Look, the comp to Howl’s Moving Castle told this book for me and gods was it just lovely. Queer. Whimsical. Lush descriptions you just want to fall into. It’s a style of writing that I know doesn’t work for everyone but is one of my favorite things to see in the fantasy genre. I also really resonated with the themes of learning to understand oneself and the value of choice. It’s the sort of book that I wish I had as a teen. I’m not sure what else to say beyond I can recommend it whole-heartedly.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I really wanted to love this book; the writing in the prologue chapter hooked me, and I love the idea of fantasy full of characters who are trans, queer, nb, etc. I wanted to love it.

Night Shine is the story of Nothing, a girl who has been the companion to Prince Kirin Dark-Smile for almost as long as she can remember. When she discovers that Kirin has disappeared, possibly kidnapped, she sets out with one of Kirin's bodyguards, The Day The Sky Opened. to rescue him from The Sorceress Who Eats Girls. Along the way, Nothing, and the readers, learn more about how Kirin is The Prince Who Is Also a Maiden -- sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes neither. And when Nothing and The Day The Sky Opened arrive at the sorceress's fortress, they begin to find that the situation, and Nothing herself, is more complicated than any of them had realized.

I had three problems with this book -- though I will acknowledge that it may work better for other people than it did for me. The first is that protagonist Nothing is so wholly devoted to Kirin that her character seems entirely constituted in relation to him. That gets more complicated around halfway through the book, but it was so dominant in the first half as to be grating as I read. The second is that as the plot develops, readers discover that characters have done horrible things that are presented as though we should be impressed by them, because they were done in the name of one character's love for another. And ... I found myself horrified, rather than impressed. These acts are not romantic. They're just dark; love isn't a justification.

Finally, the other thing is that this book seems to be ... mostly a series of very poetic tableaux. They are very pretty - but after a while, they tire. It's like the film Labyrinth -- but if Labyrinth were mostly the iconic "You have no power over me", over and over.

Maybe this will work better for other readers, and I liked Gratton's writing enough to be intrigued, and want to check out her other stuff. Alas, this just didn't work for me.

It was a great book from this short story from the book. I wish I could have read more of it. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

This book is hard to review. I enjoyed it but I'll admit that the abstract writing style and whimsical world didn't always work for me. However, that is a very personal reading taste. I don't tend to enjoy Ghibli-esque worlds and that's very much what this reminded me. It's almost fairytale like in its abstract quality and if that is your thing, then this very much would be the book for you. I liked how it played with gender norms. It has great LGBTQIA+ rep. I enjoyed the story. But the writing style was just not my thing. However, I know several people who would love this so if you enjoy fairytale quality books with a Howl's Moving Castle type world, this is definitely one to pick up.

Sorry for the late feedback, I didn't realize when I requested this it wasn't available as a Kindle book so I waited until it was published. I'm trying to be better about requesting things I won't read before pub date.

This was interesting and I did really enjoy the way it played with what and who we are in terms of magic and gender etc. The romance was excellent, but the story was slow moving at times. Ultimately, I think I am feeling most disappointed in Kirin and his actions at the end. As well as how easily Night Shine forgave him at the end.

While it was often talked of how Kirin had to hide who he was, I felt like that was left unresolved - which I could see being the point, but it leading to my unsatisfied feeling upon finishing it. Also, there will be some kids I hand this too, but it's not the fun adventure fantasy featuring lgbtqia that I was hoping for.

This was a fascinating book that I had to read in bits and pieces. In a single sentence summary: it is a queer fantasy romance with demons, sorceresses, dragons, spirits, and a world that seems inspired by pre-20th century East Asian cultures.

The main character is Nothing, a girl with no past who we meet when she kills the heir to the throne of her kingdom, and the journey she undertakes afterwards. It's a book of questions: Who is Nothing? What is Nothing? Who is the Sorceress Who Eats Girls? Why did the Sorceress want Kirin Dark-Smile? Luckily, over the course of the book, these questions are answered, though never in the ways the reader might expect, especially for a young adult fantasy book. It is more than a stereotypical coming-of-age story. I can't say more without significantly spoiling the mysteries of the book.

