A young alchemist turns to dark magic when a deadly plague sweeps through her homeland in this epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis.Seventeen-year-old Nedra Brysstain leaves her home in the rural, northern territories of Lunar Island to attend the prestigious Yugen Academy with only one goal in mind: master the trade of medicinal alchemy. A scholarship student … 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.
Until she meets 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 grow close, 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.
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A spellbinding tale filled with political intrigue, dark magic, and impossible choices. Readers will be instantly addicted to this wickedly thrilling adventure.
What an absorbing novel. One of the key selling points of this novel is the uniqueness of the concept and the way it follows the characters. It splits between perspectives of Nedra and Grey. Nedra is a formidable character because she is personable. She has this fierce passion that stays with the reader long after they have finished the novel. Nedra is a compassionate and intelligent character from the poorer provinces, and now she is entering, on her merit, a school for the lite in the hopes of finding a cure for a disease that is ravaging the land. Nedra inspires the reader to feel her passion and to connect to her via her roots and her passions. She has a strong head on her shoulders.
Grey, while also a compassionate character, is from the more prosperous lands. He is a well-off character, expected to enter the elite school; he is expected to pass. That is not to say that he does not care about the people around him but given his standing and his upbringing, his connection to them falters, and for Nedra, this offers her a better understanding of the world outside her village.
The characters balance each other very well as they open each other’s eyes. While Nedra is the more passionate character, willing to do what is needed, this does not undermine the reader’s connection to Grey. There are two facets of the story, one from the poor perspective and the other from the rich perspective that gives the reader a well-rounded look at the world in the story.
As for the story, it has a steady pace. It is unique in the subject matter and in the way, it goes about evolving it. There are times where the reader is left unsure as to what direction the story is flowing, but there is also an unpredictability to it that allows the reader to go with the flow and appreciate the otherwise “slow” pace of the novel. The tension gradually rises as it continues to explore both the disease as well as the dynamics between the characters. So much happens in the novel, but it feels like more could happen. The realism and the way Revis connects the reader to the characters makes the story compelling. The reader is on a journey with the characters as they explore and grow; going through the motions makes the story thrilling. It just unfolds, like magic, before the reader, luring them into this world, and that is part of what makes it such a good story. Never mind the expertly written characterization, the story and the journey, they make the story even more riveting to read.
Give the Dark My Love is slow and steady, add to that the compelling characterization and one has a unique stand out novel.
Stunning and shocking to behold, Give the Dark My Love asks: How far will we venture into darkness for the ones we love?
A twisty thriller—this dark fantasy grabs you by the throat and drags you all the way to the end.
Give the Dark My Love is easy to read, witty, and original. I couldn’t be more happy with this book. At first, I didn’t know how I was going to feel about the book. I hadn’t heard much about it for a while, but once I read the prologue, I cannot deny how captivated I became. It was really entertaining and felt very short. Before I knew it, I was half way through the book and it only took less than a couple hours.
The characters are absolutely wonderful, and I love so many of them. This is one of two books where I actually liked every character. While Tomus was a piece of work, I can’t say I disliked him without a doubt. I think my favorite may be Nedra’s sister.
World building was beautifully done. I love the way Revis did this. The book wasn’t filled with a whole bunch of descriptions, but wasn’t lacking. It was a good balance where I could clearly imagine the scene on my own without struggle. It flowed through my mind, which may make this the first book where I didn’t have a single problem with it anywhere in the book. There wasn’t anything that made me snap back to reality as I struggled, which was refreshing.
There was character development, especially in Nedra. While it may be a bit slow moving, it does come quickly and definitely had the time needed to grow. Many different sides of Nedra are revealed, and we see how some of them clash with her relationships.
I really liked the way Revis used Grey’s pov. It was cool to see our main character through the eyes of another. I felt like I was given the opportunity to see a side of Nedra I would have missed out on. It kept a mysterious haze over her that made me wonder if I know her as well as I think I do.
Plot twists popped up, especially near the middle to end of the book. I honestly think Revis did this very well. There were only a couple I could see coming, but I don’t mind. They pushed the story along, and the main character, which is different from what I am used to seeing where plot twists disrupt plans and the original order of things.
The ending had me speechless. I couldn’t say I didn’t see something like this coming, but I definitely didn’t think it would happen the way it did. Can’t wait to start reading the next book!
Dark YA Fantasy at its best. [I’m not revealing anything that;s not revealed in the summary provided by the publisher but if you don’t like spoilers, skip the third paragraph here. I’ll give you a warning.]
The premise is a common trope in fantasy, a girl [in this case] heading off to a prestigious magical academy as a scholarship student. A girl without the social education to fit in, who becomes the target of bullying and worse. Of course. But the world building here, the characters themselves, are darkly fascinating and I loved it. Her choice to study medical alchemy because her grandmother had been a healer is mocked. Yes, there is a romantic subplot, as well.
STOP READING HERE IF YOU WANT TO AVOID THE SPOILER THAT IS ALSO REVEALED IN THE PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY, AND I SUGGEST IF YOU’RE LIKE ME AND HATE SPOILERS, YOU DO JUST THAT. JUST GO GRAB THE BOOK!
And the darkness… well, those who first cut up cadavers in their attempts to find cures for the living were considered ghouls and worse, so it’s not without precedence in our real world.
A darkly twisted look at the way grief makes monsters of us all.