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pastelwriter's review against another edition
4.0
Let me type a review for this book before I take too long, and then have absolutely no coherent thoughts left in my head.
I’m going to go simple here. I really really loved this book. It was MAGICAL.
I was essentially living vicariously through Nothing throughout this book. I felt everything she felt. When she was feral and happy, I felt the same. When she was angry and sad, I felt the same. Ugh. Truly, so good.
All of Nothing’s relationships with other characters were soooo goooood! Her and Sky? Perfection. Her and the sorceress? Perfection. Her and Kirin? Perfection.
Speaking of my prince who is also a maiden. When I tell you I had to fight the urge to fight him like 5 times in this book. I loved him, but I also hated him. What a jealous and petty and arrogant thing. Good lord. Why do I love him so? I love him so much even though he tested my patience time and time again.
I don’t even know what else to say about this book...
I think I can confidently say this is the easiest book to read by Tessa Gratton (at least of the ones I’ve read—which have been 4 including this one). I found this book well-paced and written prettily enough to still make me swoon but leaning more towards comprehensible purple prose than incomprehensible. The characters were all sufficiently developed, and I liked the progression of the novel.
I think my one complaint, and the main reason this got 4 stars instead of 5, is that the ending of this novel left a lot to be desired. I wanted more and more and more. I guess I’ve grown greedy with Tessa Gratton. I’m too used to her long books. Nevertheless, despite wanting this to be longer, I loved it so so much!
I’m going to go simple here. I really really loved this book. It was MAGICAL.
I was essentially living vicariously through Nothing throughout this book. I felt everything she felt. When she was feral and happy, I felt the same. When she was angry and sad, I felt the same. Ugh. Truly, so good.
All of Nothing’s relationships with other characters were soooo goooood! Her and Sky? Perfection. Her and the sorceress? Perfection. Her and Kirin? Perfection.
Speaking of my prince who is also a maiden. When I tell you I had to fight the urge to fight him like 5 times in this book. I loved him, but I also hated him. What a jealous and petty and arrogant thing. Good lord. Why do I love him so? I love him so much even though he tested my patience time and time again.
I don’t even know what else to say about this book...
I think I can confidently say this is the easiest book to read by Tessa Gratton (at least of the ones I’ve read—which have been 4 including this one). I found this book well-paced and written prettily enough to still make me swoon but leaning more towards comprehensible purple prose than incomprehensible. The characters were all sufficiently developed, and I liked the progression of the novel.
I think my one complaint, and the main reason this got 4 stars instead of 5, is that the ending of this novel left a lot to be desired. I wanted more and more and more. I guess I’ve grown greedy with Tessa Gratton. I’m too used to her long books. Nevertheless, despite wanting this to be longer, I loved it so so much!
dreaming_of_eutony's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to the author for sending me an eARC of Night Shine.
Non-binary magic, pure, wild and tangible, that is what this book is.
A tale of girls and demons, spirits and sprites, of truth and deception, of mountains and shadows, of princes and maidens and everything both and more and in-between.
We follow Nothing, a girl who goes unseen and unnoticed by all but her dearest friend, Prince Kirin and the great demon of the palace, where they both live.
But Nothing’s safe and unchanging life is thrown into turmoil when the prince is kidnapped by the Sorceress Who Eats Girls.
And so a journey begins, one that will take Nothing and the prince’s bodyguard, Sky, from crossroad shrines to the deepest depths of the rain-forest and finally to the towering Fifth Mountain, where the sorceress resides.
A journey that will change, create and reveal secrets, truths and hearts in ways Nothing, Sky nor Kirin could have ever dreamed.
Our hero, Nothing is a beautifully complex girl of sixteen, a girl who is loyal to her friends and true to her heart. I adored her growth and development throughout this story so very much.
Kirin is a prince and so much more too, he is beautiful and selfish and caring and proud and I loved how Gratton wove his intricate nature perfectly and smoothly with simple words and emotions that somehow gave an unending depth to his personality.
Sky is strong and steadfast and easy to love. I really appreciated the growth of his friendship with Nothing and his own personal character arc throughout the story.
The Sorceress herself is as seductive and beautiful as she is terrifying and awe-inspiring and she may have entirely stolen my heart as I read this book.
The plots flows and twists and turns like a clever and sparkling river with many streams and waterfalls.
Romantic and full of wild intensity, this is a journey of friendship, self discovery and revealed potential.
Gratton’s writing is literal magic. I’ve never read another author who crafts words quite like this.
The world is layered and full of colour and beauty and wilderness.
My breath was stolen every time a robe or gown, embroidery or face-paint, mountain or fern was described. And yet, while each description was minimal and simple it somehow created a fully-fleshed out and realized image in the reader's mind.
