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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
i dnfed this book about 150 pages in. i was not remotely interested in the characters and alessa seemed to have no real redeeming qualities to her. i understand it’s supposed to be a slow burn but i was so bored. i’m still confused about the world building and the conflict didn’t seem important enough to grab me.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
I DON'T LIKE ROMANCE.
This is pretty good romance. Fun worldbuilding, light enough to not slow you down, incredibly good banter between the main character and love interest. I liked a lot of the supporting cast and HATED some of them, job well done there. The plot didn't drag or race and the character development felt fun and interesting. I really, really, genuinely enjoyed the hell out of this YA fantasy. It made me laugh and smile and laugh again. Interested in a book 2.
This is pretty good romance. Fun worldbuilding, light enough to not slow you down, incredibly good banter between the main character and love interest. I liked a lot of the supporting cast and HATED some of them, job well done there. The plot didn't drag or race and the character development felt fun and interesting. I really, really, genuinely enjoyed the hell out of this YA fantasy. It made me laugh and smile and laugh again. Interested in a book 2.
I love, love, loved this book. I loved the world, the magic system, the setting. I loved the characters and the focus on found family. And I loooooved the main relationship. This book was unique, captivating, and simply wonderful. Completely recommend.
emotional
funny
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
adventurous
emotional
medium-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:
Yes
I’m so stressed by how good this was. I also regret reading this when there’s a whole year left til the next book.
This Vicious Grace was so much fun that I couldn’t put it and yet wanted to read it slow enough to savour it. It has a grumpy bodyguard, amazing characters that come together, and the threat of the world ending.
I loved everything about this book. The banter alone deserved 5 stars. The climax was amazing and I love how the sequel is being set up. My stomach is twisting with knots just thinking about how stressful the next book will be.
This Vicious Grace was so much fun that I couldn’t put it and yet wanted to read it slow enough to savour it. It has a grumpy bodyguard, amazing characters that come together, and the threat of the world ending.
I loved everything about this book. The banter alone deserved 5 stars. The climax was amazing and I love how the sequel is being set up. My stomach is twisting with knots just thinking about how stressful the next book will be.
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
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: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation
5/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: fantasy, magic, found family, assassinations, end of the world, fantasy!Italy, messy protagonists, LGBTQ+ characters
Big thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Emily Thiede for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Saverio is on the brink of rebellion. Not one of governments, though, one of religion. After accidentally killing her third Fonte, the people of Saverio have by and large lost their faith in Alessa. It doesn't help that Ivini is spreading awful rumors around, but even without him the people are having a crisis of faith. It's an interesting backdrop for things, because no one is running and hiding from the guards/soldiers, no one is truly meeting in back alleys (at least not for long), and there's not wave after wave of arrests. I liked the take on rebellion that's shown here because it's less about rebellion and more about a quiet slipping away of belief and confidence. I thought it was very very interesting the way Thiede showed how faith can be manipulated until it's wrong but the people still believe it's right.
Alessa is stuck in a bad position, harming or killing anyone she touches and lauded as the next savior of the world...but she just wants to be able to hug her brother (and other people) without hurting them. She seems to manage quite well with gallows humor and making herself as small as possible, but just because it helps her cope doesn't mean it takes away the sting of people fearing her. Alessa was interesting to read because in some instances she really did act like someone who is supposed to be the next savior, but then other times she acted like a girl thrust into power and responsibility too soon. I think Thiede did a good job capturing how the weight of that responsibility can weigh on someone and alter who they are. Of course, Alessa is still someone who loves romance books and is a bit clumsy at times, but I think the mix of those two things makes her feel more real.
Dante is quite obviously the love interest from the beginning, but that's fine, no one else really wants to contend. He's surly and moody, but he has a soft spot for people in need and those who have had injustice done to them. I liked that Thiede made it so that he desperately wants to be seen as this horrible person but just...isn't. In terms of guilt, he and Alessa make a pretty good pair. I thought Dante was pretty funny, and he does end up being a good friend to Alessa when she needs it. His secret was not at all what I was expecting it to be, though it still kind of worked out the way I was expecting.
This book really takes the idea 'no man is an island' seriously. The isolation that Alessa faces is obviously not good for her, but there's this mentality that every other Finestra did it so she should be fine. The distance between her and others only means that Alessa is starved for human contact (and conversation), and that she never really learned how to control her powers around other people. I think there's something to be said for Adrick still coming to see her, but the whole thing with the rest of her family being cut off is still obviously harmful (though I do want to meet Alessa adn Adrick's Nonna, she sounds amazing). The world this book takes place in seems to have at least some of the same knowledge that this one does in terms of medicine and psychology, so I'd be curious to hear their justification for the isolation other than 'tradition.'
