Think twice if…
- Content warnings: Body horror, Death, Blood, Gore, Violence, Animal death, Child death, Death of a parent, Grief, Self-harm, Homophobia, Transphobia, Bullying, Sexism, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Injury detail
Strange Grace
by Tessa Gratton
A dark queer fairy tale where the love triangle actually becomes a triangle. Come for the cursed forest and seven-year sacrifice; stay for the rare YA throuple that feels tender instead of gimmicky.
goodreads 3.55/5 3,128 ratings
Quick fit
Is this story right for you?
A decision-first view of the reading experience.
Length416 pages
Story statusStandalone
Spice1/5 · Closed door / fade to black
PacingSlow
Story profile
What the story promises
The strongest reviewed signals about romance, fantasy, and the reading experience.
Romance promise
- Polyamorous
- Polyamorous / Multi-partner
- Slow burn
- Low
- Closed door / fade to black
- Beautiful grief
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- Secretly soft
- Childhood friends
- Sweet / tender
- Earned hope
- Damaged survivor
- Friends to lovers
- Emotional / vulnerable intimacy
- Book hangover
- Mutual pining
- Tension / anticipation
- Found family feels
- Found family
- Longing glances
- Star-crossed
Fantasy promise
- Ya fantasy
- Throuple / triad
- Small town / village
- Low fantasy / secret magic
- Witches/wizards/warlocks
- Multiple partners (consensual)
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- Forest / wilderness
- Grimdark / dark fantasy
- Monsters
- Forbidden love
- Childhood sweethearts reunited
- Sacrifice/martyrdom
Reading experience
- Multi-POV
- Slow
- Dark
- Lyrical
- Heavy
- High
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- Witch/mage
- Queer
- Eerie
- Atmospheric
- Bisexual MC
- Lush
- Gothic
- Nonbinary main character or love interest (MC/LI)
- Melancholic
- Dreamy
- BIPOC love interest (LI)
- Magical
- Introspective
- Teen MC (under 20)
- Bittersweet
- Yearning
- Enchanted forest
- Bargain with consequences
- Sacrifice for love
- Slow descent into darkness
- Cursed bloodline
- Morally complex
- Star-crossed lovers
Similar stories
Similar in ways that matter
Matched by the most important shared story signals, with the tradeoffs made explicit.
144 pages Standalone
Cinder House
Freya Marske
Similar because
Polyamorous · Polyamorous / Multi-partner · Found family
Different because
Spice is higher (3/5 vs 1/5). Fast pacing rather than Slow.
496 pages Completed
Cursed
Marissa Meyer
Similar because
Ya fantasy · Damaged survivor · Star-crossed
Different because
It is completed rather than standalone. Medium pacing rather than Slow.
386 pages Standalone
Midnight Is the Darkest Hour
Ashley Winstead
Similar because
Childhood friends · Damaged survivor · Childhood sweethearts reunited
Book details
- Length
- 416 pages
- Publisher
- Margaret K. McElderry Books
- Language
- English
- Format
- Book