Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart - ESSENTIAL

Grace and Fury (Grace and Fury, #1) by Tracy Banghart, 312 pages.  Little Brown and Company, 2018  $10.  

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13 (arena fighting).  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ESSENTIAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  

Two sisters, Serina and Nomi, have been raised for two different purposes.  Serina has been taught all the mannerisms to become a Grace, which is a high honor position as the arm candy of the prince.  Nomi has been Serina’s attendant and knows how to work hard.  While in the castle trying to catch the eye of the prince, Nomi is noticed instead of Serina and picked to become a Grace.  Both girls are horrified, but the switch becomes even worse when Serina is caught with a book (women aren’t supposed to know how to read) which Nomi stole.  As a punishment, Serina is banished to a cruel island that is run by corrupt guards and gangs.  Nomi tries to play the game at court, so she can find her sister and Serina tries to stay alive fighting on the island, but neither of them could have predicted the surprises that come their way.  

I loved this book and couldn’t put it down.  The story switches back and forth between Serina and Nomi and I cared equally about what happened in each story.  Adventure, romance and mystery this book had me entertained.  The violence is PG-13 because of arena fighting. I can’t wait to read more in the next book.  

C. Peterson