I do find, though, that the cover of this book is deceiving. I know that book covers are often inaccurate, but this one in particular is just... not great. Sure, it's pretty, but it doesn't fit the story in anyway.

DNF'd within the first 20% of the book, but that's not a true reflection of this novel's merit. I think it's an indication of the marketing, or perhaps my own misconception of what the story would be. I went in expecting a classic YA narrative and style, and was (pleasantly!) surprised to find that the book is written much more in the tradition of fairy or folk tales. This is interesting and refreshing, but was simply off-putting due to my own expectations. I think fairytales make it difficult to connect to the characters, and sadly this was no different for me. I didn't feel the stakes of the story deeply, and I had trouble pinning down Nobody as a character. Hopefully I'll be able to pick this up again soon and come back to edit this review. I still absolutely recommend that people who are interested in this book give it a try! Just keep in mind that it's a bit off the beaten YA path.

Rated three stars because I understand the appeal, but mostly, it all boils down to the fact that this book is not for me. I have read several Tessa Gratton novels before, and while I cannot deny that she is a talented (skilled) author, I found the pacing, writing, character, and story arc underwhelming from what I've come to expect from them. Beautiful and lyrical, yes, but that's a tough style to pull off if you're not invested in anything else. There also seemed to be a lot of representation but I can't/won't speak for that. Nothing was a pretty flat character and I struggled to care. I feel like I am in the minority when it comes to these somewhat negative opinions, though, so don't let that sway you from reading this book yourself. Moreover, the actual storyline felt confused at times and I struggled to keep up with what was going on at points. But maybe that is just me. Overall, I feel like this is the sort of book that is genuinely GOOD, but not for me, hence why I've chosen to rate it three stars.

Also, irrelevant from the author, but the cover is awful. I feel bad for saying that, but it looks clumsily put together at the last minute, and I've felt this way a lot about this author's book covers and I have no idea why. They feel very basic and amateur.

Night Shine is an interesting fantasy story with an immersive setting, dynamic characters, and poignant messages. The world-building is incredible and lush, with a unique caste system and fascinating supernatural beings including witches, demons, goblins, and more. It is a captivating read, one that I was quickly caught up in. I also like the strong messages about being true to yourself, standing up for what you believe in, and fighting for those you love.

The characters are richly developed, especially Nothing, the protagonist. I loved her progression throughout the story. A girl who is usually ignored and invisible, she is the only one who realizes that the prince is not really the prince. She is a sharp, intelligent, and astute person who is vastly underestimated, as she proves time and again on her journey to rescue the prince.

Overall, this is a good read that I recommend to readers that enjoy YA fantasy. Thanks so much to Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars!

It started a bit slow, but after letting the world building happen around me, I really enjoyed the story. Watching Nothing grow from nothing to a powerful independent character was wonderful. There was a lot of personal growth in many of the characters, and I find myself wondering where they went after the story was over.

Definitely one I will recommend.

Why I Requested This: I enjoyed a previous Tessa Gratton and this one was described as a queer Howl’s Moving Castle. Why would I not want to read that? Plus, I have a thing for dragon books.

Pros:
The queerness of this book. Tess Gratton does this effortlessly with the two books that I have now read by her and I am dying to read her backlist now.
The writing style and the world-building. Together they make the story feel like a fairy-tale even if it is a fantasy.
Obligatory dragon as a pro-point. If I like how my bookish buzzwords are done they are most likely going to be pros and the way dragons are done, definitely a pro.

Cons:
Honestly, I have been thinking about trying to find a con because even for my favorites I like to have one, but the only thing I can truly come up with is that the plot is definitely not going to be for everyone.

Overall: I am now screaming about this book and need to start diving headfirst into more of Tessa Gratton’s backlist.

[this review will be up on my blog on September 14th.]

Night Shine is, more than anything, a story about the importance of having a choice.
It follows a girl known as Nothing as she goes on a quest to rescue Kirin Dark-Smile, the prince and her closest friend, after he has been kidnapped by a Sorceress.
Hearing this premise, one might think they already know this story. They don't.

