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taratearex's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked this a lot, it was very dark- read the content warnings at the beginning of the book (might be the first time I've seen that and really appreciated it). The jumping timelines was a bit hard to keep track of, but that is just always a thing I struggle with. Once I got a bit more into the story and the characters it was easier to follow and see how the different perspectives were starting to come together. Really interesting story, loved the alien species. This reminded me of Dawn by Octavia Butler and City in the Middle of the Night by Charles Jane Anders, but much darker than both.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual assault
northernzephyr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, and Sexual assault
wordly_and_toggs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
mapodofu's review against another edition
The author thought it would be cool to describe the rape of a teen girl. No thanks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
kgins's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.5
I have so many questions… it was very slow until the end where it was moving too fast for my liking… only enjoyed one part where the stories came together
crlyhairedbibliophile's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
melrailey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
kiarainthestacks's review against another edition
4.0
Destroyer of Light really ended up surprising me! When I saw that it was a Persephone retelling, I expected some type of romantic plot point. Brissett takes the classic Persephone story and turns it on its head; there is no romance, only an antihero Persephone against a world that would see her fail.
One thing that really endeared this book to me was the fact that there were virtually no white people. Every character was Black or brown, and it was very comforting. There was no explanation for the lack of white people, at least not a substantial one, and it was refreshing because it cemented the stories of the BIPOC characters as the ones that mattered. So often we are relegated to the sidelines of predominately white stories, so it was nice to read a book that centered us. It was not made into a big deal in the book; it just WAS. No explanation needed.
While I enjoyed the story overall, there were two glaring aspects that did not go over well in my opinion. The first is the use of time jumps and different perspectives. I understand the necessity for them in the story as a whole, but that doesn't mean that they were easy to read. They added a lot of unnecessary confusion, and it took me out of the story. It was jarring.
The second thing that bothered me was the use of neopronouns, While I applaud Brissett for using them, I'm not sure that I agree with HOW she used them. Only the aliens used neopronouns, and they weren't seen in a good light by the majority of the population. I'm not sure how well this would go over with a nonbinary reader, considering the users of neopronouns in the book were villainized.
Overall, I enjoyed this book! I like how Brissett tackled real-world issues and showed how we'd have some of the same societal problems that we do now even if we were to pick up and start over on another world. Stefonie, the Persephone character, was also very well crafted, and although she made some questionable decisions, I couldn't stop rooting for her.
One thing that really endeared this book to me was the fact that there were virtually no white people. Every character was Black or brown, and it was very comforting. There was no explanation for the lack of white people, at least not a substantial one, and it was refreshing because it cemented the stories of the BIPOC characters as the ones that mattered. So often we are relegated to the sidelines of predominately white stories, so it was nice to read a book that centered us. It was not made into a big deal in the book; it just WAS. No explanation needed.
While I enjoyed the story overall, there were two glaring aspects that did not go over well in my opinion. The first is the use of time jumps and different perspectives. I understand the necessity for them in the story as a whole, but that doesn't mean that they were easy to read. They added a lot of unnecessary confusion, and it took me out of the story. It was jarring.
The second thing that bothered me was the use of neopronouns, While I applaud Brissett for using them, I'm not sure that I agree with HOW she used them. Only the aliens used neopronouns, and they weren't seen in a good light by the majority of the population. I'm not sure how well this would go over with a nonbinary reader, considering the users of neopronouns in the book were villainized.
Overall, I enjoyed this book! I like how Brissett tackled real-world issues and showed how we'd have some of the same societal problems that we do now even if we were to pick up and start over on another world. Stefonie, the Persephone character, was also very well crafted, and although she made some questionable decisions, I couldn't stop rooting for her.
stephlovaofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book! The author tackled some heavy issues in a very complex setting and the relationship between the humans and the Krestge was interesting and slightly complicated.
I will definitely be reading Elysium because I’m curious to see what exactly happened for the humans to flee Earth.
I will definitely be reading Elysium because I’m curious to see what exactly happened for the humans to flee Earth.