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Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Children for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: July 31st, 2018
320 Pages
Synopsis: In a world where woman have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison.
Serina has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace—someone to stand by the heir to the throne a a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. But when her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, catches the heir’s eye, it’s Serina who takes the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding.
Now trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one way to save Serina: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to free her sister. This is easier said than done. A traitor walks the halls of the palace, and deception lurks in every corner. But Serina is running out of time, imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive and one wrong move could cost her everything.
Before I begin my review of Grace and Fury, I want to warn readers that there are some triggers that may make some uncomfortable. These include: Hints of past rape, implied attempted rape and sexual assaults, graphic violence, and animal abuse. Given the serious nature of the story none of these are written gratuitously, but they’re still there.
I loved the two dominant themes in this book, the bonds of sisterhood and women fighting back against oppression. The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Serina and Nomi, and while I definitely had a favorite (I’m not telling you which one), I was invested in both. I have to be honest though and say that the two of them make some god awful decisions that not only impact them, but others as well. They didn’t really make sense to me and ultimately took away from the story. There is also a love triangle which I found annoying, and I thought the romance as a whole was overblown. The world building though is phenomenal and I was sucked in from the first page. It’s a fast read and the cliffhanger ending left me with plenty of questions so I’m looking forward to the next book.
Overall, while it definitely has some issues that will hopefully be worked out in the sequel, I think Grace and Fury is a promising beginning to this new untitled series. Because of the aforementioned themes, I’d recommend this to readers age 16 and up.
beetleypete said:
Maybe not for me, Kim, though I get the idea.
Best wishes, Pete.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
This definitely is not a read for you Pete.
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beetleypete said:
🙂 🙂
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Karen said:
Animal abuse? Thank you for the warning!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Your welcome Karen. That’s a subject I myself have difficulty with and while I wouldn’t skip a book because of it, if I’m forewarned I can skim over those parts.
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fragglerocking said:
“past rape, implied attempted rape and sexual assaults, graphic violence, and animal abuse.” doesn’t seem quite the thing for Brown Books for Young Children 🙄 Enid Blyton will be turning in her grave. 😀
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Yeah. That’s why I recommended it for ages 16 and up. I definitely don’t think it’s appropriate for anyone younger than that.
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shalini said:
Lovely review Kim, but not for me
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Shalini. I think you can safely skip this one.
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jennifertarheelreader said:
Thanks for the warning, Kim, and for the thoughtful review.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Jennifer.☺️
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Raven @ Dreamy Addictions said:
Great honest review, kim! I’m glad you enjoyed this book, despite issues. I’m planning to pick it up soon.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Raven. I’m really looking forward to hearing what you think.
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Crystal said:
Great review! I’ve been debating on if I really want to read this one or not.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Crystal! I’d love to know what you think if you read it.☺️
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raistlin0903 said:
Hmmm…on the one hand I like the story for this and I always love strong female characters in a novel, on the other hand there are things that you are describing here that kind of put me off, like the animal abuse. Oh well…seeing that I have already been adding enough books this week as it is anyway (lol😂😂) I guess I’m skipping this one for a change. Great post though! 😊
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks my friend! I skimmed the animal abuse scenes. I can’t take it when kids or furry friends are hurt.😞 I think this series has potential, but I think it’s one you can safely skip.🤗
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(Danielle) Books, Vertigo and Tea said:
Great review! I think this is one I will be passing on, although a few others I spoke with also feel the sequel will be more rewarding 😊
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Danielle! Yeah, I definitely have hopes for the next book. Maybe if you ever have time (Ha!) you could check it out from the library.🤗
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(Danielle) Books, Vertigo and Tea said:
That is a thought. Maybe 😉
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devouringbooks2017 said:
AHHH! I’m so jealous! I wanted a review copy of this one SOO badly.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I’m sorry.😞
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks for sharing!☺️
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The Cozy Pages said:
Another honest well-written review. I do like the title, even if it doesn’t seem to be one for me either.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Nina.
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Carrie said:
Awesome review Kim! I wanted a copy of this one but my request is still sitting there from however long ago it was added. I think this might have been one of those first 500 mails and I missed out on it too. Oh well, maybe the library at some point… with it being a darker fantasy I may sit and compare it to Hearts of Thorns too since that had much the same warnings.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Carrie. I’d be curious to know what you think of it.
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Carrie said:
It will be one of those library pick ups some day unless they miraculously hit accept last minute like The Cheerleaders. LOL
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Jen said:
I’ve read all of her previous books years ago and I enjoyed all of them. I was nervous about reading this one without the next book out because she’s good with cliffhangers HA, and it sounds like she did in fact add one. But the animal abuse makes me super nervous. If it’s anything with a dog or a cat I usually see red and rate down a book. Oh man. I don’t know anymore…….
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I have a problem with animal abuse as well Jen, but because I read a review which warned about it, I was able to skip over most of it.
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Jen said:
Do you know what chapter or scene it takes place in? Whenever I pick up this book then I’ll just skip that section. I don’t get why authors add that to books cries.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Oh God, I don’t remember Jen. I read it a few weeks ago, and I’ve read 5-6 books since then. I’m sorry.😞
I never have understood why authors add that either.😥
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Jen said:
Oh no worries at all! I know Chelsea and Cassie, that blog with me, are going to read it so I’ll have them note to me where it is. Thank you for the heads up that it’s in there. She doesn’t have anything like that in any of her other books,I don’t get it. 😩
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lostartofreadingblog said:
Great review, but I think the warnings will keep me away from this one, some days I’m alright with that subject matter, but haven’t been in the mood for a hard book like that for a while.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I understand.
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thebookwormdrinketh said:
Hmmm… Phenomenal world building… But, animal abuse. That’s a tough one!! 😕 It really does sound interesting though!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
You can skim over that bit.☺️
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thebookwormdrinketh said:
Ha ha! True. Will. I know that it’s coming??
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I think so.🤔
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