Grace and Fury had everything for me to love it. It had a moving relationship between sisters, rebellious heroines, and compelling dystopian world building.
Summary
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
Grace and Fury is a novel driven by sisterhood. It’s a story about the mistakes we make, the lies we tell, and all the things we wish we said. The relationship between Nomi and Serina, although much of it was only occurred separately, kept me reading. I’ve never had a very strong sibling relationships, so there’s something about loyal sibling relationships that just keep me hooked – and wishful.
Grace and Fury is told in alternating perspectives and what is unique about this, is that this technique allows Banghart’s writing to shine. In many ways Nomi and Serina are almost mirrors of each other. Their journeys and challenges are similarly shaped in a lot of ways. We can see how both are trained to be a certain way and how their role reversals require adaptation and cunning.
At the same time, we witness how different, and similar, their situations are. The world building is detailed whether it be on a volcanic island or in court. These two perspectives allow us to witness the danger lurking in plain sight, and the deceit creeping over dance floors and island beaches.
Grace and Fury is about finding yourself. It’s about realizing there is so much to the world. So much more to you than you ever could have known. We can discover our strengths. Sometimes it takes the roughest and most dire circumstances, but we can find the light. Like a diamond, time and pressure sometimes is all it takes to shine.
On a thematic level, Grace and Fury examines rebellions. It ranges from the simple actions to large scale change. And we’ve got to ask ourselves how we rebel? Where will we take a stand? In this entirely unjust system, how can we band together, if at all? All of these questions are asked of both Nomi and Serina – and many other characters. Can we rise up? And what are we willing to sacrifice for change?
Check out Grace and Fury on Goodreads.