The first thing you should know about Night Shine is that it is, from the surface to its heart, a very queer story. I'm not only talking about the characters, though of course that's a major factor; I'm talking about what it prioritizes as well. Night Shine is a story that says, you should get to choose. Your name, over the one that was given to you. Your relationships, over what has been forced on you either through magic or norms. The way you define yourself, over an assigned gender or other kinds of restrictive roles.
For a story, having this kind of priorities means trope subversion, and this book is full of it.

Maybe the girl and the prince love each other, but not the way one would think, and maybe the girl is going to rescue the prince with the help of the prince's secret boyfriend, his bodyguard Sky, and maybe the prince is charming, genderfluid, and also the most beautiful maiden of the realm, and maybe the sorceress is hot in a very gay way. Consider!

I always love to find new books to recommend to other gay villain romance fans, and Night Shine might be my favorite F/F example so far. The tension between the main character and the Sorceress... to give you an idea, I had to pause many times because I felt like spontaneously combusting, and that's why this took me five days.

That's far from the only reason this book deeply appealed to me, however. Another, maybe the most personal one, is that the main character's arc is about understanding who she is and can be, and the first step in that is learning to want things. I was drawn to "Nothing" from the moment I met her, because I know the appeal of being functionally invisible and haunting the place you live in, unpredictable and unseen but more than anything unassuming, never-bothering, never really even occupying space if you can. And maybe that's what you think you want, or maybe it's a coping mechanism because the world is cruel, and it's not all there is to you.

Then there's the portrayal of intimacy. Back in 2018, Gratton's Strange Grace was described by many as "full of kissing", and I can say that it applies to Night Shine even more - people kiss! A lot! For different reasons and with different results! Like most binaries, the line between platonic and romantic isn't a concern to this book, and this is particularly clear in the dynamic between the main character, Sky, and Kirin, which was so fascinating to read. They all love each other, it's clear, but there are power imbalances and things turn sour - the relationship between Kirin and the main character takes a clear controlling bent, especially when contrasted with how she and Sky grow close without forcing any expectations on each other, allowing themselves to be surprised.

About Kirin specifically, I loved how he was portrayed. I know I've talked many times about the importance of portrayals of queer villainy, and queer flawed characters, from queer authors - and just like we get to have a sorceress who eats girls' hearts and is a lesbian and a love interest, we get to have a genderfluid prince who is charming but also entitled and jealous, and portrayed sympathetically. We understand the reasons for his actions, and that's why they hurt even more to read. I'm always here for books that understand that good and evil exist in shadows.

Another fascinating part of Night Shine are the names. Every character has a full name which almost reads like poetry; for example, Sky is The Day the Sky Opened, and another example is Sudden Spring Frost - and since we were on the topic of Kirin, it's said that the main character starts using different full names depending on what he says about his gender that day, among which "Neither Kirin", which is... so cool of a name. Then there's the matter of "Nothing"'s name, which is... plot-relevant and I'm not going to say more.

The writing was dreamlike, and yet I could see the setting so clearly - because this book knows the balance between giving enough descriptions to make everything feel real and bright but not too much to still leave some mystery and distance. In a world of sorcerers, demons, spirits and dragons, it only feels right - and the meticulous attention to detail helped, as usual for Tessa Gratton's works.

I loved Night Shine a lot, maybe even more than Strange Grace, and I think it might be a new favorite book; I can't say that for sure right now, but we'll see in a few days.

Nothing is an orphan who also lives in the palace. No one pays any attention to her except the Great Demon and the prince. Prince Kirin is her best friend and heir to the throne. After Kirin is kidnapped, Nothing believes that Kirin was taken by the Sorceress Who Eats Girls. The prince’s bodyguard also believes this, even though the sorceress has never bothered boys before. During this rescue operation, what will Nothing and the bodyguard have to overcome? Will they be able to rescue Kirin and keep his secrets?

Night Shine is a stand-alone fantasy adventure with an LGBTQ+ twist. The storyline moves along quickly and since it was a stand-alone, the adventure was compact and complete. I would have to say that there aren’t many fantasy books with LGBTQ+ characters in them and this story fulfills this overlooked niche without being too pushy. Overall this was an enjoyable story, but I’m glad it was not a series.

