Novel Review: Grace by Elizabeth Scott

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Genre: YA Realistic

Publisher: Dutton (Penguin)

Release Date: 2010

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Grace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom. In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.

Told in spare, powerful prose by acclaimed author Elizabeth Scott, this tale of a dystopian near future will haunt readers long after they’ve reached the final page.

The Cover:

I think this cover is fitting. It's not especially pretty to me, as I don't really like the way the face with all the flames look, but I think it works. It represents the book really well, and it is eye-catching.

Quotes:

• "'You do what you must in order to survive.’” (Hardback, pg. 89)
• "Now neither of us do because life shouldn’t be something you want to hide. It shouldn’t be something you turn away from.” (Pg. 184) (On living being shameful, as they’ve been taught.)
• "That life is only about death.
  But it shouldn’t be.
  Life is about being alive. It is about living.” (Pg. 195)

Review

This was a really fast, very interesting, read. I was surprised, and I liked it.

This is a really small book, with large spacing, so it went by in, like, two hours. But it was still a really interesting, deep read. I knew what it was about going in, but I was still surprised. Maybe that’s because I don’t read a lot of books on this topic, or even close to it, but still.

Grace’s journey was really interesting. It’s sad, and kind of frustrating, the traditions of where she lives. It’s hard to imagine, and it just seems hard.

This book was very deep, given what Grace has gone through, and what she has decided to do. On her journey to escape, she meets a guy close to her in age, Kerr. His story was also really interesting to read about, and really horrible. It was all kind of horrible, though.

Despite the possible hint of romance in the synopsis, there isn’t any in this book. Her and Kerr, instead, talk. They find out about each other, and talk about what they’ve done and what’s happened to them, even if they’re reluctant and in hiding. And I’m glad that it wasn’t a romance, because I think it worked out better this way. Them just forming a kind-of, maybe bond, I think, worked better for them.

I was surprised by this book, but I really liked it. It was deep and kind of beautiful, but also really sad. It’s definitely worth picking up.