It should be noted that The Darkness Outside Us is one of my favorite reads of all time. When I talk about books that have left a lasting impact on me, that's near the top of the list. Of course I was thrilled to hear that Schrefer was writing a sequel, but there was so much pressure for it to live up to the first book that I was almost terrified to read it.

I shouldn't have been worried; The Brightness Between Us is every bit as haunting and beautiful as the first book, but in an entirely different and unpredictable way.

Years after the Endeavor carrying the clones of Ambrose Cusk and Kodiak Celius landed on the exoplanet Minerva, the pair has managed to carve out a hard-fought life for themselves and their two children, Owl and Yarrow. The planet is a largely unexplored mystery to them all, but time is ticking - a meteor could be heading for them at any moment. But there are other problems they face from within: a buried genetic bomb in the DNA thirty-thousand years in the making.
Meanwhile, in that past, Ambrose wakes up the day before he's set to launch into space on a rescue mission for his sister to discover it was all a lie. Spiraling and in a world on the verge of nuclear war, he goes out hunting for another spacefarer who shared his fate.

Read this book. If you enjoyed The Darkness Outside Us, this is a more than worthy successor. It is love and family and survival against all the odds in two very different but intertwined times - the story of how two men find each other again and again to save humanity from extinction. It's two typical teenagers in a very atypical environment. Ambrose and Kodiak are every bit as perfect as in the first book, and Owl and Yarrow are worthy additions to the story. I want to follow this little family and their hard-won survival forever.

4.5 stars

It's been seventeen years since the events in The Darkness Outside Us, and Ambrose and Kodiak now find themselves parents of two teenagers. Together, they all work to survive on the planet Minerva, until something threatens their safety. Meanwhile, thousands of years in the past, Ambrose wakes up to find that the mission he thought he was going on is something totally different. And he decides that he's going to do something about it.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of The Brightness Between Us by Eliot Schrefer to review! When I heard there was going to be a sequel to The Darkness Outside Us, I knew I had to read it. That book has one of the best plot twists I've ever seen, so I couldn't wait to see where Schrefer went with the sequel. It definitely doesn't disappoint!

Told in alternating timelines, we get to see the time leading up to Ambrose and Kodiak's original mission, as well as what happens in the future. It all connects by the end, in way that gives you a bigger picture of the entire situation. Swtiching between narrators and time periods adds to the overall suspense of the plot, and it was difficult to put down by the end. Not necessarily any major plot twists like the first one, but still an intricate plot that will keep you on your toes.

In addition to the plot, the characters are well rounded and have distinct voices. Ambrose and Kodiak we technically already know, but Schrefer introduces some new characters that add insight to the whole situation. There's a lot of discussion about what aspects of humanity are deemed important in a survival situation like this, and it really speaks to the important of connection. What's the point of survival if you don't have that connection?

All in all, this is a fantastic follow-up that fans of the first book will definitely enjoy.

The Brightness Between Us is better than anything I could have possibly asked for in a sequel to The Darkness Within Us. I just finished reading it and I’m still a bit in awe. I relished all the new facets of Ambrose and Kodiak’s characters we get in this book. Owl and Yarrow are also fantastic additions as characters, and the way the stories weave together back and forth is perfection. The book is hopeful, devastating, surprising, thought provoking and romantic. I loved every minute of it. I can tell this book is going to stay with me long after I’ve finished it. The ending was completely satisfying, but if Eliot Schrefer some day decides write a 3rd novel in this world I will be first in line to read it!

This book broke me emotionally, but in an absolutely beautiful way that made me want to read this duology over and over again.

“The Brightness Between Us” is the follow up to Elliot Schaefer’s 2021 “The Darkness Outside Us.” With two timelines, the story follows the original Ambrose and Kodiak after learning that the mission they trained for is a lie, and the cloned Ambrose and Kodiak with their two teenaged children homesteading thousands of years in the future on the planet Minerva. Both stories deal with threats that endanger humanity’s survival.

I KNEW this book would rip my heart out of my chest (in a good way!!) and the story delivered. It is so deeply human. It’s more than just a story about a group of individuals, but all the threads that bind us together.

The Brightness Between Us by Eliot Schrefer. (Out October 1, 2024)

Wow just, wow. The Darkness Outside Us is one of my top reads for this year, so when I found out there was a sequel and that it was available to request an ARC for, you can imagine my excitement. If you haven’t read the first book yet I highly recommend trying to steer away from learning too much about this new story. So I’m going to try to keep this as spoiler-free as I can by focusing on the writing.

First of all, I need to have a serious talk with Schrefer because the amount of emotional rollercoasters I’ve gone through with these characters this year is astounding.

