Brissett showcases masterful worldbuilding. Destroyer of Light is set on another planet where humans have fled to after an alien race violently ravages Earth. But there’s one catch: the alien race responsible for the carnage have followed Earth’s refugees to their new home on Eleusis. Even though the aliens claim to want to live in peaceful coexistence, many humans remain wary of their could-be conquerors. One such skeptic is a brutal, abusive warlord who roams the countryside abducting children for his army of child soldiers to one day stand against the aliens. However, his motivations for these kidnappings are twofold: he’s also in search of certain kinds of children marked by their eye color and super-human abilities. One such child is a young girl named Cora, who the warlord takes as his child bride, trains, and grooms for some unknown-to-the-reader purpose.

Like much good sci-fi, Destroyer of Light explores contemporary issues in a futuristic setting. In particular, Brissett examines postcolonial relationships between former colonizers--responsible for great atrocities and oppression--with the formerly colonized. Racism, classism, and prejudice are also at the fore of most relationships in the book. And finally, there are heavy, heavy depictions of rape, abuse, and intimate partner violence.

While there is much to appreciate about Destroyer of Light, I found it slow reading at times. It was also a challenging read with few moments of respite from the trauma. Most of the characters are complex and morally murky, which was interesting to read, but didn’t inspire deep attachment. Read it--but don’t expect to feel warm and fuzzy. My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for giving me advance access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story was confusing at times because it jumped so many different timelines. It could go from 1 month ago to 1 year ago to 3 weeks ago between chapters. And this book was a lot more violent than I anticipated. There were multiple child rape scenes and some very brutal killings. It is described as a Persephone retelling and admittedly I went in knowing nothing of their story. Which had I known I would've picked up on some things faster. Having done some brief research I can now see where many of the parallels are.

There's an alien race called krestge who invaded Earth and the remaining inhabitants of Earth fled to the planet of Eleusis. A woman named Deidra has her daughter, Cora kidnapped from her by the rebel army. The rebel army is kidnapping children and turning them into soldiers, sex trafficking them, and killing them. Dr. Aidoneus Okoni, the ruler of this army, plans to use Cora’s unique powers to shift into another dimension.

It follows a few different characters which include a set of twins investing the kidnapping of a missing child into a sex trafficking ring. I didn't really care about the twins and they weren't as heavily featured as Cora who despite all the sexual violence had a compelling story.

I thought the author did something very different than many authors are doing with their retellings of Persephone. Don't come into this book expecting a Hades and Persephone romance because you'll be greatly disappointed. The audiobook had great narrators who really brought this story to life and kept me reading.

I received an arc from Tor Books in exchange for an honest review.

In this clear hat-tip to Octavia Butler, humans and aliens co-exist in a world reminiscent of modern-day Nigeria under Boko Haram control, where women are stolen by gangs of men to become their slaves. Told from several perspectives, the novel follows Cora, a girl torn from her community; a pair of brothers who seek a child kidnapped into sex trafficking; and others trying to find their way in a violent and unpredictable place and time. Readers should be aware that there is a lot of rape and butchery within, and that. ultimately, the narrative may not really be worth grappling with those things--I found it to drag and to be a bit trite, a disappointment given the set-up and possibilities available to the author.

Destroyer of Light by Jennifer Marie Brissett is a brutal yet beautiful sci-fi retelling of the myth of Persephone—perfect for fans of Octavia Butler.

The story takes on Eleusis where half the planet is bathed in perpetual daylight, the other half in perpetual darkness. There the last remnants of humanity live alongside their alien conquerors, and prized among them are genetically-engineered humans who possess the ability to grow life and are coveted for their Sight.

Cora is one of these humans. However, one day, she’s kidnapped by a militia group and she becomes the bride of their leader as her mother mourns her loss.

I have to admit, since this story is told from multiple perspectives, I didn’t find the twin’s storyline where they’re investigating a missing boy as compelling. However, Cora’s perspective was raw and gripping and really hit me.

