The premise of this book is clever, but the relationships and overall plot are lacking.

Humans live on a new moon, and they are at constant war with chimmeras (or gargoyles as a human monster name for them). It showcases that humans are humans are humans and that we love to wage war and to win. We love to conquer, and indigenous people get the brunt of our might and cruelty. The entire cast of main characters is made up of underrepresented people with multiple references to sexuality and dark skin so that you cannot possibly slip into a reading habit of assuming what they look and act like. I think the point was to show that humans will be humans by pointing out the good and the strength in the colonies while never shying away from the oppressive way they attack the chimmeras. The action sequences were done well, but the relationships and the character building was flat at best, and thin at worst. Plus, it was incredibly obvious that the plot was less important than the cast of characters' identities which, honestly? Leads to a pretty bland science fiction read in the end.

It is important to note that I am a cis, straight, white person. So while I can appreciate the diversity, I cannot fathom the incredible importance of having it in a book for teenagers. But because the story itself floundered and got lost, the diversity is the only thing that stands out here. Thus, the book gets three stars for trying. It's a start.

Rumor is bisexual, and a Nigerian, Portuguese, Indian.
Nyx is my favorite because she is Deaf. (Captial D here, people. The author paid attention to Deaf culture and used ASL throughout the book.) She is also pansexual and Cuban.
Dahlia is of African and Latinx decent and a transgender young woman.
Braeden is asexual and was raised by two mothers.
Jude was adopted and raised by two brothers (who are both people of color and queer).

Please don't discount this book--it doesn't do everything right, but it does a pretty great job of showcasing differences while still making them normal teenagers. This is so important in YA.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tristina Wright, and Entangled Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review*

Rating: 4/5 stars

This book follows the stories of many teens, most importantly Rumor, Jude, Nyx and Braeden. It is set over a 27-hour period (hence the title) where they must prevent a war from happening between humans and gargoyles. It is set on an fantasy planet in space and the main characters are all part of the LGBT community. 

I had begun hearing a lot about it on social media and I knew that I had to read it. I was drawn in by the queer representation and let me tell you: it did not disappoint! There were so many different representations, I was absolutely thrilled. To name a few there were bisexuality, pansexuality, and ace represented in the main characters. I find this to be so important both to the young adults this book is targeted towards and for anyone who wishes to see their sexuality represented in YA. They were represented well and accurately, which also made me super happy! I could sort of guess where the relationships would go once the characters were introduced, but it didn’t make the book any less enjoyable and the interactions between the characters were lighthearted but meaningful. I found the romances in this story not forced at all and I really loved Nyx and Delilah’s romance throughout the story. Nyx had to be my favorite character in this book: she was so innocent and sweet, afraid that Delilah wouldn’t feel the same way. At the same time, she was such a strong character and proved to be one of the few that ‘saved’ the day. I also liked Jude. A lot. I was confused as to his part in the plot at first but really grew to love him. His power had to be the coolest thing I’ve read lately, though: he is able to sense people’s auras, a little bit like an empath, I would describe it as. He sees them in colors, like synesthesia, and that was such a cool addition into the story. It also plays a part in his relationships with the other characters, such as Rumor. Finally, I would add that Braeden is fantastic comic relief. I laughed out loud a few times at some of his lines and his bravery is truly something courageous. The characters were extremely relatable and I thought that their romances were woven in nicely with the rest of the story and both elements were given equal attention, so one did not dominate the other. 

All this being said, I feel that it was a little hyped up for me. I didn’t receive the 5-star read that I was expecting but I think that was due to my personal taste. I didn’t care for the gargoyles as the monsters/villains in the story: they just didn’t seem to fit in. The premise of the book is definitely interesting to me and I did enjoy how it was told. The story was set on a planet and I wished that it had incorporated more space elements, such as a new alien race. Gargoyles and humans at odds with each other in space didn’t really work for me. I also wanted to know more about the humans that lived in the forest! We got a glimpse with characters such as Jude, but I wanted to know more about their way of life and their history with the gargoyles. I expect that it will be expanded on in the next book but it was an element that tied the whole story together so it was important to me. I also think that the alternating POVs were a bit confusing to me. I would have preferred a third-person POV because there was a lot of jumping around between narrators that threw me off at some points and I had to go back to check whose chapter it was. But, that being said, I found the book to be gripping and I read it all in one sitting! I have to add that the cliffhanger in this book killed. me. Oh my gosh, I almost threw my iPad across the room! It was so good and left me sitting on the edge of my seat, wondering what’s going to happen in the next book. I love/hate (love) when books do this and this was no exception. 

I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a diverse representation of the LGBT community as well as who love stories about a group of teenagers that triumph against all odds. Also, for those who are fans of Star Trek because I got a very Trekkie vibe from this.

Thank you netgalley for this fantastic arc for an honest review. It was something I usually like and don't usually like all in one, but I fell in love with this story and Tristina Wright's writing skills. It was magical.