I am completely captivated by Shcrefer’s storytelling. I was continuously at the edge of my seat wanting to absorb every line, just like I was with the first book. The way the tension builds up, the pacing, the twists and turns, the ah-ha! moments, the oh-my-god that is hilarious and oh-my-god that is devastating moments… amazing. Both a sequel and a prequel, The Brightness Between Us is a very well thought out continuation of the first book. Told through multiple POVs and timelines, this story explores themes of survival, intimacy, moral dilemmas, love, identity, hope, and sacrifice.

Everything you want about the sci-fi, thriller, horror, romance genres is in this book. Five stars! (Wonder if there will be a third? Please?)

Note: I once again must protect Kodiak with all my being. ✨🧶🐑🪐

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Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an eARC through NetGalley. And thanks to Eliot Schrefer, I cannot begin to explain how much I love these two books and how much they mean to me. I have no words right now. And thanks to Gem for doing this buddy read with me and listening to me scream.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 and it did NOT disappoint! I loved The Darkness Outside Us. It is, to this day, still one of the weirdest, most gut-wrenching stories I have ever experienced. Set in a Sci-fi world on the brink of collapse, Ambrose and Kodiak are the final hopes for humanity, except they never agreed to be so. Tricked into being cloned and shipped into space to spend the next tens of thousands of years being used and then disposed of. This story paints a bitter portrait of the lengths of human greed. It is unfortunate that the world we witness in The Darkness Outside Us is not very difficult to imagine.

Now, on the settled planet of Minerva, Ambrose and Kodiak raise their two teenage children, Yarrow and Owl, with little knowledge of where they once came from. This story switches between each family member's perspectives, including both past and future Ambrose and Kodiak. This story had its heartbreaking moments, its twists and turns, and, as always, the gentle and persistent hope of humanity.

I fell in love with this family. It was incredible getting to see Ambrose and Kodiak again and seeing how they have grown. Eliot Schrefer nailed it with this sequel and I would gladly read more books following this family, though I am also satisfied with how The Brightness Between Us concluded. An easy 5 star read for me!

After reading the first book, I didn't think the story of Ambrose and Kodiak could get any better. It did!

This book flashes back to the original Ambrose and Kodiak and we learn what happened to them after they found out that they were not going on a rescue mission to Titian. These flashbacks are interspersed with POVs from Owl and Yarrow (Ambrose and Kodiak's children) on Minerva.

The writing is brilliant and kept me on the edge of my seat with a few twists and turns along the way to the ending. My heart ached for original Ambrose and Kodiak throughout the story - but it also still aches for clones Ambrose and Kodiak from the first story.

I don't want to give too much away or hide at any spoiler - because honestly if you like science fiction, you should read this book. If you like adventure, read this book. If you like romance, read this book -- but don't expect a lot of spice.

The Brightness Between Us takes us both seventeen years into the future from where we leave Kodiak and Ambrose at the end of The Darkness Outside Us and over thirty thousand years in the past to the Earthbound Ambrose and Kodiak. Frontier life on an alien planet with a fledgling family might not sound like it has a lot in common with two teenager boys navigating the fallout of being the center of a geopolitical slight of hand, but these two storylines separated by a near insurmountable amount of time and space are more tightly bound than Ambrose, Kodiak, Owl and Yarrow could ever imagine.

As deeply as I love Kodiak and Ambrose The Darkness Outside Us wasn’t a book that particularly screamed sequel, so while I was excited when The Brightness Between Us was announced I also tried to to temper my expectations. This worry ended up being entirely unfounded. The Darkness Outside Us is one of those books that you truly can only read for the first time once (and if you haven't, what are you doing reading this review? drop everything and pick it up now and come back later), and Eliot Schrefer is far more interested in taking you deep into the connective tissue between humanity, from those as loose as strangers to those as deep as family. Of course, that’s not to say the sequel is without plenty of its own twists and turns.

The heart of these books dig at what it means to be lonely, and in doing so spend a lot of time examining how humanity often anchors itself in community. Screfer took really good advantage of having multiple POVs to examine any flavor of loneliness you could imagine, from being surrounded by loving family but feeling unseen to having made the choice to remove yourself from everyone you have ever known just so you can live. The book opens on a mediation of something Ambrose said in the first book, that ”Intimacy is the only shield against insanity. Intimacy, not knowledge. Intimacy, not power.” and time and time again The Brightness Between Us hits you home with the strength of love and connection. It bangs that drum loud enough to transcend space.

