Fantasy

This Vicious Grace

This Vicious Grace

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-13 07:19:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Emily Thiede
  • ISBN：1250794056
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Three weddings。 Three funerals。 Alessa’s gift from the gods is supposed to magnify a partner’s magic， not kill every suitor she touches。

Now， with only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons devours everything on her island home， Alessa is running out of time to find a partner and stop the invasion。 When a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the island’s only hope， her own soldiers try to assassinate her。

Desperate to survive， Alessa hires Dante， a cynical outcast marked as a killer， to become her personal bodyguard。 But as rebellion explodes outside the gates， Dante’s dark secrets may be the biggest betrayal。 He holds the key to her survival and her heart， but is he the one person who can help her master her gift or destroy her once and for all？

Emily Thiede's exciting fantasy debut， This Vicious Grace， will keep readers turning the pages until the devastating conclusion and leave them primed for more！

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Reviews

Rachel ，

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review。 I have to say， this novel started out quite slow and was easy to put down for some time。 However， the last quarter of the book really got interesting and I liked that our Finestra and her Fontes began really thinking outside of the box for how to properly solve the pending apocalypse。 Initially， I would have said I have no interest in the sequel， but the last quarter changed my mind and I will likely read it now。 I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review。 I have to say， this novel started out quite slow and was easy to put down for some time。 However， the last quarter of the book really got interesting and I liked that our Finestra and her Fontes began really thinking outside of the box for how to properly solve the pending apocalypse。 Initially， I would have said I have no interest in the sequel， but the last quarter changed my mind and I will likely read it now。 I would not recommend this for younger teens as it gets a bit risque with the romance。 。。。more

Kaylee Gwyn （literarypengwyns） ，

5 StarsMIGHT BE MY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2022。 DEFINITELY in my top 10 FOR SURE。A romantic fantasy that gave me a bit of Rapunzel， a bit of Pushing Daisies， a bit of Woven in Moonlight， a bit of everything I’ve ever loved in any fantasy I’ve read。 I think this book is best going I’m not knowing much， so read the synopsis if you want， but I’m not going to describe the book much。What I will say is I HAVE FOUND MY OFFICIAL BOOK BOYFRIEND OF THE YEAR IN DANTE。 We have an AMAZINGLY complicated female lead 5 StarsMIGHT BE MY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2022。 DEFINITELY in my top 10 FOR SURE。A romantic fantasy that gave me a bit of Rapunzel， a bit of Pushing Daisies， a bit of Woven in Moonlight， a bit of everything I’ve ever loved in any fantasy I’ve read。 I think this book is best going I’m not knowing much， so read the synopsis if you want， but I’m not going to describe the book much。What I will say is I HAVE FOUND MY OFFICIAL BOOK BOYFRIEND OF THE YEAR IN DANTE。 We have an AMAZINGLY complicated female leader。 AN INCREDIBLE CAST OF SODE CHARACTERS A LA SIX OF CROWS。It ends on an epic cliffhanger that has me THIRSTY FOR MORE GIMME GIMME GIMME RIGHT MEOW！！！！ But also， this section of the story left me very satisfied at the ending so I am so excited to see where this whole story goes。 LIKE PLEASE CAN I HAS THE NEXT PART NOW？ PWEASE？！Anyhoo， I’m a ball of mush， and I just wanna read it again。 GO。 READ IT。 NOW。*thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free ALC （advanced listener’s copy） in exchange for my honest and unbiased review* 。。。more

