Quick Thoughts: This Vicious Grace (The Last Finestra #1) by Emily Thiede

This Vicious Grace

(The Last Finestra #1)

by Emily Thiede 

June 28, 2022

Goodreads Summary:

Three weddings. Three funerals. Alessa’s gift from the gods is supposed to magnify a partner’s magic, not kill every suitor she touches.

Now, with only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons devours everything on her island home, Alessa is running out of time to find a partner and stop the invasion. When a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the island’s only hope, her own soldiers try to assassinate her.

Desperate to survive, Alessa hires Dante, a cynical outcast marked as a killer, to become her personal bodyguard. But as rebellion explodes outside the gates, Dante’s dark secrets may be the biggest betrayal. He holds the key to her survival and her heart, but is he the one person who can help her master her gift or destroy her once and for all?

Emily Thiede's exciting fantasy debut, This Vicious Grace, will keep readers turning the pages until the devastating conclusion and leave them primed for more!

Review

It's been a hot minute since I've enjoyed a YA fantasy as much as I loved This Vicious Grace. It was everything I didn't know I needed! I definitely should not have been skeptical of the story at the beginning XD

What I Liked:

- the engaging writing

- easily readable

- the short chapters kept my interest

- the unique story concept:

   - Finestra/Fonte dynamic

   - nothing like the threat of the end of the world to keep the characters on the tips of their toes

- loved learning a bit of the Italian language

- Alessa and Dante stole my heart:

   - the playful tone and fun banter between them

   - the heartfelt conversations they shared

   - some surprisingly spicy scenes ;)

- no shortage of drama and twists (the Fontes, Alessa's brother, Dante's identity and sacrifice)

- the careful development of genuine camaraderie

- the theatrics of some of the characters and scenes had me laughing

The Not So Much:

- the first 100 pages were kind of info-dumpy

"...fear began with the unknown..." (p. 77)

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the copy I received.