Book Review: Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis

I'm honored to be taking part in the Penguin Young Readers Official Blog Tour for Beth Revis's GIVE THE DARK MY LOVE! Releasing on September 25th, this dark YA fantasy follows the descent of a hero-turned-villain!

Beth Revis is a New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and IndieBound bestselling author, and I will be featuring a very special Q&A with her very soon! For now, keep reading for my spoiler-free review of GIVE THE DARK MY LOVE!

What's the Story?

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 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.

My Review in One Word: OMGOMGOMGOMG!

"I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret,

between the shadow and the soul."

- Pablo Neruda, Sonnet XVII

That's how it starts. Even the epigraph gave me shivers.

Give the Dark My Love is not a romp of a book. Much like the quote that heralds it, the story Beth Revis weaves is dark, and raw, and real in ways that physically hurt.

And. Wow.

On the surface, Give the Dark My Love seems like a slow-burn type fantasy. And for those who like to know, it's more character-driven than plot-driven, with no shortage of lyrical lines, romance, and gasp-worthy necromancy, but this book is also a very astute commentary on grief and how it changes people. It shows the corrosive effects of fear, and how heartache is like a knife that whittles us all into different shapes.

Give the Dark My Love is told from two POVs, Nedra's and Grey's, and while I enjoyed Grey's point-of-view, I was entranced by Nedra's. Her descent into darkness is terrifying for the simple fact that her motivations are so relatable. Although she's logical, with a mind for medicine, and an education in alchemy, Nedra cannot escape the all-too-familiar mixture of love and fear-----and the ramifications of having those two things trapped inside the same crucible.

Overall, there's so much to rave about in this new series from bestselling author, Beth Revis-----from the you-can't-look-away hero-turned-villain ARC (!!!), to the magic, the political intrigue, and the immensity of those final chapters.

In short, I need book 2 now!

MY RATING

About the Author:

Beth Revis is the author of the New York Times bestselling Across the Universe series, the twisty contemporary novel A World Without You, and the New York Times bestselling Star Wars: Rebel Rising. Beth lives in rural North Carolina in a house full of boys--her husband, son, and two massive dogs--and she forces them all to watch reruns of Firefly and Doctor Who. Visit her at bethrevis.com and follow her @bethrevis.

And if you're looking to catch Beth in person this fall, check out the OFFICIAL GIVE THE DARK MY LOVE BOOK TOUR page for dates and locations.