The Sun & Its Shade

The Night & Its Moon #2

by Piper C.J.

I love you...

Nox's tear-filled words echo across the sand as she and Amaris are torn apart. They've battled fiercely to find each other again, and have barely reunited when Amaris is taken away by the queen's dragon.

Injured and desperate, Amaris is forced to navigate her new surroundings with the help of Raascot's enigmatic general if she hopes to stay alive. At the same time, across the land and running out of options, Nox forms a partnership with the continent's league of peacekeeping assassins, begging their help to find Amaris and forge some stability between the kingdoms.

As wounds heal and new relationships blossom, Nox and Amaris must confront impossible obstacles and stretch their magic to its limits if they are ever to create a world that might finally reunite them for good. The odds are narrow, the stakes are high, and one question remains: Is it fate, love, or something else entirely that binds these two women together?

In the enthralling follow-up to The Night and Its Moon, bestselling author Piper CJ redefines love and trust through an authentic fantastical portrayal of queer experiences, found family, and the gray areas that define us all.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, Fiction, Queer, Magic, Fae

Unknown Binding

Published May 14, 2022

About the author

Fantasy author with an M.A. in Folklore, who loves to take pictures, eat french fries, and live my life as an all-around creative forest nymph! I'm so excited to bring you with me on my journey as I step out of our everyday lives and into the new fantasy world within The Night and Its Moon fantasy series!

I wrote these books for an audience of one, and that audience was me. I wanted to see bi representation, love, mental health struggles, religious trauma, and overcoming the of obstacles that I needed to be modeled in my own life. At the end of the day I'm so proud of myself for creating the series that I'd always hoped I could read, and I hope someone is able to connect with them in a way that I have.

Reviews

[Reads With Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

My full thoughts are in the link below but i will ONCE AGAIN stress that *reviews are for readers, not authors and their friends*.
https://youtu.be/3xfdCvs3zvg

Okay, here's my goodreads review:
I do think the prose got like a half point better than book one, and if the author works with folks dedicated to creating a quality product the next book could be even better on that front.

I was really surprised by how lackluster the sexual scene was for Amaris, it felt like we centered Gadriel more than Amaris. It felt really unbalanced and I wish that we had centered on women's pleasure as much, if not more, than a man's here.

I will say though, my rating is a 1 unless someone can confirm that this book was saying we're going the route of polyamory in which case it's a 1.5. Hell yes to poly rep in books.

I think that the discussion from Nox's POV on how religion is subjective from person to person was good. I initially thought the author had come up with the parable of the blind men and the dragon but it turns out that parable originated in the ancient Indian subcontinent.
This combined with nox smelling like pepper and cardamom, along with her naming her axe Chandra (Hindu god of the Moon) continues the theme of Nox being South Asian. I continue to assert that since this is the case, a dedicated sensitivity read for this *very specifically* was needed for both this book and it's predecessor. Especially because in this book we have an explicit conversation about racism.
*Spoilers here*: the fact that Nox was whipped in the stead of a white girl in book one only to have it revealed in this book that Amaris is the white baby of a god, and is basically jesus, there to save Nox, but was born to a nameless Black woman from "Tarkhany" who is now dead? We could've had Amaris be just birthed from the tree and then it would feel way less inappropriate.

I think, again, there are seeds of cool ideas here but the book is overwritten, has uncomfortable racial undertones, is heavy handed in it's delivery of theme only to drop those themes after one paragraph and lack any consistent use of them throughout. This part is subjective but, I really wish there had been an actual plot structure utilized to form this book and then it wouldn't have taken me so long to read it.

[Piper C.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's me again, the author! I'll always give myself 5 stars for the same reason: If I don't believe in myself, why should anyone else? I wrote "The Sun & Its Shade" in 9 days, because I was so excited to continue their story. Remember, this is a bi love story, so Book 2 may be the most/only outwardly straight-passing in the series (it's still sapphic, *BUT*). But this is important: bisexuals and pansexuals in straight-passing relationships do not lose their identity. Your partner does not negate who you are. Life is complicated, and sometimes who you love is challenging or difficult to accept. I love how my characters grow, I love acknowledging more shades of "grey" in the world, I love exploring pain and love and attraction and complicated dynamics... and I also like swords and magic and fight scenes and demons and k!nk and winged fae.

The end of this book gets particularly spicy <3 so purchase, gift and read with caution as it is not suitable for minors.

