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thebookberrie's review
2.0
This was... a book. I really tried to like this one but it just isn't there for me.
Give the Dark My Love is about a girl named Nedra who has been picked to travel to Yugen Academy, to train to be an alchemist. Nedra doesn't fit in with the other students at school who look down at her for being a scholarship student. That is except for Grey who quickly takes an interest in her and her stubbornness. There is a plague spreading across the North and with Nedra's family at stake, she'll do anything to find a cure for it. Even the forbidden practice of necromancy.
This book is dark and gory and I sleep. Half the book is just talk of rotting flesh, amputated limbs, plague plague plague, death and it felt like it was trying too hard to be edgy and shocking. Most of the book was just, "oh my god look at that pile of dead bodies and amputated limbs on the street!"
I'm not squeamish and I wasn't completely grossed out (even though ew), I was just tired of random amputations getting thrown at my face. I just don't find endless plague stuff interesting and this book really loved that plague. There were politics too but what? Sorry I can't hear that over the dEAD BODIES and amputated body parts laying in a pile on the street.
The setting is bleak but it also wasn't built upon enough. (I'm not still bitter because I saw "Lunar Island" and thought this would be a scifi only to learn I got played, not bitter at all.)
This book begins like any other YA fantasy but then just seems to half-ass most of the plot and characters to focus on one thing. There is a romanceless romance that exists for some reason, and Grey in general is just some dude. He had his own POV that added nothing and was completely pointless. And his audiobook narrator SUCKED.
After sitting through so much boring paced book, at 70% some neat stuff happens but at that point, it was just too late. I appreciate another character like Adelina from [b:The Young Elites|20821111|The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1)|Marie Lu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407318399l/20821111._SY75_.jpg|25217978] and how this book is her journey there but god damn I'm still mad. The ending and the necromancy was what I wanted all along and I really wish this book had more of that instead of random plague gore.
If you like plague stuff though... highly recommend.
Give the Dark My Love is about a girl named Nedra who has been picked to travel to Yugen Academy, to train to be an alchemist. Nedra doesn't fit in with the other students at school who look down at her for being a scholarship student. That is except for Grey who quickly takes an interest in her and her stubbornness. There is a plague spreading across the North and with Nedra's family at stake, she'll do anything to find a cure for it. Even the forbidden practice of necromancy.
This book is dark and gory and I sleep. Half the book is just talk of rotting flesh, amputated limbs, plague plague plague, death and it felt like it was trying too hard to be edgy and shocking. Most of the book was just, "oh my god look at that pile of dead bodies and amputated limbs on the street!"
I'm not squeamish and I wasn't completely grossed out (even though ew), I was just tired of random amputations getting thrown at my face. I just don't find endless plague stuff interesting and this book really loved that plague. There were politics too but what? Sorry I can't hear that over the dEAD BODIES and amputated body parts laying in a pile on the street.
The setting is bleak but it also wasn't built upon enough. (I'm not still bitter because I saw "Lunar Island" and thought this would be a scifi only to learn I got played, not bitter at all.)
This book begins like any other YA fantasy but then just seems to half-ass most of the plot and characters to focus on one thing. There is a romanceless romance that exists for some reason, and Grey in general is just some dude. He had his own POV that added nothing and was completely pointless. And his audiobook narrator SUCKED.
After sitting through so much boring paced book, at 70% some neat stuff happens but at that point, it was just too late. I appreciate another character like Adelina from [b:The Young Elites|20821111|The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1)|Marie Lu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407318399l/20821111._SY75_.jpg|25217978] and how this book is her journey there but god damn I'm still mad.