The Fontes (Fonti) are the magic suitors Alessa is supposed to choose from. Except, they're all terrified of her because she killed the last three. Their reservations are understandable, and for the most part they're still polite to Alessa. It grew easier to like them as the book went on and, by the end, I liked all of them (even Kaleb). I enjoyed the way they all worked together and joked and think they made a good friend group. Kaleb and Dante's unexpected friendship is also something I enjoyed and honestly found to be kind of funny.
I really liked how the characters (Alessa) resolved things. It really fit perfectly and was one of those solutions that was just so subtly foreshadowed that it worked great. The other...solution? mystery? was another one of those that I think worked out so well and it was just right there the entire time but no one really took the time to look.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one. I hope Alessa and the Fontes keep their friendship going because that was honestly one of my favorite parts of the book. Kamaria and Kaleb are probably my two favorite side characters, so I'm also hoping to get more of them. I'm also eager to see how everyone goes about solving the next problem that arises (especially since I can see exactly how Ivini might use it as an excuse to cause even more problems).
Recommended for people who like: fantasy, magic, found family, assassinations, end of the world, fantasy!Italy, messy protagonists, LGBTQ+ characters
Big thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Emily Thiede for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Saverio is on the brink of rebellion. Not one of governments, though, one of religion. After accidentally killing her third Fonte, the people of Saverio have by and large lost their faith in Alessa. It doesn't help that Ivini is spreading awful rumors around, but even without him the people are having a crisis of faith. It's an interesting backdrop for things, because no one is running and hiding from the guards/soldiers, no one is truly meeting in back alleys (at least not for long), and there's not wave after wave of arrests. I liked the take on rebellion that's shown here because it's less about rebellion and more about a quiet slipping away of belief and confidence. I thought it was very very interesting the way Thiede showed how faith can be manipulated until it's wrong but the people still believe it's right.
Alessa is stuck in a bad position, harming or killing anyone she touches and lauded as the next savior of the world...but she just wants to be able to hug her brother (and other people) without hurting them. She seems to manage quite well with gallows humor and making herself as small as possible, but just because it helps her cope doesn't mean it takes away the sting of people fearing her. Alessa was interesting to read because in some instances she really did act like someone who is supposed to be the next savior, but then other times she acted like a girl thrust into power and responsibility too soon. I think Thiede did a good job capturing how the weight of that responsibility can weigh on someone and alter who they are. Of course, Alessa is still someone who loves romance books and is a bit clumsy at times, but I think the mix of those two things makes her feel more real.
Dante is quite obviously the love interest from the beginning, but that's fine, no one else really wants to contend. He's surly and moody, but he has a soft spot for people in need and those who have had injustice done to them. I liked that Thiede made it so that he desperately wants to be seen as this horrible person but just...isn't. In terms of guilt, he and Alessa make a pretty good pair. I thought Dante was pretty funny, and he does end up being a good friend to Alessa when she needs it. His secret was not at all what I was expecting it to be, though it still kind of worked out the way I was expecting.
This book really takes the idea 'no man is an island' seriously. The isolation that Alessa faces is obviously not good for her, but there's this mentality that every other Finestra did it so she should be fine. The distance between her and others only means that Alessa is starved for human contact (and conversation), and that she never really learned how to control her powers around other people. I think there's something to be said for Adrick still coming to see her, but the whole thing with the rest of her family being cut off is still obviously harmful (though I do want to meet Alessa adn Adrick's Nonna, she sounds amazing). The world this book takes place in seems to have at least some of the same knowledge that this one does in terms of medicine and psychology, so I'd be curious to hear their justification for the isolation other than 'tradition.'
The Fontes (Fonti) are the magic suitors Alessa is supposed to choose from. Except, they're all terrified of her because she killed the last three. Their reservations are understandable, and for the most part they're still polite to Alessa. It grew easier to like them as the book went on and, by the end, I liked all of them (even Kaleb). I enjoyed the way they all worked together and joked and think they made a good friend group. Kaleb and Dante's unexpected friendship is also something I enjoyed and honestly found to be kind of funny.
I really liked how the characters (Alessa) resolved things. It really fit perfectly and was one of those solutions that was just so subtly foreshadowed that it worked great. The other...solution? mystery? was another one of those that I think worked out so well and it was just right there the entire time but no one really took the time to look.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one. I hope Alessa and the Fontes keep their friendship going because that was honestly one of my favorite parts of the book. Kamaria and Kaleb are probably my two favorite side characters, so I'm also hoping to get more of them. I'm also eager to see how everyone goes about solving the next problem that arises (especially since I can see exactly how Ivini might use it as an excuse to cause even more problems).