A review by ehmannky
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Overall, this is a really great book! I thought it was a well-written wild ride, with a lot to say about finding community, that revolutions are not made by single acts, but rather by finding and creating community, and what it means to refuse to participate in a cycle of violence. 

The biggest issues I had with this book were that Ryker, the love interest, felt incredibly flat. I truly could not fathom what drew Tierney to him or why he was so irresistible given that he has definitely skinned girls like her alive before. And it's honestly never addressed, which felt weird given that Tierney calls out the other men in her life for being complicit in terrible systems. I get he's also a victim, but there was barely even a throwaway line. Also, the last, like, three paragraphs were nonsense.   
If Tierney dies in childbirth, what was the purpose of her learning how to tell ally from enemy, how to navigate a system by finding community, that she's part of something bigger? It felt like nothing and I truly felt the last few paragraphs just rendered Tierney's revelations so pointless.
 
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