Publishing Date: July 31, 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Young Adult Fantasy
The Premise from the Publisher: "Serina Tessaro has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace--someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. It's her chance to secure a better life for her family, and to keep her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, out of trouble. But when Nomi catches the Heir's eye instead, Serina is the one who takes the fall for the dangerous secret her sister has been hiding. Trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one option: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to save Serina. But this is easier said than done.... A traitor walks the halls of the palazzo, and deception lurks in every corner. Meanwhile Serina is running out of time. Imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive, surrounded by women stronger than she is, one wrong move could cost her everything. There is no room for weakness on Mount Ruin, especially weaknesses of the heart. Thrilling and captivating, Grace and Fury is a story of fierce sisterhood, and of survival in a world that's determined to break you" (LB).
My overall thoughts and review: As some of you may know now, I'm not a huge fantasy reader. I like fantasy books, but I don't read them so often because it takes a lot to immerse yourself into the world, and it's hard for me to jump into a new world so soon after that. And because I haven't read a ton of fantasy, it's not very often that I read one and it completely blows me away. That was the case with Indigo's August Staff Pick of the Month, Grace and Fury! The last fantasy YA book that I read also happens to be an Indigo Staff Pick of the Month - Everless by Sara Holland - the Indigo SPOTMs have been really good with picking their fantasy picks! ;)
I had heard good reviews from my fellow staff members and bookish friends about how feminist this book was and I'm all for that. I read a bit on my trip away and once I got home, I absolutely devoured this book and could not put it down. The book follows two perspectives: Serina and Nomi. Serina has been prepared to become a Grace, and her sister Nomi, her handmaiden. This is the future that would've been best for them and their family, but things don't go that way, when Nomi is chosen as a Grace and Serina is sent off to Mount Ruin, a prison essentially for women. In this world that Banghart has created, women are to be submissive and aren't allowed to read. They essentially have no rights and are meant to simply play the role that the men in this world have created for them. The sad part is that some men in this world take pleasure in breaking the will of women. Despite that, I loved seeing how both sisters adapted to their new roles and were able to find ways they could stand up to the patriarchy. Although apart, every action one did, they thought of the other. They were able to find likely allies in their new surroundings and I loved that Banghart demonstrated sisterhood is possible even if it isn't blood related. I did see a couple of the twists and turns coming, and in some cases, that would deter me since I figured it out, but in this case, it just made me happy that Banghart went a certain direction instead. In cases where sisterhood and family are involved, some stories can often portray such a volatile relationship that gets caught up in selfishness and betrayal, and I loved that Banghart demonstrated something that can overcome that, something more. Despite not knowing where the other is, and how they are doing in their new surroundings, Serina and Nomi, both loved one another deeply, and they both really demonstrated the importance of family. The book definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I hope that means that there are many more books in this series to come. I LOVED this and I would highly recommend this for fans of Sarah J. Maas!
My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮✮ (5/5 stars)
Available for purchase at:
Chapters/Indigo
Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book from Indigo Books & Music Inc. in exchange for an honest review.* #IndigoEmployee
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