Some of this book does feel like it’s going out of its way to address some of the most common criticisms from The Darkness Outside Us, and I think it ends up working as well as it does because of the clear amount of time Schrefer has put into building the three worlds of his books, Coordinated Endeavor, Earth in 2473, and Minerva, and there’s obviously so much more that doesn’t make it to the page. There’s good internal logic to what we are allowed to know. Fédération sounds so much more of a horrifying place than Ambrose seems to realize, but he’s one of the most privileged members of the country so of course he wouldn’t question it; not like Kodiak would have reason to, and since all Kodiak knows of living in Dimokratía is the life of an orphan funneled into the military, his lack of faith in any government to take care of its people is more than founded. I wanted more with everything to do with Minerva, but with only two of seven attempted children surviving into their teen years, of course staying close to home would have been prioritized over exploring. Yet again I have to watch Ambrose defend yet again what may be the most bizarre euphemisms for topping and bottoming I’ve ever encountered in my life. Some of the language is very young in a way that really does not match the tone the general story has going. More times than I’d like to count there was this beautiful section of prose that has to trip over a pretty juvenile phrase right before the end, emotionally nullifying most of what I read before. I understand that all of our POV characters are teenagers, and I’m not so removed from being a terrible ironic teen that I don’t remember it, but I don’t think that always needs to be dialed on. Some of that world building can also veer into very long infodumps that are kind of an inevitable hallmark of hard science fiction, which will turn some people off but I will forever be kind of charmed by them.

The connection that every version of Kodiak and Ambrose have nurtured between these two books so achingly tender. Like I dunno, I guess soulmates are real? I’ll find you in every universe and love you? What else could I do?

I need this book to be out today so I can buy the series for everyone I know. Eliot Schrefer cooked and I fear I’ll never be the same.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for the eARC.

4.5/5

A fantastic sequel! Far more than fan service, this book raises new questions, new evils and dives deeper into the motivations of humanity and colonization. As it started, I wasn't sure I wanted what I was reading, but it goes on to become so much more. The world building and writing are just as intriguing as the first novel, and while there is less swooning you still get a heavy dose. Definitely will be reading again and reccommending.

E-ARC generously provided by HarperCollins Children's Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

4.5 stars. Harrowing, a bit tragic, but ultimately about hope and humanity's ability to persevere in even the most unlikely of circumstances, The Brightness Between Us is a brilliant sequel to a sci-fi duology that I will absolutely be revisiting in the future.

So I went into this book not knowing there was a book 1. I will be reading that soon.

This book shook my soul, I was a mess of emotion during the entire thing. How is Eliot set up that he penned such a beautiful story?

Ambrose & Kodiak's story is amazing but Owl I believe is my favorite character. There is so much to this story, that a review would give away too much.

I can only strongly suggest that you grab this book and a glass of wine because coffee or tea is not good enough for such an elegant book.

Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollins, and Eliot Schrefer for this beautiful ARC. I have voluntarily given my honest opinion in this review.

I always have trepidation when it comes to sequels, but this my friends is how you do it. Such a beautifully written story that punches you in the gut with heartache, but makes you believe in the power of love and family. I can only hope this story continues! Fantastic, and I will be recommending this book to everyone!

I was both excited and nervous when I saw there was going to be a sequel to The Darkness Outside Us but any fears were put the rest the second I started The Brightness Between Us.

We start 17yrs after the first book ends Kodiak and Ambrose are parents to two teens, Owl and Yarrow. Owl longs for the freedom to explore all while something seems not right with Yarrow.

We also go back over 30 thousand years in the past to the original Ambrose and Kodiak and see what series of events lead to the present day.

I think the word I'd use to describe this story is "hopeful." I don't want to say too much and spoil the many twist and turns this story takes. I went through a full range of emotion reading this, from excitement to anger to tears to joy.

The story switches perspectives but it's smooth and well done, I liked the decision to tell the current story from Owl and Yarrow's perspectives.

This story is going to stay with me for quite a while. It was so good and people who loved the original will not be disappointed with The Brightness Between Us. And easy 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Brightness Between Us is the sequel to The Darkness Outside Us, and I am enamoured. As usual, I finished the book at an ungodly hour at 1am last night, tears flowing down my face as I was rapt with all the emotions. It’s easy for me to say that I absolutely loved it and is very worthy of a 5 star rating.

The story itself feels like the perfect continuation of the first book, building on the blocks we already established, whilst also providing a fresh, exhilarating, intriguing, and exciting storyline that also interweaves with the first book. It’s so very well done and I applaud Eliot on his ability to have created a sequel that achieves this. It’s not easy for a sequel to do just as well, so I think all of the elements he had were the perfect combination.

I really enjoy Eliot's writing, he makes the story so consumable, making you hungry for more. I think the pacing is medium, and really picks up near the end, which is where you want it because it just elevates your emotions and reactions to what's happening.

I won’t say much else as I don’t want to spoil and the book itself comes out in three weeks time (October 1), but it’s one that I think fans of the first book will absolutely eat up.

