Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis

Nedra has been given a scholarship to attend Yugen Academy, where she plans to train as a medicinal alchemist. The northern part of the country, where Nedra lives, has been overrun by a plague that kills almost everyone it touches, and while Nedra’s family has remained safe from it so far, she knows the people who govern the country don’t have much interest in saving the lives of the poor northerners. The rich believe the plague is caused by bad hygiene. Nedra is determined to find a cure, and she finds a mentor in one of the teachers at the school. Even as they get closer to the truth about the plague, Nedra starts experimenting with necromancy, strictly forbidden by the law not only because it’s considered unnatural, but also because of what the practice of it does to the necromancer. But necromancy, Nedra believes, is the key to understanding the plague, which begins as necrosis of the limbs before making its way to the heart, where it kills.

The book alternates between Nedra’s perspective and that of her friend Grey, another student at the school. Grey is the son of a politician, a powerful man who pulls Grey into the city’s political machinations. There are rumblings of revolution: many people on the colony of Lunar Island, where the story takes place, would like to become independent and rule themselves. Grey’s storyline is interesting and eventually intersects with that of the plague, a nice bit of plotting that surprised me a few times before the end of the book. But ultimately, this story Nedra’s.

Revis’ book is a meditation on grief, and it’s heartbreaking and tragic and beautiful. Her writing is gorgeously mournful, telling the story of a good person’s descent into darkness in the midst of almost unbearable pain. Good speculative fiction always functions as a metaphor for things that are real, and Give the Dark My Love is a prime example of this. We as readers follow Nedra’s journey from hardworking girl with a purpose into obsession and finally into a darkness from which she cannot return. All the while, she is propelled by something very real and very human that affects all of us. Revis’ writing is such that we feel everything right alongside Nedra – and alongside Revis herself. Don’t skip reading her acknowledgments at the end.

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Quite the opposite of Revis’ book, in Reign of the Fallen, necromancers (like our protagonist Odessa) are prized. They’re necessary in order to keep the ruling class in power, who are resurrected whenever they die. But the Dead, once resurrected, must forever remain shrouded. If anyone sees any part of a Dead person, the Dead person turns into a zombie-like Shade, mindless and violent. It’s not a terribly appealing “life,” but it does allow certain people to remain in power – perhaps forever.

It’s a situation rife for trouble, and it’s kind of incredible that the society has gone as long as they have without a massive Shade epidemic. There are a few attacks here and there, but nothing that ever gets out of control. Until now. The Shade attacks have been increasing, and it soon becomes clear that someone is deliberately creating them and training them to attack. Odessa and her fellow necromancers are determined to find out who is behind it.

The premise is interesting, but it requires a massive suspension of disbelief for me. I’m perfectly willing to believe the Dead can be raised (I did love Sabriel as a teen), but it’s difficult for me to believe that Dead rulers with such easy weaknesses to exploit could remain in power for centuries. All someone would have to do is tug on the shroud, and the King would be a Shade. End of rule. That issue aside, the mystery itself is intriguing, and Odessa is an engaging character. Like Revis’ novel, Marsh’s novel is also an examination of grief, but it’s not as successful in this respect. I’d hand this to teens already interested in necromancy as a plotline.