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A review by didyousaybooks
The Vanishing Spark of Dusk by Sara Baysinger
3.0
*I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and netgalley and I read and review it freely with my own thoughts and opinions of my own*
I’m starting my netgalley year with a genre I like sci-fi YA, so I was almost sure to enjoy it.
When I started the book I wasn’t sure. Slavery is not a subject to tackle easily, it can go wrong very fast, and it doesn’t matter when it happens in a world with aliens. As we live as human readers, sure we won’t get abducted by Tavdorians but slavery was and still is very much real.
I will say that while being a romance as mostly advertised, slavery is very much the subject of the book and many questions on the subject.
I will say I thought for a while Lark had it easy, as slavery go, she pretty much does what she wants once she is under Kalen’s protection. And most of his family’s slaves are « well kept » and then you almost fall into the trap...at the end, they are still owned and someone’s property, no matter how « good » they have it.
And constantly in danger.
I felt like in Lark’s case, it didn’t always showed because she was always so protected for the very start by Kalen. You know she is because of her condition but don’t really believe it.
For example, as soon as she arrived, and so by any logical means, Kalen had no real inclination toward her yet apart from curiosity I’d say, Lark actively tries to murder one of the slaver (really justified) who happens to be Kalen’s brother btw, and...nothing really happens to her.
Sure the guy kinda hates her after that (and even him get a sob story later that soften Lark toward him...aaarrfff) but that’s about it really.
I mean, we just saw the guy shooting a disabled girl in the head, and he tortured Lark for a bit, and yet when she tries to actively murder him? Nothing that appear to be in proportion to the crime I’d think the slavers’ law surely consider as the biggest one (hello, rebellion? Sure kill your master, no biggie). I guess maybe he’d want to torture her longer...maybe ?
Anyway, that was an exemple that bothered me a bit.
I just felt there was a lack of development at the beginning. It went too fast. We didn’t get to really know Lark and I was not very impressed with her at first.
Not because other characters I barely knew said she was a bookworm chicken or whatever but because we had one of those line that went pretty much like « i had plain red hair. Not pretty like fire but boring. And I had...freckles » oh dear I have to admit I rolled my eyes especially with the « ...freckles » part but that can be because I LOVE freckles! I wish I had many many more of them ahah why do they always have to complain about it in YA books?!
I just feel we could have spent a few more chapter in the « free community » so we would have a bit more to start with and understand Lark more.
But I’m really, I swear I’m not here to only complain because I ended up quite enjoying the book and I felt that despite an almost « insta-love », or you’d think so, Lark and Kalen’s relationship grew organically.
It’s started with curiosity on both side and both characters were open-minded to overcome many prejudices and fear.
Lark ended up a strong protagonist who did speak out for herself and others and fought for what is right.
I’m more reserved on Kalen, I didn’t really grew to really like him that much but, despite being a slave trader, it can be said for him that he never hurt Lark. It can be nothing as a whole but be sure if you read this you don’t enter one of those books where the big bad boys hurts and abuse the girl and he’s totally validated by falling in love with him.
As a whole, Kalen is a nice guy from the very beginning and does speak out openly against slavery and try to stear his family business away from it. On the other end, while being a kind soul, he also enjoy the benefit of the system all the same. I guess I just don’t fall over a character for just doing the right thing, but as a reader, it’s easy to say and as a male romance protagonist you can do worse than Kalen.
So yes, I had a good time reading The Vanishing Spark of Dust. It’s nothing out of this world or entirely original but the set up does make you think and the main protagonist Lark is believable as a naive young farmer from a tiny isolated community that discover her strength and courage once she’s ripped away from it.
Her direct defiance can seem strange from a girl who was scared by tales of those alien slavers but she actually didn’t know anything about it and once she’s confronted directly to it, she reveals herself and I find it believable, as you can never predict how you’ll react in a given scenario.
You’ll like it if you enjoy lighter but not totally empty of real issues love story. This is a hap’y ending kind of story ;)
On my part, the romance part is not what appealed the most to me. Sara Baysinger painted a universe that is an interesting set up for galactic aventures and this book was a good set up of worlds and characters if she wants to write more about it.
Maybe give us of those series that use different protagonists for each book and stay connected as a whole. I think it would be a good way to explore more stories and might be the author’s intentions as I feel there is definitely a set up calling for it. (With Terrence, Lark’s brother and his halfling boyfriend, or Kalen’s sister I cannot remember the name of right now but she sounded promising, as possible heir to the company -Tavdorian seem to treats their children equally regarding to gender or line of succession - more info welcome, or even the colonies on Earth).
There is also the possibility to find Lark and Kalen traveling the world and doing all the things, Lark seemed impatient for more aventures.