Something just didn't click with me while reading this book. I admit, my memory of the first entry is a little fuzzy other than the general plot; but I do remember enjoying it. With this follow up, I think being thrown into a future with a new narrator and not quite enough context left me disconnected throughout the first act. The flashbacks were interesting, but ultimately I wanted *more* from Ambrose and Kodiak. I appreciate that the author took some risks with this sequel and didn't rely on recycling the same story. Sadly, it wasn't for me, but I think plenty of others will find enjoyment here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I virtually inhaled this book. Not only was it a worthy sequel, but was so enjoyable it gets the distinction of being the first ARC I've rated 5 stars. I believe many readers will love this sequel and feel it lived up to the quality of its predecessor.

In The Brightness Between Us, we continue the story of The Darkness Outside Us. Read no further if you haven't read the first book, as spoilers are incoming. Seriously, book one isn't one you want spoiled. In book one, Ambrose and Kodiak go through all the emotions of discovering their space mission to rescue Ambrose's sister was a lie. From two warring Earth nations, the boys try to resist their attraction to their fellow space farer, but are drawn closer upon finding out they're the only humans alive. Even more jarring, they are one of several clones of the original boys, who are awakened (not knowing they're clones) by the ship's AI (named OS) to make necessary repairs on the long journey to settle the planet Minerva, humanity's last hope for survival. Ambrose and Kodiak's earlier clone selves leave clues so that their next iterations discover the ship's dark secret, that each clone is...decommissioned...shortly after finishing their repairs. The book leaves us with the two boys working together to outsmart OS and settle on Minerva, giving us hope for the future.

In this second book, we follow two narratives, one present and one past. Beginning in the present, we meet Owl and Yarrow, the sole children to survive childrearing on Minerva. Through their eyes, we see the teenagers grappling with the loneliness and pressure of their situation and directing some of their teenage angst at Ambrose and Kodiak, their fathers. I rather liked the way the kids were left in a similar situation to young Ambrose and Kodiak where they must trust their father's word and that of the OS because there is no one else to teach them anything. It leaves Ambrose and Kodiak in a difficult, and relatable, situation raising them. Being in such a precarious position on Minerva, anything awry could spell an end to humanity - stakes that make the book hard to put down. Back in the past on Earth, we follow the narratives of the originals themselves, Ambrose and Kodiak. I am leaving it there to steer clear of spoilers. What I loved most about both narratives is the way the past narrative is used to add depth to the events of book one while interacting dynamically with the present. The book forces you to grapple with the tenuous nature of humanity's existence, our corrupt economic system, our drive towards destruction, and what it means to want to survive. Despite being plot-driven, the novel is brimming with emotion and delves into deeper, existential questions, giving it depth.

The last thing I want to say is, FUCKING DEVON MUJABA!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This prequel/sequel failed in comparison to the first book. It was interesting getting to know, Ambrose, Kodiak, and they’re two kids, and seeing how they’ve progressed since landing. It started a little slow, but I thought some drama would happen. Then when it turned it into a prequel, I was very confused. The flashback parts of the book showing a younger Ambrose and Kodiak were totally unnecessary. It just made the book drag on. And then to make a “surprising” villain out of a random side character seemed ridiculous. I felt the author could’ve come up with better reasons for the difficulties and challenges Ambrose and Kodiak face building a New World.

The first book blew me away with its twist and turns and lovable characters. I think it would’ve been better left as a standalone.

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

This book is so different than the first but manages to ruin me just as bad. The different view points, the fully fleshed out characters, a book two that manages to feel like the story needed to continue. The Brightness Between Us just seems to build so eloquently and take you on a journey. Even with the multiple points of view, the various time points, this everything merges so well that you just need to keep reading. I could not put this book down and cannot wait to have my book club be dragged by their heartstrings.

“Ambrose, what will our future be?” I ask him as I run my hands over his body, trying to learn something I desperately need to know, that I have to study as fast as I can. He doesn’t answer. The question was too big to answer. I meant the future some other version of our selves will have. I don’t need to wonder about the future of us, here, now. That future is short. I will live in these current moments as fully as possible. Then I will be gone. Ambrose will be gone. Sheep will be gone. It arrives. The brightness between us.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for giving me the oportunity of reviewing this arc!

Having just read book 1. I was equal parts excited and terrified, simply because some of my favourite books have fallen into the "not so great sequel category. And although at times the book feels like it's dealing with too many elements at once, I love how Eliot managed to not lose the essence I loved so much in book 1.

It was a nice thing reading about Kodiak and Ambrose navigating parenthood after immense loss. but I have to admit that, although I understood Owl's desire to explore, at times felt quite selfish to do so.

A not so positive note- I find it hard to believe Kodiak and Ambrose didn't do any sort of explorating missions once they arrived at Minerva.

Eliot Schrefer's The Darkness Outside Us was one of the best books I have read in many years. When I saw an upcoming sequel, I screamed! Don't miss your chance to pick this one up and dive back into the world of Kodiak and Ambrose - who are now parents! Minerva is back again and life is still stressful, but with a filter of joy through the lens of their family bond.
Until everything is gone.