I love this story with all my being. It tugged at my heart-strings and toyed with my emotions and left me breathless and full of warmth.
This story is also delightfully queer, with representation at every turn and more than one lgbtq+ romance that will give you all the feels.
Night Shine is an exquisite saga. Dark and wondrous and thrilling. It will tingle over your skin and leave you dreaming of stars and shadows and all that’s in-between.
Fans of Uprooted, The Boneless Mercies and The Song of Achilles will love Night Shine.
Non-binary magic, pure, wild and tangible, that is what this book is.
A tale of girls and demons, spirits and sprites, of truth and deception, of mountains and shadows, of princes and maidens and everything both and more and in-between.
We follow Nothing, a girl who goes unseen and unnoticed by all but her dearest friend, Prince Kirin and the great demon of the palace, where they both live.
But Nothing’s safe and unchanging life is thrown into turmoil when the prince is kidnapped by the Sorceress Who Eats Girls.
And so a journey begins, one that will take Nothing and the prince’s bodyguard, Sky, from crossroad shrines to the deepest depths of the rain-forest and finally to the towering Fifth Mountain, where the sorceress resides.
A journey that will change, create and reveal secrets, truths and hearts in ways Nothing, Sky nor Kirin could have ever dreamed.
Our hero, Nothing is a beautifully complex girl of sixteen, a girl who is loyal to her friends and true to her heart. I adored her growth and development throughout this story so very much.
Kirin is a prince and so much more too, he is beautiful and selfish and caring and proud and I loved how Gratton wove his intricate nature perfectly and smoothly with simple words and emotions that somehow gave an unending depth to his personality.
Sky is strong and steadfast and easy to love. I really appreciated the growth of his friendship with Nothing and his own personal character arc throughout the story.
The Sorceress herself is as seductive and beautiful as she is terrifying and awe-inspiring and she may have entirely stolen my heart as I read this book.
The plots flows and twists and turns like a clever and sparkling river with many streams and waterfalls.
Romantic and full of wild intensity, this is a journey of friendship, self discovery and revealed potential.
Gratton’s writing is literal magic. I’ve never read another author who crafts words quite like this.
The world is layered and full of colour and beauty and wilderness.
My breath was stolen every time a robe or gown, embroidery or face-paint, mountain or fern was described. And yet, while each description was minimal and simple it somehow created a fully-fleshed out and realized image in the reader's mind.
I love this story with all my being. It tugged at my heart-strings and toyed with my emotions and left me breathless and full of warmth.
This story is also delightfully queer, with representation at every turn and more than one lgbtq+ romance that will give you all the feels.
Night Shine is an exquisite saga. Dark and wondrous and thrilling. It will tingle over your skin and leave you dreaming of stars and shadows and all that’s in-between.
Fans of Uprooted, The Boneless Mercies and The Song of Achilles will love Night Shine.
writervid's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, wow.
Every time I read something by Tessa Gratton I'm overcome by how beautifully she writes. It feels like a fairytale, with every word becoming an intentional slice of a sword. I loved the motif of names, the way Gratton portrayed gender, the earnestness of the romance, the complexity of the relationships. The main character's journey from nothingness to existing for more than one person, for more than one reason, is so beautiful and organic. The creatures and the world around her are seamlessly interwoven and feel POSSIBLE. I don't have enough praise for this book.
The only flaw I can find in this book (outside of that awful cover) is the slow pacing of the middle. The ending and the beginning were both paced so perfectly, but the middle was a bit dense and harder to get through. That being said, what an incredible, show-stopping book. You won't regret reading it.
Every time I read something by Tessa Gratton I'm overcome by how beautifully she writes. It feels like a fairytale, with every word becoming an intentional slice of a sword. I loved the motif of names, the way Gratton portrayed gender, the earnestness of the romance, the complexity of the relationships. The main character's journey from nothingness to existing for more than one person, for more than one reason, is so beautiful and organic. The creatures and the world around her are seamlessly interwoven and feel POSSIBLE. I don't have enough praise for this book.
The only flaw I can find in this book (outside of that awful cover) is the slow pacing of the middle. The ending and the beginning were both paced so perfectly, but the middle was a bit dense and harder to get through. That being said, what an incredible, show-stopping book. You won't regret reading it.
jewishpadme's review against another edition
5.0
the gay and kinda evil howl's moving castle i always wanted, but even better
rogiercaprino's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
theresablue's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nikkiyrj's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Night Shine was an incredible read, I couldn't put the book down and finished it within 2 days. I'll be honest, what intrigued me was the premise of the enemies-to-lovers romance between the main character, Nothing, and her enemy, The Sorceress Who Eats Girls. The book starts out with her setting out with Sky, to save the prince, Kirin.