Alessa ，

Well， this was disappointing。 I was super excited for this release and thought that I was going to love it for sure， because well， a romantasy novel in an Italy-inspired setting with a bodyguard romance？ Sign me up。 Sadly， it really fell flat for me。 First up， this book could have really used a glossary。 I was so confused about the worldbuilding and the terms。 Also， for an Italian-inspired setting， it didn’t feel very Italian。 Sure， it has a ton of Italian names and proverbs， but it didn’t feel Well， this was disappointing。 I was super excited for this release and thought that I was going to love it for sure， because well， a romantasy novel in an Italy-inspired setting with a bodyguard romance？ Sign me up。 Sadly， it really fell flat for me。 First up， this book could have really used a glossary。 I was so confused about the worldbuilding and the terms。 Also， for an Italian-inspired setting， it didn’t feel very Italian。 Sure， it has a ton of Italian names and proverbs， but it didn’t feel Italian， instead， the setting seemed rather generic。 The writing style was fine， a touch too modern， but still tolerable。 The main characters were okay。 I didn’t hate them， but like everything else in this book， they fell flat for me。 Alessa was okay for the most part， a bit too reckless considering her importance， but oh well。 I liked Dante but I didn’t LOVE him。 Their romance was a bit basic， lots of dialogue and mediocre banter， but it was good enough。 However， the balance between plot and romance felt very off。 Alessa is supposed to save this island， she only has one month left to figure out how， BUT THE GIRL HAS NO SENSE OF URGENCY。 Which like， I get it cause the villain seemed a bit lackluster so eh， how bad can he be， but idk， you’d think she/all of them wohld take this a bit more seriously。 Overall， this book was a case of “too much yet not enough”。 There was so much going on but nothing was really explained well， the plot was very convenient at times and while I love romance， I don’t want it to overshadow the plot like this。 It also felt similar to From Blood And Ash。 And I get it， nothing is an original thought nowadays， but it was just…。 a very similar setup。 A Chosen One girl， growing up secluded， being treated with respect because of religious motives， formerly veiled， cannot be touched， isn’t really allowed to have contact to others， but then a broody bodyguard with a dark past and a false name shows up…。 Also， minor spoilers ahead， she reads a dirty book that her love interest makes fun off， and there’s one scene where he makes fun of her for asking so many questions…。 Once I noticed the similarity， I noticed other little things along the way and summed up， it bugged me a bit。 （view spoiler）[ Lastly， and spoilers ahead ‼️， I really didn’t enjoy the casual mentions of suicide。 Especially coming from her brother， something that she kinda glosses over and forgives him way too easily for。 That scene really didn’t sit right with me， especially since it seemed a bit random。 （hide spoiler）]I will not be continuing this series as it was hard enough for me to finish this book。 I think others will enjoy it more but I guess my expectations were just too high。 。。。more

Krysta ，

I enjoyed this one a lot。 A high fantasy with magic and lore， that contained a forbidden romance， a kind-of enemies-to-lovers relationship， forced proximity， and the added tension of impending doom。 Add in new information the reader learns as the characters do to problem solve，you have a compelling adventure。 With a fun cast of supporting characters I am excited for this story to continue。 Though there was some predictability and one plot line I may not be as forgiving with， this is a fun read I I enjoyed this one a lot。 A high fantasy with magic and lore， that contained a forbidden romance， a kind-of enemies-to-lovers relationship， forced proximity， and the added tension of impending doom。 Add in new information the reader learns as the characters do to problem solve，you have a compelling adventure。 With a fun cast of supporting characters I am excited for this story to continue。 Though there was some predictability and one plot line I may not be as forgiving with， this is a fun read I enjoyed。 。。。more

Natalie ，

I’d love to say that the beginning was at least interesting， or that the magic system and presented conflict felt refreshing， but no。 This felt way too similar to Kingdom of the Wicked and a lot of the issues I had with that book apply here as well。 This was just so painfully slow and boring。 There arent enough clever murder plots， there’s no political intrigue or strategy to this showdown we keep counting down to， and neither the MC or the romantic interest had any character depth。 Basically th I’d love to say that the beginning was at least interesting， or that the magic system and presented conflict felt refreshing， but no。 This felt way too similar to Kingdom of the Wicked and a lot of the issues I had with that book apply here as well。 This was just so painfully slow and boring。 There arent enough clever murder plots， there’s no political intrigue or strategy to this showdown we keep counting down to， and neither the MC or the romantic interest had any character depth。 Basically the magic system was just vague and clearly not fleshed out， the dialogue felt rudimentary and flat out lazy at times， and the witty snarky banter this needed to seek the whole grumpy bodyguard and lonely sad girl never took off。 Alessa was just a bundle of anxiety but took no agency for herself， she had no personality， and even with Dante， I didn’t see any sparkling personality。 Dante played the rogue mysterious， brooding love interest but he was also really flat and boring。 He didn’t even make good eye candy or give us those possessive enemies to lovers or bodyguard vibes that we should have gotten。 It’s also bizarre there’s no sunshine character to counterbalance either the sad emo girl or the grumpy bodyguard， when you put those two together， you just get an overly dramatic and soapy teenage story。 Even 250 pages on， the romance and action still aren’t there。 Nothing， NOTHING happens。 It’s just Alessa hanging out with Dante but even that doesn’t seem to really move the needle forward on their relationship or even give us much to anchor and understand their backgrounds。 Even that truth or dare game…there was so much she could have done with that game， made it raw and honest， given us some steam or pining， but no。 We get…。what’s your favorite color…The romance wasn’t believable and was too slow to pick up any steam。 None of the secondary characters have much to offer， are memorable， or have any complexity or nuance。 They’re more like after thoughts。 Then some of the alleged twists start coming。 None were surprising， and none helped up the pacing or excitement。 The brother listing her “failures” which include burning dinner， are you fucking kidding me？ This is so damn drab and parochial。 Dante’s identity reveal…meh。 The ending also leaves much to be desired as the “climax” presented doesn’t even feel like we’re in a race against the clock to save the world。 。。。more

