Scan barcode
A review by hellocookie
Extasia by Claire Legrand
4.0
The best way that I can quickly summarize Extasia is by comparison. It’s kind of The Handmaid’s Tale x The Grace Year and maybe a bit The Village x The VVitch. The story revolves around a young woman in a puritanical village in the years after the world is destroyed in some sort of catastrophic event. Girls are anointed as saints and meant to help absorb the sins of the town, allowing everyone to be saved and live peacefully. But men are being murdered and eyes turn to Amity, the eldest daughter of the family of the High Elder, who lives in the shadow of a sin her mother committed.
After having ready Legrand’s Furyborn books, there are definitely themes that emerge from her storytelling. There’s clearly a big exploration of society’s views of women as well as how we treat them. Religion, fanaticism, and authority seem to have a place in Legrand’s writing as well. You can feel her passion for exploring this behind her stories and in the voice of the characters.
I’m not sure how I ultimately felt about this book, to be honest. It felt like a bit of a tough read due to the themes and sometimes heavy content. Things only really picked up for me in Part IV of the book, which is nearly 400 pages in. The ending is definitely the best part of it as things finally come together. I think I struggled with the overall pacing of the story here though. An intriguing concept—and I do love me a book about horrible people getting exactly what they deserve—but it didn’t resonate with me overall.
After having ready Legrand’s Furyborn books, there are definitely themes that emerge from her storytelling. There’s clearly a big exploration of society’s views of women as well as how we treat them. Religion, fanaticism, and authority seem to have a place in Legrand’s writing as well. You can feel her passion for exploring this behind her stories and in the voice of the characters.
I’m not sure how I ultimately felt about this book, to be honest. It felt like a bit of a tough read due to the themes and sometimes heavy content. Things only really picked up for me in Part IV of the book, which is nearly 400 pages in. The ending is definitely the best part of it as things finally come together. I think I struggled with the overall pacing of the story here though. An intriguing concept—and I do love me a book about horrible people getting exactly what they deserve—but it didn’t resonate with me overall.