending doom that haunts every page, and the flickers of hope that flash when we need it.
Alessa was chosen by the goddess when she was 14. She is one of the strongest Finestra the island has ever seen, but that strength is also a curse. As Finestra, Alessa acts as a power amplifier, directing and controlling her Fonte’s gift. However, Alessa’s touch is deadly. She cannot control how much of the Fonte’s power she takes and as a results kills them. Now after three failed Fontes, Alessa is desperate. Her people are questioning if she is from Dea or Crollo, sent to destroy them. After an assassination attempt to bring forth a new Finestra fails, Alessa must find someone she can trust and a Fonte to save her home.
I love Alessa. She is so lonely and closed off from all around her. She cannot touch anyone for fear of killing them, and as a result she is starved for touch, desperate to find a Fonte who can withstand her, someone that can simply give her a hug. My heart was so broken for her in the beginning. Her only friend is her twin brother, who technically isn’t even supposed to acknowledge her anymore as a part of her becoming Finestra. After two failed assassination attempts, Alessa seeks out Dante, a street fighter, to be her bodyguard.
Dante *sigh* I love him too. While the story is told almost entirely from Alessa’s perspective, it is so easy to fall in love with him. He is constantly telling Alessa how untrustworthy he is, that he is cruel and unkind. Yet his actions speak louder than his words, which is why Alessa seeks him out in the first place. But there is SO much more to him than meets the eye. He sees Alessa for what she is, a girl blessed with a gift she didn’t want and cursed as a result. He offers her companionship and his own knowledge of the ancient texts may prove useful as he helps her determine a way to work with her Fontes.
This debut took me completely off-guard. Thiede’s world-building is outstanding. I love the blend of fantasy and the Italian-inspired island. She’s built an entire religion and mythology into this book. It’s immersive, beautiful, and haunting all at the same time. I found myself invested in Alessa’s fate within just a few paragraphs of the opening pages. With the Divorando–the demon horde purge from Crollo–approaching, it adds a sense of urgency to the story, conveying Alessa’s desperation to the reader. I could not sit it down!
Overall, I loved This Vicious Grace and eagerly wait its sequel. YA fantasy fans will devour this one and delight in the characters, the world, and the battles that ensue. If you are a fan of YA fantasy and enjoy a little romance with a lot of fun banter, I highly recommend it.
This Vicious Grace is a debut novel that in no way reads like a debut. Emily Thiede’s novel is another one I urge you to read as soon as you possibly can. First, the premise alone, a woman whose mere touch is fatal and who has had three husbands and three funerals for those husbands, is funny. Granted, it is also tragic, but Ms. Thiede instills humor to lighten the tragedy of Alessa’s life. There is plenty of low-grade spice added to the mix, along with plenty of action and betrayal. Again, I know I am not doing it justice in the slightest. Just know I don’t rave about books that often, so if I am willing to rave about this one, do yourself a favor and read it!
adventurous
hopeful
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
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Despite a couple of pacing issues (once the countdown to the Divorando happened, I felt like a couple of the segments dragged on too long), I really enjoyed this high school YA fantasy. It takes place in a world where every 5 years a catastrophic event, followed by an army of destroying scarebaro (beetles?) come to destroy the islands where Alessa lives. However, the gods have chosen a Finestra (aka Alessa) who can channel other people's power and magnify it to protect the city. However, Alessa keeps killing her partners accidentally and the Divorando is still coming and the people are starting to turn against her, until she hires a grumpy bodyguard to help her. The romance was light-hearted fun to offset the darkness of the plot. The world isn't overly explained, though it sounds like more development will happen in the second book, which I am very excited to read. I especially liked the development of the secondary characters--usually not as well done as this book had!
Despite it taking me forever to read this, I really enjoyed my experience with this book. I was just in a slump, and didn’t have the motivation to read. However, was I not in a slump this would have been so quick because when I was reading, putting this book down was impossible. Emily Thiede seamlessly blended the genres of fantasy and romantic comedy in a way I thought impossible. Her writing was, for me, reminiscent of Gina Chen’s in Violet Made of Thorns. It’s witty, sharp, and full of innuendos that had me cackling.
The characters voice’s were each so different, that even though we really only get this story from Alessa’s POV, every character got their moment to dance off the page and have strong personalities. The friendships that Alessa ended up having with the Fontes was so touching to watch, knowing what we do about our main character (keeping this spoiler free).