In any case, I’ll read another book if there is ever one ;)
Ok I’ll end here cause I typed all of that on my phone and it’s fastidious ;)
I’m starting my netgalley year with a genre I like sci-fi YA, so I was almost sure to enjoy it.
When I started the book I wasn’t sure. Slavery is not a subject to tackle easily, it can go wrong very fast, and it doesn’t matter when it happens in a world with aliens. As we live as human readers, sure we won’t get abducted by Tavdorians but slavery was and still is very much real.
I will say that while being a romance as mostly advertised, slavery is very much the subject of the book and many questions on the subject.
I will say I thought for a while Lark had it easy, as slavery go, she pretty much does what she wants once she is under Kalen’s protection. And most of his family’s slaves are « well kept » and then you almost fall into the trap...at the end, they are still owned and someone’s property, no matter how « good » they have it.
And constantly in danger.
I felt like in Lark’s case, it didn’t always showed because she was always so protected for the very start by Kalen. You know she is because of her condition but don’t really believe it.
For example, as soon as she arrived, and so by any logical means, Kalen had no real inclination toward her yet apart from curiosity I’d say, Lark actively tries to murder one of the slaver (really justified) who happens to be Kalen’s brother btw, and...nothing really happens to her.
Sure the guy kinda hates her after that (and even him get a sob story later that soften Lark toward him...aaarrfff) but that’s about it really.
I mean, we just saw the guy shooting a disabled girl in the head, and he tortured Lark for a bit, and yet when she tries to actively murder him? Nothing that appear to be in proportion to the crime I’d think the slavers’ law surely consider as the biggest one (hello, rebellion? Sure kill your master, no biggie). I guess maybe he’d want to torture her longer...maybe ?
Anyway, that was an exemple that bothered me a bit.
I just felt there was a lack of development at the beginning. It went too fast. We didn’t get to really know Lark and I was not very impressed with her at first.
Not because other characters I barely knew said she was a bookworm chicken or whatever but because we had one of those line that went pretty much like « i had plain red hair. Not pretty like fire but boring. And I had...freckles » oh dear I have to admit I rolled my eyes especially with the « ...freckles » part but that can be because I LOVE freckles! I wish I had many many more of them ahah why do they always have to complain about it in YA books?!
I just feel we could have spent a few more chapter in the « free community » so we would have a bit more to start with and understand Lark more.
But I’m really, I swear I’m not here to only complain because I ended up quite enjoying the book and I felt that despite an almost « insta-love », or you’d think so, Lark and Kalen’s relationship grew organically.
It’s started with curiosity on both side and both characters were open-minded to overcome many prejudices and fear.
Lark ended up a strong protagonist who did speak out for herself and others and fought for what is right.
I’m more reserved on Kalen, I didn’t really grew to really like him that much but, despite being a slave trader, it can be said for him that he never hurt Lark. It can be nothing as a whole but be sure if you read this you don’t enter one of those books where the big bad boys hurts and abuse the girl and he’s totally validated by falling in love with him.
As a whole, Kalen is a nice guy from the very beginning and does speak out openly against slavery and try to stear his family business away from it. On the other end, while being a kind soul, he also enjoy the benefit of the system all the same. I guess I just don’t fall over a character for just doing the right thing, but as a reader, it’s easy to say and as a male romance protagonist you can do worse than Kalen.
So yes, I had a good time reading The Vanishing Spark of Dust. It’s nothing out of this world or entirely original but the set up does make you think and the main protagonist Lark is believable as a naive young farmer from a tiny isolated community that discover her strength and courage once she’s ripped away from it.
Her direct defiance can seem strange from a girl who was scared by tales of those alien slavers but she actually didn’t know anything about it and once she’s confronted directly to it, she reveals herself and I find it believable, as you can never predict how you’ll react in a given scenario.
You’ll like it if you enjoy lighter but not totally empty of real issues love story. This is a hap’y ending kind of story ;)
On my part, the romance part is not what appealed the most to me. Sara Baysinger painted a universe that is an interesting set up for galactic aventures and this book was a good set up of worlds and characters if she wants to write more about it.
Maybe give us of those series that use different protagonists for each book and stay connected as a whole. I think it would be a good way to explore more stories and might be the author’s intentions as I feel there is definitely a set up calling for it. (With Terrence, Lark’s brother and his halfling boyfriend, or Kalen’s sister I cannot remember the name of right now but she sounded promising, as possible heir to the company -Tavdorian seem to treats their children equally regarding to gender or line of succession - more info welcome, or even the colonies on Earth).
There is also the possibility to find Lark and Kalen traveling the world and doing all the things, Lark seemed impatient for more aventures.
In any case, I’ll read another book if there is ever one ;)
Ok I’ll end here cause I typed all of that on my phone and it’s fastidious ;)