SEPTEMBER 2018 - AudioFile
Megan Tusing and Sarah Mollo-Christensen share the narration of this series opener about two sisters living in Viridia, a country that places harsh limitations on women’s freedom. Tusing’s delivery emphasizes the youthful naïveté of rebellious younger sister Nomi, who is dangerously out of her depth after Viridia’s powerful heir chooses her to become one of his beautiful, submissive Graces. Mollo-Christensen sounds serious and increasingly steely as older sister Serina, who takes the fall for one of Nomi’s missteps and lands in a brutal women’s prison where inmates must kill or be killed. Amid a fast-moving mix of fantasy and dystopian plot elements, both emotive performances keep listeners engaged all the way to the cliff-hanger ending. R.A.H. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
05/14/2018
Serina Tessaro has trained her entire life to be a Grace, chosen by the heir to the throne of Viridia to be held as “the highest standard of beauty, elegance, and obedience. What all little girls were meant to aspire to.” Her sister Nomi, two years younger, has reluctantly trained to be her handmaiden. Being selected as a Grace is the only way Serina and Nomi can escape a life of drudgery. Shockingly, Nomi is chosen as a Grace, leaving Serina to take the fall for Nomi’s thievery from the palace library. Desperate to find allies and locate Serina, Nomi uncovers a little-known truth about the history of their world and its subjugation of women. Meanwhile, Serina must find a way to survive Mount Ruin, a dangerous prison where women are forced to compete in death matches. Though Banghart’s debut may seem familiar, she breathes new life into this feminist story of oppression and resistance. The sisters, whose personalities seem predictable at first, shift and grow, adding depth to each character. Fans of Keira Cass and Marie Rutkoski will be drawn to this absorbing story and left eager for another installment. Ages 14–up. Agents: Joelle Hobeika and Eliza Swift, Alloy Entertainment. (July)
From the Publisher
Praise for Grace and Fury:
"The Handmaid's Tale meets The Bachelor, Grace and Fury is fast-paced, feminist, and a perfect summer read."—Bustle
"The Handmaid's Tale gets a YA twist in this debut...The pace is quick, the ending promises a sequel, and the plot couldn't be more relevant. Buy an extra copy--this should find an audience."—Booklist
"Banghart...breathes new life into this feminist story of oppression and resistance. The sisters...shift and grow, adding depth to each character. Fans of Keira Cass and Marie Rutkoski will be drawn to this absorbing story and left eager for another installment."—Publishers Weekly
"The timely YA response to The Handmaid's Tale."—Hypable
"Banghart's prose is florid and engaging, and she expands the drama explosively. Fans of The Hunger Games will appreciate the similar plotting in this first installment of a planned trilogy. An easy hand-sell that will find a willing audience in those who have enjoyed Dhonielle Clayton's The Belles and Stephanie Garber's Caraval."—SLJ
"Grace and Fury's blend of fantasy, feminism and political thriller will likely appeal to fans of The Hunger Games, Marie Rutkoski's Winner trilogy and Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes. The dual narratives create plenty of suspense, and the growth and transformation of these two sisters is engrossing."—Shelf Awareness
"...a dystopian YA delight."—Frolic
"If you're looking for a new read to add to your ever-growing list, Grace and Fury is one you shouldn't miss. It's full of suspense, deception, and #girlpower."—Her Campus
"Fiercely feminist and beautifully rebellious. A story of finding sisterhood in the face of oppression that will stay with me forever."—Kass Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of The 100 series and Light Years
"Two sisters fight for freedom in a fantasy novel with a blisteringly fast pace and a cathartic ending."—Kate Elliott, New York Times bestselling author of the Court of Fives series
"A cathartic, action-packed read about women taking back power."—Elly Blake, New York Times bestselling author of the Frostblood Saga
"Fierce, fun, [and] fast-paced... empowering from start to finish and doesn't flinch in proving that sometimes the life you want isn't the one you expected -- and you won't know until you fight for it."—Sarah Henning, author of Sea Witch
Praise for Queen of Ruin:
"A cathartic, action-packed read about women taking back power."—Elly Blake, New York Times bestselling author of the Frostblood Saga
"A fierce story of sisterhood and survival. Absolutely riveting. I couldn't help but cheer for these ferocious young women."—Kaitlyn Sage Patterson, author of The Diminished
"Empowerment-flavored brain popcorn."—Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
04/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—From a pageant of nine, Serina is selected to go to the capital city of Bellaqua to compete to become a Grace. Graces are the most beautiful women of Lanos, chosen to adorn the palace and produce children for the Superior and now the Heir. Serina has studied for this her entire life, while her sister Nomi has served their family and will continue as her sister's handmaiden. Elaborate descriptions of decor and dress set the scene for the twists that follow. When Nomi is selected as a Grace instead of Serina, the momentum builds. Nomi is thrust into a role for which she is unprepared; worse, Serina is accused of reading a book Nomi stole from the palazzo library. For women, reading is a capital offense, and Serina is banished to a ruined island where inmates must endure gladiator-style fights to survive. The sisters' parallel stories are told in alternating chapters as they suffer their separate forms of bondage. Banghart's prose is florid and engaging, and she expands the drama explosively: Nomi becomes a pawn in a deadly plot while Serina begins to build a coalition among the prisoners. A final twist may bring the sisters back together but under far more dangerous circumstances. Fans of "The Hunger Games" will appreciate the similar plotting in this first installment of a planned trilogy. VERDICT An easy hand-sell that will find a willing audience in those who have enjoyed Dhonielle Clayton's The Belles and Stephanie Garber's Caraval.—Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library
Kirkus Reviews
2018-04-30
Two sisters test the bounds of their personal hells in an oppressive monarchy.In a world where factory work, servitude, and marriage are women's only other options, Serina hopes desperately to be selected as a Grace, an attendant to the Heir and a model of submissive womanhood. But Serina's unruly younger sister, Nomi, while serving as her handmaiden, accidentally sets off a series of events that results in the girls' being cruelly separated and faced with challenges they are each particularly ill-equipped to handle. What follows, unfolding in split plotlines from each sister's perspective, is an entertaining, if predictable, riff on some of youth literature's most popular trends. From palace intrigue and requisite love triangles to dystopian survival challenges and gruesome death matches, Grace and Fury has it covered. A nod at diversity feels gratuitous. Nomi notes, "The Superior didn't seem to have a specific standard of beauty: Some Graces had dark skin, others ghostly white," but all of the primary characters read as white. The girls' ruminations on sisterly womanhood, while welcome enough, are a bit pat; unsurprisingly, Serina and Nomi must join forces with other women to effect change. And, of course, there's the ending that isn't—readers should know that resolution will be withheld over at least one more installment.Fine fodder for fans of the genre but look elsewhere for something fresh. (Fantasy. 12-16)
