Review: Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis

Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis

Release date: September 28, 2018

Publisher: Razorbill 

Pages: 456

Reading level: Young Adult 

Genre: Fantasy 

Source: First to Read 

Links: Author • Goodreads • Amazon 

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

When seventeen-year-old Nedra Brysstain leaves her home in the rural, northern territories of Lunar Island to attend the prestigious Yugen Academy, she has only one goal in mind: learn the trade of medicinal alchemy. A scholarship student matriculating with the children of Lunar Island's wealthiest and most powerful families, Nedra doesn't quite fit in with the other kids at Yugen, who all look down on her.

All, except for Greggori "Grey" Astor. Grey is immediately taken by the brilliant and stubborn Nedra, who he notices is especially invested in her studies. And that's for a good reason: a deadly plague has been sweeping through the North, and it's making its way toward the cities. With her family's life--and the lives of all of Lunar Island's citizens--on the line, Nedra is determined to find a cure for the plague.

Grey and Nedra continue to grow closer, but as the sickness spreads and the body count rises, Nedra becomes desperate to find a cure. Soon, she finds herself diving into alchemy's most dangerous corners--and when she turns to the most forbidden practice of all, necromancy, even Grey might not be able to pull her from the darkness.

Review:

Beth Revis' ACROSS THE UNIVERSE trilogy was one of my favorites. I loved how unique and engaging it was. So, of course, I was eager to read GIVE THE DARK MY LOVE. While I didn't love this one quite as much, I still found it to be a great read. Fast paced, dark, and mysterious this was a great start to a new series. The story follows Nedra as she leaves her small town and family behind to attend school for alchemy. Meanwhile, there is a deadly plague ravaging the country and Nedra quickly becomes caught up in how she can find a cure for this disease, protect her family, and succeed as an alchemist.

The book was told in semi-alternating chapters between Nedra and fellow-student Greggori Astor. To me, this was Nedra's story though and I didn't get too much out of Greggori's character or felt he contributed much. It was sweet to see her be vulnerable with him, but beyond that I didn't love this part of the story. Nedra is incredibly strong-willed and independent and knows what she wants to accomplish. I enjoyed reading about her experiences at school, but even more so when she became more involved in directly combating the plague. What a horrible disease! Beth Revis did not hesitate to describe gruesome surgeries, slow deaths, and painful amputations. The practice of alchemy was interesting to me, but I would like to know more about the reasoning behind the rats and other aspects of alchemy that I didn't feel were fully explained.

The last half of the book was especially exciting and we get to see certain characters begin to descend more and more into the darkness. At almost 500 pages this is not a short book, but I read it fairly quickly. There are several plot twists that kept me guessing and while the ending wasn't necessarily a cliffhanger, I am interested in seeing what the sequels will bring. I am hoping to learn more about the world and how alchemy and necromancy will continue to shape the characters. 

Mini-Reviews: School Spirits and Shades of Earth

I have gotten behind in reviews the past year since beginning college and I figured doing some mini-reviews would be the perfect way to share some quick thoughts on those titles I never got around to fully reviewing. Enjoy!

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School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
Release date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 297
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Series: Book 1
Source: Publisher
Links: Author's Website/Goodreads 

Overall: 3 out of 5 stars

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.
Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.
Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt? 

Mini-Review:

I am a huge fan of the Hex Hall series, so I was beyond excited when I found out Rachel Hawkins was writing a spin-off about Izzy. While I did enjoy this one, it wasn't as good as I had hoped. Izzy was a fun and likable heroine. Her family history of hunting magical creatures leads to her sister's disappearance and from there Izzy's life changes forever. She starts attending a new high school and quickly learns that there is something dark plaguing the students there. While Izzy expects to figure out the problem and prove herself to her mother, she does not expect to make close friends and meet a cute, but unique, boy. I enjoyed the mystery angle of this story and watching Izzy navigate her new life. She was a character I could root for and I liked how different the secondary characters were- it made them stand out a lot. While I did enjoy School Spirits, some things felt a little rushed to me, particularly the ending. I also found myself not as engaged in the story as I would have hoped. For such a short read this one took me awhile to finish. The characters and plot were fun, but the rushed pace and lack of connection I felt to the story at times left me disappointed. Hopefully news of the sequel will be released soon because I think this series does have the potential to develop into something better.

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Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
Release date: January 15, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 369
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 3
Source: Publisher
Links: Author's Website/Goodreads

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.
But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.
Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing.
FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.
ALMOST HOME.

Mini-Review:

I can easily say that this is one of my all-time favorite series. I devoured Across the Universe, A Million Suns, and Shades of Earth and was left feeling quite sentimental when I turned the last page in this action-packed and romantic trilogy. Just when things seem to be working out for Amy and Elder and the rest of the passengers aboard Godspeed, they land on Centauri-Earth. The joy of reaching their new home is quickly shattered when the planet reveals it's darker side. Nature is attacking them and it seems they are not the only ones calling the planet home. I think this was definitely the most intense read of the series, especially because I was so attached to the characters at this point. Amy and Elder are put to the test over and over again and I was worried they might never find happiness. Beth Revis is an incredible writer and story-teller and I am heartbroken that this series has come to an end. I don't want to give anything away, but if you read and enjoyed the first two books in this series you will love this final addition to what is easily one of my favorite new series. I can only hope Beth's next offering will offer up such brilliant plot twists, lovable and strong characters, and sweet romance as the Across the Universe series did. 

