This book was such a breath of fresh air.

The magic system was super interesting and really unique. It was also really thoroughly explained, if a tiny bit info-dumpy at times. The setting felt very real and the characters who made up the wider world really added to the realism of the island. They acted really authentically out of fear and I thought Emily Thiede did a great job of showing that widespread fear.

The characters are really where this book shone. Both Alessa and Dante were wonderful. They were really fleshed out and I had a great understanding of their mindsets and personal demons. Even though we were predominantly in Alessa’s head, I didn’t feel like Dante was left as an afterthought at all. The romance also felt really natural. There was no insta-love, though there was a little insta-lust, and Alessa and Dante built up a really strong friendship connection before things went further. I will say this book has a bit more sexual tension than most YA books, and some steamier moments, so that’s something to keep in mind for younger readers. The banter was spot on and innuendo-ridden.

The group of fonti was just the best. The found family vibes really made the book for me and they were all just so lovable. The moments featuring the whole group were my favorites.

The story tied up really well but left enough questions that I am super excited for book two. I would recommend this one for fans of Kingdom of the Wicked.

Content warnings: Death, violence, war, physical injury, attempted murder, imprisonment, child abuse, racism (of an in-world race, not a human race.)

DNF 35%

This book is too bland for my taste. There's a lot of info-dump with unexplained terms and a world-building that is too superficial. The italian setting is just here for the sake of appearing original but you could swap it with another one and you wouldn't see the difference. It just doesn't add anything.

The author has a real problem with italics. Almost every page contains italicized words. It's so annoying! It feels like she thinks the reader is too simple-minded to understand what she wants to convey. It's even more irritating when it's to insist on trivial information.

The characters are not great either. I don't care about them. I'm not interested in the slightest in their stories. I'm also tired of MCs who are ready to sacrifice themselves for people who want them dead. Where is the survival instinct? There was an opportunity to make Alessa a complex character but, no, she has to be the good girl who would willingly die without a fight. No thanks.

We don't really feel the stakes nor the danger of the creatures. We know nothing about this war between humans and monsters despite the old conflict involving them. It is slow and nothing exciting happens... I expected better.

This Vicious Grace follows Alessa, the finestra tasked with finding a suitor, magnifying their power and defeating a swarm of demons. Unfortunately her touch has killed every suitor so far and when a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the island’s only hope, her own soldiers try to assassinate her. She hires Dante, an outcast marked as a killer to be her bodyguard but he's keeping secrets that could be the biggest betrayal. Will he be the one person who can help her master her gift or destroy her once and for all?

I devoured this book! The world felt so enchanting, inspired by Italy, the descriptions of the fortezza, the beaches and the atmosphere were magical! Alessa was a strong main character, her growth as she planned how to save Saverio and starts to rebel was incredible! There is so much depth to her character and Dante's as well, who is the perfect love interest!

I loved the friendships Alessa formed, there were many sweet moments where I was really happy for her after being lonely for so long. The found family trope is used so well here! It was gripping from the very beginning and I'm already anticipating the sequel! I definitely recommend this one!

I enjoyed this book way more than I expected. The story held a very interesting premise, and I found the characters to be really loveable. I definitely enjoyed the romance and friendships in this book more than the actual plotline, however, it was still a very enjoyable and fun read. The banter and blossoming relationship between Alessa and Dante was my favourite part. Really looking forward to reading the sequel!

Huge thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Alessa is the Finestra, a gift given bu the gods to protect the people and her home. Yet she has killed three of her Fonte, those who she borrows her power from, when she thouched, them. The ending is near and her soldiers are starting to attack her, so she decides to get a bodyguard, enter Dante.

The book is a mix of slow-burn and normal pace. The start of it was slow ina beautiful way. We learned about Alessa and her feelings and her thoughs. Both Alessa and Dante have issues that they need to work on and they were both so supportive of eachother and were trying their best to help one andother. Their relationship was beautiful.