[Talia Devereaux · Rating 1 out of 5]

Edit 3/6/2023: That’s right, folks. I returned and forced myself to finish this stupid book because I have no self-control. If you were wondering if it gets any better after the 40% mark, it doesn’t. Strap in because the kid gloves are coming off.

thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy

THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THIS BOOK IN THIS REVIEW

the writing
I know this is an ARC, so hopefully, these errors will be fixed by the time it's published. Still, there were a lot of punctuation marks and typos that needed to be corrected—multiple instances of missing quotation marks when the chapter started with dialogue. The prose is just as overwritten as usual. Piper uses 97 words when she could use 5. It comes off just as pretentious and melodramatic as in the last book. Everything is so over the top that I constantly roll my eyes. She misuses words and has ridiculous metaphors that you must reread 2 or 3 times to make sense of. Everything is as convoluted as it possibly could be. Maybe some of ya’ll like this, but objectively this is not good writing. Sorry, not sorry.

plot/characters
So at the end of book one, Amaris and Gadriel escape from a battle arena on the back of a dragon, HP style and then jump off its back and conveniently land next to this magic academy. The book ends, and one would assume that the sequel will lead to Amaris going to the academy and learning to hone her magic. If you thought that, then you would be WRONG.

So we start exactly where we left off with little to no recapping of what happened in the last book. You're expected to remember, but it's hard considering how many unnecessary words are jammed between what little plot is actually in these books. They get taken to the magic school, and everyone thinks Gadriel is a demon, and they want to cage and study him. In some supremely dramatic and ridiculous monologuing, Amaris convinces the masters of the school that he's harmless. Amaris convinces herself Gadriel(now Gad) is her new best friend, but when Gadriel says, 'we fought together in Aubade' in response to being asked ', what does this woman mean to you?' she loses her MIND. She gets so assblasted mad because she thought they were friends, but APPARENTLY NOT. It's pathetic and ridiculous, and Amaris is so naive and has no idea how the real world works at all. She cannot conceive why Gadriel won't share secrets he was sworn to keep with her even after he explains it could mean his life. Like how is Amaris supposed to be likeable lol?? Because Gadriel said they weren’t friends, and Amaris took that shit personally. Then he blames her for his shredded wings, and as usual, Amaris can’t take responsibility, much like her author counterpart. And this becomes a recurring thing in the book. Amaris stays butthurt for nearly 500 pages because Gadriel said she was ‘someone he fought with’. The entire book is them hot and cold with one another, and it's exhausting. Neither of them is likeable at all.

They look at some books at the academy for two seconds, find zero answers and guess that this tower of magic has everything they need. And conveniently, it does. They climb 10,000 steps and find the hall of prophecies from the order of the phoenix (you know, the room full of shelves with glowing blue orbs? Well, this room also has shelves with glowing blue orbs, but the shelves are spiral-shaped, so it’s not plagiarism, guys.) otherwise known as the hall of orbs. Amaris realizes the floor is invisible, and there's an illusion cast over it. Gadriel goes to step over it, and instead of warning him like a normal person, Amaris screams wordlessly. That's it. Then she starts criticizing him for not paying attention to his surroundings, even though she should know by now that she can see illusions, but Amaris is too stupid to figure this out. After all, she's been aware of her powers for three years and only just started questioning their limitations and capabilities. She is an idiot. Gadriel asks Amaris if he can make the jump. She reads WAY too much into this question and thinks, "oh my god, Gadriel is putting his LIFE in my HANDS. He TRUSTS me." And I'm like...bitch; you're the only one who can see the distance. Are you for real rn? Anyway, he makes the jump, and Amaris cries in relief. Literally cries. Imagine if Indiana Jones cried in relief every time he solved a booby trap puzzle while searching tombs. He would look like an idiot. Amaris has a full-blown panic attack, considers leaving and becoming a seamstress, jumps, doesn't make it, and almost dies, and then Gadriel saves her. They touch some magical glowing blue balls, get sucked into a pensieve(I mean orb), and see some curses/blessings where faeries explode into golden dust. They meet the oldest man ever, who happens to show them the exact thing they need to see, then get tossed from the Tardis Tower. (it’s bigger on the inside)

Gadriel gets some conveniently 'manufactured' wings and can now fly again(literally has no lasting ill effects of having his wings literally shredded). Then they realize they've learned everything they needed to know and leave. (WHAT? YOU HAVE LEARNED NOTHING) They try to convince Amaris to stay, and she pretends she's going to but then leaves at night, but it's the most dramatic thing ever. She tries to write it like it's something worthy of ballads, but there is no good reason why it would be. They didn't even do anything there. And that's it. That's all that happens with Amaris' magical boarding school plot, and that's when I realized how much of a waste of time this bullshit book is. You had a whole ass magical boarding school, and you didn't use it at all?? You could've had Amaris attend school, actually learn some things since she is the biggest idiot ever and then solve a whole mystery of how the school is corrupt and experimenting on people with unique magic while also searching for the answers to the curse. But no, Amaris learns about her powers differently, and WE WILL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT.