Spoiler
Though Nedra picking her power over some dumbass boy. Not like it was hard because that romance was so lame but LOVE THAT.If you like plague stuff though... highly recommend.
desertlover's review
4.0
You would think given the title, I would have been prepared for a heavy read. However, my continuous thought throughout this book was: "This book is so morbid.." Despite the bleakness, I thought it was a fantastic read. The first chapter had me riveted and hooked on the storyline. After that, the flow of the book slows and like Nedra, I was slowly immersed into this intense world. The balance between action and character development is well balanced. Most fantasies shy away from first person POVS, but I enjoyed having Grey and Nedra as the narrators. Often times, the gruesome plot is difficult, but the characters themselves had me invested in the story. The ending is explosive and left me staring at my iPad for ten minutes. I cannot wait for for the follow-up to this duet.
If you like darker YA/fantasy, this is one I'd definitely recommend.
Thank you to Penguin's First to Read for my advanced review copy.
If you like darker YA/fantasy, this is one I'd definitely recommend.
Thank you to Penguin's First to Read for my advanced review copy.
dalinarsreads's review
5.0
"A good book will give you answers to questions you didn't know you had. A great book will give you questions to answers you thought you knew."
Um wow, okay. How dare this book hurt my heart like this.
"I love you, Nedra, but..." I didn't realize until that moment just how much the "but" canceled out the "love." Love would not exist when it came with conditions."
I will definitely be writing a review for this quite soon and this book was just utterly fantastic and different from what i had read before.
Um wow, okay. How dare this book hurt my heart like this.
"I love you, Nedra, but..." I didn't realize until that moment just how much the "but" canceled out the "love." Love would not exist when it came with conditions."
I will definitely be writing a review for this quite soon and this book was just utterly fantastic and different from what i had read before.
jean_mc's review against another edition
Wasn't the right time. I will pick it up later.
ashleycdarling's review
5.0
Beth Revis knows how to weave a tale of love and grief, of a girl who goes to any lengths to protect her family, and stoops to new lows on her road to vengeance. Add this to your TBR ASAP!
mrsrccockrell's review
4.0
3.5 stars rounding up to 4
I love the antihero aspect of this story. I struggled with it a little bit at first, but the further I got into the plot, the more I understood and empathized with every decision Nedra made and why.
The thing I didn't love was the whole love story aspect. Honestly, I don't see the point of Grey's character. The humanity he gave her could've been given in the same way through her relationship with her sister. Their chemistry was nonexistent on the page and I genuinely didn't care whether or not they ended up together. I think the whole thing would've been better if he wasn't in the story at all.
I love the antihero aspect of this story. I struggled with it a little bit at first, but the further I got into the plot, the more I understood and empathized with every decision Nedra made and why.
The thing I didn't love was the whole love story aspect. Honestly, I don't see the point of Grey's character. The humanity he gave her could've been given in the same way through her relationship with her sister. Their chemistry was nonexistent on the page and I genuinely didn't care whether or not they ended up together. I think the whole thing would've been better if he wasn't in the story at all.
beaniedorman's review against another edition
3.0
After nearly giving up on her dream, seventeen-year-old Nedra has finally been accepted on a scholarship to Yugen, a prestigious academy, where she hopes to study medical alchemy to help cure the Wasting Death, a plague that is spreading unchecked throughout the rural northern villages that she calls home. She packs her few belongings and sails away from her parents and twin sister. After making her way to the capital city, however, Nedra finds that the plague is not the only problem the nation is facing. While in the capital, Nedra faces new challenges such as the expectations of her new master and the discrimination of her higher-born classmates, and new distractions in Grey, a boy who is immediately captured by her focus and determination. As more and more are taken by sickness and Nedra becomes more desperate for a cure, she turns to darker forms of magic in hopes of finding a solution. When her master begins to hint that that a cure may lie within the research of an infamous necromancer, the one forbidden form of alchemy, Nedra knows that she may be the only one who can find it. The only question that remains is how much she is willing to sacrifice for those she loves.
