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story_goblin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
This book is very intense. It’s about finding our own voice through everything that has happened to us. Despite the way she was raised, despite the abuse she suffered, through it all, the protagonist made her own decision in the end. Due to some of my own experiences, it was important to me to see her choose which aspects of her upbringing and abuse to reject and which aspects to mold into her chosen self. I am generally wary of stories that involve abuse because most oversimplify the healing process and/or over-focus on the trauma. This book did neither of those things. It does not pull punches about her abuse, but it also does not spend pages detailing the horrific details. It does not victim-blame, but it does allow the victim to be a complex, complicated person. Who are is not solely dependent on what happened to us, nor is what happened to us insignificant in the crafting of ourselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Trafficking, Rape, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Racism, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Xenophobia, and Classism
thereadingskeleton's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
Rep: Black MC (plus many other BIPOC characters), nonbinary characters (of an alien race with different gender than humans, use xe/xyr pronouns)
Comprised of three interwoven stories and told in a nonlinear fashion, Destroyer of Light takes place on the planet Eleusis, where the remains of humanity relocated after alien conquerors destroyed Earth. The three stories build and tangle, rushing toward a confrontation that threatens to not only upend the precarious balance of Eleusian society but also destroy the planet entirely.
It’s difficult to talk too much about the plot of Destroyer of Light without potential spoilers. In my opinion, many of the plot points that a discussion would reveal are fairly easy to predict, but I don’t want to ruin anyone’s reading experience. I’ll just say that, although a lot of this book was difficult for me to read (please see the CWs), there were many things I loved. I enjoyed finding all the little nods to Greek mythology and the story of Persephone, and I found the exploration of colonization and trauma compelling.
Overall, I recommend this if you are a fan of science fiction and Greek mythology and want a book that will make you think.
Comprised of three interwoven stories and told in a nonlinear fashion, Destroyer of Light takes place on the planet Eleusis, where the remains of humanity relocated after alien conquerors destroyed Earth. The three stories build and tangle, rushing toward a confrontation that threatens to not only upend the precarious balance of Eleusian society but also destroy the planet entirely.
It’s difficult to talk too much about the plot of Destroyer of Light without potential spoilers. In my opinion, many of the plot points that a discussion would reveal are fairly easy to predict, but I don’t want to ruin anyone’s reading experience. I’ll just say that, although a lot of this book was difficult for me to read (please see the CWs), there were many things I loved. I enjoyed finding all the little nods to Greek mythology and the story of Persephone, and I found the exploration of colonization and trauma compelling.
Overall, I recommend this if you are a fan of science fiction and Greek mythology and want a book that will make you think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Murder, Death, Blood, Gore, and Trafficking
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
rorikae's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-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
4.25
'Destroyer of Light' by Jennifer Marie Brissett is an engaging science fiction story that utilizes three different plots to explore a world where the Earth has been destroyed.
The story weaves between three different stories: one which follows a young girl kidnapped from her family and her home, the second tells of an adult woman with special powers who is trying to rise beyond her relationship with a warlord, and the third follows twin brothers searching for a missing young boy.
Brissett weaves together these three tales to explore a future where Earth has been destroyed and humanity now lives on a planet with the aliens that formerly conquered them. Through the three shifting stories, we are given a glimpse at different aspects of the world and how they all connect to one another. This slowly expands the world through the realities of the main characters as we also come to care about them as individuals. As the stories progress, they begin to connect more and more to each other until the full scope of the overarching plot is realized.
Despite the relatively short nature of the book, it is clear that Brissett has fully fleshed out the world behind it. I would love to read more in this world, even if it with completely new characters or takes place on a different planet.
The story weaves between three different stories: one which follows a young girl kidnapped from her family and her home, the second tells of an adult woman with special powers who is trying to rise beyond her relationship with a warlord, and the third follows twin brothers searching for a missing young boy.
Brissett weaves together these three tales to explore a future where Earth has been destroyed and humanity now lives on a planet with the aliens that formerly conquered them. Through the three shifting stories, we are given a glimpse at different aspects of the world and how they all connect to one another. This slowly expands the world through the realities of the main characters as we also come to care about them as individuals. As the stories progress, they begin to connect more and more to each other until the full scope of the overarching plot is realized.
Despite the relatively short nature of the book, it is clear that Brissett has fully fleshed out the world behind it. I would love to read more in this world, even if it with completely new characters or takes place on a different planet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
jesm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Destroyer of Light" by Jennifer Marie Brissett follows several interwoven timelines, in a world where humans were forced to flee from Earth.
There was some super interesting world building in this one and the way the author created alien species was really fascinating. I really liked how Brissett tackled the complexities of communicating with species vastly different than your own.
I particularly loved the two brothers who worked sort of as private investigators, but also have a really interesting psychic link to one another.
Throughout the story there was so much intricate exploration of how we connect to each other. Across time, species, planets. Connections between captor and prisoner, child and adult, brothers, partners, parents. Each relationship was different, and yet hinged on the mutual need for one another to survive.
And it also explores what relations we can survive without. Which was both devastating and grimly hopeful.
There is some SUPER heavy content though! So please take care of yourself and read the content warnings for this one!
Nothing seemed out of place or gratuitous, or just for shock value though. All the intense situations were there for intricate thematic reasons, which is something I respect as a reader. I cared about the characters before, during, and after the trauma they suffered, rather than feeling manipulated by it.
There was some super interesting world building in this one and the way the author created alien species was really fascinating. I really liked how Brissett tackled the complexities of communicating with species vastly different than your own.
I particularly loved the two brothers who worked sort of as private investigators, but also have a really interesting psychic link to one another.
Throughout the story there was so much intricate exploration of how we connect to each other. Across time, species, planets. Connections between captor and prisoner, child and adult, brothers, partners, parents. Each relationship was different, and yet hinged on the mutual need for one another to survive.
And it also explores what relations we can survive without. Which was both devastating and grimly hopeful.
There is some SUPER heavy content though! So please take care of yourself and read the content warnings for this one!
Nothing seemed out of place or gratuitous, or just for shock value though. All the intense situations were there for intricate thematic reasons, which is something I respect as a reader. I cared about the characters before, during, and after the trauma they suffered, rather than feeling manipulated by it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Death, and Child abuse
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