A review by folkmare
The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This. was really not the book I was expecting. If you are going into this book hoping for a semi-lighthearted romance about boys in space, you will probably be disappointed. There IS romance in this book but I wouldn't say that it's the main focus. It's hard to describe what I mean by massively spoiling the book, so I won't pick it apart. This is a much darker read than I was anticipating. Despite the cover art, The Darkness Outside Us is more of a scifi drama thriller, with an apocalyptic backdrop. My one big gripe with it is that I don't really see the need for it to be YA. There's nothing in particular about the characters or the plot that requires them to be 17.

I think there would have maybe been a little more depth and emotional nuance if it was written with an adult audience in mind. Kodiak in particular, was kind of a boring character to read, because we don't get any of his perspective and he's written to be so "stoic and cool". It took a little while to grab me, I wouldn't say the writing is the best, but I was interested enough in the plot to keep reading. I'd suggest if you're waffling, try to make it to part 2 and then decide, because the story shifts at that point.
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