Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - The Darkness Outside Us

Another gay space story where something isn't quite right. That being said, I didn't see the twist/what wasn't right coming. Don't recommend reading before bed- there's no good place to put it down. This book makes you think about what it means to be human, to connect with another. It explores what someone will do to survive, and to save the one they love.

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boyunrelated's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

there is absolutely nothing in this world that could have possibly prepared me for this book. i did not mind the blurb because it did it’s job, drew me in, but at the same time after finishing this i hate it with a passion. it doesn’t even scratch the surface with the kind of book that this is. i won’t go in depth with details, because this book is worth experiencing blind, but it’s more akin to a queer, psychological, mind bending space horror rather than a fluffy YA space romp.

the only gripes i really have is that, for no real reason, the characters in this are 17. this is mentioned once in the losses possible fashion, despite the dialogue, actions, inner monologue, and voice of the characters reflect an age much closer to mid to late 20s than any teenager i’ve ever experienced.

regardless, read this, please read this.

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utopiastateofmind's review

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Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

(Disclaimer: I received this book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

The Darkness Outside Us will appeal to those who are looking for a SF thriller with a good dash of romance. The intrigue was definitely my favorite element as it made me think so much about what I might do in their situation and so many of the twists I really enjoyed. I would say that by about 60% I found the book really hard to put down. There were so many pieces I wasn't sure how they would turn out. And while I had a few plot questions by the end, I still enjoyed the resolution of this action packed book.

Another element that worked for me, despite my skepticism, was the romance. While there were still a few pieces to it that deserved some of my side eye, I enjoyed how it played out. I can't talk to you about ALL my thoughts on this book, because SPOILERS, but I can just say that where the romance could have ended up being a little overplayed, it ended up being very tender. Even though this is a SF, and the thrills happen in space, there are some very basic world building questions I have that sort of frustrated me.

I felt like the biggest conflict was a political one between Ambrose and Kodiak, but I felt like there was a richness of the world/background that was missing. With the thrills it's easy to get lost in them, but from a world building perspective, I just had a few lingering questions.

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