I loved how queer this book was. It wasn't just the f/f romance but literally almost every single character here was queer in a way. Nothing had a few instances where she was attracted to other female characters and Kirin + Sky was another relationship besides the main which I really enjoyed!
Our voices are the most powerful tool any of us have. What is something if it does not have a name?
Names play an important role in this story. It's ultimately a journey where Nothing finds her own name, and becomes Something. I really liked this whole concept with names that the author used here, it kept it really mysterious from the start of the book but it wasn't confusing or anything like that. Also, the author's writing style was definitely another reason why I enjoyed the book. The writing didn't seem too dense or complicated but it felt really atmospheric.
I liked it. I like you, Nothing. I like what you are now.
Okay, the romance in this book was so good. It was definitely a slow burn but it's rightfully so because it felt really rewarding when everything fell into pieces. The Sorceress interests me from the start to end and I enjoyed every scene Nothing and her had. The tension between them was great and Tessa Gratton wins the award for the best first kiss scene ever. Seriously though, it was really good!
This was a well deserved 5 star read! Ah, and also if I didn't know anything about the plot and had to read it based off the cover, I probably wouldn't but don't let that happen to you!
I loved how queer this book was. It wasn't just the f/f romance but literally almost every single character here was queer in a way. Nothing had a few instances where she was attracted to other female characters and Kirin + Sky was another relationship besides the main which I really enjoyed!
Our voices are the most powerful tool any of us have. What is something if it does not have a name?
Names play an important role in this story. It's ultimately a journey where Nothing finds her own name, and becomes Something. I really liked this whole concept with names that the author used here, it kept it really mysterious from the start of the book but it wasn't confusing or anything like that. Also, the author's writing style was definitely another reason why I enjoyed the book. The writing didn't seem too dense or complicated but it felt really atmospheric.
I liked it. I like you, Nothing. I like what you are now.
Okay, the romance in this book was so good. It was definitely a slow burn but it's rightfully so because it felt really rewarding when everything fell into pieces. The Sorceress interests me from the start to end and I enjoyed every scene Nothing and her had. The tension between them was great and Tessa Gratton wins the award for the best first kiss scene ever. Seriously though, it was really good!
This was a well deserved 5 star read! Ah, and also if I didn't know anything about the plot and had to read it based off the cover, I probably wouldn't but don't let that happen to you!
caidyn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.5
I received an ARC from an ARC fairy and this is my honest review!
CW: some casual transphobia/lack of understanding about trans identities (challenged and the new way is learned), kidnapping, action scenes, mentions of kidnapped and killed children, and internalized self-doubt
Ever since I read Gratton's Strange Grace, I've been a fan of her work and have been eagerly awaiting her next YA book. And I'm so glad that it's this one. I will say, it took me a while to sink into. I actually had to restart it once because it wasn't what I expected in some ways. It's like a fairytale and I really loved the language of it. Rather than it being written in our vernacular with our sort of things, it honestly felt like I was reading a classic fairytale. That took me a second to get used to (hence the restart) and I'm glad that I did that rather than pushing on.
The general plot of the book follows Nothing, an orphaned girl who doesn't know much of her past. She's bound to the heir to the throne, Kirin, and kills him. But it isn't him. It's an imposter. Nothing sets off with Kirin's bodyguard (and perhaps something more than that), Sky, to capture him from the sorceress that took him. Except the sorceress is well-known by her name, the Sorceress Who Eats Girls. This sorceress only captures girls and eats their hearts, so why would she take Kirin?
One of the things I loved in this book is the importance of names. For one, I loved it because the naming system really brought me back to the names monarchs were given. Examples of that are Aethelred the Unready or William the Conquerer or Edward the Confessor. I know these are Ango-centric, but it was all across different courts. And what I really loved about this book was how the names changed, how important they were to the characters, yet how they were malleable as they learned about themselves and grew as characters. It was beautifully done.
Now, it's well-known that this book has a genderfluid character and I've already hinted at it. Kirin is that character. The book referred to Kirin basically with only male pronouns -- although, it's mentioned that in the past Kirin lived as a woman/wife with someone for a short span of time and was seen as that -- so I'm going to also use male pronouns for him. But, I loved it. There's been a lot of talk recently about ownvoices, but I also believe that cis authors should write trans side characters. And this was a GREAT example of that. I absolutely adored Kirin and he's definitely one of my favorite characters I've read this year. He was so sweet in it.
Another thing I loved in this were the relationships, both platonic and romantic. Like, how soft the friendships were and were very close (nearly queer platonic, if you ask me). Sky and Nothing were great, as were Kirin and Nothing. Then the romances. I really loved Sky and Kirin together, as well as the dark sapphic relationship that crops up between Nothing and another character. There was such a great build to it all and it was all so wonderfully queer.