There’s a line I want to point out that I found hilariously ironic, and Piper(and Amaris) should take her fucking advice. "Ignorance is no one’s fault, but once you’re made aware of your lack, the choice to remain oblivious is when you become culpable.” So, if this is true, why didn’t Amaris take advantage of the magic school so that she could not be ignorant about her abilities? Why does she continue to be careless of how she speaks with Gadriel by calling him terms she knows are offensive and racist? (like how Piper(a white woman) continuously puts racist shit in her books and argues that it's not racist even though actual people of color are telling her that it's racist.) If this is true, why wouldn’t Piper fix what people have pointed out in her book as racist, ableist and plagiarized? Why wouldn’t she do the work so she can not be an ignoramus? Hmmm...

Now, Amaris chooses to learn to wield her power by ‘verbally consenting’ to allow Gadriel to help train her to figure out what exactly her magic is. This book warns about consensual breathplay, but once again, Piper is full of shit and a liar. Saying, “yes, I would like you to train me to use my magic”, does not equate to “I consent to you strangling me in my sleep.” Yep, you read that right. Gadriel waits until Amaris is asleep, stands over her in a position that will ensure she can’t fight him off and strangles her until she explodes with sonic power(much like Ciri's power from The Witcher show....god, the plagiarism just will not stop.) And when she gets upset, he scolds her for not using their safe word (snowbird). Tell me, how the fuck was she going to use a safe bird when you are cutting off her airway? How will she speak, let alone breathe, when panicking and being strangled? He says that he’s doing what any general would do for his troops, but in what fucking universe does a general strangle their soldiers in their sleep? This is not consensual breathplay, Piper, and if you think it is, then you need to reevaluate yourself and look up the definition of the word consent.

Now on to Nox. Nox has been just as irrelevant in this book as in the last book. She’s hanging out with Malik and Ash and has become a sudden Yes Man, and after literally a week hanging out with them, she decides she loves Malik. Are you fucking kidding me? This honestly makes me mad because Nox was coded as a lesbian. I don’t give a fuck if Piper says she’s bisexual. She wrote about her being repulsed by men, preferring women’s company, but because Piper wanted to write some hetero smut, she forced her to be bisexual. Stupid af. Not to mention her obsession with Amaris. Has she suddenly forgotten that because one guy was nice to her? That’s pathetic. Stand your fuckin ground, Nox. Having her fall for Malik in this is a bad call because it nullifies the fact that she fought her way free from having to fuck men against her will just to get to the woman she loves, only to immediately fall for a guy for literally no reason. Malik doesn’t do anything to deserve to be called ‘pure’ because he is no better than a sexy lamp. If she had taken the time to cultivate a relationship here where Nox slowly learns to trust Malik, that would be a completely different story. But Piper was too eager to jump in and write smut. I also find it funny that Gadriel and Amaris get the most drawn-out, uncomfortable ~spicy~ scene ever, but we get an amalgamation of metaphors for Nox and Amaris' time together.

I also think it’s a strange and pretty racist choice to make your ‘dark fae’(which, according to Gadriel, is a racist term that has been used very freely throughout the entire book) have their powers associated with ‘nightlife’ and then make them all dubious POC. She even made their country's flag ‘bronze for the skin of its people’. That is a supremely weird thing to do. Nox literally says she is good at being sneaky because of her dark fae blood, which is also what makes her ‘bronze’. Gadriel, who is also dubiously brown, is good at picking locks. Like…Piper….what the fuck are you doing???? Stop being RACIST!!!???

Everything that happens in this book is pure convenience. Nox and Amaris constantly stumble upon the answers. There is no motivation; there is no urgency. Nox dallies most of the time at the Duke of Henares' house, eating a malum malus she got from the tree of life(which is called Yggdrasil because Piper can't make up original concepts, apparently, and has to steal from everything else). She sees the tree’s memories and watches this princess pray to the All-Mother(like the All-Father who actually watches over Yggdrasil) to protect her child. Then we find out that the priestess, who is only ever referred to as the Tarkhany woman with ‘onyx skin’, was blessed by the All-Mother with immaculate conception and guess who the baby was? You guessed it. Amaris. The super white snowflake was immaculately conceived by a woman with very dark skin(because Piper has a really weird obsession with the contrast of dark and light skin, I guess). This is what they say to the nameless priestess(who actually dies earlier in this book in a very throwaway scene) when she asks if she gets to raise the child she just birthed. "The child belongs to everyone and no one, beloved….This babe is the manifestation of the prayers of the faithful.” So not only is Amaris literally the purest PERFECT SNOWFLAKE ON EARTH BECAUSE SHE IS A MANIFESTATION OF A PRAYER(in other words, Jesus), but a nameless black woman was used and killed off for no other purpose than to be her vessel.

