Many thanks to NetGalley and Archaia Press for sending me this book to review.

Both the authors, Roxane Gay and Tracy Lynne Oliver have seamlessly worked with Rebecca Kirby, the illustrator, to create this moving and wonderful graphic novel. It is set in a mining town where, in his air machine, Hiram Hightower heads towards the sun. He has been working in sub human conditions underground in a mine in darkness and cold for the last five years. When he crashes into the sun, the town is plunged into darkness. 

There are two themes to the novel. The first is the greed of the Council to exploit the mines. A rare and precious mineral Flareon has been discovered in the mines which could bring great prosperity to the town. Eight-hour shifts are extended to sixteen and five working days increased to six. But the people who benefit from this are the rich townsfolk and the Council members; the conditions of the miners remain the same. As Hiram tells his son, the wealthy townsmen have forgotten the ones who have made their lives and homes possible

The second theme is that of love and loyalty irrespective of social status. The novel works on two time schemes: the present-day when the lights go off and the past when Hiram Hightower first meets Mara Blessings and falls in love with her. 

The present-day story deals with Joshua, the son of Hiram and Mara, who is ostracized because of his father’s actions—the house is barred to prevent people from throwing things. He is befriended by Claire whose mother has her heart in the right place insists that her daughter invite Joshua home. 

The authors present parallel love stories between Hiram and Mara and Claire and Joshua. Joshua and Hiram come from a miner’s family Claire and Mara are born to wealth. However, the authors show how love triumphs over all adversities and the need to be supportive and compassionate. This is in direct contrast to the Council members who want a blood sacrifice from the Hightower family for the darkness they have had to suffer.

The thought-provoking story is supported by brilliant and appropriate images. The present-day images are more brightly colored than those from the past which are in hues of dull blue and a sort of pinky orange.

This graphic novel was amazing. I loved all of it and I really can't find any fault with it. This book is told between present time and flashbacks about Hiram Hightower, a miner from a small town who flies into the sun and destroys it. By flying into the sun he plunges the earth into total darkness. In present time his son, Joshua deals with the stigma of being Hiram Hightower's son - the Sun Stealer. Throughout the book Joshua has to deal with countless people and the city council saying that there needs to be a sacrifice to bring the sun back. The family refuses though. Over time Joshua has his own family and moves on with is life. I'm not giving spoilers for the end of the book though, you'll have to read it for yourself! Overall, this book was fantastic and I highly, highly recommend it!

CW: Bullying, Classism

When I saw this graphic novel up on NetGalley, I knew I needed to read it. I've always wanted to read a Roxane Gay book, and having it be a graphic novel was a win-win for me. I always love reading graphic novels because they have a unique feel. You get to experience a world through the graphics. 

The graphics in The Sacrifice of Darkness were great. They enhanced the story, and I loved that it was easy to tell when a flashback was just by looking at the drawings. I loved the gritty feel of the book & enjoyed seeing how the story progressed. 

The plot was pretty unique and kept my attention. I also enjoyed that the book showed a darker side of the world. I liked the brightness & hope that was in there too. There was the perfect blend of light and dark. 

All in all, I enjoyed this graphic novel. The plot kept my attention, and the graphics were well done. I recommend this to anyone looking for a good sci-fi graphic novel.

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I want to start this off by saying that the concept of the story, some of the elements in the story, the way the story is set up with the "current" vs "past" timelines, where we slowly get to know the story, is really good! I also really liked the art in general, but since this story is set in a dark world it does get very repetitive from frame to frame. 
Sadly, though, I found myself caring about the story but also not at all. And maybe it was a bit boring? I loved the ending, though, and the growing friendship between Bear and Joshua. And I think this would have been better as a duology or trilogy of graphic novels where the emotional moments were allowed to make more of an impact on the reader, and so that we would get to know more the circumstances and the world. I just really wanted much more from this.

I haven't read the short story that this graphic novel is based on. But I enjoyed this a lot. It didn't all make sense but the gist of the story was nice. This is the first I've read of this author but her books are in my TBR.

A bit of a multigenerational and small-town tale of two star-crossed families (with some underlying classism) with a slight sci-fi twist. I feel some character introspection was lost in the adaptation, but it's still a worthwhile read.

I really enjoyed the narrative style of this story. In it we are thrust into a universe where the sun ceases to exist, a result of a man flying into it. As the story continues, we get to see how the results of losing the sun affects a woman and her husband. As they are dealing with this new reality, she reflects on her childhood, and how she met the young boy who would eventually become her husband. 

The art is gorgeous. I love the color schemes and the way it changes when jumping between before the sun went out and after. 

Overall, I would recommend this for everyone who is looking for a sweet romance in an alternate version of reality.

I found this a little hard to follow in the beginning but ended up enjoying both the art and the story.