I loved her potential Fonte. They all were so different yet were there for eachother. Theyw ere scared yet when the moment came they aere all willing to sacrifice themselves. Their friendship was absolutely beautiful and has become one of my favourite found families.
I loved the sex talks, the iinuendos. The main characters are 18-20 years old and thats what this range of age do, they talk about sex and joke about it with their friends. Sex is a normal and natural thing and shouldnt be trated as a taboo so thank you Emily Thiede.

Overall i enjoyed the book so much and will long for the following one for a looong time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

I ADORED this book.

First off, a beautiful map and an illustration of the fantasy land?? My prayers have been answered.

Alessa is such a strong, complicated, and caring protagonist and the relationships she establishes throughout the book are so lovely. The Fontes were really wonderful, developed characters, and Dante and Alessa were so strong together, and created a really healthy, beautiful relationship based in friendship.

The concept of a Fonte and Finestra was really interesting to me, and felt so innovative. The world-building, although based on familiar tropes (and Italy) felt new and exciting.

We're in a historical Italian inspired world, but Thiede doesn't shy away from including diverse groups, which is a common problem in European inspired fantasies. Alessa and her brother grow up with a Deaf Nonno, and so use sign language throughout the book, and there are explicit mentions of different ethnicities and cultures within Saverio, because of course there is! Not to mention, Alessa is mentioned multiple times are being bisexual. So refreshing and exciting to see!

I am very, very, very excited about this series. I cannot wait to see where Alessa, Dante, and the Fontes go next and I will be first in line for the next books! Five "luce mia" stars.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the arc of This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This is probably one of the top 5 YA books I’ve read this year and trust me, my top 5 this year is pretty damn exceptional! A totally engrossing and great story that is well paced and flies carrying you along to the climax.

The characters themselves are interesting, flawed and very relatable. Alessa, the protagonist definitely goes on a journey throughout the book, growing and maturing, from a totally awkward girl, who seems to suffer from severe foot in mouth disease and absolutely no confidence in herself to something more, and the relationship with Dante is so natural and unforced, without that forced Insta love feeling. Plus, their interactions are absolutely great, with tones of fun, snark and growing strength and faith in one another.

The world building itself isn’t that complex, but it is well done and brings an atmosphere of an island waiting for the end of the world. The sayings at the start of each chapter are a delight, they compliment the tone of the book, bringing in the beauty of the Italian language and giving a definite hint of what each chapter brings…I’ll never think about wolves in the same way again.

I totally loved this book and I can’t wait to get my hands in the next book, so here’s hoping one of the book boxes picks this one up and delivers special editions for the next book too!

I am not someone who tabs books but I think I may need to get a physical copy of this when it is released so that I can tab it. The parts I wanted to tab were the proverbs, some very sweet parts and some humorous parts.

I really liked Alessa, she's thrown into a role of power and she's had three Fontes die because of her but she's still powering on. Her character also grows so that she becomes someone who stands up for herself and who isn't afraid of change.

I loved Dante. He isn't the villain he's being made out to be and he's there for Alessa. He's also willing to sacrifice himself for her! I also love his humour.

I'm not going to lie, I did struggle to follow the story at the beginning and I did think it lacked a little explanation for an event (though I likely just skimmed it because I don't read eBooks well 🙈) but I loved the story overall.

It's a slow burn romance with a grumpy love interest and found family.

Bring on book two!

This was a fantastic story that was very enjoyable to read and very well constructed. This book really was everything I want in a YA novel, it had good worldbuilding, great characters and an interesting plot that wasn't too complex. The main focus of the story really is Alessa and her growth, as well as her relationship with Dante. I loved their relationship it just felt so realistic and natural rather than falling into the usual tropes. They teased each other and were playful, their interactions made me smile a lot.

I did really love Alessa, she was super awkward to start with and always saying the wrong things. I did like how she kept a good sense of humour throughout, even if a bit morbid at times. It also seems very likely Alessa has ADHD, she was constantly moving around and struggling to sleep because she couldn't switch her thoughts off. Dante was also an interesting character, he was strong in more ways than one and proved that no matter how people try and put you down you can still be who you are and still care about things.