Dante was my favorite character by far. His reluctance to open up, his tragic backstory, and his witty humor captured my heart immediately. He definitely as a “I hate everyone but her” attitude, and I ate that shit UP! The romance was precious, and while I definitely cried more than once, it was so worth it.
I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the sequel!
The characters voice’s were each so different, that even though we really only get this story from Alessa’s POV, every character got their moment to dance off the page and have strong personalities. The friendships that Alessa ended up having with the Fontes was so touching to watch, knowing what we do about our main character (keeping this spoiler free).
Dante was my favorite character by far. His reluctance to open up, his tragic backstory, and his witty humor captured my heart immediately. He definitely as a “I hate everyone but her” attitude, and I ate that shit UP! The romance was precious, and while I definitely cried more than once, it was so worth it.
I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the sequel!
The beginning to middle was good, and the last 15 pages were good. There was a ~60 page stretch that was really boring, right before the end. Four stars!
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books.
Alessa is a Finestra, chosen by the goddess Dea to protect humanity by fending off demons who will attack her island on the day of Divorando. To do so she needs to bond with a Fonte and magnify their power as she prepares for the return of Crollo's demons named scarabeo. Three partnerships and three funerals later, Alessa’s power has turned deadly, killing each of her chosen suitors and inciting rebellion among the population outside the Citadel's gates. Desperate, when even her own guards turn against her, Alessa hires a reluctant street-fighter to become her personal bodyguard. Dante may be the only person who can help her master her deadly gift before time runs out.
This Vicious Grace had a lot of potential, but fell flat. The concept which includes a lot of Italian influences could've been more interesting if the story moved at a faster pace, had better dialogue and the characters weren't so one dimensional. The writing did nothing to help the story. At times, it felt like certain friendships were forced together to keep the push the plot forward without filling in the blanks to explain the changed dynamic. There needs to be more to relationships than banter to help solidify them. In addition, the urgency of the impending situation was lacking, especially when you consider how everyones lives were at stake.
I think it's also important to note that This Vicious Grace explores events and actions that may be triggering to some readers including war, violence, attempted murder, suicidal ideation, death of parents (past), physical injury and death.
Despite the cover being absolutely gorgeous, I wish there was more focus on the fantasy elements than the predictable romance. I didn't fully understand the world, making it much more difficult to enjoy. If the characters were more developed I may have cared about the outcome too. I hope others are still able to find some joy out of this story and I most likely would still read any continuation.
Alessa is a Finestra, chosen by the goddess Dea to protect humanity by fending off demons who will attack her island on the day of Divorando. To do so she needs to bond with a Fonte and magnify their power as she prepares for the return of Crollo's demons named scarabeo. Three partnerships and three funerals later, Alessa’s power has turned deadly, killing each of her chosen suitors and inciting rebellion among the population outside the Citadel's gates. Desperate, when even her own guards turn against her, Alessa hires a reluctant street-fighter to become her personal bodyguard. Dante may be the only person who can help her master her deadly gift before time runs out.
This Vicious Grace had a lot of potential, but fell flat. The concept which includes a lot of Italian influences could've been more interesting if the story moved at a faster pace, had better dialogue and the characters weren't so one dimensional. The writing did nothing to help the story. At times, it felt like certain friendships were forced together to keep the push the plot forward without filling in the blanks to explain the changed dynamic. There needs to be more to relationships than banter to help solidify them. In addition, the urgency of the impending situation was lacking, especially when you consider how everyones lives were at stake.
I think it's also important to note that This Vicious Grace explores events and actions that may be triggering to some readers including war, violence, attempted murder, suicidal ideation, death of parents (past), physical injury and death.
Despite the cover being absolutely gorgeous, I wish there was more focus on the fantasy elements than the predictable romance. I didn't fully understand the world, making it much more difficult to enjoy. If the characters were more developed I may have cared about the outcome too. I hope others are still able to find some joy out of this story and I most likely would still read any continuation.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Italian review (the English one below)
Pensavo sarebbe stata una lettura fantastica, invece sfortunatamente mi ha deluso tantissimo!
Almeno la cover è veramente stupenda e molto aesthetic!
Prima di passare alla recensione voglio raccontare in breve le trama per dare un’idea della storia narrata in questo romanzo.
Alessa Paladino è una Finestra, cioè una ragazza prescelta dagli dei che dovrebbe amplificare la magia del partner suo chiamato Fonte, ma c’è un problema, ogni Fonte che viene toccata da Alessa muore!
Nel frattempo mancano poche settimane prima che un esercito di demoni arrivi sull’isola di Saverio, e Alessa è alla disperata ricerca di una Fonte con cui fermare l’invasione e salvare Saverio.
