Overall: C+

"Scorched Grace" has an interesting premise that kept me reading but ultimately, this isn't a great book. The draw to the book was main character Sister Holiday, a cigarette smoking queer nun with a dark past. When a murder occurs at her school, she goes from nun to nun-detective. The problem is I can't tell if she's a good or bad detective. In one way, it makes sense because she's not a trained detective. However, sometimes her decisions are just dumb.

There are flashbacks from her previous life back in New York that include her and her former flame/best friend Nina. The flashbacks display how important this woman is to Sister Holiday. Nina actually comes down to visit Sister Holiday and you would think it would add something important would happen but...it added nothing. I don't even remember if there was a resolution to her visit. It was that forgettable. 

The writing is fine. Sister Holiday tends to philosophize a bit too much and comes across as edgy. There is strong men/women binarism. Men in power are typically assholes (Diocese and cops) while there is a bit more depth or quirkiness with women characters. The Louisiana setting was a good choice but doesn't feel that explored. The plot is fine but the resolution is anti-climatic. 

I think I powered through this and the sequel because I liked the concept of character but the execution was not great.