The setting was also very atmospheric and I loved learning more about the background of their Gods and why they fight these demons. The plot was simple but effective with plenty of twists and exciting moments. This was a well written and well constructed story that kept me hooked throughout and I can't wait for the next one!

This book was interesting to read and engaging. The beginning is a little confusing at first as it brings in concepts of that world quite instantaneously but soon becomes easier to understand. There is so much lore and description on the setting which brought it to life. I like the whole magic system as well, knowing Alessa is essentially an amplifier for other peoples powers. It was a slow build up to friendship between the two main MC which created good tension. An enjoyable read!

4.5* stars!

This book wasn’t really on my radar. So when I saw that there may be a special edition for it, and I read the synopsis, I was drawn in. Thankfully, NetGalley approved me for an e-arc and I was over the moon!

This Vicious Grace tells the story of Alessa, the next chosen one on an island where demon creatures arrive every ‘Divorando’ to cause chaos. And so the next chosen one (Finestra) must choose their partner (Fonte), and team up to kill these creatures. Alessa is a Finestra but every Fonte she chooses ends up dying because her touch can kill. After a near death experience, she hires Dante as a bodyguard (swoooon!)

The beginning was a little confusing. There were a lot of Italian words that signified events, but it didn’t bother me or take long to understand them. I really love this world- it’s so unique and lush. It’s set mainly on an island and there’s a Citadella, and people who are marked from committing crimes- the world is just so cool.

The magic system is unlike anything I’ve read before. Alessa doesn’t have a straightforward power, but can amplify the power of others e.g. after touching them she can also shoot fire, create wind etc. Alessa is such a well-written character. She’s lonely and has no friends, only stealing away occasionally to meet her brother. But her loneliness really shows through the pages, and it’s almost painful. She longs for a touch of comfort and friendship, and it really makes you empathise with her. Meeting Dante changes her life, and I loved their slow build-up to friendship and then romance. It was such a slow burn and the yearning was so apparent. The grumpy body guard trope is done so well!

The Fonte applicants were also a great cast of characters. They’re all unique and I was so surprised to find how diverse this book was?? Saida making Roosmalai (definitely South Asian) and her just being an icon were EVERYTHING. I loved the whole gang, and their witty banter. Kamaria and Kaleb’s banter was hilarious, and Kaleb’s character development was so good. There’s a sense of found family for Alessa and it made me so emotional!!

I really liked the writing- it was gorgeous and easy to read. The pacing was great for the plot twists that happened. The history of this world were interwoven into the story so no info dumping there. There’s lemon trees, pretty dresses, and LOTS of food! The ending leaves you wanting so much more...

Overall, I really enjoyed it! Highly recommend- thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

I did have a bumpy start with this book and took me some time to accept the worldbuilding and the story itself as facts. The world is heavily inspired by Italian language and partially culture, with Italian serving as an old language that many are unfamiliar with. To those that understand Italian, it would seem weird that the main protagonist is called Finestra, which means window, but I do think it's nicely explained why she is called that way and it ties into the language really nicely. I did feel like the worldbuilding was sloppy at times, but it could be reworked a bit for the second book. It took me almost until the end to fully understand the threat Alessa has to face, but again, that maybe had to do with the (lack of) attention I was giving this book at times.

Some plot points were a bit bland for me and I found it hard to believe at times (that includes some reveals about a certain bodyguard and people's reactions to it and marriage between a Fonte and Finestra), but at the same time, it was a different approach than I was used to and I appreciated it when looking back at it. The book itself wraps up pretty nicely, but also feels like it could be just a standalone, because not that many things were established for the sequel and it felt like the author had a last minute thought about bringing on a new problem for our characters to solve.

As for the things that won me over, the first one has to be the found family. The synopsis didn't give us anything about that so I was so surprised. Since Alessa is basically counting the days until she has to pick her fighting partner (because she killed the first three by accident), it was imperative that she found her new Fonte as soon as possible. I loved how each of the Fontes was unique and had their own traits and powers and how they warmed up to Alessa over time. Towards the end, you could see how much love and closeness is between them. The second thing was the bodyguard trope. Dante as a character was interesting and mysterious from the start, but his relationship with Alessa complimented the story really well. It made me remember all the good things about that trope. Along with that, as I previously mentioned, I loved the Italian influence on the worldbuilding and how it served as an old language.