Fariha ，

This Vicious Grace had so much potential to be incredible。 The plot/Synopsis pulled me in instantly and when I received my copy from Fairyloot， I started reading it immediately。 Unfortunately， I was left disappointed and I kept wishing that I felt more invested in the characters because every single one of them had the personality to be unique and memorable。 It was still an enjoyable and interesting read， otherwise I would've dnf'ed it awhile ago but I pushed through solely for Dante。 His relati This Vicious Grace had so much potential to be incredible。 The plot/Synopsis pulled me in instantly and when I received my copy from Fairyloot， I started reading it immediately。 Unfortunately， I was left disappointed and I kept wishing that I felt more invested in the characters because every single one of them had the personality to be unique and memorable。 It was still an enjoyable and interesting read， otherwise I would've dnf'ed it awhile ago but I pushed through solely for Dante。 His relationship with Alessa had so much potential to be hot & steamy because it was more or less a forbidden romance！ ESPECIALLY when he was her bodyguard。 But I did really admire their cute moments together <3 。。。more

Emmy ，

this book might be my new favorite and i need the next book immediately。

Dead Sirius ，

The story starts with Alessa's third funeral。 Her most recent groom has passed away， just like the previous two。 Alessa has the ability to magnify powers， which makes her the central religious figure of her island。 But she can only magnify her true partner's gifts by just her touch， if not she kills whoever touches her。 No one has had these many failed weddings before， so a local religious figure starts to spread doubt about Alessa's true intentions。 After three failed weddings， Alessa decides t The story starts with Alessa's third funeral。 Her most recent groom has passed away， just like the previous two。 Alessa has the ability to magnify powers， which makes her the central religious figure of her island。 But she can only magnify her true partner's gifts by just her touch， if not she kills whoever touches her。 No one has had these many failed weddings before， so a local religious figure starts to spread doubt about Alessa's true intentions。 After three failed weddings， Alessa decides to take matters into her own hands by hiring a bodyguard so she can find someone to wed， and survive， and not worry about who might betray her。 I was worried this would be a little too angsty and typical YA fantasy。 But I was pleasantly surprised by how charming all of the characters were， even the side characters。 The lore of the story was set up early and gradually built on itself as the story progressed。 The stakes were high and the reader was always reminded of what was at risk。 The romance was fun， nice， and even a bit cheesy （but in a good way）。 The story does set itself up for a sequel， so excited to read it when it comes out！ 。。。more

