Book Review: Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison.
Serina has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace – someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. But when her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, catches the heir’s eye, it’s Serina who takes the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding.
Now trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one way to save Serina: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to release her sister. This is easier said than done. A traitor walks the halls of the palace, and deception lurks in every corner. But Serina is running out of time, imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive and one wrong move could cost her everything.
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I think what prompted me to skip all the books on my TBR list for Grace and Fury was the fact that it seemed to be about strong females defying odds in their various positions (at least, that’s what I got from the synopsis).
To give you a little background, the story features Nomi and Serina. While they’re both sisters, they’ve been raised completely differently, with Serina being groomed to be a Grace in the palace, and Nomi being trained to be her sister’s handmaiden. Serina, who is satisfied with the future that has been carved out for her doesn’t understand Nomi’s burning need for choices. It’s true that in the world of Grace and Fury, females don’t have a choice. They aren’t allowed to read (can you even imagine?), and they’re brainwashed into thinking that being a Grace is something other than gold-plated bondage.
I didn’t care much for Serina at first, but as the story went on, she became my favourite part of the book. In fact, I looked forward to her POV more than I did Nomi’s. For a story like this, I think it’s weird how I didn’t form much of a connection with any of the characters, not even the ones that died. In fact, the only person I may have felt some sort of empathy for is Maris (one of the other Graces).
I loved the sisterhood that was represented. Serina and Nomi look out for each other even when they are apart and angry at each other (and their relationship is just very noteworthy). The budding sisterhood between Nomi and Maris, as well as Serina and Jacana, also stood out to me.
The first half of the story was a quick read for me. It flew by nicely and as it progressed, I enjoyed the story more and more. The plot twist at the beginning was the most surprising aspect of the story. I would never have imagined that the story would go in that direction, but it did, and I loved it! The second “big reveal”, though, wasn’t so big to me. In fact, I almost expected it to happen, and I was disappointed that Nomi didn’t (you would think someone like her would be more cynical). In the face of the previous twist, I felt a bit let down with the way the book ended.
In all, even though Grace and Fury didn’t hit the spot in all regards, I liked it a lot. It certainly piqued my curiosity regarding what will happen in the sequel. What will happen to Nomi and Malachi? Did Renzo manage to escape? What about the women on Mount Ruins?
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Have you read Grace and Fury? What did you think? Have you read any other book with a similar plot?
14 Comments
Ruby @ Ruby's Books
Great review! Plot twists that you can predict are such a bummer! I’m glad you still enjoyed the book and I hope the sequel will turn out to be a more enjoyable read.
Ibukun
Thank you! I hope so too 🙂
Kaleena @ Reader Voracious
I am glad you liked this book more than I did, I was rather disappointed with the story overall. Lovely review!
Ibukun
Thank you! It sucks that it wasn’t your cup of tea, though.
Laurie
Lol I keep procrastinating on this one. But being predictable is so annoying.
Ibukun
A lot of people seem to be procrastinating on it, so you’re not alone! And yes, predictable plots are just disappointing.
Isabelle @ BookwyrmBites
oh man, predictable twists can be such a letdown, especially when they’re preceded by a much better one! but it sounds like this book did its job in getting you hooked for the sequel – and it may have just jumped up several places on my TBR 📚
Ibukun
Thankfully, it’s a letdown I can forgive. I hope you enjoy it!
thereadingchemist
This one is still sitting on my bookshelf to be read. I’m drawn to the plot because I curious to see how their sisterhood survives when the two are groomed for very different roles.
Ibukun
The plot is interesting for sure. And their sisterhood is probably my favourite part of the story.
Shalini
Grace and Fury has been on my TBR for a while now. Your review is beautifully written and I have seen similar sentiments expressed about the book so I’m still deciding whether or not to pick it up in the upcoming month .
Ibukun
Thank you! You should read it. The ending fell short, but I don’t regret reading it.
Haley
This sounds like a great read, the synopsis kinda wrangled me right in, but, I love when you have a character that starts off on the wrong foot with you and then suddenly you fall in love with them! It’s the best!
Ibukun
Yes! That’s my favourite way of seeing character growth/development.