Book Review: The Graces

The Graces
Published By: Amulet Books
Publication Date: September 6, 2016
Page Count: 352
Source: ARC Kindly Provided by Publisher via NetGalley
Audience: Young Adult - Paranormal

River is new in town and she's trying to find her niche. Like others in town, she finds herself enamored with The Graces, a trio of siblings that is glamorous and mysterious. The rumors around town claim that The Grace family are powerful witches. River decides she must find a way to connect herself to the family. She begins to study spells and to observe the siblings whenever possible. She eventually forms a friendship with Summer, the youngest Grace, and begins to spend more time around the family.

This novel's premise lured me in, but I had a lot of trouble reading this one. The prose is beautiful, but I had trouble connecting with River. She felt a bit stalkerish in her obsession with the various Graces. I never invested in any of the characters. There was nothing that made me care about them. 

I also found the beginning to be slow; it took quite awhile to get this story rolling at full speed. 

I did like that this novel was reminiscent in some ways of The Craft, a film that I loved as a teen. I think we can all relate to being on the outside looking in from time to time. 

I think this novel will find a readership, but with so many other things clamoring for my attention these days, I felt like reading this was more of a chore. I do feel like this is a case of "It's me, not you" in some ways. As such, I tried to rate the book with a balance of its merits and my apathetic response.  


One Last Gripe: I think this novel would have been stronger if the action had started sooner. 

Favorite Thing About This Book: the description of the setting - I loved the small town feeling

First Sentence: Everyone said they were witches.

Favorite Character: I honestly didn't like any of them enough to have a favorite.

Least Favorite Character: River



In The Graces, the first rule of witchcraft states that if you want something badly enough, you can get it . . . no matter who has to pay.
 
Everyone loves the Graces. Fenrin, Thalia, and Summer Grace are captivating, wealthy, and glamorous. They’ve managed to cast a spell over not just their high school but also their entire town—and they’re rumored to have powerful connections all over the world. If you’re not in love with one of them, you want to be them. Especially River: the loner, new girl at school. She’s different from her peers, who both revere and fear the Grace family. She wants to be a Grace more than anything. And what the Graces don’t know is that River’s presence in town is no accident.
 
This fabulously addictive fantasy combines sophisticated and haunting prose with a gut-punching twist that readers will be dying to discuss. Perfect for fans of We Were Liars as well as nostalgic classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the 1996 movie The CraftThe Graces marks the beginning of a new wave of teen witches.

Comments

  1. Gotta admit, when the blurb mentioned The Craft, I immediately TBR'd it.


    Sorry it wasn't for you, that's always rough.

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    Replies
    1. I really wanted to love it, but just couldn't get into it. I hope you like it better than I did.

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  2. Aww I was hoping this one would be amazing!! The cover is SO pretty and the premise sounds super interesting. I always hate when a book starts feeling like a chore instead of something magical and fun :(

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    Replies
    1. I agree that it has an awesome cover and premise.

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  3. Great review! Glad you liked this -- I got tripped up on the actions/reactions and the characters in this. Definitely not my favorite

    my review

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