When you get lemons, make lemonade... or lemon juice. Whatever works.
Song Vibe Check:
"Her" By Winona Oak
"Queen of the Night" By Hey Violet
"Quizas, Quizas, Quizas" By Andrea Bocelli and Jennifer Lopez
Nothing like a debut book review for a book debut!!
2022 has proven to be a year of many writing debuts and many authors publishing their sequels or conclusions to their series and while my TBR list only gets bigger with all the books I wish to read, the time to actually read is not always that much. But, thanks to Netgalley, I was able to score an ARC to one of my anticipated reads of the year.
AND GUESS WHAT? It did not disappoint.
This Vicious Grace by Emily Theide is a brilliant debut out on June 28th and I'm happy to report that it gets a 5/5 stars for me. From the smoldering slow burn, to the crazy bakery puns, the I would kill to touch spiel and the journey of acceptance for the Finestra Alessa, this book put me on a rollercoaster and it didn't let go and I am super happy I read it... but also I NEED BOOK 2 NOW!
The short version of what it's about: Chosen one who is a death plague to whoever she touches getting protected by a cynical bodyguard who has a secret that could help her or kill her and trying to get matched with someone who won't run away from her (including said bodyguard)
The long version: Three Weddings. Three Funerals. Alessa Paladino is the current Finestra of Saverio, an island which depends on her magic and the one of her fonte, the battle partner that can help stop the arrival of the scarabeo, a threat that could devour an entire island alive. But Alessa has a problem.
Well, more like three problems.
She has killed three of her fontes already.
She has multiple people who want to take her down and the people are losing trust in her.
She can't control her deadly touch.
In running out of solutions, Alessa flees to the city to meet *CUE* Dante, a street fighter marked as a killer who she hires. He's our grumpy cat with a heart of gold behind the tough exterior. As they go on the search for the next fonte to marry Alessa, she must learn how to control her touch so it doesn't kill her fonte all before Divorando, the judgment day the island of Saverio fears. With the fontes escaping her presence and challenging elements she needs to try to control, she needs to gain the trust of her fontes to be able to serve her island even as her growing feelings for Dante threaten to shatter the world she lives in.
He is the one person who can touch her.. but that touch has a secret and a cost that may determine their love and the fate of an entire island.
Thoughts:
Dante earns bonus points for insisting on owning a cat.
Alessa is an interesting character who goes through so much growth into accepting herself and being proud of who she is. She voices the insecurities of a girl falling in love all while wanting to be loved without killing anyone. Her loneliness was a big facet of the book and Chapter 29 is still the one chapter that made me shed tears at something she screamed at Dante, breaking the heart of every person who just wants to be loved and appreciated.
The world-building and magic behind it pulls you in and the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter are oddly fitting for most of the chapters. While I would have preferred the first person narrative and more of Dante's perspective, I like that we really get to know Alessa better and her sarcastic nature blends well with his.
The tension in this book was CHEF'S KISS
I just really enjoyed this book and did a buddy read and rant with @maryamofthebooks Follow her on Instagram for more book recs and one of the great bookstagram profiles I enjoy!
So, in the month of June I have read roughly around 9 books in total (5 of which were manga/graphic novels and the rest were novels!) but while I enjoyed the four novels read, this one comes out as the Book of the Month! So, what's next if I haven't convinced you already?
Read full review on Goodreads
Pre-order This Vicious Grace Now (there's a super sweet pre-order campaign including a canvas tote bag, a sticker and bookplates!)
Just read it already, I'm sure you'll love it and with a nice lemonade on the side, you'll get to enjoy a nice, steamy summer read.
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