Grace And Fury Review

Title: Grace and Fury
Author: Tracy Banghart
Series: Grace and Fury #1
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Publication Date: 26 July 2018
Source: Pan Macmillan South Africa
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Pages: 320
Rating: 4.75 Stars
Reading Timeline: 22 August 2018

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other on an island prison where women must fight to survive.

Serina has spent her whole life preparing to become a Grace - selected to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining example of the perfect woman.

But her headstrong and rebellious younger sister has a dangerous secret, and one wrong move could cost both sisters everything.

Can Serina fight? And will Nomi win?

Book Review:

Pre-reading Thoughts:

This book has been taunting me since I got it. It started to show up everywhere on my Instagram feed, it just kept staring at me, asking me to read it. I guess I have no choice but to get to it and now is the perfect time with it being Women's month in South Africa.

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book. Just a small disclaimer for those reading this review. I have received this book for free. Please note that this does not affect my opinion in any way. All thoughts are my own.

Writing Thoughts:

The writing, in the beginning, caught me off guard. The pacing felt a little off in the first 50 pages of the novel and it definitely took me a hot minute to get into. I enjoyed the dialogue where Nomi's voice was outright, witty and rebellious and in contrast, Serina's voice was subtle and almost seductive. The pace definitely picked up throughout the novel. It started off slow but after the first little twist it picks up almost immediately. I also found that the descriptions were a little too late especially when it came to the descriptions of the characters. 

Plot Thoughts:

I loved how feminist the book was. Beyond that, the plot was incredible. The synopsis entices you but the plot is really who catches the reader. The contrast of the lives of the characters is done masterfully. The pacing of the events is done so well. The author has an amazing gift of convincing the reader of one idea but ends up proving you wrong. I loved how I wasn't sure what would happen next. 

[SPOILER WARNING sort of] 

However, there is one thing I have a problem. There is a sudden love interest that I do not where he came from.

Character Thoughts:

Serina and Nomi are almost foiled characters. They contrast in almost every single way. It is interesting to see how their relationship pulled and stretched in every single direction. They are honestly one of my favourite duos to read about.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I had no idea to expect but I was blown away by this book. The writing had amazing pacing after the first event of this book. The plot is absolutely addicting and the author definitely knows how to convince the reader of her story. The two main characters are fantastic narrators. The book leaves me in anticipation for the next one. If you like feminist books, strong characters and an amazing plot, then this book is for you. Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with an ARC copy of this book!

Yours in Reading,

Melleny