Brissett’s inventive and well-wrought worldbuilding is also easily the highlight of the book for me. I think it’s really cool that different regions of the planet are forever stuck at a certain time of day (or night), and I found the unique dynamics between the aliens and humans extremely interesting.

Overall, this is a creative and unflinching work of fiction that stuck with me long after I finished its final pages.

To start with my review, I would say I rate it between 2.5 and 3 stars. There is a lot happening in this book. There are multiple points of view, and it shifts back and forth in time. These are both things that I typically quite enjoy, and that was true for this book as well, though sometimes the jumping back and forth became a bit confusing and overwhelming. It also took me a bit to get into this book, I struggled through the first part of it, though eventually certain aspects of the story did grow more appealing to me, particularly Cora's story as it progressed. As she actually gets out into the world more and her storyline is closer to present day, I really wanted to see more of her character and find out what was going to happen to her and if she would find some measure of freedom. The twins storyline however, I was much less interested in and kind of felt I had to push through.

I will say, the worldbuilding for this book and its universe is quite fantastic. There is so much to it and I love how unique and well formed the alien aspect of this book is. I was really interested in the krestge and how they came to be amongst humans and how they had inserted themselves into this society. The author really developed this part of the book well. On the other hand, sometimes I felt the storyline could drag in some places and these were the moments I really struggled to get through.

Another aspect of this book of note is the fact that it is a Persephone retelling which is what first caught my attention about this book. I absolutely adore Persephone and Hades retellings, though for this one I will say it is much less obvious that it based on this story. There are moments you can see it, such as the kidnapping of an unwilling girl by a man of power, and in Cora's mother having an affinity for plants and the like, but altogether it is not entirely obvious unless you know what to look for. I will say, this is probably the most different and unique retelling I have ever read, and props to the author for making an old story so new again.

Altogether, I'm not sure this book was really for me because I had a hard time pushing through it at points and it took me much longer to get through as a result, but that by no means is saying that it isn't a brilliant book and that others will fall in love with the tale. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to read this book in ARC format from NetGalley, and I look forward to seeing what this author writes in future.

A difficult book to read in many regards, but it has a lot going for it - amazing world building, interesting characters, and a plot with a lot happening. I also really enjoyed the uniqueness of this book. I give authors a lot of credit for creating story elements that are new to me. Make sure to read the content warnings so you'll be prepared and can make a decision about whether to read this book.

DNF @ 40%

This just wasn't for me. I enjoyed the world building and the idea seems pretty original, however, the jumping between multiple POVs and timelines confused me. I also wasn't a huge fan of all the violence/sexual abuse toward children.

I hate to say it, but Destroyer of Light will be one of my (very) rare DNF's for the year. I really wanted to read it, as the mere description of “Matrix meets Afro-futuristic retelling of Peresphone' was more than enough to grab my attention. However, this book is simply too graphic for me. I hate backing out of this read, but sometimes self-care has to take priority.

Jennifer Marie Brissett has written a beautifully crafted time puzzle mystery wrapped in a new version of the Greek myth of Demeter’s search for her daughter Persephone (or Koré) in the underworld. Destroyer of Light gradually builds its world as told from multiple points of view at different times. The pieces of this puzzle deftly come together and finally blend in a magnificent ending that pulls the reader into a timeless present.
Destroyer of Light

