Book Review | This Vicious Grace

Alessa is a Finestra. She can draw from and amplify her partner's powers. However, she’s so powerful that she ends up killing her own partners in the process. Now she must find one capable of withstanding her before the next demon wave hits, and in the meantime, she must also hire a new bodyguard to protect herself from people trying to assassinate her.

This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede paints an Italian-inspired and fast-paced fantasy romance.

I think what I loved most about the story was Alessa herself. I found to be a sympathetic main character. She's lonely and touch-starved and she can't even hug her twin brother out of fear of killing him.

On top of that, there were a lot of fun romance tropes and I really enjoyed the bickering dynamics between Alessa and Dante, her disgruntled bodyguard.

However, asides from Dante and Alessa, the majority of the side characters fell flat and some of the characters’ choices and reactions were baffling to me. For a story whose magic system and themes hinge around the idea of togetherness, I wish it had fleshed out its characters and their relationships more in order to make for a compelling story. Hopefully this can be worked on in the upcoming sequel.

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : June 28, 2022

Publisher : Wednesday Books

IBSN: 1250794056

Pages : 448

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