Reading this book was a pleasant experience in the end and the story pulled me in by the final conflict.

The beginning of the book didnt give me much to like about, for some reason I didn't feel the story much but as I read on I liked it. I think I loved the romance more than anything else in this story. The relationship between alessa and dante was funny and their banter was lovely to read. I also liked the rest of the group, they don't come as much but I liked their personalities and wished there was more about them.
The plot and the magic system/worldbuilding was pretty basic and anyone who is interested in getting into YA fantasy would probably find this a good and easy read.
However, the one thing I found lacklustre was the ending. considering how there was a countdown about the 'end of their times', I expected the ending to have much more tension and drama.

This Vicious Grace was thrilling and really entertaining read. Filled with tropes I love especially bodyguard trope.
I was really surprised this was a debut novel! Emily did such a great job with world building and I loved the characters. The Italian inspired fantasy world building was so gorgeous and the plot twist really got me! Slow burn romance was really well done and I was rooting for the couple so badly!
I cannot wait for the sequel and I’m really excited to get a physical copy of this book!

other then witchy books we all know i love a good dark themed book as i was never a bubblegum princess kind of person. This was a YA book with a coming of age storyline and so most of the booktok will like this book.

the MCs are sassy AF and that is one of the reason i liked the storyline and yes there is a little "oh no i need a hero to help me decided what to do" but other then that enjoyed it. its YA spice friendly and doesnt over step using the good old fade to black moments,

the whole book is one you want to read in bed in your fluffy pjs and with a purring cat, where you lie to yourself when you say just one more chapter. overall would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good story with that sassy banter romance

Received this book as an ARC from Hodderbooks in exchange for an honest review so here we go 🥰

Rating: 5/5⭐️

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 be her personal bodyguard. But Dante is not who he says he is.

You can’t avoid loving Alessa, wish her all the kindness and love in the world and cheer for her happiness! She’s so genuine and wants the simplest things in life: friends, affection, just to not be alone. You can’t also avoid falling in love with Dante and all his toughness and his tries to prove he’s bad (when in reality, he’s so kind and good!).
All the characters are full of reality and you will find yourself finding little pieces of yourself in each and everyone one of them!

This book keeps my attention captive from the very beginning with it’s gorgeous plot and beautiful character growth. Alessa and Dante’s relationship starts from a professional relationship to true friendship that evolves into something more!

This story goes through ups and downs of human emotions, from loneliness to the spark of a warm hug and it felt so raw and was beautifully expressed! A great debut fantasy novel from Emily Thiede and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for her! Will definitely keep an eye out for any future books of hers (and obviously the sequel of this amazing duology)!

This review will be posted on my bookstagram (@maria_bookshelf) during the release week so keep an eye out for it 😆💕!

This Vicious Grace was one of my most anticipated releases this year, so it pains me to say it left me very disappointed. It had a lot of potential and although the storyline is good, the writing wasn't.

The story lacked a lot of depth in several ways. The characters were flat and oftentimes completely insufferable. There was no noticeable chemistry between the MC and the love interest. I found them both to be very manipulative and toxic to one another.

There was also a completely lack of showing. It was all telling and even that barely happened. Scenes were way too short and when they ended, they ended. Whatever happened was usually never mentioned again. If something horrible happened it was immediately forgiven. There were no consequences at all.

This book appeared to be several one-shots of a From Blood and Ash fan fiction braided together to make a full book. It seemed to be a mix and match of popular tropes from some very popular books, but done very messily. The flat writing would have been okay in a middle grade book, but it simply doesn't work for an older YA book.

