A review by chasinggrace
The Sun and Its Shade by Piper C.J.

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was Kingdom-of-Ash-inspired fantasy junk food for me. Is it groundbreaking and perfectly composed? No. But I had a great fucking time. I think the author tends to over-write, explaining and spelling out things that aren’t necessary and using overly-flowery language to communicate basic details. Cutting that stuff out would have saved us probably 50 pages lol. But I do appreciate her explanations and explorations of complex emotions, which is a large strongpoint of the first two novels. 

The last 50 pages were a blur but the slow burn in the other 500 pages?? Loved. Absolutely loved. 

Gadriel and Malik are my favorite characters, hands down. 

This will be a series I continue to read, not for the artistry of literature but for my connection to the cast.