Grace and Fury

May 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.

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 na�vet� 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