Devon Rose ，

Page 300 and I’m going to DNF for a while…I was liking the book well enough， and the two main characters have great chemistry together and the banter back and forth is good but I find myself getting whiplash with how quickly the book decided to move in the second half。 It feels disjointed， like the first half was written and then months later the author came and tacked on the second half。 World building and plot points are being so rushed through that I didn’t even know what the big surprise rev Page 300 and I’m going to DNF for a while…I was liking the book well enough， and the two main characters have great chemistry together and the banter back and forth is good but I find myself getting whiplash with how quickly the book decided to move in the second half。 It feels disjointed， like the first half was written and then months later the author came and tacked on the second half。 World building and plot points are being so rushed through that I didn’t even know what the big surprise reveal was until context clues helped me figure it out…then everyone was like *gasp* oh no！ Buuuut we need the plot to move forward so let’s just move on。 And， look， I read a lot of romance。 A LOT。 So I don’t mind it…but is this book YA？ Or is it adult？ Because this author REALLY wants these two main characters to 🍆🍑💦 if you know what I mean， and yet I thought this was YA so there’s a LOT of build up for what I can only assume is going to eventually be some chaste fairy tale kiss and I am not about that life 😂😂I don’t know…the writing itself is good。 It reads easily and the pages go by quickly and the main characters aren’t annoying or anything…I just know this is the first book in a series and this one is rushing toward some conclusion that I have a sneaking suspicion is going to be a cliff hanger。 So， for now， I’m shelving it。 When the second book comes out？ I may just pick it back up。 。。。more

Pamela （Here to Read Books and Chew Gum） ，

I am so torn on how to rate This Vicious Grace。 On the one hand， I read the whole book over two nights and couldn't wait to read it again， but on the other hand， the more I thought about it afterwards， the less good the book appeared。 I was originally going to give it 3。5 rounded up to 4 because I enjoyed it， but since I waited a few days to review， it's now become a 3。5 rounded down for me。This Vicious Grace has a strong premise， and I was settling in for some great fantasy worldbuilding。 But t I am so torn on how to rate This Vicious Grace。 On the one hand， I read the whole book over two nights and couldn't wait to read it again， but on the other hand， the more I thought about it afterwards， the less good the book appeared。 I was originally going to give it 3。5 rounded up to 4 because I enjoyed it， but since I waited a few days to review， it's now become a 3。5 rounded down for me。This Vicious Grace has a strong premise， and I was settling in for some great fantasy worldbuilding。 But this book is firmly on the side of romance first， plot second。 I love a good romance， but it's not what I'd gone into this novel expecting after the opening， so I kept waiting for the narrative to become something more。Emily Thiede is an excellent writer， and there are hints at greatness at every point in this novel。 The concept and worldbuilding are obviously there， but it just never makes it to the page。 I have no doubt that there is a lot of world and law in Thiede's notes that answer everything that I felt This Vicious Grace lacked， but it doesn't make it into the story， so there was just always a disconnect for me。The Italianate setting was interesting， but it's never clear whether This Vicious Grace is set in a fantasy world that just speaks Italian， an alternate universe Italy， or a post-apocalyptic future Italy。 There are hints that the post-apocalypse might be the case， but that doesn't necessarily gel with the way the narrative is set out。 It was also hard to get a sense of time and setting， as there was very little description of the book's surroundings。 I was often confused with descriptions that seemed to veer from the modern to the ancient leaving me floundering for a sense of place。Because of the primacy of the romance， the side plots were incredibly under-developed， as were character relationships and side characters。 I didn't particularly care about any of the antagonists as there was nothing original or engaging about their villainy， and Alessa's cohort of Fontes were all basically interchangeable characters who didn't really do much except exist。 And the less said about Alessa's relationship with her brother the better - that was the only part of the story that I thought was genuinely badly written。With proper world-building and a more developed sub-plot， this would have been a five-star read。 I've no doubt that when the inevitable sequel is released Thiede will have developed past the shortfalls of a debut author and will probably address a lot of this， so I'm genuinely looking forward to reading the rest of the series as it continues。 I'd love to see the world that is missing from this book fleshed out and developed。 。。。more

Mon Thomas ，

Gothic/ paranormal inspired Italy with all the best tropes that I love。 This book had it all， high stakes plot， enemies to lovers， found family and great MCs。The pacing of the book and the writing affected some elements of the plot。 But having such a unique fantasy world and magic system I could not put this book down。I devoured the dynamic， taunting and bickering between Alessa and Dante。 They were great MCs for this book。I am so invested in Alessa’s journey， romance and her found family， that Gothic/ paranormal inspired Italy with all the best tropes that I love。 This book had it all， high stakes plot， enemies to lovers， found family and great MCs。The pacing of the book and the writing affected some elements of the plot。 But having such a unique fantasy world and magic system I could not put this book down。I devoured the dynamic， taunting and bickering between Alessa and Dante。 They were great MCs for this book。I am so invested in Alessa’s journey， romance and her found family， that I need the next book ASAP。4。25 。。。more

