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booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
NIGHT SHINE is a story about being strange, in-between, and not quite fitting in, in a way that explicitly includes queerness but is not limited to it. It felt a bit muddled because although the Sorceress Who Eats Girls fits this in-between state and doesn’t mess well with society, a significant part of why she doesn’t fit in is that she eats girls (and not just in a fun way). Nothing asks her to not eat/kill girls anymore and the sorceress is willing to do this for her, but I think there should’ve been a higher bar than "please don’t be a murderer anymore". The sorceress keeps bringing up that the girls consented to what happens, but the very first chapter shows one of these instances and I don't think the the girls are agreeing to what the sorceress ends up doing. This also shows up in the way Kirin is portrayed. It slowly becomes clear that he is willing to be manipulative and disregard other people's desires in order to get what he wants. There’s also the implication that Nothing forgives him pretty easily.
The first part of the book is a really cool quest narrative, with vibrant and interesting characters. I like the early dynamic between Nothing, Kirin, and Sky. There's also a lot of fun wordplay with Nothing's name in the first half. I think Sky might actually be my favorite character, he gets more attention in the narrative than Kirin does because he’s present for more of the story. The Sorceress Who Eats Girls is a really compelling villain, but I didn’t totally buy the switch into a love interest for Nothing. There's a huge age gap between Nothing and the Sorceress, but it's not played with as a power differential. Nothing doesn’t really get a chance to decide that she might like something other than being with Kirin or with the sorceress. The ending was somewhat frustrating, but mostly because I wouldn't have made the choices Nothing does and so it was harder to believe the ending. That's not necessarily a problem, but it seemed like the ending prioritized continued friendship over addressing the boundaries which were crossed.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I think overall, I do recommend it, but I’m not sure what point it’s making in the way that it plays with villainy and otherness. I'm intrigued enough to read the sequel, and I like that this book is unafraid to have messy and imperfect queer characters.
The first part of the book is a really cool quest narrative, with vibrant and interesting characters. I like the early dynamic between Nothing, Kirin, and Sky. There's also a lot of fun wordplay with Nothing's name in the first half. I think Sky might actually be my favorite character, he gets more attention in the narrative than Kirin does because he’s present for more of the story. The Sorceress Who Eats Girls is a really compelling villain, but I didn’t totally buy the switch into a love interest for Nothing. There's a huge age gap between Nothing and the Sorceress, but it's not played with as a power differential. Nothing doesn’t really get a chance to decide that she might like something other than being with Kirin or with the sorceress. The ending was somewhat frustrating, but mostly because I wouldn't have made the choices Nothing does and so it was harder to believe the ending. That's not necessarily a problem, but it seemed like the ending prioritized continued friendship over addressing the boundaries which were crossed.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I think overall, I do recommend it, but I’m not sure what point it’s making in the way that it plays with villainy and otherness. I'm intrigued enough to read the sequel, and I like that this book is unafraid to have messy and imperfect queer characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dysphoria, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Violence, Gore, Confinement, Murder, and Death
Minor: Transphobia, Excrement, Sexual content, Self harm, and Child death
syllareads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I'm gonna have to buy this book, huh.
Night Shine by Tessa Gratton is a beautiful book pulsating with life and love and finding oneself and one's own name in a way I have seldom seen before. Everything about this book is queer, dripping with queerness, gushing with it (also have not seen this that often and I love it! more! give me more!). The monstrous sorceress (ma'am, I am right here), Nothing's journey of self-discovery, The Prince Who Is Also A Maiden.....I loved everything in this book from start to finish.
It reads just like a fairy tale, every cadence meant to be savored by a storyteller, every word well-placed. The bare bones of every fairy tale, except it is not just a knight saving his princess, and it is not just a hero slaying a monster. There is love, romantic and platonic and every color in between, messy and real and beautifully painful, self-acceptance and self-fulfillment, adventure... I could go on, and on, but all I can say is: read this book. You won't regret it.
Night Shine by Tessa Gratton is a beautiful book pulsating with life and love and finding oneself and one's own name in a way I have seldom seen before. Everything about this book is queer, dripping with queerness, gushing with it (also have not seen this that often and I love it! more! give me more!). The monstrous sorceress (ma'am, I am right here), Nothing's journey of self-discovery, The Prince Who Is Also A Maiden.....I loved everything in this book from start to finish.
It reads just like a fairy tale, every cadence meant to be savored by a storyteller, every word well-placed. The bare bones of every fairy tale, except it is not just a knight saving his princess, and it is not just a hero slaying a monster. There is love, romantic and platonic and every color in between, messy and real and beautifully painful, self-acceptance and self-fulfillment, adventure... I could go on, and on, but all I can say is: read this book. You won't regret it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence
gabibooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
If Fire by Kristin Cashore and Studio Ghibli had a very dark and twisty offspring, it would be Night Shine by Tessa Gratton. A lush and dark Beauty and the Beast retelling, Night Shine has many story elements I love - gorgeous magic, LGBTQ+ characters abounding, darling side characters, and villainous love interests. For me though, it was missing something that kept me from full on loving it. A gorgeous story to be sure, and I will 100% put this in the hands of teens, but I wasn’t fully satisfied.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Toxic relationship, Violence, and Deadnaming
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