I had a few major problems right away. First of all, one of the deadly sins of teen fiction: insta-love. From their first meeting, Grey is infatuated. Not even in a meet-cute-crush kind of way. In a all-of-the-Other-Girls-at-this-school-are-so-boring-and-you're-the-only-interesting-one-marry-me-tomorrow kind of way. Bleh. In fact, Grey's entire character was fairly boring. He was a stock male hero with predictable family issues and a one-dimensional personality. The only reason I didn't skip his chapters entirely was because of the outside perspective he gives readers of Nedra. All of her actions are of course justified in her own mind, but through Grey's eyes we can see her begin to turn.
Speaking of stock characters, besides a handful, that's all we get in this book. Especially the other students at Yugen and their disdain of Nedra. Predictable sneers and cheap barbs ensued. This is so overdone.
Second of all, the magic in this world was never really explained well. There are three approved types of alchemy, and then necromancy makes a fourth, but besides a brief demonstration near the beginning of the book, there is not much reasoning given. Nedra most often uses a form of alchemy to pull pain from patients and transfer it to rats. This seemed a strange narrative choice to me, and a bit over-glorified within the book. Yes that can bring patients relief, but don't they have potions for that? The dependence on alchemists for this didn't make much sense within the context of the book.
My favorite part of the book, and the part that actually made me finish it, was Nedra's descent. Though it is pretty heavily foreshadowed, her transition from honorable medical student to necromancer was so well done. She feels justified in each step, sure that she will be able to walk away if she has to, never seeing that it may be too late. This was so well done and really managed to turn the book around for me.
And then came the ending, which was actually surprising. I found myself reading again instead of skimming. Nedra became infinitely more readable once she had more depth to her character, becoming more and more so as she descended into darkness. The larger-scale political plots felt a bit unfocused and distant compared to Nedra's transition, but even that became more interesting as the plot continued. A couple of the plot twists actually managed to surprise me. I'm very interested to see what the sequel will have in store.
I had a few major problems right away. First of all, one of the deadly sins of teen fiction: insta-love. From their first meeting, Grey is infatuated. Not even in a meet-cute-crush kind of way. In a all-of-the-Other-Girls-at-this-school-are-so-boring-and-you're-the-only-interesting-one-marry-me-tomorrow kind of way. Bleh. In fact, Grey's entire character was fairly boring. He was a stock male hero with predictable family issues and a one-dimensional personality. The only reason I didn't skip his chapters entirely was because of the outside perspective he gives readers of Nedra. All of her actions are of course justified in her own mind, but through Grey's eyes we can see her begin to turn.
Speaking of stock characters, besides a handful, that's all we get in this book. Especially the other students at Yugen and their disdain of Nedra. Predictable sneers and cheap barbs ensued.
Spoiler
This of course leads to Grey realizing that his rich friends are not his real friends, further fueling his desire to be with Nedra.Second of all, the magic in this world was never really explained well. There are three approved types of alchemy, and then necromancy makes a fourth, but besides a brief demonstration near the beginning of the book, there is not much reasoning given. Nedra most often uses a form of alchemy to pull pain from patients and transfer it to rats. This seemed a strange narrative choice to me, and a bit over-glorified within the book. Yes that can bring patients relief, but don't they have potions for that? The dependence on alchemists for this didn't make much sense within the context of the book.
My favorite part of the book, and the part that actually made me finish it, was Nedra's descent. Though it is pretty heavily foreshadowed, her transition from honorable medical student to necromancer was so well done. She feels justified in each step, sure that she will be able to walk away if she has to, never seeing that it may be too late. This was so well done and really managed to turn the book around for me.
And then came the ending, which was actually surprising. I found myself reading again instead of skimming. Nedra became infinitely more readable once she had more depth to her character, becoming more and more so as she descended into darkness. The larger-scale political plots felt a bit unfocused and distant compared to Nedra's transition, but even that became more interesting as the plot continued. A couple of the plot twists actually managed to surprise me. I'm very interested to see what the sequel will have in store.
katreadsalots's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25