The background of Destroyer of Light is a bit complicated but unfolds gradually through the drama of each scene. The remnants of the human race, following a devastating attack by the krestge, an alien species that transcends three dimensions, have traveled to the tidally locked planet of Eleusis (name of the ancient Greek city that was home to a religion devoted to Demeter). During the centuries-long journey, scientists performed genetic alterations on many of the humans as they slept in their pods to better prepare them for a harsh life on a planet with a narrow habitable zone lacking seasons or diurnal cycles.
......
The story opens from the point of view of a seemingly ethereal being who spins her way out of an electronic Lattice that surrounds Eleusis. She is meant to be only a program but has willed herself into existence as a thinking and feeling being for whom past, present and future are indistinguishable. Calling herself Cate (Hecate?), she enters human experience at a point ten years in the past where a mother, Diedre, and her daughter Cora (Koré) are doing simple chores in the kitchen of their house. The moment is significant because it is the last time they will see each other for many years and sets in motion the long search by the mother for her daughter lost to a dark world.
........
Diedre has been gifted with the ability to nurture the life-giving staple crop called kremer and has become a central figure in the religion practiced by the farming people of Dawn. One day Cora is seized by a brutal commander on one of Okoni’s raids. She is raped, beaten and nearly starved on the march back to Night, but when Okoni himself sees her, he knows she has special gifts that will help him achieve his mission of defeating the krestge.
...........
Destroyer of Light is a remarkable novel of lyrical intensity, deep human insight, powerful drama and sharp commentary on human society. Jennifer Marie Brissett published a novel, Elysium, in 2014 which tells the story of the krestge invasion of Earth but it is not necessary to read that first to appreciate the many beauties of Destroyer of Light. However, I immediately got a copy of Elysium and can’t wait to get into it. This is a writer to watch.

Once it clicked that this is a retelling of the kidnap and rape of Persephone, I settled in. There are absolutely elements of this that are painful and brutal. This book is not fun to read, but I would still recommend it as something important to read. The ending is still sitting oddly with me, but for reasons I have yet to be able to parse out. This is incredibly well done, but it is not a fun time.

Tenía muchas ganas de que me gustara Destroyer of Light, porque partía de una premisa interesante que me recordaba en cierto modo a la obra de Tade Thompson, con aliens y telépatas y con una referencia a la mitología griega que tampoco es que le viniera mal.


Sin embargo, me ha sido imposible disfrutar de la lectura, de hecho he estado a punto de abandonarla, por una cuestión personal. Y es que gran parte de la evolución de la protagonista está basada en la cantidad de violaciones que sufre a manos de casi cualquier hombre que pasa cerca suya y me ha resultado tan repugnante que ha empañado el resto de la novela. Quisiera entender que la autora pretende reivindicar estos hechos para hacer justicia, para poner en negro sobre blanco lo que muchas potencias colonizadoras hicieron y hacen, pero para mí ha sido demasiado.

El libro tiene varios puntos de vista que se van entrelazando, pero los capítulos no siguen una estructura lineal, ya que van dando salto temporales hacia delante y hacia atrás que no facilitan la labor de lectura. Hace falta prestar bastante atención con cada cambio de capítulo para saber quién está hablando en cada ocasión, aunque el propio capítulo indica el lugar y el momento.

La obra expone bastantes ideas interesantes, como el uso de un planeta que por su dinámica celeste solo puede albergar la vida en una estrecha franja ecuatorial, la colonización que tuvo lugar sin apenas terraformar o la presencia de aliens que son capaces de moverse en más dimensiones de las que los humanos percibimos. Todo el libro es un alegato sobre el desigual reparto de recursos y las consecuencias que acarrea, el abuso de poder de los primeros en llegar que condena a la miseria a los segundones, por llamarlo de alguna manera. Esta reivindicación es muy acertada, pero como ya he dicho, mi incomodidad creciente en la lectura me ha impedido tanto disfrutar del libro como poner en valor sus cualidades, que sin duda alguna posee.

Lamento profundamente no poder recomendarlo, pero este libro no es para mí.

