Grace & Fury by Tracy Banghart Published by Hodder Children's Books on July 26, 2018
Source: Publisher
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
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Bold, brutal and beautiful, this is a must-read with the glitter and romance of The Selection and the thrilling action and intrigue of Red Queen.
In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other on an island prison where women must fight to survive.
Serina has spent her whole life preparing to become a Grace - selected to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining example of the perfect woman.
But her headstrong and rebellious younger sister has a dangerous secret, and one wrong move could cost both sisters everything.
Can Serina fight? And will Nomi win?
When I first picked up Grace & Fury, I thought it was going to be a generic, predictable fantasy read about two sisters and winning the heart of the Superior, but thankfully, I was proven wrong. While I found the storyline to be slightly predictable, I really enjoyed the story of Serina, a trained Grace who has been wrongfully sent to an island prison and Nomi, the fiery handmaiden who is stuck at the palace.
What I liked about this book in particular are the constant twists and turns and court intrigue, where you never knew who to trust and who was telling the truth. As a Grace, Nomi is surrounded by wealth, excess and royalty, but everyone around her is hiding a secret. I also thought there would be more cat fighting and training in the palace, but I liked the direction of the book. As a trained handmaiden, Nomi gets drawn into interesting political situations with the people at the palace, where she has to learn who to trust. She also battles against prejudice – even as a selected Grace, her lack of training and poise is constantly picked at by the residents of the palace.
Then you’ve got Serina, who has to unlearn everything she’s ever been taught in her new world, but her wits and personality carries her through. Women are oppressed in this society, but they’re taught to fight and stand up to the toughest conditions by pit fighting against each other. She quickly gets over her shock and adapts to the new situation, bringing together the very women that she must fight against. Both girls were tough in their own ways, and showed the best of themselves in the circumstances they have been thrust into, and that was incredibly empowering.
Although I liked both storylines and perspectives, I found the world building and the character development to be fairly shallow. Aside from a few lines from a book that Nomi finds, we learn more about the world through their circumstances and throwaway comments about how women are forbidden to do anything because of the royal structure. Some of the secondary characters were also cardboard cutouts, so I didn’t really care for them.
In Viridia, women were oppressed because men were afraid of them. Women had ruled this country. And history and denigrated them. Erased them.
Overall, Grace & Fury is a fun little book about fire, rebellion and femininity, and I really enjoyed what it stood for. While it doesn’t really go into some elements of the world in great detail, it’s a short read filled with twists and turns and I had a lot of fun with it.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Thanks to Hachette Australia for sending me a review copy!
Grace & Fury is available from Australian bookstores for RRP$16.99 or from The Book Depository.
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not only am i so glad this book proved you wrong but also that you enjoyed it! 🙂
i love tracy’s work so much!!
I’m currently reading this at the moment too Jeann and absolutely absorbed after the first twist. I assumed it would have been similar to The Selection series, without much depth but I really like Nomi and the political intrigue so far. I’m even more invested now knowing how much of a treat I’m in for. Brilliant review Jeann, so glad you enjoyed it ♡♡♡
Kelly recently posted…Muse of Nightmares
My impression of this is, honestly, also that it’s a generic sister-fantasy read. I’m so glad that isn’t the case! Both perspectives sound really intriguing! I’m not sure how to feel about the slow character development, as characterization is one of the most important aspects of a book for me!
Aimee (Aimee, Always) recently posted…#Augvocacy2018: 8 of My Favorite (Possibly Half-) Asian Main Characters, Settings, and Stories in YA Fiction!
I know, that’s exactly what I thought so I was definitely pleasantly surprised and was more entertained than I thought I would be!
I’m quite curious about this one! I met Tracy once upon a time ago through my job and she was the sweetest, so I was really excited to see her book announcement and for it receive such attention. I’m really big on world building and character development, but it seems like a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Awww it’s always a plus when the author is lovely! It was definitely a fun read that I enjoyed at the time!
I’m glad you had a lot of fun with Grace and Fury despite the world building and character development lacking! I would pass, but a good twist or two (or more) will probably win me over everything else.
Also that cover looks a LOT better than the US cover, which matches about every sister book out there.
Sophia @ Bookwyrming Thoughts recently posted…#Murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil | Creepy, Gross, but still keeps you glued
I know, I definitely prefer this cover as well compared to the US one! It was an enjoyable read that wasn’t too heavy, sometimes I’m in the mood for reads like this 🙂
The political intrigue sounds like it could be a delicious part of this, and Nomi in all that kind of sounds more interesting to me at the moment (they both do sound like such capable and strong characters)
Nomi’s life in the palace was definitely a really interesting part of the novel! I loved the balance that they both had when it came to what they were experiencing at the time.
I’m planning on reading this at some point, even though I’ve seen mixed reviews. And I i love that cover so much more than the U.S. cover!
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…#murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil – Review
I know, the US cover definitely didn’t pull me in but this one was all the more intriguing! Glad to hear you’re keen on picking this up, looking forward to hearing your thoughts Tammy!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this one, Jeann! I have been anticipating this book for a little while now, I love the fact that there are sisters, since I’m a huge fan of sister stories and all of that intrigue and secrets…. I’m impatient to read it, it sounds right up my alley 🙂 Lovely review!
Marie@ Drizzle & Hurricane Books recently posted…I Spy Book Challenge
I’m so glad to hear that you’re keen on picking this one up Marie! I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it, it was definitely an entertaining one especially with the sisterly bond!
Ahh I’m glad you had fun with this one too!! I was really just expecting it to follow some dull tropes, but it SURPRISED ME. Which makes me love it a lot! I also love that first surprise twist with who was chosen for the palace, like…I am shook, that was so unexpected. And the ending definitely has me wanting the next book!!
I KNOW RIGHT? It definitely took me by surprise, I’m all about those twists and turns!