The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

The story is set in Garner County, a secluded and highly religious society where sixteen-year-old girls are believed to possess dangerous magical powers and an aphrodisiac essence that can lure men. To "purify" them before marriage, the girls are banished to an isolated encampment in the wilderness for a full year, known as their "grace year". 

The novel follows the protagonist, Tierney James, who does not believe in the magic but must face the brutal elements, the threat of poachers who hunt the girls in the woods, and the even greater danger posed by the other girls themselves as they fight for survival. The book explores themes of: 

• Misogyny and the high cost of a society that denies women power.
• The complex relationships between women and girls.
• Survival and psychological pressure.
• Fighting to take control of one's own life within an oppressive system