Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Space Between.

Title/Author: The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff.

Genre: YA/Supernatural.

Publisher: Razorbill.

Source: Comic Con.

Favorite character: Daphne and Truman.

Favorite quote:  "Love is for people with a certain amount of humanity." ~Daphne.
"...a song that sounds like birds at night." ~Daphne

All in all: Breathtaking.

Synopsis:
Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this?

Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped - and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie's whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be. ~Goodreads.com

My Thoughts: I loved this book. The writing, the characters, the story and the settings. It has a dreamlike quality within a gritty, hard reality and the characters bring it to life.

The main character Daphne is refreshing in that she is not a typical heroine, yet she is very heroic and her naivety and innocence add to this.  As she navigates earth she is simply being herself as she expects people to be honest and understand her own honesty. She has no hidden agenda and she comes off as earnest, yet, she is cast as evil because of her lineage. Her actions speak for herself though as all people’s should. Her voice is clear as is Truman's, the compelling, damaged male lead.   He is almost a character study to me.  Sad, lonely, hopeless.  Yet I love the way he still has the capacity to try and charm people either to push them away or to get something.  He is  complex and riveting.  He and Daphne both go through changes.  She finds what she needs and Truman may not lose his pain, but he gains something else to fill the whole that is inside him, making it more bearable.

The supporting characters are great too.  From angels to demons to humans.  They all had something important to add and move the story along. 

This story brought another theme to mind.  Redemption.  What is it?  Is it finding peace, doing what is right?  Who gets to define what redemption is?  Depending on what side you are on, is any action perceived as justified?

The writing is exquisite. Descriptions and feelings are poetic. I also think that the world and the characters are quite imaginative. The breadth of the details add to the picture that the words gave me.  Even the drink names were relevant to the story and the makeup that the Lilim used ("...hot brimstone on their mouths.")  I love how Pandemonium, earth and heaven are portrayed...or more likely earth is still earth, but to Daphne, it is dirty and noisy.  Very true.

I didn’t realize till the end of the book that the chapter titles pertain to each pov (Daphne and Truman’s). Truman’s is a countdown, while Daphne’s chapter titles are what she encounters during her experience. So clever.

I confess I don’t like romance stories, but as I read The Space Between, I realized I don’t like the romance stories that are out there with clichéd writing. The romance between Truman and Daphne was powerful and sweet and made me long for what they have. And, although it is one of the main threads of the story, it wasn’t the main one.

The only issue, which isn't really an issue, more of an alternative direction I would speak about is the ending.  I do like where it went, but I also think it would have been very powerful and haunting if it ended a tad earlier.  If you read it you will know what I'm talking about. 

The words and emotion behind the characters of The Space Between moved me.  I can't wait to read whatever Brenna Yovanoff writes next. 



4 comments:

Karen said...

I have been looking for a good fallen angel series and this just might be the one. I loved your review and now I'm dying to read it.
Is this a stand alone or a start to a series?

Megan at Book Brats said...

Loved your review and this book has been on my wishlist since I heard about it. Rather desperate to get my hands on a copy now thanks to you, LOL.

La Toya said...

This books sounds fantastic!! And I love your review :)

xo,
Lah @ LazyGirl Reads

Anonymous said...

I love your review of this! I have The Replacement sitting on my shelf waiting to be read, but now I want a copy of this, too! I adore books written with a dreamlike quality.

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