When Earth was invaded by a hostile alien force known as the Krestge the few remaining survivors of humanity fled to the stars, embarking on a journey to the planet of Eleusis. Eleusis is tidally locked; one half of the planet burns in eternal Day, the other freezes in a neverending Night. In the centre, there is a habitable zone where the majority of the humans settled. It was supposed to be a new start, an equal share of resources, but it didn’t happen in reality. The first settlers created the thriving city in Dusk, where humans and ambiguously peaceful Krestge live in plenteous harmony. In Dawn, people struggle as farmers, providing resources for the cities. Deidra, a woman genetically modified to better tend to crops has her daughter, Cora, snatched away by a guerilla militia led by the warlord Okoni. He’s building an army of children to fight back against the Krestge threat, and Cora has a unique ability he can take advantage of, heralded by her strange eye colour. Years in the future, Cora, now known as Stefonie, is sent to Dusk with orders from her warlord husband, but the city also gives her the opportunity to break free from his control. Simultaneously, two twins are hired to find the missing son of human and Krestge parents, their fates intertwined with the events of the past. Destroyer of Light features a non-linear narrative that dips backwards and forwards throughout time as if everything were happening simultaneously, before crashing together in a propulsive conclusion. It uses the mythology surrounding Persephone and Hades to further develop its themes, and the masterful way it ties these strands together was stunning to behold. We’re often faced with romantic retellings of this myth – that’s not the case here – instead, Jennifer Marie Brissett holds nothing back in this unflinching commentary of child soldiers, kidnapping, and intense trauma. This comes with a hefty content warning for sexual violence, including against children. These scenes are not gratuitous, but they don’t steer away from the harsh reality of such events. As such, this book won’t be for everyone. Regardless, I’d recommend Destroyer of Light to those who enjoy powerful, intricate, dark works which use speculative elements to delve deeply into multi-faceted characters and social commentary.

I'll say right off the bat, this book is not a light and fun read. The world-building is amazing, the characters are complex and well-developed, but there are also numerous scenes of intense violence and sexual assault (including rape of a minor). While those scenes made me profoundly uncomfortable, I did understand why Brissett included them so I was able to keep reading. But they were still rather disturbing.

But the world-building and history was so incredible. Brissett created worlds that felt real and made sense, while also being so different from our own world currently. I also found the dynamics between humans and krestge so interesting and thought-provoking. It made for such a fascinating and engaging story.

The characters also added to the depth and intrigue in this book. Each character had their own flaws (some much more prevalent than others) and their own unique personalities. Even if I didn't always agree with the character's actions, I could usually understand why they acted the way they did.

I would recommend this book to science fiction fans. But, I wouldn't recommend it to younger audiences or those that might be triggered by rape, sexual assault, and other violent acts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Sci-fi at it's best. Complex world building. Interesting characters. Adventure. Heads up there are some major triggers here for readers, make sure to read the other reviews for TW's. BIPOC characters are at the center of the book, which I enjoyed. I don't know if I'd say this is a Persephone retelling per se, but she is the main character.

Destroyer of Light really ended up surprising me! When I saw that it was a Persephone retelling, I expected some type of romantic plot point. Brissett takes the classic Persephone story and turns it on its head; there is no romance, only an antihero Persephone against a world that would see her fail.

One thing that really endeared this book to me was the fact that there were virtually no white people. Every character was Black or brown, and it was very comforting. There was no explanation for the lack of white people, at least not a substantial one, and it was refreshing because it cemented the stories of the BIPOC characters as the ones that mattered. So often we are relegated to the sidelines of predominately white stories, so it was nice to read a book that centered us. It was not made into a big deal in the book; it just WAS. No explanation needed.

While I enjoyed the story overall, there were two glaring aspects that did not go over well in my opinion. The first is the use of time jumps and different perspectives. I understand the necessity for them in the story as a whole, but that doesn't mean that they were easy to read. They added a lot of unnecessary confusion, and it took me out of the story. It was jarring.

The second thing that bothered me was the use of neopronouns, While I applaud Brissett for using them, I'm not sure that I agree with HOW she used them. Only the aliens used neopronouns, and they weren't seen in a good light by the majority of the population. I'm not sure how well this would go over with a nonbinary reader, considering the users of neopronouns in the book were villainized.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! I like how Brissett tackled real-world issues and showed how we'd have some of the same societal problems that we do now even if we were to pick up and start over on another world. Stefonie, the Persephone character, was also very well crafted, and although she made some questionable decisions, I couldn't stop rooting for her.