We later discover that Nox's pen pal from the Chamber of Secrets, aka Tom Riddle, was actually the Gray Matron all along! She gets Nox to travel all the way back to the orphanage and tells her the truth(even though she had a literal magic quill she could've used to save everyone some time, but I guess she couldn't have Nox fall into the memories because that would just be too much plagiarism, even though she literally...already did that). Ya'll are gonna love this. Turns out that Princess Daphne, Queen Moirai's daughter, had a child with King Ceres from Raascot(the dark fae king dude). Daphne was apparently already married, and so to hide her child from this nameless husband, she goes to this CHILD MILL, leaves her daughter there and asks for a baby(specifically a boy) with similar coloring to her husband's. Then she leaves Nox there with the Grey Matron and brings the boy back with her, it doesn't work, and the boy immediately gets murdered because the nameless husband knows it's not his. This has left me with so many questions.

a) how did no one realize Daphne had a baby girl? were there no midwives when she gave birth? this is medieval times; I highly doubt she gave birth alone because there's a huge chance of her dying. So how is it not a single soul outside of the nameless priestess and Agnes knew that Daphne actually had a girl? Also, how did the nameless priestess know she had a daughter when she came in talking about her son and then immediately died after?
b)why, if Agnes never intended for Nox to be sold, did she allow Millicent to take her to the brothel? She says she didn't know how to deny her without spilling the beans, so she just....lets Nox be taken? In what world does that make sense? If she's supposed to protect Nox, why did she let Nox think Amaris needed to be protected? Why would she allow Nox to put herself in harm's way to protect Amaris? Why would she allow Nox to be whipped? Why would they constantly talk about Amaris being perfect and unmarred if it was truly Nox who was the important one, and they knew it all along? None of this makes sense.
c) Who is Daphne's husband that killed the son? Why has he never made an appearance? When did Daphne give birth to Nox? How long from when Moirai cursed Ceres, and the north fae did Daphne die? This whole part confuses the shit out of me. So, from my understanding. Moirai cursed Ceres after discovering he was Daphne's lover, and Ceres says that Daphne never saw him again after. So when exactly did this happen? Did Moirai tell Daphne's husband about the lover? When did she have the baby and when was the baby killed and where did the husband go, and when did she get pregnant? and...and...and... !?!?!?!??! If this was mentioned at all in this book, I don't remember it whatsoever. So if you know, please refresh my memory. Because Moirai has been making an illusion of a crown prince, so there never was any prince, so what happened to Daphne's husband?!??!?! Why, if she was the daughter of Moirai, was he able to literally murder Daphne and her "son" with zero repercussions?

Nox was named Nox, so she wouldn't forget the north. Fucking kill me. Well, she clearly knew nothing about it, so.

Amaris tells Gadriel that she got turned on when he choked her nonconsensually, so then he chokes her "consensually"(even though she freaked out when he choked her the first time, and this could easily trigger her into another panic attack, but okay.). She blows him, and he finger bangs her while choking her but won't take her virginity because it should be ~gentler~ the first time. First of all, you cannot tell me that Amaris still has her 'maidenhood' when she's been riding horses all this time. Piper doesn't know shit about horseback riding, though, and that's obvious. Second of all, I am convinced Piper has a secret incest kink. Why do you ask?

Well, Nox and Amaris were written as sisters, but now they're apparently star-crossed lovers? (yet they're boning random men along their journey to find one another. Makes sense.) Nox's literal father tells Amaris that she is basically his child. Because Daphne prayed for Amaris she is also considered Amaris' mother...so...they're literally siblings in love. Nox and Amaris are actually 100% based on Yennefer and Ciri from the Witcher, which is a mother/daughter relationship(Piper can say this book has nothing to do with the Witcher all she likes, she literally dedicated to this book to Henry Cavill as Geralt. We're not idiots.). Amaris calls her fellow reevers her 'brothers' and then tries to fuck one of them. And now she has a daddy kink with Gadriel(proven by the fact that Piper continuously calls him Dadriel.) This is only gonna get worse now that Amaris' actual father figure was murdered.