Anne-claire ，

It was a very lovely read for a sunday afternoon。The author Emily Thiede said in her author letter that she started writing this story as an "indulgence"。 I absolutely agree， it felt like an indulgence to read this story。It was a great debut novel。 Usually I read easily the first 50 pages of a book & by that mark， I know if I'll be engaged or not to read the rest。 I was not able to put the book down。While the pacing of the story was not the best， the chemistry between Alissa & Dante as well as A It was a very lovely read for a sunday afternoon。The author Emily Thiede said in her author letter that she started writing this story as an "indulgence"。 I absolutely agree， it felt like an indulgence to read this story。It was a great debut novel。 Usually I read easily the first 50 pages of a book & by that mark， I know if I'll be engaged or not to read the rest。 I was not able to put the book down。While the pacing of the story was not the best， the chemistry between Alissa & Dante as well as Alissa's growth kept me hooked。 。。。more

Megan Bjerke ，

I love， love， loved this book。 I loved the world， the magic system， the setting。 I loved the characters and the focus on found family。 And I loooooved the main relationship。 This book was unique， captivating， and simply wonderful。 Completely recommend。

Christine ，

this was delightful！！！

Tessa ，

This book is phenomenal。 Chapter 24 was just， chefs kiss， perfection。 I was literally laughing so hard I was in tears。 My husband didn’t understand。 Then towards the end I bawled my eyes out。 This book is amazing and I really can’t wait for the second。

Amber ，

rtc！ I love dante and alessa with my whole heart

Julia Nash ，

It's like an Italian love child of FBAA and Shatter Me but with far less angst and annoying characters。 I had a great time。 It's like an Italian love child of FBAA and Shatter Me but with far less angst and annoying characters。 I had a great time。 。。。more

Alex ，

This kind of blew me away？？ Idk I just had a really good time with this all around， I really can’t fault it at all。 A very solid debut， can’t wait for the sequel and anything else this author writes！！

Grace Arango （G-Swizzel Books） ，

I went into this book knowing nothing about it。I left it putting it on my favourites list。WOW - this debut is incredible！ Now where is the sequel？！

Claire Hill ，

I enjoyed this so much！！ This is an Upper YA fantasy with romance。 I enjoyed Alessa and Dante and the worldbuilding very much。 I thought it all worked together very seamlessly which sometimes doesn’t happen in debuts， but this was really lovely。 The Italian inspired setting and the magic system and myths that accompanied the plot were great。 Alessa was such a great heroine。 I think we all can connect with desperately wanting to do the right thing but our best efforts not working out。 I’m excited I enjoyed this so much！！ This is an Upper YA fantasy with romance。 I enjoyed Alessa and Dante and the worldbuilding very much。 I thought it all worked together very seamlessly which sometimes doesn’t happen in debuts， but this was really lovely。 The Italian inspired setting and the magic system and myths that accompanied the plot were great。 Alessa was such a great heroine。 I think we all can connect with desperately wanting to do the right thing but our best efforts not working out。 I’m excited to read book 2！ 4。5 stars！Heat level: there is discussion of sex and one on page sex scene but it’s written in veiled language。 1。5🌶 。。。more