Cora and her mother live on Eleusis--a planet that was supposed to be their rescue after the downfall of Earth by the hands of the alien race the krestge. Unfortunately, Earth principals have continued on Eleusis, with the haves living in Dusk, and the have-nots living in Dawn. And beyond Dawn is Night, a city filled with crime and even a child army lead by the leader Aidoneus Okoni.

The timeline flips back and forth between 10 years ago and close to today, while also flipping between another storyline following twins Jown and Pietyr as they look for a missing boy from Dusk. The timelines and storylines that mix and intermingle are very confusing at first, but make a bit more sense towards the end. I feel that Brissett could have included a lot of the ending details in the beginning to make things make more sense, since a lot of the details weren't spoilers or twists in any way. I spent 80% of the book completely confused until she fully explained some details at the end.

This is not a bad book by any means, but I had a very hard time staying connected between characters, storylines, timelines, and trying to keep everyone together. It is also a VERY hard book to read emotionally. CW for child abuse, explicit child rape, and a child army.

I do want to see what else Brissett releases in the future. I was very intrigued by this premise, but felt like my confusion was holding me back from enjoying the book to its fullest extent.

Thank you to Net Galley, Tor Books, and Jennifer Marie Brissett for the chance to read this advanced review copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ read, I'll absolutely read the next release by the author but this was not it for me.

This book takes place on a new planet Eleusis where much of humanity fled after an alien race attacked and nearly destroyed Earth, though some of those same aliens still live on the new planet too. The plot follows three/four/five perpectives in three timelines surrounding a child going missing, a child being taken, and a woman who's grown up in a child army.

Biggest thing, like most other reviews mention, is that the content warnings here are very very important. I was still surprised by the content and it's what pulled the rating from 4 to 3 stars. So much of it happens on the page and while I understand the need to convey the horrible things happening, it seemed excessive.

Things I Liked
✨ Writing style- like I said, I'll read the next book from this author, granted it's not a sequel, since the wiring style was _so_ engrossing.
✨ the story was plotted really well- the stories overlapped in some predictable ways, some less predictable ways, and the suspense of revealing the little twists was well timed, and the reveal of why the timeline is set up like that was really satisfying
✨ Worldbuilding - by the end of the book I got the world that they lived in, from the societal classes; the religions; the illegal underbellies; how the food moves from the field to the people- all without having a big exposition spot.
✨ Themes- religion, class, injustice, hope, history, parental responsibility, and war were all tackled. Some were handled better/ handled with better care but it was very ambitious to put all of that together and not lose any major threads.
✨ characters- the twins, Cate, and Cora were really well put together and had fairly logical motivations

Things I Liked Less
🛬 Worldbuilding- to get all that detail without exposition, the first 10% or so were disorienting and made no sense. It's a trade-off, but I considered putting it down for that reason. I also wished that we'd gotten a map/ sketch of the planet to understand where people lived.
🛬 because of the way time is handled, the ending became jumbled to me and I lost track of who was where. What's the difference in "a few" vs "several"? It becomes important.
🛬 is this a sequel to the authors first book? Should i have read the first one first? Would that have made it make more sense? It wasn't in the marketing I saw so I'm assuming not, but that also confused me.

Overall- the book isn't bad at all, I think it set out to do something ambitious and accomplished that, but with all the content warning things I just couldn't recommend it to people, though I'd love to read the next release from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest review

In a future where humanity was decimated by aliens existing in multiple dimensions, several colony ships landed on Eleusis to rebuild civilization. There are four areas of the planet: Day, Night, Dusk, and Dawn. Between the different areas are the rich and the poor, dissidents that hide in Night and avoid the scorched Day part of the planet. In the past, a young girl is abducted along with other children in a village within Dusk. In the present, genetically modified twins search for the missing son of a human/alien couple, and a young woman with inhuman powers rises through the ranks of an insurgent group with a dangerous mission. The three threads link together, and Eleusis will see drastic changes.