Also, killing off Odrin would've been a good move if Piper had bothered to establish an actual relationship with him and Amaris instead of just having him enter the plot for convenience's sake. The whole King Ceres/Yazlyn/Gadriel ending was the most exciting part of the book, honestly.

Still, don’t give your money to Piper CJ.

currently reading

This is what happens when you write a book in 9 days and don’t accept constructive criticism. You get sentences like this.

“She knew she was about to watch the head of a man as it was gnawed from where it connected to his shoulders.”

The whole book is like this. How did this pass the beta reading process?? This is not ready for publication.

pre-review

ya'll remember that time that Piper said that TNAIM wasn't even inspired by the witcher, and then she went ahead and dedicated this book to Henry Cavill as Geralt? Yeah, me too.

[Nevaeh Castro · Rating 1 out of 5]

*Update* I will be reviewing the third book the minute I can get a copy from the library 😈

Thank you to the Net galley for the ARC of The sun & Its shade.

What little hope I had for Piper C.J.'s writing has vanished; The sun & its shade is somehow worse than The night & its moon, which I was unsure if such a thing was possible, yet here we are. In Piper's notes on the novel, she states that the book was written in 9 days, which shows in the quality of the writing, which is that of self insert Wattpad fan fiction. Apologies for the long review. I had a lot to say about this one.

*Spoilers ahead*

The Writing
Yet again, most of the problems with the novel start with how the book is written; Piper's flowery writing does nothing to create an environment one can understand. There are novels in which floral writing is used: The night circus and Strange the dreamer are perfect examples of this, as both stories wouldn't be the same without the beautiful writing found within their pages. The same can not be said for this book; I was to the point of wanting to DNF; however, the pure rage this novel sparked kept me going.

The Plot
Is there a plot to this book I couldn't tell you, and I doubt that even Piper could tell you the plot; this novel feels like one really long chapter that could have been rewritten or never seen the light of day. Yet again Amaris acts like a child but wants to go North to help discount Rhysand, and all Nox wants to do is find Amaris. However, if you thought that this book would be trauma free for Nox, maybe even she would be treated like a human; you clearly don't know the fantastical writing of Piper C.J.. Just like in The night & its moon, she is the punching bag for whatever trauma the author feels like giving her; Nox suffers nightmares and has to relive her years of sexual abuse. All while Amaris gets to pretend that she is a witcher alongside a love interest.

The Characters
Amaris remains a self-insert with little to no personality other than complaining about situations she puts herself in and proclaiming that she is independent. This is contradictory to her own actions of literally always needing another person to move the plot along because of her own inaction.
Nox, in this book, keeps on her path of being a stereotype of a woman of color, constantly being referred to as a badass who will not let anything stop her from finding Amaris. This characterization is a slight improvement to The night & Its moon, where Nox was nothing but a trauma sponge in human form. However, even this tiny improvement vanishes when she finds herself in a difficult situation sending Nox back to her status as a hyper-sexualized token woman of color.
Gadriel always has and always will be dollar store Ryhsand, yet is somehow more annoying and mind-numbingly exasperating. I still dislike this character as much, if not more than I did in the first book because, at least in the first book, there were at least chapters without him. Still, this time, his existence is inescapable. His seemingly creepy behavior towards Amaris and constant demands to be recognized as a general makes one annoyed with this cardboard character very quickly.
Ash, surprisingly, is not a person of color, which I am impressed by considering that the only POC main character is named after the Latin word for dark. So a point to Piper for that. Ash doesn't do much in this novel besides gushing about badass Nox and providing the occasional banter with Malik. Ash is also afraid of bugs which was just a detail I enjoyed because it just came out of nowhere and did nothing for his character.

The romance

Gadriel & Amaris
Chemistry has ever heard of it because Piper hasn't; Gadriel and Amaris are the cheapest versions of Freya and Rhysand I have ever seen. Sarah J. Mass was able to execute a romance between her characters that worked within the rules she established for her world. Piper said copy-paste; there is no life in the romance, rather just a feeling of dread as you realize the inevitable. Throughout the scenes with Gadriel, especially the spicy ones, Amaris is infantilized by the language used to describe her actions. As a reader, I find it incredibly uncomfortable as it feels as if the only way this character can interact with a love interest is through her child-like behavior.