Laura ，

I hate to say it， but this book is terrible。 2。5 out of 5 stars， and only because I liked some of the romance and food elements。 The author must be related to someone with influence， because I've seen this book everywhere now， but the writing is the most amateurish 'main-stream' YA fantasy I've read for a while。 It took me a while to get into the story because so much didn't make sense。 Why is this island being attacked by a vicious race of giant bugs？ （I felt like laughing during the battle）。 W I hate to say it， but this book is terrible。 2。5 out of 5 stars， and only because I liked some of the romance and food elements。 The author must be related to someone with influence， because I've seen this book everywhere now， but the writing is the most amateurish 'main-stream' YA fantasy I've read for a while。 It took me a while to get into the story because so much didn't make sense。 Why is this island being attacked by a vicious race of giant bugs？ （I felt like laughing during the battle）。 Why is there no parental supervision for this group of teenagers who are having card parties every night？ Why is the main character allowed to do whatever she wants one moment but then she lets Dante get arrested without a fuss the next moment？ Why has Alessa known she was the finestra for 4-5 years but seemingly done nothing with this knowledge except hide away from her family？ I didn't realize Renata was the last finestra until about 50 pages in， maybe because she has very little interaction with Alessa， not even training her。 Worst of all， for some reason， Alessa is choosing a battle partner ONE MONTH before the battle。 Like that's enough time。 It's as bad as someone choosing a figure skating partner one month before a competition。 The ending did not make sense to me， either， and seemed like an arbitrary cliff-hanger just to bring out another book， one that I most likely won't be reading。 The main character acted like a 12-year old throughout， even when she was supposedly a warrior during the battle， and she would cry over the people she had killed with her gift， then suddenly think， "Well， there's nothing I can do about it。 Moving on。" The easy reconciliation with Nina and her brother， despite both trying to kill her， was laughable。 Rant over。 。。。more

Gillian ，

"Three weddings。 Three funerals。 A better person would have been devastated。。。"4。7 stars！ This was an enchanting and intriguing romantic fantasy about love， friendship， power， and grief。 Alessa has a gift she received from the god's， but instead of magnifying her partner's power， she has killed every partner she's touched。 Alessa doesn't have much time to find a partner before an invasion of demons will devour her home。 Alessa's soldiers try to kill her when a priest tells everyone that the isla "Three weddings。 Three funerals。 A better person would have been devastated。。。"4。7 stars！ This was an enchanting and intriguing romantic fantasy about love， friendship， power， and grief。 Alessa has a gift she received from the god's， but instead of magnifying her partner's power， she has killed every partner she's touched。 Alessa doesn't have much time to find a partner before an invasion of demons will devour her home。 Alessa's soldiers try to kill her when a priest tells everyone that the island will be saved if Alessa is killed。 Then Alessa hires Dante， a killer and an outcast to become her bodyguard。 Will Dante be able to help Alessa control her power or will he kill her？This book was so good！！ I was completely immersed in the fascinating world that the author created from the very beginning。 The plot was so interesting and the pacing was perfect！ This book has everything you could want in a fantasy romance including magic， slow-burn romance， one-bed， demons and more。 I loved Alessa， she is strong， persistent， determined and stubborn， and will do anything for Dante。 I'm in love with Dante， he is charming， sweet， brave， strong and very handsome。 I also really liked the side characters especially Kamira， Josef， Kaleb and Saida。 I loved that Alessa and Dante saw the good in each other and were able to understand each other。 I loved the banter between Dante and Alessa and the chemistry between them was amazing！ The tension between Dante and Alessa was *chef's kiss。* There were several twists and turns that I didn't see coming。 The ending was so good and shocking！ I can't wait for the next book！ 。。。more

Alisa ，

⭐️4，5

Lily ，

Rating: 3。5 / 5 stars

Jenhester ，

Just when I didn’t think there could be a new spin on an otherworldly YA， I’m pleasantly surprised！ I really liked this story， it was a little bit of magic， unexpected friendship and a dash of romance。 Looking forward to the next installment…

