This was a VERY interesting read to say the least…

State of Grace by Hilary Badger is a story about a whole new world. It is a little hard to explain, so here is part of the Goodreads official blurb:

“Ever since she was created, Wren has lived in an idyllic garden with her friends. Wren’s deity Dot ensures the trees are laden with fruit and the water in the lagoon is crystal clear. Wren and her friends have everything they could possibly need right there, in Dot’s Paradise.

If only Wren could stop the strange, disturbing visions she’s started having. Do these visions make her less worthy of Dot’s love? And what does Blaze, the most beautiful and mysterious of Dot’s creations, know about what’s going on in Wren’s head?

Wren is desperate to feel Dot’s love, just like everyone else. But that’s harder than ever when a creation she’s never met before arrives in the garden. He claims to be from outside and brings with him words and ideas that make Wren’s brain hurt.”

As you can tell, there is ALOT of mystery behind this book.  It took me awhile to figure out what all was happening.  But, IT IS ALL PART OF THE STORY.  It took me until about halfway to see that the author meant to confuse us readers.  Dot’s world is a religious one with there being a Book of Dot which lays out the rules for the inhabitants.  What I liked about the story was that it had its own ‘feel.’  At first, the plot is unlike any I have read before, but as you continue to about 2/3 of the way through you begin to see similarities to other popular books. My advice for this book is to not stop.  If you are confused, trust me, it will eventually begin to make sense.

I give this book, 2 out of 5 stars.  I personally do not like to be really confused while getting into a book.  It felt like it took until the end of the book to really be drawn into the plot.  The development was slow which caused a lot of boring parts.  There were a few conflicts between the characters that made my curiosity bloom which I think helped me stay with it.  I will also say that the ending is full of action and suspense, but not enough to make it a 3 out of 5 stars.  The ending was satisfying which I liked.  This is just a whole new world that you think would be fantasy, but then you realize it is a dystopian.  I enjoyed the creative dialect Hilary used.  It was perfect for the world that she created.  This is a book you will want to stick with until the end.  Entertaining, but slow.

More Book Information:

Published: 1 October 2014

Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia

Pages: 336

How I Read It: NetGalley uncorrected proof from publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Stay tuned for more book reviews and other bookish posts coming soon!

Happy Reading Y’all!!