Sadly it's not you it's me situation. I think there was s good foundation here, and the story idea is great. Also really liked that it focuses on friendship and has autistic characters. It kind of fell apart when it came to the execution early. The writing was not to my taste, and it took too long for the story to get going. Sadly gonna be a DNF for me!

From the very beginning, this book pulls you into its world, its characters, and its heart. With two autistic main characters, it made me feel so seen, right from the first chapters. The prose and message were so beautifully constructed that you can't help but be touched by every page. And all of that isn't even mentioning that gorgeous cover! I know that this book is going to mean so much and more to the people who read it, and can't recommend it enough.

Thank you, NetGalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review! 🥰🫶
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Leanne’s books will always have a special place in my heart as they showcase autistic and fat girls as the heroes! 🥹 There are two autistic characters in this book and I love how their autism is displayed differently as autism is a spectrum. So it was really nice to not only have one type of autism rep, but two. You can see how their autism is similar at times and different at others.
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I’m not a huge fantasy reader, but there's something about the way Leanne writes her books that I love and thoroughly enjoy. 🥰 I think it takes me a bit to get into the story as I typically don't read fantasy so I’m not used to made-up words to replace different words, but always by the end of the book I am able to fully understand everything, and have immersed myself in the world! This book gave me a bit of Hunger Games vibes as every season the town selects a sacrifice to be sent to the nearby island to “protect the town” from the monsters on the island. While on the island Alesta also has to fight in a similar way to the Hunger Games. This book is super action packed and it kept the pace moving at a good speed.
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The themes of nothing is as it seems and there is a hidden truth to what's on the surface is found is both of Leanne’s books published. Which I love to see! Question everything! People aren’t also who they appear to be. This book also gives me Percy Jackson vibes with the self-imposed quest to save Kyrian Alesta goes on. Also, the gods in the book seem to be heavily inspired by Greek mythology, which I love! A big surprise when reading is this book is somewhat of a monster romance as Alesta’s LI, Kyrian turns monstrous for the majority of the book.
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I love Alesta being a fabulous inventor building Davinci-type aircrafts. I can perfectly visualize them and the way the scenery of both the island and town is described at times it felt like I was watching a movie.
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There are so many twists in this book, some I saw coming, and some I was taken aback by! It's such a fun read and I’ll definitely be rereading it in the future as well as reading anything Leanne writes forever!
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!Spoiler! I absolutely love the idea that as Kyrian (or Alesta) kills it makes them take on a monstrous characteristic from their kill. The more you kill the more monstrous you get! This makes the sort of sacrifice of Kyrian humanity to save Alesta even more impactful. That whole sense of Kyrian doing what he had to do to get wings to save Alesta while Alesta was trying to stop him from condemning himself to the life of a monster. It is an amazing concept and can be seen as a physical metaphor for committing such crimes. Also, the realization that all the monsters on the island were once human sacrifices! UGH too good! Like such a twist I didn’t expect! !Spoiler!
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🌈Rep: Plus Size Autistic Demisexual FMC, Autistic MMC, Sapphic side couples

Unfortunately, this book didn't connect with me the way it has with others, and that's okay, it just wasn't the book for me. I felt like it was quite repetitive, and I didn't gel with the writing style. However, there was a lot of action, and the concept was certainly intriguing. The representation was also really strong as well, told from the perspective of two autistic characters, and I think this was handled well, but I just really couldn't get past how repetitive everything was, particularly the inner dialogues.

I really enjoyed the characters. Alestra is an icon and she is such a fun character to follow. Kyrian as well is very layered and I loved him. The central romance really worked for me and I very much enjoyed the yearning. The side characters were also really enjoyable and I even would have liked to get a little bit more of their story.

One thing I found a bit weaker was the setting. The atmosphere was not very vivid to me, for example when going through Orroccio there are multiple Strata of hell but I feel like we never really felt the shift per layer and that would have been a nice touch. Also the fight scenes were not always very clear to me. My final critique is that I would have liked to have some reveals be a little more interwoven throughout the story rather than having a bit of exposition towards the end. But this is a minor thing since I very much liked the actual reveal.

Some more things I enjoyed in this book: the chapter titles! I looooove having chapter titles, more books should include them! I also found the pacing to be really good, I was always along for the ride and excited about every twist and turn! Finally, the diverse cast of characters with a plus sized autistic female lead was such a breath of fresh air and more representation is always a win!