Nox & Amaris
Just like in the last book Nox spends the novel pinning after a woman who scarcely remembers her existence. The point is that when Amaris is not at the forefront of Nox's life, she is one of the more tolerable characters within the novel. Still, as it has been well established, she only exists to represent the oversexualized, seductive woman of color. Different Nox spends most of the novel hopelessly devoted to Amaris; she spends most of the novel not even remembering that Nox exists. That is till yet again Piper remembers the romance that is supposed to be the emotional center of the novel in the last 15 pages

Final thoughts
Do I hate this book more than The night & Its moon? Yes, I truly wish someone had spoken to Piper about how sometimes we must keep our thoughts to ourselves. Still, alas, no one did, so here we are with no brain cells left and an increasing desire to carve out my own eyes or scream about how no one should ever even look at this novel. Honestly, this is one of, if not the worst, books I have ever read; so much of this story is pointless, and with only two more novels in the series, I highly doubt that Piper will be able to create an overarching narrative that can tie the mess of plot threads together. Where I was hopeful at the end of my review for the first novel, all that optimism has vanished, and in its place is nothing but the hope that no one will pick up this book.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

0.75 stars
CW: racism, white supremacy, assault

Disclaimer: Again, I am aware of the drama regarding Piper and her behavior in reviewer spaces, but like last time, I will only be discussing the content of this book. Because this is a new release, I’m going to split this review into a spoiler-free and spoiler-full section.

SPOILER FREE
This section is going to mainly focus on the craft of this book. I understand that Piper is still a fairly inexperienced writer, and many of the following issues will likely be improved with practice and reflection. However, I said the same thing in my last review, and I’m disappointed to see that very little has changed. I’m going to explain what didn’t work for me and why with examples. Other people may or may not have experienced the same issues.

PROSE
I would say the prose in TSAIS is marginally better than that in TNAIM. This book suffers from all of the same technical problems as the previous installment —overwritten and clunky sentences, confusing figurative language, anachronisms and anatopisms, and needlessly complex vocabulary—, just in a slightly smaller quantity. The combination and frequency of these issues lead to a book that was difficult to parse and immerse myself in.

I think the author is trying to imitate the lush prose found in classic fantasy novels but doesn’t have the proper understanding to execute it well. It’s like when children try to make their own jokes: they understand superficial qualities of how adults tell jokes —the intonation and the format— without understanding the subtleties —the word play, the subversion of expectations, or the context. I think Piper concluded that fantasy prose has elaborate language and whimsical imagery and focused on that without understanding the underlying conventions that actually contribute to fantasy prose being enjoyable.

Much of Piper’s writing is syntactically correct (the words are arranged in an appropriate order) but fairly nonsensical in meaning. Many sentences may sound nice because of their diction but ultimately confuse rather than captivate the reader.

The wishful swirls of the subconscious

What makes a swirl particularly wishful? What part of the subconscious has swirls? The visuals?

She gaped at him as her equilibrium floated

How does one’s sense of balance float? Does she feel light? Does she feel unstable?

However, a great deal of this book is also syntactically unusual. English is a language that heavily relies on its word order in order to convey meaning, and some of the syntax Piper uses muddles the intended meaning.

Malik frowned down at the tiny ball of wet shadow, dripping tendrils of hair escaping from the hood

This sentence is confusing due to expectations of how the sentence should go. Malik is the subject of the sentence, and the reader would expect that ‘dripping’ refers back to Malik such that he’s the one dripping something. However, ‘dripping’ here is describing the hair of who he’s looking at.

Another major drawback to this overly flowery language is that sometimes it takes an unnecessarily long time to figure out what is being described.

The bright, hot disk of bliss

Translation: the sun.

Instead, the pools were caught by her eyelids, preventing gravity’s siren song.

Translation: Her tears didn’t fall.

I understand Piper is trying to be creative and experimental with her language, but some of the things she writes are not how people actually use language. I would like to clarify that there is no right way to use the English language. The issue with Piper’s writing is not that “she’s doing it wrong;” it is that she is using the language in a way that no one else really does. The ‘rules’ that people have for language are to help us effectively communicate with one another, but Piper doesn’t follow many of these expectations, leading her writing to sound unnatural and clunky to many people. An editor should have helped her with this, and yet this book is still rife with confusing sentences.

REPETITION
Just like the previous installment, this book is bloated with unnecessary words. Piper likes to write consecutive sentences that describe the exact same event, feeling, or idea in slightly different ways without any real purpose in mind.
Repetition is often used to emphasize key pieces of information, but its overuse makes everything feel melodramatic, slows down the pace, and lessens the impact of actually important events.

[Amaris] wanted to nod but struggled to find air. She couldn’t breathe. If he didn’t provide her with oxygen soon

Using this many words takes up space and time in the reader’s mind, so it feels like the event is going on for a long time. It’s difficult to feel as though Amaris’ life is in danger when she has three lines of time to think about the fact she’s in danger.