Mini-Reviews: Across the Universe and I'm Not Her

I posted mini-reviews of Where It Began and Incarnate last week, now I'm sharing my thoughts on two more books I read awhile back and never wrote full reviews for-- Across the Universe and I'm Not Her. 

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Across the Universe by Beth Revis 

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming. 

Mini-Review: 

I feel as though I was one of the last people to read Across the Universe, but I just was worried because I am not always a huge fan of science fiction. But I definitely had nothing to worry about. This book was awesome! It was packed full of mystery, romance, and death and always had me on the edge of my seat. The whole premise was fantastic and it was apparent Beth put a lot of thought into every inch of this book and especially the ship, Godspeed. I was immediately drawn into this book and had a hard time putting it down for a second. I love a good mystery and Across the Universe certainly had that. The book is told from alternating points of view between Amy and Elder (the future leader of Godspeed) and it allows the reader to get to know the characters extremely well. Amy is one of those characters that I know I would like in real life. She is very strong and independent and I felt for all that she was experiencing. Across the Universe definitely lived up to all of the hype and it was such a unique and original debut. I am extremely excited to pick up the sequel because I still have so many questions. One advantage of starting the series late is that I don't have to wait for A Million Suns!

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

January 11, 2011/Razorbill/416 Pages/Young Adult/Book One

Source: Publisher (ARC)

Other books in this series: A Million Suns, Shades of Earth 

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I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler 

“For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel envy…”

Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. Yet the smiles of her picture-perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn’t hold it together, who will?

Mini-Review:

I can't deny that contemporary novels have a special place in my heart and I'm Not Her was no exception. This was an emotional and intense read that will impact every reader in different ways. Although I am an only child, I could understand Tess's and Kristina's relationship. Cancer is a topic that is not often dealt with in YA today, but I think it is an issue that most likely affects many of us. Unfortunately, cancer is something that has probably touched every person in some way and Janet Gurtler did a wonderful job of showing not only how it affects the victim, but how it affects the entire family. I'm Not Her was told from Tess's point of view, and we were able to witness her come to terms with the fact that her perfect older sister was dealing with a life-threatening disease. My heart went out to Tess, because even though people at school were suddenly talking to her, she was still alone. Especially because her parents were not handling things well. Tess grew as a character over the course of the novel and the reader gets to see just how Kristina's cancer affects not only her family, but her friends and classmates. My only complaint was that sometimes I felt a disconnect from certain characters and wanted to see more of the family's interactions with Kristina. Overall, Janet is a great writer and certain scenes made me so emotional. I am extremely glad I read this novel and I am anxious to pick up more of Janet's novels. She doesn't seem afraid of tackling serious issues and her future releases all sound just as interesting.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

May 1, 2011/Sourcebooks Fire/285 Pages/Young Adult

Source: Publisher 

Other books by this author: If I Tell, Who I Kissed

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Look for more Mini-Reviews soon!

Introducing 2011: Beth Revis

A former high-school English teacher, Beth can't help but blog tidbits about writing, grammar, and publishing at her blog, Writing it Out [bethrevis.blogspot.com]. She is the founder of the new popular dystopian blog League of Extraordinary Writers [leaguewriters.blogspot.com], and blows off steam by trying to come up with something witty in 140 characters or less [twitter.com/bethrevis] or by lusting after books on GoodReads [http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2192858]. Beth is represented by Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House.

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Beth's debut novel, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, will be published by Razorbill/Penguin in Spring 2011

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1. As a high school teacher, did you use anything from your students/teaching in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE?

Actually, yes! I happened to be at the school late one evening, waiting for a parent conference, and had my manuscript out and was working on it. I knew I needed to add some detail to some minor back characters--they were a little too cookie-cutter for me. I happen to have a student who is an *extremely* talented artist, and she'd painted a koi fish on my podium. As I was developing these minor background characters, I threw in an artist named Harley who liked to paint koi. My crit partner thought Harley was so unique that he eventually became a pretty major character.

2. Where did you get the idea of being cryogenically frozen? In other words, how did ACROSS THE UNIVERSE come to be?

I got the idea for ACROSS THE UNIVERSE from reading books. Between Jeanne du Prau's CITY OF EMBER and Agatha Christie's MOUSETRAP, I knew I wanted to write a contained mystery, where the victims and the murderer are trapped together. I first thought of a cruise ship, but that's been done before. So, I went with a space ship instead. In order to have someone from our time narrate the story in a futuristic setting, I used cryogenic freezing. From there, the story sort of fell into place.

3. Your novel is set in the future, how did you create the world your main character is transported to?

It all stemmed from the mystery, mostly. I needed a world where no one knew who they could trust. At one point, one of my characters comments that "This is a ship built on lies." All of the assumptions the characters make about what they think is true is entirely in the air...

4. In what ways do you relate to your main character?

I relate mostly to Amy, the girl who is cryogenically frozen and awoken without her parents. In order to get her character right, I tapped into my own feelings when I left my parents for college. I went to a college two hundred miles from home, and it wasn't financially possible for me to visit them except for Easter and Christmas. That sort of intense sink-or-swim feeling is something I tried to inject into Amy when she realizes she is expected to live without her parents, at least for a time.

5. What's next for you writing wise?

I'm busy working on the sequels for ACROSS THE UNIVERSE! There is going to be a trilogy of space books. After that, who knows?! :)

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Thanks so much Beth!