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ohelloandi 's review for:
The Ryder of the Night
by Eden Eaves
Stars are not enough. How can I possibly sum up my feelings for this book? This book is so much more than a dragon-rider romantasy. This is a compelling fantasy story with an interesting magic system and shifter dynamic; Woven throughout, is a relatable tale of the grueling pain of deconstructing high-control religion. Eden Eaves (co-authors) manage to write religious deconstruction in a way that made me feel so seen and understood.
As someone who has gone through deconstruction and deconversion from a high-control religious cult, breaking out of that conditioning and coming to terms with hard truths is a complex, painful whirlwind. Ryder of the Night explores both sides of this experience, from the mind of someone going through deconstruction (Zaria) and the mind of someone frustrated and struggling to understand the cosmic shift that she’s experiencing (Nyx).
It brought me to tears to have another character (Kol) be so gentle and understanding with Zaria as she becomes disillusioned with her worldview and grapples to understand her new reality. There are so many more things I could say about this book, but instead, here are some of my favorite quotes:
“Oh, Sunshine. I know it’s got to be so hard to have your entire world ripped apart like this. I’m sorry.”
“Would I rather be dead or find out the truths that had been kept from me my whole life, and maybe discover there is more to life than what I’d been given?”
“It’s a lot to accept that everything I knew is gone, and I want to grieve that loss. I am. But the more I learn, the more I believe you when you say it was all a lie. It’s hard to know if I should be devastated or angry.”
“We flew in silence for a while, and I tried to find a place I could exist between grief and hope."
“No one expects you to move on overnight. You are grieving many different losses.”
“No one should have to live a life kept in the dark with no choices or control.”
“We were born trusting our caretakers. Why would you ever think they were lying to you?”
“I’ve found that anytime I think I know something to be always true, the Goddess laughs and smacks me upside the head.”
“You’re allowed to show emotion. You’re allowed to feel things. You’re allowed to show you’re devastated.”
“They were willing to sacrifice you rather than let you be with your kind. Their lies were more important to them than your life.”
“...It seemed cruel, and you’ve never had a single choice genuinely yours in all your life.” He looked at me pleadingly. “I wanted to be it, Sol. The choice you made for yourself.”
As someone who has gone through deconstruction and deconversion from a high-control religious cult, breaking out of that conditioning and coming to terms with hard truths is a complex, painful whirlwind. Ryder of the Night explores both sides of this experience, from the mind of someone going through deconstruction (Zaria) and the mind of someone frustrated and struggling to understand the cosmic shift that she’s experiencing (Nyx).
It brought me to tears to have another character (Kol) be so gentle and understanding with Zaria as she becomes disillusioned with her worldview and grapples to understand her new reality. There are so many more things I could say about this book, but instead, here are some of my favorite quotes:
“Oh, Sunshine. I know it’s got to be so hard to have your entire world ripped apart like this. I’m sorry.”
“Would I rather be dead or find out the truths that had been kept from me my whole life, and maybe discover there is more to life than what I’d been given?”
“It’s a lot to accept that everything I knew is gone, and I want to grieve that loss. I am. But the more I learn, the more I believe you when you say it was all a lie. It’s hard to know if I should be devastated or angry.”
“We flew in silence for a while, and I tried to find a place I could exist between grief and hope."
“No one expects you to move on overnight. You are grieving many different losses.”
“No one should have to live a life kept in the dark with no choices or control.”
“We were born trusting our caretakers. Why would you ever think they were lying to you?”
“I’ve found that anytime I think I know something to be always true, the Goddess laughs and smacks me upside the head.”
“You’re allowed to show emotion. You’re allowed to feel things. You’re allowed to show you’re devastated.”
“They were willing to sacrifice you rather than let you be with your kind. Their lies were more important to them than your life.”
“...It seemed cruel, and you’ve never had a single choice genuinely yours in all your life.” He looked at me pleadingly. “I wanted to be it, Sol. The choice you made for yourself.”