Overall, check this book out. It's the queer, dark fairytale I definitely needed. There's also a preorder campaign going on with stickers for the book! I'm definitely going to have to get my copy because I need this on my shelf next to Strange Grace.
CW: some casual transphobia/lack of understanding about trans identities (challenged and the new way is learned), kidnapping, action scenes, mentions of kidnapped and killed children, and internalized self-doubt
Ever since I read Gratton's Strange Grace, I've been a fan of her work and have been eagerly awaiting her next YA book. And I'm so glad that it's this one. I will say, it took me a while to sink into. I actually had to restart it once because it wasn't what I expected in some ways. It's like a fairytale and I really loved the language of it. Rather than it being written in our vernacular with our sort of things, it honestly felt like I was reading a classic fairytale. That took me a second to get used to (hence the restart) and I'm glad that I did that rather than pushing on.
The general plot of the book follows Nothing, an orphaned girl who doesn't know much of her past. She's bound to the heir to the throne, Kirin, and kills him. But it isn't him. It's an imposter. Nothing sets off with Kirin's bodyguard (and perhaps something more than that), Sky, to capture him from the sorceress that took him. Except the sorceress is well-known by her name, the Sorceress Who Eats Girls. This sorceress only captures girls and eats their hearts, so why would she take Kirin?
One of the things I loved in this book is the importance of names. For one, I loved it because the naming system really brought me back to the names monarchs were given. Examples of that are Aethelred the Unready or William the Conquerer or Edward the Confessor. I know these are Ango-centric, but it was all across different courts. And what I really loved about this book was how the names changed, how important they were to the characters, yet how they were malleable as they learned about themselves and grew as characters. It was beautifully done.
Now, it's well-known that this book has a genderfluid character and I've already hinted at it. Kirin is that character. The book referred to Kirin basically with only male pronouns -- although, it's mentioned that in the past Kirin lived as a woman/wife with someone for a short span of time and was seen as that -- so I'm going to also use male pronouns for him. But, I loved it. There's been a lot of talk recently about ownvoices, but I also believe that cis authors should write trans side characters. And this was a GREAT example of that. I absolutely adored Kirin and he's definitely one of my favorite characters I've read this year. He was so sweet in it.
Another thing I loved in this were the relationships, both platonic and romantic. Like, how soft the friendships were and were very close (nearly queer platonic, if you ask me). Sky and Nothing were great, as were Kirin and Nothing. Then the romances. I really loved Sky and Kirin together, as well as the dark sapphic relationship that crops up between Nothing and another character. There was such a great build to it all and it was all so wonderfully queer.
Overall, check this book out. It's the queer, dark fairytale I definitely needed. There's also a preorder campaign going on with stickers for the book! I'm definitely going to have to get my copy because I need this on my shelf next to Strange Grace.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Transphobia, Blood, and Murder
castorstarr's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
graculus's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Since life is short, and money not too easy to come by, I run a couple of TBR lists including one for books I hope to be able to get from the library - there's no way I could possibly afford to buy everything that sounds good and, to be honest, I've been burned many times by books that sound like they were written for me but turn out to be disappointments... Night Shine was on that list as soon as I heard about it, then I was fortunate enough to get an e-ARC.
I can imagine, if Night Shine had been about when I was in the target audience age category (so, many years ago...), I would have been completely obsessed with this book. It certainly has many of the things involved in it that draw me even now when it comes to fantasy books: a search for your own identity, a found family, a mysterious destiny you can't quite figure out. Our protagonist, we discover at the outset of the book, is Nothing - we first meet her killing the prince to whom she is bound because he's not himself but an impostor, while she's the only one who realises this.
The real prince, Kirin, has been kidnapped and is currently held captive by a sorceror who has a bit of a reputation for usually stealing the hearts of teenage girls - there are plenty of Names In All Capital Letters in this book, in time-honoured fantasy tradition, as well as true names that give you power over the other person. In this case, Kirin has a bit of a secret known only to a few that makes him a target for this sorceror as well.
Along with the prince's bodyguard, Nothing sets out to rescue the prince and that all seems pretty straightforward to begin with: rescue the prince, get him accepted as heir to the throne, get on with your life as before. Except, as Nothing is to discover, there's a link between her and the sorceror that has to do with her own identity and she can't help picking away at it even if it challenges what little she thought she knew. Kirin, after all, is not the only one who's not quite what he seems to be.
If there's one fault with Night Shine, it's that at times there's a little too much navel-gazing for my liking, so I'm feeling mean and dropped it from 5 stars to 4.5. There's a lot to like about this book though, so I hope it sells well and plenty of other people get to enjoy it too.
Thanks to the author and publisher for a free advance copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.
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