The Graces

As with many a great coming of age story, The Graces starts with a young girl moving to a new city to start afresh with her family. The hardships of having to move away from your friends and loved ones at such a difficult age is something that everyone should be able to sympathise with. However, it soon becomes apparent that the town itself is not what River expected, but something that she had always searched for. Based on Greek mythology, the Grace family represents the Greek goddesses of charm, beauty, nature and human creativity. River is instantly lured into their world of witchcraft and yearns to be one of them.

Soon lured into their world, River quickly learns that the charm and beauty that the Graces possess is not all that it seems to be. The novel takes a dark turn and the life at home takes a turn for the worse too.

The Graces is a story that combining mythology with witchcraft and growing up could rival the young adult superpower Twilight. However, it does not quite hit the mark this time. Throughout the novel, there is a sense of falsehood with the main protagonist which deters you from enjoying this novel. River yearns to be one of the Graces and when the book finishes, disappointment ensues purely from spending 300 pages rooting for River to have Laure Eve take away everything that she had created in this new town.

Not only is the plot lacking, the writing itself is filled with clichés which can often work really well within YA writing. However, The Graces leans more towards cheesy and overall can be read only with a pinch of salt and plenty of eye-rolling.