Once I told you what this graphic novel is about, the most interesting thing I saw are the people, a boy and a girl who despite not knowing each other and knowing who caused this tragic event their paths are crossed or linked, he is a Super shy but intelligent boy and very dedicated to his family and that is reflected in every action and thought that he has so much that he protects his mother from any dawn, especially from people who do not feel the slightest liking towards them but still he is She shows a lot of strength and security and she, well, let me tell you that I do like the protagonist (excuse me if I don't mention their names but I don't remember their names).

The most curious and confusing thing about this novel is that it is told in different times, that is, we are told one before the tragedy and one after the tragedy, which is interesting to see to know more about the event that changed the world but to At the same time, something confusing because if it makes you a little dizzy and it is that the sense of the narration (time) suddenly changed and I personally did not find it a very pleasant experience. If you have a great story because we see how a world that is submerged in complete darkness finds hope, light and survival because I mean imagine that the sun does not exist, it would be total chaos and this is seen in this novel.

What I liked the most is that this boy, despite being stripped of the town / city, managed to find love, identity and light in his life when he met the girl, this was very captivating. But as I said, the book is interesting to read because it resembles something apocalyptic but without actually being one, but there were moments when it really made me think and love these two characters, and the world turned its back on them. simple fact of being together and there is one in particular in which if it made me feel angry with the girl's father because he treated her very ugly.

The colourist for this graphic novel is in a league of their own. There is a strong and unique colour palette that manages to texturize the atmosphere of Roxane Gay’s story. Gay weaves an allegory toward the greed that perpetuates classism, especially the detrimental effects on working class people and their families. The rich demand the lives and blood of the poor in order to keep their world turning, but when a miner flies a plane into the sun (causing it to disappear from the sky), the remainder of the world is forced to acknowledge the pain and oppression it has harboured. Gay does a great job of keeping the themes easy to grasp without it being a heavy treatise requiring a notebook to the side of your reading lamp. There are so many ways to respond to this graphic novel because it will hit each person hard and in a unique way. More of a treatise on corruption than it is a science fiction novel, I would recommend this to readers that admire fantastical reimagining of social commentaries. The Sacrifice of Darkness is haunting and imaginative. Very well done to all collaborators!

Thank you so much to the publishers and author for making this advanced reading copy available for me to review. Cheers!

So I feel like reviewing this particular graphic novel is tantamount to revealing the most personal psychoanalytical details of someone's Rorschach test results, but here we go!

This was depressing. The social commentary on class and greed is bleak enough -- it's barely even scifi; it's just our terribly flawed world described differently -- but to me this is a story about how the best among us are often among the most persecuted; how pain and intolerance is piled upon them to unbearable degrees while they remain stronger and more sure of their principles than ever before; and then they're often the ones to pull us out of our own worst mistakes while the masses curse and condemn them and the power hungry in charge take credit for their achievements. 

But, you know, love was found and life went on, so yay? 

😂😂😂 

I don't know, this was probably not the smartest thing to read on that particular Monday in November...

I'm definitely feeling a little better about it with some distance -- and with more hope coming from the real world -- but it still leaves me with a stronger sense of darkness than light.

It details a really depressing aspect of human nature and a really depressing aspect of capitalist societies, and how they're doubly depressing when combined.

The art was beautiful, but a really crucial part of the story was told in a confusing way -- and in retrospect I have to wonder if it was done that way to cover up the fact that it's kind of unbelievable?? Because I don't buy that the character would have behaved that way, and some of the details feel inconsistent with the rest of the world-building. 

I think it would have been more powerful to spend a little more time showing how the original situation (corporate greed, essentially) could lead to such a place of pure desperation, but ultimately I think my middle-of-the-road rating is probably just a case of preaching to the choir: "We're fucked up." "Agreed. Where's the chocolate?"

This story doesn't have a specified time and place, so it felt a little like a metaphor or parable. I read the ARC on my phone so wasn't able to appreciate the art very much, but the use of two color schemes to illustrate two different time periods was an easy visual indicator. A sweet story, but the dialogue was frequently awkward. An optional purchase for adult graphic novel collections.

The Sacrifice of Darkness is a graphic novel written by Roxane Gay and Tracy Lynne Oliver. It is a story about how one day a miner takes a vehicle to the sun and it goes out. The story then splits between before and after. It is a story of a family that is founded from deep love and finds a way to survive and fix past mistakes. This is a beautiful message of making friends with those who are not like you, those who other dislike, and the power of love. 
The illustrations have these distinct color schemes based on when in the time line it occurs which really blends well with the story and creates an atmosphere to live in while you read. So times you read graphic novels and they are very basic on the illustrations or use very dark colors that make them hard to enjoy but here while both sets of times was on a monotone style they were easy to see, follow, and enjoy.

My main feeling while reading this was just... Confusion. I felt like the themes about corporate greed and dehumanization of the working class could have been interesting but there were just so many things about this book that didn't add up for me.

I just still can't understand Hiram's reasoning at all for what he did, and the book is purely fantasy when it comes to the way the science works, and those aspects were just distracting. I think the lack of scientific sense was less of an issue for me actually than the confusion at Hiram's motives as I can somewhat suspend my disbelief when it comes to things like "how could someone going near the sun make the sun just stop working?" and "how is the moon still glowing in the sky?" but just not understanding a characters actions at all really makes it hard for me to believe the story.

