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A review by bookstarbri
This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
WHERE DO I BEGIN?
Wow. This was so cool. As soon as the book started, we're immediately thrown into this immersive fantasy world. This book requires a good bit of world building in its early pages in order for everything to make sense. That being said, it does mean a lot of info dumping early on. I didn't mind it in this case because it was really interesting and in depth but still concise enough to keep the story going. I was initially a little confused on everything, but it started to click pretty easily and then by chapter 10, I think, it was really rolling and the story's momentum truly picked up. And, when it did, it was pure perfection. I love Alessa so very much. She's SUCH a good MC. She has so many great qualities, but is also flawed. I think my favorite thing about her was how often she surprised me while still feeling like a true character with clear motivations. She and the love interest were a wonderful match. A new favorite book couple for sure. Their chemistry was evident early on and the banter was top tier! The side characters were also fun. They were pretty mild at first but then really developed right along with Alessa, making them a wonderful found family all fighting for a common goal. The friendship between Kaleb and Kamaria and Kaleb and Dante especially were big highlights for me. Kaleb might be my favorite side character ever tbh.
I also have to say that the dialogue and writing were fantastic. The fantasy of it all was super cool and I'd honestly love a little bit more in book 2, which I'm sure we'll get based on the ending. The gods system was super interesting to me. I love how often this book subverted my expectations. It's a YA, so I thought it would follow certain common tropes in the plot, and was relieved when it didn't. When I thought it was going to go a certain way, it intentionally didn't. It made reading this so much fun because every step of the way was refreshing and new. I'm tempted to do a reread already and it's not even out yet! I think this will for sure be a favorite for me this year! I'm anxiously awaiting book 2!!
This is technically YA, but it's definitely older. The MC is 18 and love interest is 19/20. The other characters are older teenagers as well.
Thank you to the author, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. This was so cool. As soon as the book started, we're immediately thrown into this immersive fantasy world. This book requires a good bit of world building in its early pages in order for everything to make sense. That being said, it does mean a lot of info dumping early on. I didn't mind it in this case because it was really interesting and in depth but still concise enough to keep the story going. I was initially a little confused on everything, but it started to click pretty easily and then by chapter 10, I think, it was really rolling and the story's momentum truly picked up. And, when it did, it was pure perfection. I love Alessa so very much. She's SUCH a good MC. She has so many great qualities, but is also flawed. I think my favorite thing about her was how often she surprised me while still feeling like a true character with clear motivations. She and the love interest were a wonderful match. A new favorite book couple for sure. Their chemistry was evident early on and the banter was top tier! The side characters were also fun. They were pretty mild at first but then really developed right along with Alessa, making them a wonderful found family all fighting for a common goal. The friendship between Kaleb and Kamaria and Kaleb and Dante especially were big highlights for me. Kaleb might be my favorite side character ever tbh.
I also have to say that the dialogue and writing were fantastic. The fantasy of it all was super cool and I'd honestly love a little bit more in book 2, which I'm sure we'll get based on the ending. The gods system was super interesting to me. I love how often this book subverted my expectations. It's a YA, so I thought it would follow certain common tropes in the plot, and was relieved when it didn't. When I thought it was going to go a certain way, it intentionally didn't. It made reading this so much fun because every step of the way was refreshing and new. I'm tempted to do a reread already and it's not even out yet! I think this will for sure be a favorite for me this year! I'm anxiously awaiting book 2!!
This is technically YA, but it's definitely older. The MC is 18 and love interest is 19/20. The other characters are older teenagers as well.
Thank you to the author, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: War, Blood, Death, and Violence