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“There’s a place inside us where they can’t reach us, they can’t see.  What burns in you burns in all of us.”

This cover is so beautiful and delicate. I guess I wasn’t paying attention to the blurb or other reviews and got taken on quite a ride! Is there a way to talk about this book without giving anything away? I will just say despite the gory patriarchal survivor cannibalistic dystopian feel of this book, I really really enjoyed this. There was a spark of hope and fire in Tierney. This very strong Grace year girl that had plans for herself that kept getting changed by the men around her. She never gave up, had so many ideals instilled in her and a questioning mind that told her that the town’s beliefs were ludicrous.There are some very disturbing behaviors and rituals happening in the name of purity and purifying these girls. Which honestly I am appalled but could not stop listening at the same time. I think I am more appalled and disturbed because I could easily see a community believing this and doing these things to each other and girls for these men’s benefits.

This book as others have mentioned feel like a mix of Handmaiden’s Tale, Hunger Games & Lord of the Flies.

The oppression of women and the competition between women is a visceral living breathing monster. From the author’s discussion after the audiobook the idea for the book came from standing on a train platform and her watching a man look at a teenager up and down then an older woman looking at that girl with envy. This idea of younger girls and teenage girls tempting men and women being jealous of them disgusts me and they should control themselves not the other way around.

When ideas become sanctified and indoctrinated into religion it starts to get scary. The God I learned about didn’t kill his sheep or molest them.And omg Ryker! If only more people saw beyond the veil to the real world.

PSA: This is a very serious issue – trafficking, rape, abuse, kidnapping, incest, and the law still sides with the males in a lot of ways. We need to protect our girls. 

P.S. When I was in the NICU for 2 weeks with my first born I had deja vu like 15 times. I would stop and stare and think I had this dream of this moment in high school. I had dreamt of this child my whole life. So I definitely believe in magic, in some type of connection. My 2nd,  I just stare in her eyes and feel like I’ve met her soul. I need to protect those two with my life. One cries at the drop of a hat and the other has the highest pain tolerance.

#thegraceyear #kimligget #raisethemstrong #stopthepartiarchy #themagicisreal #bookreview