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A review by carriepond
This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede
adventurous
hopeful
fast-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? It's complicated
4.25
My book club chose This Vicious Grace for this month's read, and I have to admit I approached it with a little skepticism. I have found YA fantasy romance books to be a mixed bag for me-- sometimes I love them and am totally swept away, and other times I find them annoying, with the storytelling not outweighing some of the common tropes that make me roll my eyes. I am pleased to say that Emily Thiede's debut novel falls into the "totally swept me away" category.
This Vicious Grace is a riff on oft-used "chosen one" trope-- our heroine, eighteen-year-old Alessa, is a Finestra, chosen once in a generation by the goddess Dea to save Saverio, their island home. Finestras have the power to amplify the magical gifts of their bonded partners, called Fontes, which makes them the perfect weapon for battling the insect-like demons called scarabeos that invade the island during an attack called the Divorino. When the novel opens, Alessa is mourning the death of her third Fonte, killed because Alessa has been unable to harness and control her power. The Divorino will begin any day, and the Fontes' death has left Alessa shaken and has started rumblings in the town-- fueled by the sermons of a zealous priest named Ivini-- that Alessa herself is a demon, rather than a savior. After thwarting an attempt on her life by a would-be-assassin, who Alessa realizes was one of her guards, Alessa hires Dante, an outsider with a heart of gold and bod of steel, to be her bodyguard.
This was a really strong debut novel. The most compelling part for me was the relationship between Alessa and Dante, which had great banter and felt very natural. I loved how Thiede made them make sense-- they are both outsiders for a variety of reasons, with reasons to question the status quo, and they're both lonely, isolated from friendship and family for so long that they were able to develop a really strong bond quickly. I also loved how, although Alessa and Dante were the main event, there were a lot of side characters who had mini story arcs, so to speak, which leaves a lot of room to build on in the second installment.
And, speaking of the second installment, I very much appreciate how the big plot points were pretty much tied up by the end of the book. Lest I spoil anything, I won't go into detail, but Thiede leaves us lots to look forward to, with some unresolved issues and a preview of challenges to come rather than leaving the reader hanging with an extreme cliffhanger, which is something that annoys me for planned multi-book series. This Vicious Grace could stand on its own without reading the next installment, but Thiede creates such compelling characters that I am looking forward to returning to their world, no manipulation-by-cliffhanger needed!
I think the main place the book showed Thiede's first-time author status was the magic system. It wasn't fleshed out as much as I'd like, and what there was came in several info dumps toward the beginning, so I had a hard time understanding how it worked and what was at stake. But honestly, I was willing to shrug that off because I was enjoying everything else about it.
I recommend This Vicious Grace to anyone who enjoys YA, especially YA fantasy, to folks who are looking to be transported to a pretty cool world for a little while, or those who like romances with witty banter that feel genuine. I will definitely read Thiede's follow-up, which comes out in August!
This was a really strong debut novel. The most compelling part for me was the relationship between Alessa and Dante, which had great banter and felt very natural. I loved how Thiede made them make sense-- they are both outsiders for a variety of reasons, with reasons to question the status quo, and they're both lonely, isolated from friendship and family for so long that they were able to develop a really strong bond quickly. I also loved how, although Alessa and Dante were the main event, there were a lot of side characters who had mini story arcs, so to speak, which leaves a lot of room to build on in the second installment.
And, speaking of the second installment, I very much appreciate how the big plot points were pretty much tied up by the end of the book. Lest I spoil anything, I won't go into detail, but Thiede leaves us lots to look forward to, with some unresolved issues and a preview of challenges to come rather than leaving the reader hanging with an extreme cliffhanger, which is something that annoys me for planned multi-book series. This Vicious Grace could stand on its own without reading the next installment, but Thiede creates such compelling characters that I am looking forward to returning to their world, no manipulation-by-cliffhanger needed!
I think the main place the book showed Thiede's first-time author status was the magic system. It wasn't fleshed out as much as I'd like, and what there was came in several info dumps toward the beginning, so I had a hard time understanding how it worked and what was at stake. But honestly, I was willing to shrug that off because I was enjoying everything else about it.
I recommend This Vicious Grace to anyone who enjoys YA, especially YA fantasy, to folks who are looking to be transported to a pretty cool world for a little while, or those who like romances with witty banter that feel genuine. I will definitely read Thiede's follow-up, which comes out in August!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts