Thiede, Emily. This Vicious Grace. Wednesday Books, 2022. 978-1-399-70305-5. 436 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Alessa’s gift has killed three people, and she somehow needs to convince someone to marry her again…which isn’t going well. There is an army of demons headed to destroy her island in a few weeks. There is a priest who is convincing people that Alessa needs to die, and her own soldiers are trying to kill her. All of these things are causing Alessa to feel like she needs to take desperate measures to save herself, and her island.  Enter Dante, an outcast who Alessa hires to try to protect her; however, he wants nothing to do with her or her plan to save the island. Will Alessa be able to protect the island she calls home? Will she be able to convince someone to marry her? Or she is destined to fail at everything, no matter how hard she tries, while Dante is hiding a secret from her that could ruin everything. 

THOUGHTS: This is a fast paced young adult fantasy novel with some romance throughout. There are some predictable twists and turns, but the writing is really well done. There is a sequel planned for this book coming out in 2023.

Fantasy            Mary McEndree, Lehigh Valley Regional Charter Academy

Tags: demons, romance, friendship.