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  • The Grace Year

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Kim Liggett
  • Narrated by: Emily Shaffer
  • Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (91 ratings)

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The Grace Year cover art

The Grace Year

Written by: Kim Liggett
Narrated by: Emily Shaffer
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Publisher's Summary

"Emily Shaffer delivers a dynamic performance of this dystopian audiobook.... She masterfully connects listeners to the characters' emotions, creating passionate and realistic performances." (AudioFile Magazine)

This program includes a bonus conversation with the author.

A speculative thriller in the vein of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Power. Optioned by Universal and Elizabeth Banks to be a major motion picture!

Survive the year.

No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their 16th year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life - a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.

With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.

Praise for The Grace Year:

"A visceral, darkly haunting fever dream of a novel and an absolute page-turner." (Libba Bray, New York Times best-selling author)

"The Grace Year seethes with love and brutality, violence and hope. It is a remarkable and timely story of the bonds between women, the cost of breaking those bonds, and the courage it takes to defy a patriarchy intent on crushing feminine strength." (Sabaa Tahir, number one New York Times best-selling author of An Ember in the Ashes)

"This book is harrowing and absolutely riveting, an insidious journey from reason to madness that manages to completely refresh the concept of the patriarchal dystopia, with a beautifully realized ending that goes to a very different, and even more believable, subtle, and unexpectedly satisfying, place than I expected." (Melissa Albert, New York Times best-selling author of The Hazel Wood)

©2019 Kim Liggett (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about The Grace Year

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So important and powerful

The worst thing about this book is that I was left wanting for more. It’s perfect as is, but I also would have loved to have been able to experience more about the world and its characters.

Kim Liggett did such a fantastic job with all aspects with her book: the characters, the relationships between them, everyone’s perspectives are both realistic and interesting, the points that she wants to make is clear and impactful, it is never forgotton, but also didn’t feel overwhelming. Of course, the pacing and storytelling are superb, both natural-feeling and gripping.

Thank you for writing something so important and I was so happy to hear how important it was for you personally as well.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Nice story

Coming of age story that keeps you intrigued and wanting to know more. The symbols are beautiful and the characters are interesting.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Super great book!

The story kept me on the edge of my seat! I hope theres a second!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book

I really enjoyed this book! The storyline was creative and I enjoyed the characters and the ending.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Def a great read

The handsmaid tale meets lord of the flies. Fantastic read. A touch of romance, gore and a fight for survival in an oppressive time. Beautifully written, full of twists, mystery and deeply felt emotion. Great read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book!

I couldn’t stop listening! I can’t wait to see if a sequel comes out next.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Too lighthearted

I feel like the narrator missed the tone of the novel and made it much more lighthearted than it should be

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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So different but so good!

Wasn’t ready for it to be over… when it was over I craved more and wanted the story to go on! Would love to hear a sequel!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

good story with a great narrator

the story was very good. female empowerment. love. friendship. rivalry. love the narrator. she was perfect.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

took a while before I got into it

but there was something about it that told me to give it a chance. I was fully invested once the story picked up, and bawled my eyes at the end.

very well done

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