Unfortunately, I wasn't vibing with the writing of this book or the decision to have lengthy parts instead of chapters.

I was drawn in by the They Both Die at the End comp. This book was just as devastating and wonderful in its own way. Difficult to read at some points (emotionally) but so worth it.

Absolutely loved this! Its kind of a These Broken Stars-They Both Die at the End-The Loneliest Girl in the Universe mash-up and I am HERE FOR IT. It was the perfect mix of sci-fi thriller romance and by the end my heart was bursting.

Review posted on GoodReads (January, 3, 2021)
Review Linked.

3.75/5 stars! Rounded up to 4 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Katherine Tegen Books for sending me an E-ARC for an honest review.

I have so many thoughts and feelings about this book! It was such an interesting read. I will do a spoiler review when this book releases, but until then, here are my non-spoilers thoughts!

I think that my favorite thing about this book was the romance and the plot. This book has so many different twists and turns and I could not stop reading it. There were so many moments where I would shout or jump up in shock and surprise and excitement because of the plot. The best way to describe this book is a LGBTQ+ interpretation of the movie 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY! If you love space missions, science-fiction, AI's and really interesting writing, then I really recommend this book!

Thanks for reading!
Caden

If you're looking for a fun gays in space romp, this book is not the one for you. If you're looking for a twisty mystery in space with gays in love, then this is for you.

Ambrose and Kodiak are gay. And in space. Humanity has done fucked up and the Earth is ruined. These two young men (both are 17ish in the novel) are off to a one of the moons of Saturn to retrieve a previous space cadet. They're also looking to see if humanity will be able to colonize space. Along the way, they realize that not everything is as it seems. These two need to put aside their differences (they're from two different countries) and figure out what's going on.

This was definitely a decent read. The author does a great job of setting up the plot and pacing it nicely. While I was able to call a few of the plot twists along the way (tropes are tropes for a reason), there was one or two that I wasn't expecting and was pleasantly surprised. I did call one of the biggest plot twists about 50 pages in though, so that was mildly disappointing.

While the characters weren't exceptionally well-developed, the author actually has a reason for that that I can (mostly) accept. I love how the fact that these protagonists are gay is not the focus of the novel. There's no huge gay freak out; they're in love and they're fine with that (in fact, they jump to having sex rather quickly. And then have a frank discussion on sex that I'm still not sure how I feel about). I do wish there had been a little more character development/relationship development in the story, but what is presented works well enough.

And I think that's how I feel about the book. There's nothing overwhelmingly great. Everything works well enough, but there's no major wow factor for me.

Ok, so I'm not a big reader of sci-fi, but ever since reading 'Legendborn,' by Tracy Deonn, a few months back I have been wanting to step out of my book comfort zone and have been finding myself drawn to so many different genres. I saw the cover for Eliot's book 'The Darkness Outside Us' on Twitter and Netgalley and immediately fell in love with it and then after reading the blurb I was intrigued and knew I had to give it a go.

Within a matter of chapters I loved this book and couldn't put it down. It took me just a little minute to get into it in regards to understanding all the space terms and things around the space craft but once I got acquainted with this incredible world and the Coordinated Endeavor, I was hooked.

I honestly can't say too much about this story because I really don't want to give any spoilers but it is a page turner for sure. I gasped a few times and their were a few moments where I was sad and gripping my Kindle because I had become incredibly attached to the characters. You will have to read it to find out what happens to them, eeek, my lips are sealed.

I adored the adventure and thought it was absolutely fascinating and so creative. I was just sucked into this world and was right there with the characters in trying to figure the mission out. The characters of Ambrose and Kodiak were so much fun to get to know. I loved their personalities and how they evolved throughout the book and how they had to learn to get a long. Ambrose was more of the confident one and I loved his humour, but we get to see his vulnerable side and caring nature too. Kodiak was more stoic because of his upbringing, but we get to see him too relax his walls and open up as the story moves forward. I just loved the two of them and their bond so much.

'The Darkness Outside Us' is a captivating read and such a beautiful story about creating your own destiny. It looks at love and how we can build strong and magical relationships if we really work hard at them and choose each other. Furthermore, it made me think about breaking down walls and looking past the ideals that society had created for us all. I think it holds the message of fighting these ideals and living the life that you want to live by creating the world that you want to live in, which was one of my favourite things about this book.

I think Eliot created a bold, beautiful and interesting world and I'm really happy that Netgalley granted my request as I'm thrilled to have read it!

This is definitely one to add to your TBR pile if you of course love Sci-Fi, but also if you love adventure, space and romance.

Ambrose and Kodiak wake up aboard a space ship, the Endeavor, heading to save Ambrose's sister stranded on the moon Titan. They come from different worlds. Earth has been divided into the Federation and the Dimokratia, each sending a representative on the mission. Post-Cold War Earth seems to be left in turmoil but Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together to accomplish their mission. However, they'll learn to depend on each other as they question the truth of their mission. With the help of an advanced AI system, appropriately named OS (Operating System), Ambrose and Kodiak ready the ship for arrival.

This book takes readers on an emotional journey flying through space to the outer edges of the universe. Ambrose narrates the story in first person and there are times it would be nice to hear what Kodiak is thinking. Both characters are complex and develop more deeply over the course of the novel. They develop a respect and love for each other that is the foundation of the plot. As readers, we get to witness the love between Ambrose and Kodiak grow, literally isolated in the vacuum of space. Their tension and conflict are hard to avoid when they only have the space ship in which to escape. It would have been nice to get more information about the historical context that shaped the division between the Federation and Dimokratia. It's a fascinating back-story that could be explored further.

There are definitely some plot twists and and ending that happened abruptly, but was in alignment with the overall plot structure. It's hard to talk about it without giving away any spoilers! If you are a fan of stories about space travel (like 2001: A Space Odyssey or Beth Revis's Across the Universe series), then I highly recommend this novel. The world is detailed and filled with facts about time, space, and the expanse of the universe.