Description

‘An incredibly important and empowering read’ Natasha Ngan, author of Girls of Paper and Fire

A New York Times bestselling dark speculative feminist thriller, perfect for fans of The Power and The Handmaid’s Tale.
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THE RESISTANCE STARTS HERE.

No one speaks of the grace year.
It’s forbidden.
We’re told we have the power to lure grown men from their beds, make boys lose their minds, and drive the wives mad with jealousy. That’s why we’re banished for our sixteenth year, to release our magic into the wild before we’re allowed to return to civilisation.
But I don’t feel powerful.
I don’t feel magical.

Tierney James lives in an isolated village where girls are banished at sixteen to the northern forest to brave the wilderness – and each other – for a year. They must rid themselves of their dangerous magic before returning purified and ready to marry – if they’re lucky.

It is forbidden to speak of the grace year, but even so every girl knows that the coming year will change them – if they survive it…

A critically acclaimed page-turning feminist dystopia about a young woman trapped in an oppressive society, fighting to take control of her own life.

Publisher Review

A visceral, darkly haunting fever dream of a novel and absolute page-turner. Liggett's deeply suspenseful book brilliantly explores the high cost of a misogynistic world that denies women power and does it with a heart-in-your-throat, action-driven story that's equal parts horror-laden fairytale, survival story, romance and resistance manifesto. I couldn't stop reading -- LIBBA BRAY * New York Times bestselling author * If you're a...fan who loves books like The Handmaid's Tale, The Power, and Vox, I've got a sneak peek at a book you're going to love...it's a must read. * Bustle * The Grace Year is a book for every woman who has ever screamed at the top of her lungs and still felt like no one heard her. A book for every person who has ever been made to feel small or less than. A book for all of us who have been told to sit down and be silent, to grin and bear. Tierney's captivating story reminded me that sometimes existing is itself an act of bravery--and this book's existence is an act of courage that I'm very grateful for. Brutally smart, devastatingly lyrical, and so capital i-Important, I want everyone to read this book! * Jasmine Warga, internationally bestselling author of My Heart and Other Black Holes and Other Words for Home * The bones of Liggett's tale of female repression are familiar ones, but her immersive storytelling effortlessly weaves horror elements with a harrowing and surprising survival story...readers' hearts will race and break right along with the brave, capable Tierney's. Chilling, poignant, haunting, and, unfortunately, all too timely. * Kirkus Starred Review * This book is harrowing and absolutely riveting, an insidious journey from reason to madness that manages to completely refresh the concept of the patriarchal dystopia, with a beautifully realized ending that goes to a very different, and even more believable, subtle, and unexpectedly satisfying, place than I expected. Also the last line is so gorgeous I read it three times. * Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of THE HAZEL WOOD *