This book.... gave me some feelings. Alessa is a very good protagonist. She is both vulnerable and emotional while still being incredibly strong–a combination that can be difficult to balance. Dante is really hot. That's my main takeaway.In all seriousness though, the religious lore of this story is intriguing. It draws a few comparisons with modern day organized religion (particularly Christianity, particularly Catholicism). It deals with themes of religious trauma that a lot of people deal with in real life without being "preachy" about it. It's clear that there's some religious malpractice, but you don't find out until later what specifically it is. You can guess at it, but it is more nuanced than I expected it to be, even after I figured out most of it.

The characters are brilliant. Each one is well developed and sympathetic, even if they are not necessarily good people. Well, a few aren't sympathetic, but they're just trash people in general. Still well written though. Most of the characters develop and change throughout the story, which isn't always easy to do when you have so many.

I really liked the emphasis on community and almost a platonic polyamory thing. I also like the worldbuilding details that imply there's nothing bad about same-sex relationships and that marriage is not necessarily the be-all-end-all of romance. These are viewpoints that I don't often find in books.

A few small cons: Some of the action was difficult to follow, particularly in the climax. It wasn't that annoying because battles are crazy hectic so it made sense that I might not know where everyone was, but it was still discombobulating. There were also a few turns of phrases that didn't feel entirely appropriate for the setting, but I can't remember now what they were. Just a few anachronistic seeming things. That being said, I wasn't always 100% sure about the level of technology in the world either. They have electricity, but it's very old and nobody knows how to fix it anymore? But they also use a lot of torches. Alessa has an entire kitchenette in her suite which I assume has a functional oven because someone bakes there at least once. But that seems very odd for any sort of citadel, regardless of time period. I was interested in the way it came together but wanted a little bit more clarity. 

Those are all nitpicky things though because I'm a nitpicky person, don't let it put you off reading this. It's fun, suspenseful, easy to read, and there's a lot of classic steamy bits like "oh no I'm trapped between a wall and his sexy body" and I love that for me (and Alessa).

WHERE DO I BEGIN? I AM OBSESSED.

This is an Italian-inspired romance fantasy set in a city called Saverio. The main character is Alessa, a girl that blessed with some kind of divine power and along with her partner supposed to be the savior of Saverio, but she accidentally killed 3 partners in a row with those power. After those 3 deaths, everyone started to doubt Alessa. And secretly plotting against her. That's when she decided to find someone to protect her.

And then there's Dante, a mysterious man who have a complicated past. Live hasn't been kind to him, until he met Alessa. The dynamics between Alessa and Dante reminds me of Poppy and Hawke from From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout but less seductive, and I enjoyed it so much. They're such an Iconic character for this book and I love it💕

There's also this one character that I hate so MUCH because he reminds me of the Apparat from Grishaverse books but I'm not gonna elaborate. Just read it yourself and you'll understand. The other characters also fitting so well, the Fontes (sorry I mean 𝘍𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪😃) providing a lovely found family.

Honestly this book gripped me hard from the very first page and I'm so happy that it turns out really good, even though it's only a debut. It has medium pace, maybe a bit slow at first but it's not dragging. It gave me all kinds of emotions, the jokes and banters made me giggled and excited but the angst scene broke my heart☹️

Moral values that I got from reading this are pretending to be strong won't solve your problem, it's okay to want something, it's okay to fulfill your needs, it's okay to trust your guts. And don't settle with the bad label people put on you because you can be much more than that, and it's never too late to change for the better.

Overall this is a splendid debut, I can't wait for the next book even though this book hasn't been published yet🥲 Will definitely reread it in the meantime.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘳 & 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬!

3.5 rounded up ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

Things I enjoyed about this book:

🦋Interesting magic system
🦋Psuedo-Italian setting
🦋Enemies-ish to lovers

Things I think could be improved for the rest of the series:

🐛More world building and expansion on the magic and the gods
🐛Fleshed-out secondary characters
🐛 Alessa (MC) to be more confident and less dependent on others

Although at times it did seem like the author was re-hashing the same things over and over without any progression in the plot, there is still much to recommend this book such as the interesting magic system, the teaser of how the gods will be incorporated in the rest of the series and also how the romance between Alessa and Dante (real name withheld 🤣) progresses. I will definitely be continuing with this series.