Jennifer Marie Brissett

The Matrix meets an Afro-futuristic retelling of Persephone set in a science fiction underworld of aliens, refugees, and genetic engineering in Jennifer Marie Brissett's Destroyer of Light Having destroyed Earth, the alien conquerors resettle the remains of humanity on the planet of Eleusis. In the three habitable areas of the planet--Day, Dusk, and Night--the haves and have nots, criminals and dissidents, and former alien conquerors irrevocably bind three stories: *A violent warlord abducts a young girl from the agrarian outskirts of Dusk leaving her mother searching and grieving. *Genetically modified twin brothers desperately search for the lost son of a human/alien couple in a criminal underground trafficking children for unknown purposes. *A young woman with inhuman powers rises through the insurgent ranks of soldiers in the borderlands of Night. Their stories skate across years, building to a single confrontation when the fate of all—human and alien—balances upon a knife’s-edge. Warning: This book is designed for audiences 18+ due to scenes of physical and sexual violence, and themes that some may find disturbing.

Destroyer of Light

The Matrix meets an Afro-futuristic retelling of Persephone set in a science fiction underworld of aliens, refugees, and genetic engineering in Jennifer Marie Brissett's Destroyer of Light Having destroyed Earth, the alien conquerors resettle the remains of humanity on the planet of Eleusis. In the four habitable areas of the planet—Day, Dusk, Dawn, and Night—the haves and have nots, criminals and dissidents, and former alien conquerors irrevocably bind three stories: *A violent warlord abducts a young girl from the agrarian outskirts of Dusk leaving her mother searching and grieving. *Genetically modified twin brothers desperately search for the lost son of a human/alien couple in a criminal underground trafficking children for unknown purposes. *A young woman with inhuman powers rises through the insurgent ranks of soldiers in the borderlands of Night. Their stories, often containing disturbing physical and sexual violence, skate across years, building to a single confrontation when the fate of all—human and alien—balances upon a knife’s-edge. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Laura Kehoe

I'll say right off the bat, this book is not a light and fun read. The world-building is amazing, the characters are complex and well-developed, but there are also numerous scenes of intense violence and sexual assault (including rape of a minor). While those scenes made me profoundly uncomfortable, I did understand why Brissett included them so I was able to keep reading. But they were still rather disturbing. 

But the world-building and history was so incredible. Brissett created worlds that felt real and made sense, while also being so different from our own world currently. I also found the dynamics between humans and krestge so interesting and thought-provoking. It made for such a fascinating and engaging story.

The characters also added to the depth and intrigue in this book. Each character had their own flaws (some much more prevalent than others) and their own unique personalities. Even if I didn't always agree with the character's actions, I could usually understand why they acted the way they did.

I would recommend this book to science fiction fans. But, I wouldn't recommend it to younger audiences or those that might be triggered by rape, sexual assault, and other violent acts. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Kaeli Wolf 

The writing style is one of the best I've ever read. It's the perfect balance of description and dialogue for me. I like that it's written from an outside perspective similar to The Book Thief. The connection of the characters is wonderful.

Destroyer of Light

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