A dark, real, and raw portrayal of misogyny, The Grace Year is a novel that can hardly be put down. The book follows the story of a sixteen-year-old rebellious girl, Tierny, living in a male-dominated society with women being oppressed and shunned every single day. Think of every basic thing that women can do in our world, and it’s likely not allowed in Garner County where Tierny lives. Women can’t be seen around men with their hair down, they are forced into arranged marriages decided solely by the men of the county, they are hung for unexplained reasons, they are not allowed to be with whomever they love, and worse of all, they are treated as objects with dangerous magic. To rid themselves of this magic that puts the men at risk, they are sent away for a year when they turn sixteen. Strangely enough, each year only a fraction of the girls who left come back. They are the grace year girls, banished to a faraway camp with limited supplies, surrounded by poachers who seek them for their supposedly magical properties. If they are poached, they will be skinned alive and sold for their parts. To protect them from said poachers, their camp is enclosed by a fence, but most dangers lie within. After a few months at the camp, the girls begin to lose their touch with reality and go wild. They laugh and kill and drive each other away. A beautiful mix between Lord of the Flies and The Handmaid’s Tale, The Grace Year tells the story of those often untold, but are the girls the hunters or the prey?

I most certainly loved the book. It covers a very sensitive topic that is much more realistic than one might think at first glance. I finished the book in one day because I simply couldn’t put it down. Firstly, I believe there was lots of self-awareness from the characters which I loved. One thing I hate most about protagonists is when they are always right and perfect and can do no wrong. That’s not the case for Tierny or any of the other characters. They all have their flaws and choose to accept them and try to grow from them. Secondly, the plot was very well-thought out. It’s clear that the plot was meticulously written. The twists are both predictable and unexpected at the same time. Some seem obvious, but they still shock you when they actually occur. Others are truly unforeseen. This makes the reader feel on-edge at all times but also like they have some sort of control over the events. Moreover, the characters were quite well developed. With the exception of a few which I felt could have used a bit more development, both main and side characters alike got their own endings and were able to grow and mature into the people they were destined to be. Even those who weren’t super well-developed served their purpose in the story. Lastly, I love the message of the book. As I said, the topics covered are not light and I don’t want to spoil anything. However, I still want to express how much I loved the weight of the topics. Oftentimes in YA books, heavy topics are glazed over just to say that they were covered, but not here. The issues are fully explored and we as the reader see everything from the darkest moments of agony to the happiest moments filled with hope. 

With all that being said, the book has its flaws. First of all, the pacing can be very awkward. Sometimes a few days pass by over tens of pages. Other times, months pass by in one paragraph. I of course understand that the author needs to zoom into some points in time and zoom out during others to make the plot actually move. However, there were sometimes not enough clues as to how much time had passed, and it was only revealed later, throwing the reader off and making them feel a bit uneasy. Especially in such a book with a ticking clock of sorts (due to the girls being at the camp for exactly one year), it was important to know how much time had passed and how much was left. Furthermore, I felt that the romance in the novel wasn’t what I personally wanted from Tierny. She is made out to be a super powerful young woman who doesn’t want to get married and wants to live her own life. However, her opinion soon shifts and many events follow. Once more, I can’t say much due to spoilers. However, what I can say is that I am tired of the main characters taking a stance and doubling back almost immediately. This isn’t to say that powerful, independent women can’t be married or share their lives with someone else. But this book plays into the idea of protagonists ending up with who they thought was their enemy at first. Their huge flaws are ignored and even praised and that is unhealthy. Although I did not enjoy these few points, I still loved the book and thought it to be very well-written.

As for who I would recommend this book to, it would certainly be teens. I think it is a must-read for those over 14. It does contain topics such as violence, abuse, and mental illness, among others. It’s important to gauge out whether you are ready for a heavy read like this. It is certainly more geared towards young girls but anyone can enjoy it and be educated by it. In terms of appeal, it is a dystopian-style thriller, but I think anyone who enjoys fiction reads can and should read this book. 

In terms of similar suggestions, as mentioned above, the book does take after a few classics such as Lord of the Flies by Willian Golding as well as The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Another similar book that involves a Lord of the Flies-style setting with female characters is Wilder Girls by Rory Power. As well, you can read some of Kim Liggett’s other novels such as The Unfortunates, Blood and Salt, and Heart of Ash.