It seemed weird to me that things like food and the huge amount of electricity it would take to grow food with artificial light are just not mentioned, surely that would be just as big of an issue as people just being depressed that it was dark all the time? But it seemed like the only issue was just people finding the darkness inconvenient, it didn't even talk about the toll it would take on people's mental health.

The art was alright, and I did like the way the colours changed tone in the "before" and "after" sections, but overall, this just didn't do it for me.

This was really so lovely, and so different!
In a world much like our own, a miner takes a plane and dive-bombs straight into the sun, destroying it and plunging the world into permanent cold night. However, as we learn more about Hiram, the miner, we wonder why in the world he would have ever done this, since he was deeply in love with his wife and son and seemingly had a very good life.
The book alternates between telling Hiram's story and the story of his son, and the one other person in town who was willing to be a friend to the family after everyone accused them of being the reason the sun was gone. It's such a beautifully told story filled with love and hope.

Gay and Oliver weave a story that is super timely for our current world. I'd love to spend more time in this world.

i haven't read the story this was based off of. but this graphic novel makes me want to. it's interesting to see what was clearly a well developed story be portrayed like this. the story itself is a look into the mind of a human who is deprived of a part of his identity. the decisions he is driven to when having to deal with the deprivation and the coinciding depression. the consequences of his decision on those who love him and the next generation. it is evocative and timely.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. The cover attracted me and that was mostly it. What I found was one of the best stories I've read in a while. 
Joshua's father flew his ship into the sun, causing the world to fall into complete darkness. His father's act followed him everywhere, leaving him and his mother to face the consequences. This book was about this. How you can live with the repercussions of someone's else's actions and how you can escape them. It was full of hope, gleaming into all that darkness.

Feminist graphic novels make my heart happy, especially if written by one of the most beloved modern feminists. Is it pushing a “feminist agenda?” Not overtly but a clear feminist sensibility underlies the tone and aesthetic. As someone who grew up with over sexualized female superheroes in tiny costumes fighting evil with their gravity defying humongous breasts front and center I am always relieved to find a story in which the women have their own agency and are drawn as people, not objects.

The story is a bit of a weird one. A mining company runs the town, maybe the world, and men are essentially slaves who spend their lives underground digging for a precious and mysterious substance. One man seems to snap, builds a plane, and flies it into the sun. In some strangeness that isn’t explained this causes the sun to go out and leaves the world in darkness. This story is the love story between this man and his wife and continues with the story of their son and his lover. It deals with issues like class and gender roles but at heart it is a post-apocalyptic romance. I may not have always understood how the world worked or what exactly was going on, but I sure felt all the emotions. I finished this a few days ago and I’m still thinking about it.

The mood and general feeling of the whole book was dark and melancholy but with moments of joy and delight. The art style and colouring fit the story perfectly. The blues and browns of the time of darkness and the purples and oranges of the times of light were a perfect contrast. There isn’t a lot of happy colour in this world both in the colouring choices and in the story. It was strange and haunting and somehow, I find myself liking it more after some thought and a few days than I did right when I finished. All my questions remain unanswered but that has become less important than the feeling I’m left with. This wasn’t a happy, light read but it was thoughtful, deep and haunting.

Thank you BOOM! Studios and Archaia for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

The book starts with the sun going out after a miner, Hiram Hightower, flies a spaceship into it. Exactly why he did that is something that the reader figures out as the book progresses. There are two storylines, separated into before and after the event, and each follows a couple. Before the event is the story of Hiram and Mara, and after is the story of their son, Joshua, and Claire. While it does deal with the community’s response to the loss of the sun and how they blame the remaining Hightowers, for me the main draw was the romances between the two couples.

As a miner, Hiram comes from the wrong side of town, while Mara is the daughter of a lawyer. Each are expected to follow in their parents’ footsteps, and while Hiram is proud to be a miner, Mara’s more interested in gardening and spending time with Hiram. He truly loves mining, and I found his take on it – uncovering treasures, finding the unknown – very poetic. Things change, though, when the valuable flareon is found in the mines, and suddenly the workers are working double-shifts six days a week – for five years – making others rich but not themselves. Hiram barely gets to see his wife any longer, or his young son. After the event, Claire is urged by her mother to befriend the ostracized Joshua, and as the years pass, their friendship slowly changes into romance. I found their childhood friends to lovers arc very sweet.

The art is absolutely gorgeous. The colors are watercolor-like and beautiful – yellows for the “after” and peaches for the “before.” Even with the limited color palette, the characters are well drawn, unique, and deeply emotional. There’s a good balance between the text and the art – the page never feels too cluttered.

What really didn’t work for me, though, was the ending. I think I understand what the author was trying to express in terms of healing generational trauma and wealth inequalities, but it seemed too neatly tied up too quickly.

Overall, I did enjoy the story, and will honestly most likely buy a hardcopy of this just to enjoy the beautiful artwork more.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.