Lindsay ，

This was such a fun read！ I was immediately drawn in be the premise: a girl who kills anyone she touches？ Hello， I am here for that！ And it only got better from there！Alessa is the Finestra， a woman blessed be Dea to magnify the magical gifts of others。 She is to choose a Fonte， one who has elemental abilities， to help fight a plague of insect demons， if you will。 But in order to use their power， she has to touch them。 Thus， the problem。The world-building in this book was so unique！ I’ll admit， This was such a fun read！ I was immediately drawn in be the premise: a girl who kills anyone she touches？ Hello， I am here for that！ And it only got better from there！Alessa is the Finestra， a woman blessed be Dea to magnify the magical gifts of others。 She is to choose a Fonte， one who has elemental abilities， to help fight a plague of insect demons， if you will。 But in order to use their power， she has to touch them。 Thus， the problem。The world-building in this book was so unique！ I’ll admit， it took me a while to catch on， since a lot of details were shared quickly at the beginning， but I caught on eventually。 Though I will admit， I do have a few questions that were never addressed。Alessa as a female MC was great！ I loved her big heart and her snark， and the way she was so strong despite her struggles。 And Dante？ I mean， he’s tall， dark， handsome， and full of self-loathing。 Need I say more？There was also a surprising little found family that I grew to love！ Honestly， I need a novella about each of them—Kaleb， Kamaria， Saida， Josef， Nina。 They were all so fun and interesting in their own way！If you’re looking for a unique YA fantasy with slow burn， found family， and some good steam， check this one out！Thank you NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Kristin DeGarmo ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This Vicious Grace definitely started out slow to me。 I kept waiting for action and it didn’t really come until Alessa met Dante and their relationship began。 Overall this wasn’t a terrible book but the pacing drove me nuts。 I didn’t know this was going to be a series so I’m slightly disappointed at how this book ended。 I felt that the last battle was good and Dante coming back from the dead was good but tacking on at the end that there is more to come was lame。 Maybe the sequel will make the en This Vicious Grace definitely started out slow to me。 I kept waiting for action and it didn’t really come until Alessa met Dante and their relationship began。 Overall this wasn’t a terrible book but the pacing drove me nuts。 I didn’t know this was going to be a series so I’m slightly disappointed at how this book ended。 I felt that the last battle was good and Dante coming back from the dead was good but tacking on at the end that there is more to come was lame。 Maybe the sequel will make the ending make sense but I’m not sure that there needed to be a sequel。 Overall this book was okay。 I was curious to read it because a bookseller recommended it to me。 Also it was Barnes & Noble’s YA Book Club pick。 。。。more

❦ jazmin ，

“She might be but one stitch in the tapestry， but every stitch had a purpose， and threads couldn't become art without them。” ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ⇢This Vicious Grace in under 15 words- MC whose touch kills- Romance with banter and heartwarming growth- Unique world-building ⇢The WritingI went into this book with pretty high expectations because my friends who have read this book loved it （and I picked this up completely because of them） and what completely exceeded my expectation was “She might be but one stitch in the tapestry， but every stitch had a purpose， and threads couldn't become art without them。” ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ⇢This Vicious Grace in under 15 words- MC whose touch kills- Romance with banter and heartwarming growth- Unique world-building ⇢The WritingI went into this book with pretty high expectations because my friends who have read this book loved it （and I picked this up completely because of them） and what completely exceeded my expectation was the writing。 I loved Emily Thiede’s prose， and the way she structured this books stood out to me because of how great it was， particularly for a literal debut？！Next， plot。 I really liked it， especially the beginning。 The end fight was a little weaker， but overall the plot was super unique and I loved how much I learned about Italian culture and how the world-building subtly linked back to that too。 ⇢The CharactersI also loved Alessa and Dante。 Alessa was such a fun protagonist， and despite being similar to some other grumpy love-interest characters， I appreciated Dante’s character too！ What made them even better was their chemistry， their banter was top tier。 He snorted。 “Like you could stop me。”“I could kill you with my pinky。”“I’m shaking。” Something I did like a little less were the side characters。 Unfortunately， most of them didn’t resonate with me that much。 It felt like I was supposed to be convinced that Alessa and her Fonti became super close friends even though they literally started off being terrified/wary of her， but I felt like we didn’t see nearly enough of them for that to be the case。 I really hope we see more of them in the next book， because they all seem like they have way more to offer！ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ my carrd ❦ BOOKISH PRODUCTS: USE MY CODE JAZ10 ❦BOOKMARKS， BLIND DATE WITH A BOOK ETC: USE MY CODE JAZ10 ❦ 。。。more

Ellie ，

What an amazing read ！ Beautifully written story with the best characters and plot I have seen so far this year ！！！ 🥰 Defo worthy of a 5⭐️！ Can’t wait to see what the rest of the books are going to be on within this world and this story

Tanika ，

I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would， was it a bit predictable？ Yes。 But I enjoyed every second！ Very interested to see what happens next

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=This Vicious Grace

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=This Vicious Grace&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,This Vicious Grace&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0