The Quick Cut: Two sisters end up in way over their heads when the ungroomed one is selected as a Grace and the groomed sister is sent to a prison island. Chaos and emotions fly as they each do everything they can in order to get back to one another and topple the women oppressed regime.
A Real Review:
Thank you to Little Brown Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book that I absolutely could not put down from the moment I picked it up! From page one to book's end, this story continues to keep you wrapped up in the drama and dying to see what is going to happen next. Unlike many of the fantasy based books coming out recently, this one manages to keep the details easy to follow and also keeps the attractions down to kisses (in a time where far too many books have explicit sex scenes).
Serina and Nomi are two sisters who live in a world where women have almost no rights. They do not read, write, vote, and exist to be subservient to the men who do all of the working and thinking for the country. In this world, the country is run by a Majesty - who instead of having a Queen has what is known as Graces. Graces are women who are meant to be the perfect example of everything they expect a woman to be: beautiful, quiet, and only speaks when spoken to.
When the current Majesty's health begins to deteriorate, the Heir to the throne, Malachi, begins to prepare by picking his first three Graces. This is where our sisters come into play - Serina was raised and trained to become a Grace. Spending all her formative years learning how to dance, sew, and present herself. Meanwhile, Nomi spent her time helping Serina be the perfect shining example of a Grace while she looked thin, learned to read in secret, and continued to hold onto her rebellious nature. Nomi goes with Serina to the Grace choosing party as a Handmaid to Serina, but while there - Nomi manages to make an impression on the Heir Malachi and ends up being chosen as a Grace instead of Serina!
As if that's not enough of a role switching drama, Nomi also stole a book while at the party and Serina ends up getting caught with the book. Quickly, she ends up declared guilty and sent off to Mount Ruin - a women's prison island that no one escapes from and everyone must fight to survive. Each sister is left in an entirely uncomfortable environment without one another for help, having to adjust and adapt to survive without knowing who they can truly trust. Nomi leans on Asa, Malachi's brother and continuous presence around the Graces during training. Serina leans on Val - a guard at the prison who develops feelings for Serina while also following his own agenda.
In the beginning, I really didn't like Nomi. She continuously complains about her current life, causes issues, and then gets her sister locked away for a crime she didn't commit in the worst prison possible. However, the more the story goes on, the more I started to like both sisters - especially seeing how much they went from fighting with each other to appreciating one another's presence during their younger years and earlier times. Serina learns from Nomi's rebellious side and utilizes it to fight on Mount Ruin while also holding onto her morals. She refuses to kill the other women and it causes a whole other set of issues. The development of each sister from a rigid one sided person into a fully developed, evolved character who has learned so much more about the world around her. Its so much fun seeing them do it in the process.
An addictive, fast paced read, this book is everything you could want in a fantasy novel. WIth two sisters who take on a sexist government, they learn from one another and stand up for each other while attempting to survive their own nightmare scenarios.
My rating: 5 out of 5