“As I grew out of childhood, where magic was unquestionable real, underneath all my newly minted cynicism I still wanted to believe that I could live in a true fantasy world – if I could only work out how the hell to find one.”

– Laura Eve, opening letter to The Graces

I received a copy of The Graces as an eARC from Netgalley and the publisher, Amulet Books, which is an imprint of Abrams.

When a glamorous family of teenage witches brings a mysterious new

 girl into their fold, they unwittingly nurture a powerful black magic that could destroy them all. This paranormal YA fantasy features intrigue, spells, and a devastating twist. In The Graces, the first rule of witchcraft states that if you want something badly enough, you can get it . . . no matter who has to pay.

Everyone loves the Graces. Fenrin, Thalia, and Summer Grace are captivating, wealthy, and glamorous. They’ve managed to cast a spell over not just their high school but also their entire town—and they’re rumored to have powerful connections all over the world. If you’re not in love with one of them, you want to be them. Especially River: the loner, new girl at school. She’s different from her peers, who both revere and fear the Grace family. She wants to be a Grace more than anything. But what the Graces don’t know is that River’s presence in town is no accident.

The Graces is the first novel I’ve ever read by Laura Eve, but it certainly won’t be the last. This novel felt like Twilight, but with more humanity, and without vampires. I’d like to point out that my comparison to Twilight is not an insult. It just has a similar vibe, while still being its own story.

River is an incredibly dedicated woman when she wants to be, and she dedicates herself to making friends with the Grace family once she finds out about who they are. It’s honestly impressive, and a little terrifying to read as she does everything she can to become who they need her to be.

The plot kept me wondering. I had to put this down while I went to my actual job, and I kept thinking about it all day. Even after finishing the book, I’m left with a ton of questions about where it will go next. Is the curse real? What will River do next?  We’ll have to wait, I guess, but I really don’t want to.

I think if you liked the Twilight series or We Were Liars, you’ll like this book. The Graces comes out tomorrow, and you can buy the hardcover or ebook through Indiebound or the publisher. Another book is scheduled for release sometime in 2017. I really enjoyed reading this book, and while it felt easily familiar, I was constantly surprised and drawn in, so I rated it four stars.

Her author bio states, “There’s entirely no point in me having an official author photo because I change my hair so often.

I have an agent. It is Sam Copeland at RCW. Please go to him for any rights enquiries, including film and TV. He’ll like that.

My name is pronounced law eev. (in English. In French there’s a whole back of the throat deal).

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