Destroyer of Light is marketed as "the Matrix meets an Afro-futuristic retelling of Persephone." I can definitely see that, as the Lattice is difficult to interface with for humans without a biomask to filter the data. All of the colonists were altered while in stasis chambers in order to terraform the otherwise harsh planet and develop various superhuman abilities like increasing the growth rate of plants. The abducted girl is sexually assaulted and only spared being killed because the odd color of her eyes indicates that she has the genetic potential for odd skills. The twins were modified in such a way that they process all senses at intensities and sensitivities beyond the human range, as well as telepathically communicate with each other. This allows them to navigate through the violent underworld that developed in the big cities, as well as serve as bounty hunters. And throughout the planet are the aliens, whose forms twist in and out of dimensions and speak in the same multidimensional language that the Lattice operates in. All of these little facets of world building weave in and out of the story threads, building up over the course of the book.

There is sexual and physical violence in this, as well as abductions to create an army of child soldiers, human trafficking, drug use, cross-species sex, and threats of further danger to come. While at first I was a little confused about how the three threads of the story would come together, it clicked for me about halfway through the book. I was drawn in from the start, not just with the way the characters were presented, but how the world building was subtly expanded and affected how the story played out. Everyone had a story and part to play, even the bit characters that are plot devices. It's exquisitely done, and while I raced through to find out how it ended, I also wished I read more slowly so that I didn't have to put it down. While the science fiction elements are what makes the plot possible, it's the very human connections and relationships that makes it hang together and be so compelling.

This novel was not for me. Brissett is a decent writer but the sexual violence in "Destroyer of Light", including the rape of a child, was offputting and uncomfortable.

**Content warning: I could not find an official content warning, but this book includes quite a bit of violence and murder, including sexual violence and violence against children.

Destroyer of Light is a brutal, yet powerful book set on an alien-inhabited planet where humanity proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

What I Liked:

►It's incredibly thought provoking. Because wow, humans will never change, will they? Doesn't seem to matter where in the universe we find ourselves, there is still always a faction of humanity that insists on being the worst. There will always be those who want more money, more power, and of course, need to feel superior to some other group. The way we see this phenomenon play out in this book is more brutal than many, but certainly not unheard of in the arc of human history.

►While the story is often bleak, there are many hopeful moments. And really, the overall story centers on hope- the hope that each character holds within themselves that they can get out of certain circumstances, that they will be able to defeat their oppressors. It made the harder bits much easier to handle, when you could tell that there was truly hope.

►It's the hope for the characters that makes it incredibly readable, too. You want to keep reading, because you have to know if good can prevail, frankly. I absolutely yearned for the characters to find themselves in better situations, to find what they are looking for, etc. And I think that in this case, the non-linear timeline helps. If we'd had to go through all the horror the characters had faced at once, I don't know that it would have been particularly readable. But breaking things up helped quite a bit.

What I Want to Mention:

►The brutality is really rough at times. I mean, I understand that it's kind of the point, but I have always had a hard time reading about children being hurt- especially when it is so evil. If you have trouble with violence, death, sexual abuse, etc, this is not going to be the book for you.

What I Wanted More Of:

► World Building. I loved what worldbuilding there was, don't get me wrong! But I also would have liked more of it? There were times that I was kind of confused, not just about the setup of the planet, but the aliens in general. Kind of hard for me to wrap my head around them, honestly.
► Connection to the characters. Perhaps this is because there are quite a few characters to focus on, but I never felt as strong a connection as I'd have liked. While I certainly felt sympathetic, I just wished I could have gotten a better sense of them as people. Also, this ties into both this point and the one above it, but I didn't fully get the "powers" bit either- not as it related to aliens or humans. Maybe that's on me, but it's still a thing.

Bottom Line: Powerful, brutal, and showcasing some of the best and worst of humanity.