Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was absolutely incredible. Phenomenal. Brilliant. All other adjectives that describe something as magnificent as this book.
This is Wilder Girls, The Hunger Games, and Lord of the Flies wrapped into a beautifully written present.
In Garner County, it is said that women possess a type of magic that is believed to be very powerful and dangerous. It has been proven that this magic comes to fruition during a girls sixteenth year. That is why every girl in their sixteenth year is banished out of the county to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But the wild is also dangerous, and not all of the girls will make it back alive.
I loved every part of this book. I love that we learn about our main character, Tierney James, just days before she is off into the wild for her Grace Year. We learn that she is sparky and dreams of a life where she is more than a wife to the domineering men in the County. She wishes to work in the fields, where women who were not chosen by men go, after her Grace Year. But all of her dreams are shattered during the veiling ceremony where she is chosen by a man. Even though she is scared of the poachers in the wild that skin Grace Year girls alive for their potent essence of youth, she is determined to survive and make this freedom count. Even though I guessed who would veil Tierney, it was actually a pleasant surprise that I was right and how that aspect of the story played out throughout Tierney's Grace Year.
I loved the instant mean girl relationship between Tierney and Kiersten, and how Kiersten played the king pin role at the camp. I loved how Tierney formed a relationship with Gertie. Most of these side characters were differentiated quickly in some kind of way, which made them memorable for me, even in the smallest sense. I loved Tierney's faith in the future yet distrust in society and that she was still weary because she was unsure of magic. I loved that even though Tierney became the outcast, she did not give up on her beliefs, even though she was tempted. Yet, I loved how Tierney's view on society and magic changed throughout her Grace Year. She found out what was wrong with the values believed by the county and was determined to expose their secrets.
I loved the romance, even though it felt fast, it played a major role in the second half of the book. This is definitely an insta-love vibe for the reader despite not being that way within the story, if that makes sense. Despite that, I still enjoyed how passionate and real it felt. The pacing and quickness of this romance was almost necessary because of the lack of time for the characters (not in the book length) and because they were dancing in seemingly uncharted waters. They were unsure of the future but were sure of each other, and that ended up being heart-wrenching.
I enjoyed the different twists as the Grace Year went on. There were many things that I personally predicted, but that didn't make the book as a whole predictable or unenjoyable.
There is so much I could say about this book, but when a book is this good, sometimes you have to leave things unsaid so a future reader can enjoy it fresh.