A peggiorare la situazione, un potente sacerdote convince i fedeli che uccidere Alessa è l’unica soluzione per salvare l’isola, così Alessa, nel disperato tentativo di sopravvivere assume un assassino, Dante, per diventare il suo bodyguard personale e proteggerla; ma anche Dante ha degli oscuri segreti che potrebbero compromettere la sicurezza di Alessa e del regno.
Questo libro poteva avere veramente tanto potenziale ma secondo me non è stato sfruttato al meglio. Le cose che non hanno funzionato per me sono: la caratterizzazione dei personaggi, la trama molto prevedibile e forse troppo a fuoco sulle vicende centrali tanto da lasciare abbozzato tutto il contesto e le trame minori e infine anche il ritmo della storia a parer mio era troppo lento e macchinoso.
Passando al romance, Dante e Alessa mi sono piaciuti come coppia, ma le loro scene sono state abbastanza mediocri, un po' come lo è stato tutto il libro.
Gli elementi invece positivi del romanzo sono stati sicuramente il fatto che è una lettura molto divertente e alcune scene e situazioni mi hanno fatto veramente ridere, anche i personaggi secondari mi sono piaciuti molto, quasi di più dei personaggi principali.
Infine, essendo io Italiano ho apprezzato anche il fatto che fosse un romanzo basato sulla cultura italiana e ambientato in una fittizia isola italiana, anche se sfortunatamente molte parole e citazioni presenti all’inizio dei capitoli erano scritte in modo sbagliato e non in Italiano corretto e anche alcuni nomi propri utilizzati non sono veri nomi Italiani e sono abbastanza cringe (per esempio Divorando e Crollo non esistono come nomi propri in Italiano).
Peccato, poteva essere veramente un bel libro ma mi ha lasciato abbastanza deluso e non mi ha suscitato niente.
Consiglio comunque di dargli un’opportunità se avete amato Kingdom of the Wicked, Shatter Me o Serpent&Dove.
Grazie a Netgalley, Hodder&Stoughton e Emily Thiede per avermi fornito questo ARC in cambio di una recensione onesta, tutte le opinioni e i pensieri sono miei.
-----------------------------
English Review
I thought it would be a fantastic read, but unfortunately it disappointed me a lot!
At least the cover is really gorgeous and very aesthetic!
Before diving into the review I want to tell in a nutshell the plot to give an idea of the story told in this novel.
Alessa Paladino is a Finestra, a girl chosen by the gods who should amplify the magic of her partner called Fonte, but there is a problem, every Fonte that is touched by Alessa dies!
In the meantime, there are only a few weeks left before an army of demons arrives on the island of Saverio, and Alessa is desperate to find a Fonte to stop the invasion and save Saverio.
To make everything worse, a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the only solution to save the island, so Alessa, in a desperate attempt to survive, hires a killer, Dante, to become her personal bodyguard and protect her; but Dante also has dark secrets that could compromise the safety of Alessa and her kingdom.
This book could have really had a lot of potential but in my opinion it has not been exploited to the fullest. The things that did not work for me are: the characterization of the characters, the very predictable plot, perhaps too focused on the central events so as to leave the whole context and minor plots sketched and not explained and also the rhythm of the story in my opinion was too much slow.
Moving on to romance, I liked Dante and Alessa as a couple, but their scenes were pretty mediocre, just like the whole book was.
The positive elements of the novel were certainly the fact that it is a very funny reading and some situations made me really laugh, I also really liked the secondary characters, almost more than the main characters.
Finally, being Italian I also appreciated the fact that it was a novel based on Italian culture and set in a fictitious Italian island, even if unfortunately many words and quotes at the beginning of the chapters were written incorrectly and even some names used are not real Italian names and are quite cringe (for example Divorando and Crollo do not exist as proper names in Italian).
it's a shame! It could have been a really good book but it left me quite disappointed and unfortunately it didn't make me feel anything.
However, I recommend giving it a chance if you loved Kingdom of the Wicked, Shatter Me or Serpent & Dove.
Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder&Stoughton and Emily Thiede for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review, all opinions and thoughts are mine.
Pensavo sarebbe stata una lettura fantastica, invece sfortunatamente mi ha deluso tantissimo!
Almeno la cover è veramente stupenda e molto aesthetic!
Prima di passare alla recensione voglio raccontare in breve le trama per dare un’idea della storia narrata in questo romanzo.
