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Review: Bid My Soul Farewell by Beth Revis

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Bid My Soul Farewell by Beth Revis

Bid My Soul Farewell (Give the Dark My Love #2)
Beth Revis
Razorbill
Published September 24, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Bid My Soul Farewell

The stunning finale of the epic fantasy duology from New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis.

Alchemy student turned necromancer Nedra Brysstain has made a life-changing decision to embrace the darkness–but can the boy who loves her bring her back to the light before she pays the ultimate price?

Lunar Island is trying to heal. The necromantic plague that ravaged the land has been eradicated, and Emperor Auguste, the young and charming leader of the Allyrian Empire, has a plan: rid the island of necromancy once and for all. Though Greggori “Grey” Astor wants what’s best for his people, he knows that allying himself with Auguste threatens the one person he loves most: necromancer Nedra Brysstain. Feeling like he already failed to save Nedra once, Grey becomes determined to help the Emperor rebuild Lunar Island while still keeping Nedra safe from harm.

Back at the quarantine hospital, Nedra’s army of revenants are growing increasingly inhuman by the day. Wracked with guilt for imprisoning their souls, Nedra vows to discover a way to free the dead while still keeping her sister by her side.

But, still reeling from the trauma of the plague, the people of Lunar Island are looking for someone to blame, and Grey can only protect Nedra for so long. And when Nedra and Grey are thrust into a battle with an even more terrifying adversary, Nedra will be pushed to the darkest depths of her necromantic powers. But can Grey let her go that far?

My Review

This was the first book I read after having my miscarriage in December. I had been meaning to read it for a while, but it seemed like it was going to be dark and have a lot of grief in it, since Nedra loses so much in the first book. I picked it up just before Christmas and looked at the cover and thought, yep, she looks about how I feel. And I knew it was the right time to read it.

So many things about this book really met me where I was. I totally identified with both Nedra’s grief and her desperation to somehow bring back the sister she’d lost. Her frustration with the people around her who just didn’t understand where she was coming from emotionally totally resonated with me. And the way it complicated her relationship with Grey– who loved her every minute of her journey, but had to find his own way to heal, and also couldn’t support some of the things she was doing felt so real to me, too.

It IS a bit of a dark read. The people in Nedra’s colony are recovering from a plague that left many people dead and many more amputee survivors. Nedra desperately wants to find a way to bring her sister back from the dead. Grey wants to help the people who’ve been overlooked by the government and he wants to protect Nedra, too.

Even though it’s dark, I really needed this book and I’m so glad I was able to read it right now. Sometimes a book is perfect for a certain time in your life, and I feel like I found this one at exactly the right moment.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Nedra is an amputee. Her sister was bisexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used once.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. One scene shows a woman undressing in front of her lover and then the lead up to them having sex. It’s suggested that they are intimate again after that but nothing happens in scene.

Spiritual Content
Nedra believes in the god Oryous, and visits a temple. Grey has grown up with religious traditions but doesn’t have a personal connection to them or personal faith.

Nedra learns to see and have some control of the souls of others as part of her powers of necromancy. As her power grows, a darkness in her grows, too.

Violent Content
Some brief descriptions of battle and the aftermath of battle, including some graphic descriptions of gore.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis

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Give the Dark My Love (Give the Dark My Love #1)
Beth Revis
Razorbill Press
Published September 25, 2018

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads

About Give the Dark My Love

When seventeen-year-old Nedra Brysstain leaves her home in the rural, northern territories of Lunar Island to attend the prestigious Yugen Academy, she has only one goal in mind: learn the trade of medicinal alchemy. A scholarship student matriculating with the children of Lunar Island’s wealthiest and most powerful families, Nedra doesn’t quite fit in with the other kids at Yugen, who all look down on her.

All, except for Greggori “Grey” Astor. Grey is immediately taken by the brilliant and stubborn Nedra, who he notices is especially invested in her studies. And that’s for a good reason: a deadly plague has been sweeping through the North, and it’s making its way toward the cities. With her family’s life–and the lives of all of Lunar Island’s citizens–on the line, Nedra is determined to find a cure for the plague.

Grey and Nedra continue to grow closer, but as the sickness spreads and the body count rises, Nedra becomes desperate to find a cure. Soon, she finds herself diving into alchemy’s most dangerous corners–and when she turns to the most forbidden practice of all, necromancy, even Grey might not be able to pull her from the darkness.

My Review

When I first heard about GIVE THE DARK MY LOVE, I tried really hard to get hold of a review copy. I’d met Beth Revis at a book con and she’s one of the most amazing people– super genuine and open and really kind– and I’d read and enjoyed her books before, so it was kind of a no-brainer! Alas, I did not get a review copy, so fast forward to much later when I decided to treat myself to a copy of the book care of a birthday gift card. Yay!

First, I love the unique story world. The mystery surrounding the plague and the backstory about necromancy plus the opportunity Nedra gets to study alchemy at an elite school. It all fit together really well and gave the story a really unique feel to it. Nedra and Grey pretty much both had me hooked from their first few pages. I love her passion for helping others. I love his integrity.

There are definitely some dark elements to the story, and the good versus evil lines get pretty complicated, so that’s something to consider if that matters to you. I like complex characters, so I enjoyed the bends in the story, and I’m super eager to read the sequel, BID MY SOUL FAREWELL, which came out September 24, 2019. I already have a copy and want to read it while the first book is still fresh in my mind.

If you liked THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan or TO BEST THE BOYS by Mary Weber, then you’ll want to grab yourself a copy of GIVE THE DARK MY LOVE as fast as you can. All of them have intricate and original fantasy worlds with strong female characters faced with impossible choices.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Nedra’s sister Nessie likes both boys and girls.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. A couple sleep in the same bed. One student makes lewd comments about Nedra, insinuating that she’s sleeping with her professor in order to get good grades.

Spiritual Content
A powerful necromancer once raised an army of the dead but was later hanged for his actions. Necromancy remains forbidden. Most people worship the god Oryous. Ritual celebrations and prayers are shown in the story.

Violent Content
Some battles shown. Situations of peril. Families of plague victims are made to lock themselves in their houses on quarantine as neighbors threaten to shoot them if they emerge before the quarantine ends.

Drug Content
Some reference to drinking wine.

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