WORLDBUILDING
The worldbuilding in this series continues to be incredibly inconsistent and unimaginative. The world in this book was given very little care and attention. I had three main issues with worldbuilding in this book: the word choice, the religion, and the magic.

This book is littered with phrases and words that definitely shouldn’t exist in a fantasy world without proper explanation. I’m not expecting authors or editors to have an impeccable grasp on the etymology of every word, but phrases with very clear cultural, geographic, or scientific origins like ‘cross to bear,’ ‘labradorite,’ or ‘cognitive dissonance’ should not have made it to publication. Does this mean Jesus; Labrador, Canada; and modern psychology all exist in this fantasy world?

One of the things I enjoy about fantasy is immersing myself in worlds that are not similar to our own, and words or phrases that distinctly belong to the real-world are jarring to me. Anachronisms and anatopisms create the sense that an author did not have a clear idea of major settings details like when or where a story takes place or the level of magic versus technology. Usually, authors will specifically curate the language they use in order to reflect the world they want to depict, but I don’t think Piper thought about this at all. Again, a developmental editor should have helped her hone the world.

The religion in this world is still very uninspired. There are lots of references to Christian concepts like hell and hellfire and hellhounds, angels and halos, saints, and devils. It’s rather lazy to fall back on an existing religion and presumptuous to assume all readers will recognize these concepts. These terms are thrown around without any exploration as to how they fit into this world or the folk beliefs behind these concepts. Piper missed the opportunity to pull from her knowledge of folklore.

I had so many questions about the magic system: where does magic come from (is it biological, is it a naturally occurring force like electricity or magnetism, is it a gift from the goddess?), what are the rules and limitations, why do Amaris and Gadriel have a bunch of unrelated powers, etc. I don’t mind soft magic systems, but I don’t think Piper thought ahead about how the magic would work and be incorporated into the story. The magic came and went as needed. Because the magic is so nebulous, I knew the characters would always magically get themselves out of their problems.

SPOILERS AHEAD

PLOT
I’m using the term ‘plot’ loosely here, because this book is little more than a series of conveniences and loosely connected scenes. There isn’t a particular goal to this book; the story isn’t building up towards something in particular. Nox and Amaris reuniting again 1) doesn’t have as much weight because we’ve already seen them separated and reunited and 2) feels like a coincidence itself because only Nox has been trying to get back to Amaris. The characters just stumble into useful information that points them to the next plot beat. There is no urgency or underlying motivation.

Additionally, the characters face little to no obstacles with any sort of lasting consequences. Gadriel and Amaris break into a building that holds all of the world’s magic, but no one is upset with them about it. Gadriel’s wings get fixed for free and without any lasting damage. Nox acquires some magical items that were conveniently left behind and unguarded. The Duke of Henares gives Nox and the reevers food, equipment, and shelter at no cost. Malik almost dies fighting a demon, but Nox can revive him with her succubus magic, and when this almost kills Nox, she just recovers through Ash and Malik sitting with her for a bit. So on and so forth.

RACISM AND WHITE SUPREMACY
I was really hoping this would be left behind with the previous book, but here we are. This book clumsily attempts to be self-aware about the racism in the previous book while still actively using racist stereotypes and tropes. Gadriel actually tells Amaris that it is racist (also, apparently this world shares our world’s vocabulary on this matter despite not sharing our world’s history with race, but okay) to call the Raascot fae ‘dark fae’ in the context that profiling certain magic as ‘dark’ or ‘malevolent’ is discriminatory. Yes, that is true, but this completely ignores the fact that the Raascot fae are literally dark-skinned AND are associated with harmful stereotypes of people of color from the real world. This felt like the author paying lip service to people being rightfully upset with her problematic depictions of people of color without addressing the actual racism in her book. Readers were not upset that these fictional characters were mistreated in the context of this world; readers were upset because these characters were mistreated in the same way that real-world people have already suffered at the hands of white people. If Piper knew she had included racism in this book, why did she write the Raascot fae to so blatantly align with racist stereotypes?

By the end of the book it is revealed that 1) Nox is the daughter of the princess of Farehold and the king of Rasscot, 2) Nox’s mother’s begged the All Mother send someone or something to protect Nox and restore peace to the realm, 3) Amaris was immaculately conceived by an unnamed black priestess in order to be the savior of the world, and 4) Nox was sent to the orphanage to hide her from the king of Farehold. So much here is problematic. The exceptionally white Amaris was sent to protect Nox. Nox was also “protected” by being sent to a child mill where she was whipped and then sold into sexual slavery on behalf of Amaris. So, Amaris is literally a white savior but has only made Nox suffer.