I would definitely recommend it if you are interested in an exciting quest-like story with a loveable romance, some religious commentary, and a whole lot of adventure

There is so much to love about this book. I loved experiencing a fantasy book from the perspective of two autistic characters who are very different but who fit together so perfectly. Alesta is an inventor who is working to secure her place in university and avoid being tithed to the monsters who plague her island home. Kyr is Alesta's best friend, a soft-hearted painter who would prefer to avoid the spotlight that being the king's heir apparent brings to his days.

When Alesta's invention goes horribly wrong and injures a member of the nobility, she asks Kyr to claim it as his own so that she won't become a sacrifice. When their lie gets Kyr sacrificed on her behalf, she sets her sights on readying herself to travel to Orroccio and end the tyranny of the monsters who live there.

This story surprised me with its twists and creativity. It's definitely an "idiots in love" storyline, because Kyr and Alesta are obsessed with each other, and neither of them can see it. It's precious. They make each other braver and stronger, and I love to see them pushing boundaries together.

As an ADHD reader, this book took a while to really get me hooked. It's slow in the beginning. I picked it up and put it down several times before it really got moving enough to hold my interest, but once it did (around the 30% point) I devoured it.

If you're intrigued by an FMC who will literally take on the seven realms of hell and all the monsters inside it in order to avenge her best friend, then you will love To a Darker Shore.

I wanted to like this book so bad. The premise, setting, rep, cover, and reviews all made this book sound not only amazing but breathtaking. However, that did not transfer to the page very well. The first 30% was by far the strongest part of this novel. It did set it up to be a good story. Although, I think something happened passed the 45% mark that the story lost all meat to it. I really did try to like it and I tried to stay on as long as I could but I had to dnf it at the 70% mark. Maybe it was a right book, wrong moment and hopefully I can give it another try in the future. But this was just not for me.

Actual Rating 1.5

This story is told from a dual POV and the concept overall was intriguing. There were a few things that I did enjoy about the work. First, the representation was strong. I loved that the protagonist was plus-size and that the cover accurately shows this. The autistic rep was a little less to my liking as the book seems to be set in a historical/fantasy Italy but all the autistic-related discussions were very modern. Second, the cover is gorgeous. I also liked that rather than the protagonist being the only one to take action, it was a group effort to put a plan into motion. This was refreshing.

On to the cons. The characters are not written well at all. There’s no development or depth to them beyond what was needed for the plot, which left everything feeling flat and impossible to connect with emotionally. I disliked how heavy-handed the weight = sin aspect was, and it became repetitive. There was almost no plot in the first third of the book, and since it wasn’t used to strengthen the characters or the world it felt mostly pointless. And then when Alesta is in hell, it never really became less boring – usually when a book includes the underworld it’s my favorite part.

On a more technical note, I didn’t care for the simplistic writing, and it made the book feel almost middle grade. The work is exposition heavy, and most of it isn’t that interesting and gets repetitive much too often. There were some odd language choices used throughout the work as well that didn’t blend well at all. This book could use some heavy editing.

I really don’t recommend this one at all, even if you generally like YA and fantasy. My thanks to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I will be purchasing this book! It was fantastic - although a little dark! I love the diversity and the discussion of what is considered beautiful. I see many people taking the messages from this book to heart even if you don't necessarily like other aspects.

Action-packed young adult fantasy with lesbian romance and killer monsters.

To a Darker Shore is a character-strong book, with autistic main characters we get to see how Alesta and Kyr handle all the action and drama. Alesta is strong-willed, smart, and plus-size learning to follow her heart. Kyr is caring and passionate and is learning to become herself. I liked that we got to see them grow and develop.
I had fun with the setting, the dark atmosphere, and the gritty at times. I liked the monsters, the battle, and seeing how the characters deal and handle with them.
I felt the writing was well done. It was fun and will read more from this author. I do have to say there is a bit of religious commentary. I also liked how Alesta and Kyr look and deal with religion in different ways.

With monsters all around these characters tackle not only danger but what their feelings are developing into.

I adored this author’s previous books, so I was over the moon thrilled to be chosen for this tour. I started this book a few days ago and I can already tell that it’s going to be another one that hits a ton of high notes for me. The plot is one that grabs you from the very beginning and while I don’t want to give too much away, I will say that this is one of those phenomenal storylines that have layers upon layers upon layers. Definitely pick this one up if you enjoy:⁣
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➽ Rich world-building⁣
➽ Dante’s Inferno-ish story that confronts certain aspects of religion ⁣
➽ Monsters vs humans ⁣
➽ Plus-size MC⁣
➽ Autistic/neurodiverse characters (both MC’s are autistic) ⁣
➽ Angsty romance⁣
➽ LGBTQ+ representation

"You perfect calamity."