This book was surprising is such a good way.
I've seen this described as a queer Howl's Moving Castle. It is that and so much more. Night Shine has demons, spirits, sorcerers, and names that mean something.
I couldn't put this down.
Nothing is an orphan who lives in the palace and has become the prince's pet. When the prince goes missing, Nothing leaves the palace to find him. On this journey, she finds pieces of herself.
The language in this book is lyrical and beautiful. The world is well built and fabulous. The characters are flawed and relatable.
Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy of this book to review.

Reads like an old legend or fairy tale, with long, flowing descriptions, Symbolic Names, and spirits inhabiting castles, rivers, and mountains. It's a blend of older story-telling styles with themes of identity like those explored in Amy Rose Capetta's The Brilliant Death. The plot itself kind of lost me, but I enjoyed the writing.

In the vast palace of the empress lives an orphan girl called Nothing. She slips within the shadows of the Court, unseen except by the Great Demon of the palace and her true friend, Prince Kirin, heir to the throne. When Kirin is kidnapped, only Nothing and the prince’s bodyguard suspect that Kirin may have been taken by the Sorceress Who Eats Girls, a powerful woman who has plagued the land for decades. The sorceress has never bothered with boys before, but Nothing has uncovered many secrets in her sixteen years in the palace, including a few about the prince.

As the empress’s army searches fruitlessly, Nothing and the bodyguard set out on a rescue mission, through demon-filled rain forests and past crossroads guarded by spirits. Their journey takes them to the gates of the Fifth Mountain, where the sorceress wields her power. There, Nothing will discover that all magic is a bargain, and she may be more powerful than she ever imagined. But the price the Sorceress demands for Kirin may very well cost Nothing her heart- Goodreads

I enjoyed this book but there was a major red flag for me. This book was presented to me as #ownvoices but from the summary and from reading the book it is very clear that this book is based on a form of Asian culture.  From what I know of the author she is White and living in Japan.  So being called #ownvoices through me off by a lot.

Unless its #ownvoices for LGBTQ aspect of this novel. I am not sure. This is my first novel by this author so if anyone can provide some insight to that it would be great. Now let's talk about the book.

I really liked it. It is unlike any other fantasy I have read and it is as romantic as it is magical.  It focuses on world building and character development.  Does action scenes happen? Yes, but not as frequent as you would think in a world with magic.  I am chalking it up to writing skills because I was invested in this story-line.

However, there is a lot of back and forth in this novel. Nothing does all of it herself and although it is for good reason, going thirty chapters of her being not sure of anything is a bit much.  Did I put this book down? Yes, actually a few times and because things didn't just slow down they almost stopped for me. The intensiveness that I felt in the first half of the book dwindled  and the lack of "action" did not help with that either. 


But beyond this, I loved the romance displayed in the novel. Nothing grows to discover what love is and what is isn't and that is comes in different times and forms. And also Nothing is fairly entertaining to read. She is quick on her feet, curious and oddly enough very objective. I liked her.

Overall, I was surprised by this book but in a good way. 

3.5 Pickles

Unfortunately this book was slightly too obscure for me. I was scratching my head a few chapters in and I still really don’t understand what went on in the story. I thought it was a unique plot but the names were really strange and I didn’t get the magic vibes that I wanted to from it. The book came together more towards the end and if that would’ve happened sooner, my opinion may have been a little different. This is my first book by Tessa and I’m intrigued by her writing style to try another.

Night Shine was fantastic! Nothing is an absolutely fascinating main character. I loved watching her grow into herself. The book has a great queer cast, and I especially enjoyed Sky's character. There were twists in this book that totally caught me by surprise, which is always fun. The writing is different from many other books out there, and felt almost poetic in nature. The poetry is also extended to character names. Names are of great importance in this world, especially for the more magical people in it. I love Nothing. I love the Sorceress That Eats Girls. I love the writing. The book is dark at times, but it also felt like it was giving me a hug, wrapping me in beautiful words.

I super loved the writing but didn't love the development of the romantic relationship. Also, I didn't feel that this was a Howl's Moving Castle retelling and think this is false advertising.