Book Review: The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

• Genre: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 360 pages 
• Publisher: Razorbill
• Release Date: November 14, 2011
• Series: none
• Source: Local Library

Blurb: Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this?

Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped - and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie's whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be.

This second novel by rising star Brenna Yovanoff is a story of identity, discovery, and a troubled love between two people struggling to find their place both in our world and theirs.


Review:

As a big fan of The Replacement, I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Space Between -and the blurb didn't make it any easier. The oddness of it just captured me and I was curious to see how Yovanoff handled her unique idea of heaven and hell -and good and evil.

Daphne is a half-demon, half-angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. She lives in a strange sort of purgatory known as Pandemonium with her sisters, half-brother and other strange creatures from hell. Her life is far from exciting, before her brother Obie is kidnapped and Daphne travels to earth to find him -and instead finds a human boy who teaches her what it means to love and to be human.

From the very first page I was completely sucked into The Space Between. Yovanoff's unique depiction of heaven, hell and places in between was unlike anything else I've ever read -dark, twisted and yet strangely beautiful and compelling. Though I found Daphne to be a somewhat flat character, I couldn't help but find her fascinating. Yovanoff did an excellent job of creating a believable character who is innocent of real human relationships, and knows nothing about the earth or the people who inhabit it. Daphne's ignorance and self-discovery was incredibly compelling and pulled me in up until the very last page.

What really shined her for me was the writing. Not only does Yovanoff delivers a wonderfully written and atmospheric tale with captivating tones, unexpected twists and dark characters. More than anything, Yovanoff's world is completely unlike anything else I've ever read, and I love the fact that she doesn't shy away from dark characters deeper, more adult issues that infuse her novels with more depth than the average YA novel.

Yovanoff shines in her second novel, and I can't wait for the third. According to her blog, it's called Paper Valentine and will be out in 2013.