GAJA J. KOS

Blurb: 

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.

Review:

Wow, this was one of those rare books that made me want to lift it towards the sky and just roar. Thank you, Tracy Banghart, for giving the world more girl love.

But that description really doesn’t do the book justice.

“It isn’t a choice if you don’t have the freedom to say no.”

I think it was this sentence that first unravelled me. This sentence that set the mood for the entire novel. In a world were there are no true choices, just the appearance of them, how much will it take for the dam to break and unleash all that glorious strength?

It’s hard to go into detail since I would hate to spoil even the smallest aspect of the story, so let me just say that if you’re looking for an inspirational, beautiful read that’s filled with injustices and horrors, but even more so, brimming with such light it actually brought tears to my eyes on several occasions, then do yourself a massive favor and pick up a copy of Grace & Fury.

One of the plot twists towards the end was, perhaps, a bit predictable, but in hindsight, it’s actually only a very small part of the grander structure that’s Banghart’s novel and in no way leeches away any of the enjoyment. That lies in the layered characters, the vines of hope existing even in hopeless situations, and, in my opinion, in the breaking of shackles society had tried to entrap its people in. I really look forward to the sequel.