Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

This Night So Dark - Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Series: Starbound #1.5
Published by: Disney Hyperion, on 7 October 2014
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction
Pages: 109, Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Purchase

Don’t miss the breathtaking short story that connects the first two novels in the Starbound trilogy, These Broken Stars and This Shattered World.

Tarver still has nightmares about the night, six months before the Icarus crash, when he rescued a group of civilian researchers being held hostage by brutal mercenaries. Now Tarver and Lilac must reconcile his memories of that fateful night with the truth that they uncovered on a mysterious planet after the Icarus crashed.

This Night so Dark is the perfect novella to help fans stay patient while waiting for This Shattered World. There is more Tarver, a little Lilac, and a lot of intrigue and mystery.

My This Night so Dark review:

Showing both a little of what happened with Tarver and Lilac after the ending ofThese Broken Stars, and also some of the events that lead up to their meeting was good. Seeing the way Tarver had moved up in the military, and the way he treated the soldiers under him, as well as his quick wit and fast assessment of difficult and potentially dangerous situations made me love him even more. And the way his nightmares woke Lilac, and the questions she asked him because of them made her more endearing as well.

Most of the action in This Night so Dark happens six months before Icarus, and seeing who Tarver was before he was the decorated hero made me feel like I got to know him a lot better. Learning what was important to him, how strong he was, and how far he was willing to go for what he believed was right. Yeah, Tarver sure is a great protagonist, and I want much more stories about him.

Very well written, and even with such as short story, it was still character-driven and made me a very happy reader. First person POV present tense doesn’t always work for me, but it did here! If you can’t wait for This Shattered World, I promise This Night so Dark will help tide you over.

Some of my favorite This Night so Dark quotes:

Her hesitation spaks volumes. It’s one thing to think about violence or see it on the HV, and another entirely to commit it.

I’m praying my dark uniform and dark hair will hide us in the shadows, praying she falls silent before the speakers do, fighting the was my pulse wants to leap up ma throat, the pounding in my temples. There’s no what’s next, there’s only now, and this moment lasts forever.

He refuses to budge even when I shout at him to follow us. I can’t leave him behind. I have to leave him behind, or everyone else will die, too.