Between Sun and Shadow

A reimagining of the ancient myth of Hades and Persephone, BETWEEN SUN AND SHADOW takes place on a distant planet that stopped spinning after being struck by an asteroid. Kori is the heiress to the Daylands, the side of the planet bathed constantly in bright sunlight. Adria is the new ruler of the Shadowlands, the part of the world that has been tainted by darkness and the asteroid that struck the planet. When Kori’s ship crashes into the Shadowlands and Adria decides to keep her as a bargaining chip, the two are forced to interact. Learning more about each other, and about their worlds, as time passes; will their feelings turn into something deeper?

One of the greatest strengths of this book is its two main characters. Adria and Kori are complex characters, with layers of emotions and history. The book splits between their two POVs, allowing readers a deep glance into both characters’ minds and emotions. There are dark moments, moments when the characters are unable to face what they have done in their lives. While this might not appeal to all readers, I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the side of these characters that felt distraught and pained.

The romance between Kori and Adria is a pretty interesting one. There’s a bit of intrigue from the beginning, both characters curious about this other person who is so very different from them. It slowly expands as the two spend time together, especially when Adria can’t seem to resist spending more time with Kori even though she should be fighting back a rebellion. Some extra time to develop the relationship post-story might’ve been nice, but it also wasn’t necessary.

The pacing of this story is inconsistent. The beginning of the story drags, bogged down by pages and pages of worldbuilding and information. Then it slowly picks up steam a bit more, the crashlanding forcing the book to move at a higher clip. But the plot didn’t really captivate my attention until the last third of the book or so. That was when the plot seemed to really pick up steam, careening down a hill and just throwing reveal after reveal at the reader.

The reveal and overarching plot of this book is fairly solid. Some of the reveals might be predictable, but they work well within the context of the story. On the other hand, some of the reveals weren’t really given enough time to truly breathe. This book is definitely best experienced without spoilers, so I’ll refrain from specifically saying those plot points.

The action scenes are fantastic. The author leans into the way that the two areas, Daylands and Shadowlands, would fight with their given experience and it makes the fights feel memorable. Like a movie brought to the page, you can picture the events as they unfold.

There are also a handful of side characters in this book and they honestly make the book more fun. Especially Aspect. I loved Aspect from the get-go and that only deepened as the book went on.

BETWEEN SUN AND SHADOW is an interesting take on the Hades and Persephone myth. The characters are solid and the plot is interesting, but the pacing holds it back from truly gripping readers early.

"A science fantasy "Beauty and the Beast," this action-packed adventure is written in dual point of view and layered with a charming robot, a cuddly three-headed dog, mind-bending twists, and sapphic yearning." I can't have better described this book, than this.

Between Sun and Shadow by Laura Genn is a YA science fantasy novel that gives Gideon the Ninth, with Hades and Persephone coded characters and robots instead of necromancers. Hades and Persephone reimagined on a tidally locked planet, for fans of queer romance, mutant superpowers, eccentric robots, and speculative tech—featuring fun and stylish case art beneath the hardcover dust jacket! Sixteen-year-old Kori struggles to be a dutiful heiress to the Daylands, a post-cataclysmic society reliant on chip implants to retain memory. With a strict routine and an overly cautious mother, Kori has only one friend, Aspect—an industrial robot she’s repurposed. Determined to awaken sentience in her metal companion, Kori crash-lands in enemy territory while hunting for a memory that might do the trick. Ravaged by radiation from a meteorite, the citizens of the Shadowlands have evolved into beast-like creatures with supernatural abilities. Adria, a winged mutant, has wrested control of the Shadowlands from her bloodthirsty parents—but not everyone is so willing to embrace her leadership. What better way to instill confidence in her court than by capturing a foreign princess and demanding ransom? However, what began as a political maneuver transforms into a potent attraction as Kori’s longing for relationship echoes Adria’s own. Granted free rein of Adria’s fortress, Kori stumbles upon a startling revelation that could upend the Daylands entirely. As rebellion grows and Adria’s precarious hold on her throne wavers, Adria and Kori must join forces to avert all-out war. Does a queen of shadows really stand a chance with a princess of sunlight? Or has the chasm between their nations grown too wide? A science fantasy "Beauty and the Beast," this action-packed adventure is written in dual point of view and layered with a charming robot, a cuddly three-headed dog, mind-bending twists, and sapphic yearning.

Between Sun and Shadow is one those books that best read without any initial context. Much like Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb series, which this book reminded quite a lot of. Regardless, I really liked this book as it provided a breath of fresh air in terms of its romance and plot and unique worldbuilding. As I get older, I find most of the YA genre is filled with the same old story and character, rehashed time and time again. But Between Sun and Shadow is one that provides it's audience both a familiar story with it's ties to Hades and Persephone, and a novel one with its colorful cast of characters.

One thing that I didn't quite like about Between Sun and Shadow, is the general chaos that radiates from the plot. In that it was hard to keep up at some points, and at other times make it out to be quite unreliable. But this was not a major fault of the book, but more so mine. As it's quite hard to wrap my mind around novels that present items from different genres, ie. monstrous beasts that resemble Cerberus and robot companions.

Regardless, Between Sun and Shadow is a novel designed to be fun and engaging with twists and turns that most readers won't expect. While also being a familiar narrative and a novel one. I recommend it to anyone looking for something to fill the void of having to wait for Alecto the Ninth's eventual release.