To a Darker Shore by Leanne Schwartz / L.A. Schwartz
Published by Page Street Publishing
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Adventure, Dark Fantasy, Theological Fantasy, Deity Characters, Diverse Representation, Disabled and Neurodivergent Authors, Lesbian Characters, OwnVoices Representation, Plus Size Characters, Sapphic Characters, Monsters, Mythological Creatures, Neurodivergent, Underworld
My Rating:
Published on: 30th April 2024
Pages: 400
Disability Representation: Autism.
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When her best friend is sacrificed to the devil, she’ll go to hell and back for him

Plain, poor, plus-size, and autistic, Alesta grew up trying to convince her beauty-obsessed kingdom that she’s too useful to be sacrificed. Their god blessed their island Soladisa as a haven for his followers, but to keep the devil at bay, the church sends a child sacrifice to hell’s entrance every season—often poor or plain girls just like Alesta.

With a head full of ideas for inventions, Alesta knows her best shot at making it to adulthood is to design something impressive for the festival exhibition so she might win a spot in the university—acceptance could guarantee her safety. But Alesta’s flying machine demonstration goes awry, a failure that will surely mean death. What happens is worse: Her best friend and heir to the throne, Kyrian, takes the blame expecting leniency but ends up sacrificed in her place.

To stop the sacrifices forever, Alesta plans to kill the monster that killed her friend. Prepared to save her kingdom or die trying, she travels to the depths of hell only to find Kyrian—alive, but monstrously transformed.
There is no escaping hell or their growing feelings for one another, and the deeper they descend into hell, the closer they come to uncovering a truth about the sacrifices that threatens to invoke the wrath of not only monsters but the gods as well.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

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In To a Darker Shore by Leanne Schwartz, two young autistic people live in a country where religion rules society. Particular behaviour is expected, with serious repercussions for those who do not fit in. Lessie does not fit in. From her behaviour, her actions and her curves, she is not seen as a worthwhile member of society and is in danger of being tithed; sacrificed to the monsters.

Lessie is determined to use one of her inventions to prove her value, but when the test for her latest one goes wrong, her best friend Kyrian takes the blame. As the heir to the throne, they both expect him to get leniency and are shocked when he is tithed in Lessie’s place. Determined to avenge her friend, Lessie descends into hell to kill the monster and end the sacrifices for good. Instead, she finds her friend alive and monstrously transformed. Together, they learn the truth about their society and the tithes.

My favourite thing about To a Darker Shore was the world-building. Schwartz has created a compelling world that echoes ancient myths while putting a new spin on tales of the Underworld. The focus on a tree as a central deity was fascinating, and the way Schwartz developed the mythos kept me hooked. The autistic representation was spot on, as to be expected from an author writing from their lived experience.

The three-star rating I’ve given this book is not a comment on the writing or contents. This one just wasn’t quite my cup of tea, but I highly recommend To a Darker Shore for anyone who likes mythology, especially stories of the Underworld.

About Leanne Schwartz / L.A. Schwartz

Leanne “L. A.” Schwartz has spent about half her life at either the library or the theater, where she played Mrs. Paroo in her local production of The Music Man, as well as a dozen other mothers over the years. When this autistic author and English teacher hasn’t got her nose in a book, she can be found baking pizzelle, directing scenes for the student Shakespeare festival, and singing along to showtunes. She is also the author of the young adult fantasies A Prayer for Vengeance and To a Darker Shore, and lives in California with her family.

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