GRACY AND FURY by Tracy Banghart

In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison.

Serina has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace - someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. But when her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, catches the heir's eye, it's Serina who takes the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding.

Now trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one way to save Serina: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to release her sister. This is easier said than done. A traitor walks the halls of the palace, and deception lurks in every corner. But Serina is running out of time, imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive and one wrong move could cost her everything.

 Opening line:
Serina Tessaro stood on the steps of the fountain in Lanos's central piazza flanked by nine other girls her age, all in their finest gowns."

Serina and Nomi have been raised in a country that puts women down to the point of punishing them if they do anything besides grovel, make meals and babies. Nomi is rebellious and learns to read; Serina follows the rules and is chosen as a Grace for the Heir. As their roles reverse, they find they have strengths they didn't know they possessed and they use them to help each other.
The chapters alternate between the sister's points of view and that was interesting to read their different characters and style. And I really enjoyed their individual journeys to becoming stronger.
There is romance, too. Plus, a lot of fighting and death.
It was easy to predict the twists but I kept reading.
I was annoyed with the constant "women are oppressed!" "stay with the status quo!" "Fight the man!" I didn't need to be reminded of these themes every chapter. Woven through the story subtly would have been enough. At one point in the story, both girls are rescued by a man, sooooo...
I still wanted to keep reading.
I will read the next book, too. I want to know what will happen to the sisters!

To the sensitive reader: fighting, death, cuts, bleeding, stabs, gunshots, talk of spending the the night with the Heir, threat of a rape.

Thanks to netgalley for the read!