Synopsis: 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: Give the Dark My Love was certainly an interesting experience. The first chapter starts off with a creepy bang, but then the story takes a slightly milder tone. Nedra was a great character. The entire book, she knew what was at stake and she wasn't afraid of going the distance to help her hometown. I was underwhelmed with Grey. I understood why he was there, but I just didn't feel anything for him. One thing I enjoyed a lot was how Nedra's family was continually brought into the story. Despite being away from them, Nedra would bring up things her family said or did. This allowed them to feel like part of the story, even though they weren't physically around.
I was extremely engaged in this story. Like I said, the first chapter was quite creepy, but then the story builds up to that moment. Stories about necromancy, especially when they're paired with stories about grief, are fascinating to me. I will say, the biggest downside was how small the world is. This looks like it's part of a series, so I'm hoping the world gets expanded later. I'm also concerned that this will become a story where the love interest has to save the girl from her inner darkness. I get why those stories are appealing. I just don't want this to be one. The ending also felt abrupt. It might be because I found some moments of the story predictable, but I wish there was more at the end.
Highly enjoyable and I can't wait for the next book.
4 howls
Comments