Alessa Paladino è una Finestra, cioè una ragazza prescelta dagli dei che dovrebbe amplificare la magia del partner suo chiamato Fonte, ma c’è un problema, ogni Fonte che viene toccata da Alessa muore!
Nel frattempo mancano poche settimane prima che un esercito di demoni arrivi sull’isola di Saverio, e Alessa è alla disperata ricerca di una Fonte con cui fermare l’invasione e salvare Saverio.
A peggiorare la situazione, un potente sacerdote convince i fedeli che uccidere Alessa è l’unica soluzione per salvare l’isola, così Alessa, nel disperato tentativo di sopravvivere assume un assassino, Dante, per diventare il suo bodyguard personale e proteggerla; ma anche Dante ha degli oscuri segreti che potrebbero compromettere la sicurezza di Alessa e del regno.
Questo libro poteva avere veramente tanto potenziale ma secondo me non è stato sfruttato al meglio. Le cose che non hanno funzionato per me sono: la caratterizzazione dei personaggi, la trama molto prevedibile e forse troppo a fuoco sulle vicende centrali tanto da lasciare abbozzato tutto il contesto e le trame minori e infine anche il ritmo della storia a parer mio era troppo lento e macchinoso.
Passando al romance, Dante e Alessa mi sono piaciuti come coppia, ma le loro scene sono state abbastanza mediocri, un po' come lo è stato tutto il libro.
Gli elementi invece positivi del romanzo sono stati sicuramente il fatto che è una lettura molto divertente e alcune scene e situazioni mi hanno fatto veramente ridere, anche i personaggi secondari mi sono piaciuti molto, quasi di più dei personaggi principali.
Infine, essendo io Italiano ho apprezzato anche il fatto che fosse un romanzo basato sulla cultura italiana e ambientato in una fittizia isola italiana, anche se sfortunatamente molte parole e citazioni presenti all’inizio dei capitoli erano scritte in modo sbagliato e non in Italiano corretto e anche alcuni nomi propri utilizzati non sono veri nomi Italiani e sono abbastanza cringe (per esempio Divorando e Crollo non esistono come nomi propri in Italiano).
Peccato, poteva essere veramente un bel libro ma mi ha lasciato abbastanza deluso e non mi ha suscitato niente.
Consiglio comunque di dargli un’opportunità se avete amato Kingdom of the Wicked, Shatter Me o Serpent&Dove.
Grazie a Netgalley, Hodder&Stoughton e Emily Thiede per avermi fornito questo ARC in cambio di una recensione onesta, tutte le opinioni e i pensieri sono miei.
-----------------------------
English Review
I thought it would be a fantastic read, but unfortunately it disappointed me a lot!
At least the cover is really gorgeous and very aesthetic!
Before diving into the review I want to tell in a nutshell the plot to give an idea of the story told in this novel.
Alessa Paladino is a Finestra, a girl chosen by the gods who should amplify the magic of her partner called Fonte, but there is a problem, every Fonte that is touched by Alessa dies!
In the meantime, there are only a few weeks left before an army of demons arrives on the island of Saverio, and Alessa is desperate to find a Fonte to stop the invasion and save Saverio.
To make everything worse, a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the only solution to save the island, so Alessa, in a desperate attempt to survive, hires a killer, Dante, to become her personal bodyguard and protect her; but Dante also has dark secrets that could compromise the safety of Alessa and her kingdom.
This book could have really had a lot of potential but in my opinion it has not been exploited to the fullest. The things that did not work for me are: the characterization of the characters, the very predictable plot, perhaps too focused on the central events so as to leave the whole context and minor plots sketched and not explained and also the rhythm of the story in my opinion was too much slow.
Moving on to romance, I liked Dante and Alessa as a couple, but their scenes were pretty mediocre, just like the whole book was.
The positive elements of the novel were certainly the fact that it is a very funny reading and some situations made me really laugh, I also really liked the secondary characters, almost more than the main characters.
Finally, being Italian I also appreciated the fact that it was a novel based on Italian culture and set in a fictitious Italian island, even if unfortunately many words and quotes at the beginning of the chapters were written incorrectly and even some names used are not real Italian names and are quite cringe (for example Divorando and Crollo do not exist as proper names in Italian).
it's a shame! It could have been a really good book but it left me quite disappointed and unfortunately it didn't make me feel anything.
However, I recommend giving it a chance if you loved Kingdom of the Wicked, Shatter Me or Serpent & Dove.
Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder&Stoughton and Emily Thiede for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review, all opinions and thoughts are mine.