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Title: Grace and Fury
Author: Tracy Banghart
Series: Untitled #1
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 31st 2018
Synopsis:
In a world where women 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 as 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 release 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.
I received an advance copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and a finished copy from Indigo Teen
Grace and Fury is the August Indigo Teen Staff Pick of the month! It's on sale at Indigo for $20 and is 2x the Plum points if you buy it this month!
Grace and Fury follows two sisters, Serina and Nomi. They live in a world where the highest position a woman can hold is to be the Head Grace for the Superior (aka the first woman to give the king a son). Serina has trained all her life to become a Grace, learning "womanly" arts and schooled in submission. However, rebellious Nomi was not and serves as Serina's handmaiden. Their lives are upended though as Nomi is chosen as a Grace and Serina takes the blame for a crime to hide her sister's ability to read. Thrust into positions they are woefully unprepared for, the book follows their struggle and survival in their situations as they learn what it takes to be strong.
For a fantasy novel, this book is relatively short with my ARC copy totalling 310 pages. However, there isn't much world building taking place in this book as there is no elaborate religion or magic system. The novel is built as a fantasy world where the ruling class is men and the system they've built in place to keep women on a figurative leash. Women who are able to read are considered to be breaking the law. A ball of sorts is put on for the heir to the throne to pick his Graces, the women who will bear his future children. And of course, instead of being a king, he is called the Superior. While there isn't any info dumping at all for the world building, I just can't help but feel that I wanted more from it.
The book switches points of view between Serina and Nomi as they both find themselves in really precarious situations. Nomi is trying to get a hang of the role of Grace as she also tries to put her newfound position to good use in finding out where her sister has been sent and how to get her out. Serina has been sent to Mount Ruin, a volcanic island prison where the prisoners are split into groups and they fight to the death for the amusement of the guards. Serina's point of view was really interesting and perhaps the most interesting part of the book for me. Serina is learning for the first time how to use her hands and how to take physical hardship since she trained to be a Grace all her life. However, with Nomi, while the synopsis of the book talks about how there's a traitor in the palace, and "deception lurks around every corner", I really didn't feel that at all. I want palace, political intrigue and there wasn't much until the very end.
The ending and "reveal" was kind of obvious and really reminded me of The Red Queen. I wasn't particularly shocked because I could see it coming. While the ending sets it up for the next book, which perhaps I may read because I am intrigued enough about Serina that I would want to read it, the ending was mildly underwhelming.
The beginning was kind of slow and I felt like I had to slog through it until I got to the good bits. This book is toted as a feminist fantasy and it most definitely is that. There's a lot of girl power and women learning to support other women in this fantasy novel as they learn to defy this system that's been thrust upon them. However, while it is fantasy, it's very light fantasy and perhaps a good dip in the pool for those who aren't heavy fantasy readers. Grace and Fury is a feminist fantasy novel with kickass females of all kinds. I just wish it were more ~fantasy~ and political intrigue-y where it needed to be.
Happy Reading!
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