My one-sentence review: Autistic best friends find love by becoming monsters and they save the kingdom in the process.

If that doesn't make you want to read this book, here's a longer review. This. Book. Has. Everything. A dungeon crawl through hell. Mutual pining. A fat, autistic FMC who's the weirdo of her town because she invents DaVinci-like flying machines. An autistic, royal MMC who spends his life masking who he really is to fit in with the expectations of his position. Loads of mythological inspiration interwoven throughout. Religious critique! Societal critique! A magical tree.

To sum up that jumble, Alesta and Kyrian live in a society that punishes differences to heartbreaking effect. We start with Alesta fighting off a monster and end up questioning what makes a monster and who the real ones truly are.

This book was such a journey. There are some pacing issues and I can't say it was perfect, but I enjoyed myself the entire time. And I'll love Alesta and Kyrian forever. The world could use more people like the two of them.

As Schwartz says in her acknowledgments, I hope everyone who reads this "finds something to inspire them to go rebel against the real monsters, whether they're taking the form of purity culture, oppressive beauty standards, xenophobia, fatphobia, homophobia, patriarchy, or whatever small-mindedness or systems are standing in the way." That alone makes me want to read anything she publishes.

Thanks so much to Page Street Publishing & Netgalley for the eARC!

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's already out, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

Thank you NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for the e-arc!
I absolutely adore the cover of this book! I went in expecting it to be good but the story ended up blowing me away with how amazing the characters were and how pointed the themes where. The rep in this book is spectacular; I am so excited to see such a stellar premise with such an amazing main character. Both Kyr and Alesta are fantastic cnhararters and the dual POVs was perfect for this story. Both are feirce, protective, and bold in their own ways and watching their feelings grow throughout the book really had me captivated.

I am deeply sorry I missed the pub date for reviewing this title because I LOVED IT SO MUCH. Two amazing YA books were published on 4/30/24, and this was one of them. It checks all the boxes for what modern YA should be: inclusive, creative, and completely original. I mean, who would have ever thought 20 years ago that someone would write a brilliant retelling of DANTE'S INFERNO with a plus-size, autistic heroine as its leading lady? High school me would have been tickled to have this novel in her life. I'm so glad it's available today! You really can't ask for more from a modern YA book or modern YA fantasy book. There are very few other titles that are as welcoming to life's so-called oddballs and outliers as TO A DARKER SHORE. Get it for every teen in your life ASAP!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Thank you Netgalley and Page Street YA for this ARC!

- Once I got about 20% in, I was obsessed! The beginning is a little slow, but the pacing after that picks up so quickly!!
- The way this book explores good vs evil and what it means to be a monster/outsider is so incredible! Add that dynamic into an angsty friends to lovers romance, and I was so obsessed.
- I love angst in romance, and this took angst to the next level! The dual pov is done so well to really show this.
- There's a twist that I didn't see coming, and I loveddd the way that all played out!
- As Schwartz says, this is very everything and the kitchen sink as far as the mythology/world building goes, but I loved the way it twists Dante's Inferno!

4.5 Stars!

This is a bit of a dense story, but one I really enjoyed! The worldbuilding including monsters, religious and royal institutions and characters were all really extensive and enjoyable to learn about. I felt really seen, reading Alesta and Kyr's personal Autistic traits that I relate so much to. I can see why they'd fall in love with eachother.

The writing painted a clear picture in my head, from the rolling hills of Soladisa to the char and obsidian of Orroccio. This includes the images of Alesta and Kyr through their phases! (Kyr giving major Howl vibes...)

I think some more early explanation could have been given for some of the terms used (alberos, kharis, etc) as it was a bit confusing in the first chapters, but once I understood, it was not an issue.

Unfortunately, I didn't connect with this as much as I hoped. I was initially attracted to the premise, but the execution was just not my cup of tea. This says nothing about the book itself, which has great representation and besides some repetition, had a strong first act.
I recommend giving it a try!

This was a really good book with a unique fantasy setting reminiscent of Ancient Greece and a main character who is autistic and fat. I love the way that the autism representation is such that we can tell she’s autistic even without any of the typical ways a character is autistically coded or any actual autism plotline.
The only thing that I thought this book could have done differently is that a lot of the plot twists are found out very conveniently (ie visions), but overall the whole plot was unique and gripping, and of course a lot of what’s really going on is not what it seemed.

I finished this in 4 hours WHAT 😭

Absolutely perfect story, the angst and the friends to lovers and the plot were so well balanced, AND AND the plus size rep and autistic rep were so good 😭

-- ty to the author, the publisher and @coloredbooktours for an advanced copy!