Additionally, the priestess only exists so that Amaris can be born. I’m sure Piper was going for some striking imagery with a woman ‘as dark as the night’ birthing ‘the moon,’ but this woman is completely exploited for the sake of a white character. We don’t get any indication that this pregnancy was consented to. There is a long history of the commodification of black women’s bodies for sexual purposes. So, it’s frankly disgusting that Piper chose to have a divine, all-powerful entity enact its will upon this woman’s body and not make any sort of commentary about it or condemn it.

Here are some other instances of racism in this book:
1. The Raascot fae’s emblem contains ”bronze, like the skin of its people.” Piper relies heavily on the skin of the Raascot fae as a shorthand for their culture. People of color are much more than their skin, but not according to this book.
2. “Perhaps it was [Nox’s] dark fae blood that gave her a predisposition for sneaking” It is a racist stereotype that people of color are inherently more prone to criminal or distrustful behavior.
3. “Her very name meant “night,” the representation of those who for centuries had been called the dark fae” Naming people after their skin has been historically used to dehumanize and reduce the worth of people of color. This is heavy-handed imagery that relies on racist tropes.

RELATIONSHIPS
Nox is heavily lesbian-coded and yet develops an interest in the first man who is nice to her. This reminds me of the rhetoric many queerphobic people use that “she’ll meet the right man eventually.” Nox’s character is contradictory: Piper wants her to be this symbol of feminine justice who seeks vengeance on men as a whole and yet too quickly decides “not all men.” She could have had an arc of her not trusting the reevers at all and being worried they’d hurt her, to being wary, to maybe starting to like them, to eventually trusting them. Sexuality is fluid and queer people can have preferences, and Nox could have slowly discovered that she does in fact like men after a lot of reflection and healing, but it felt like Piper wanted more bi representation and forced a non-bi character to be bi.

Conversely, Amaris hasn’t really expressed any interest in women besides Nox (although I’m still not convinced she actually loves Nox), and she also feels like she has been shoe-horned into being bi. People don’t have to prove their sexualities, but Piper has touted this series as a “bisexual love story,” and yet it doesn’t feel like these characters are bi. She’s put way more favor and development into the straight-presenting relationships yet is trying to convince the reader that the relationship between Nox and Amaris is this world-changing, soul-bonded love for the ages. To make matters worse, Nox and Amaris’ relationship is built on racist and white supremacist tropes.

[Nox’d] taken beatings, been sold like a commodity to the highest bidder, done and thought and endured unspeakable things for the love that burned more intensely in her heart than the light of the sun.

Nox did not make many of these decisions herself. This is not love; this is a person of color suffering for the benefit of a white person under the guise of a love story. Nox has never benefited from her relationship with Amaris, and yet Amaris only benefits.

I don’t think Amaris loves Nox but instead loves what Nox does for her and how she makes her feel. It’s very infuriating that Amaris does absolutely nothing to try to reunite with Nox whereas Nox is fighting to get back to Amaris. Gadriel can fly but Amaris doesn’t bother to ask him to go back and try to find her friends. Not only does she forget about Nox, Amaris also forgets about Malik and Ash, her so-called brothers. Amaris is so quick to throw away people close to her for someone new who gives her attention. I wouldn’t be surprised if she forgets about Gadriel too in the next book.

Speaking of Gadriel, his and Amaris’ relationship is inconsistent. They swing back and forth between bickering and completely trusting each other. I couldn’t tell you what Amaris and Gadriel like about each other besides maybe appearance. Amaris acts like a childish brat, and Gadriel is cocky and arrogant.

The main issue with this relationship is the depiction of consent or lack thereof. In order to train and explore her powers, Amaris gives Gadriel verbal consent to help her. However, Gadriel absolutely violates her trust by strangling her in her sleep. He then has the audacity to scold her.

You didn’t even try the safe word! Besides, I did get a verbal yes from you yesterday… If you want to stop, you have to say so.

She can’t use the safe word if she is in a state of panic and choking! Not allowing someone to revoke consent is non-consenual behavior!

Immediately after this, Gadriel violates her wishes again.

“I’m going to come over there now.”
She shook her head from where she remained looking up at him on the ground, but the motion pained her. Gadriel sighed, ignoring her silent protests so that he could help her whether she wanted it or not.

There is later a sex scene in which Gadriel has to remind Amaris about using their safeword. I think Piper wanted to write BDSM representation but did a poor job. Gadriel does not care about the well-being or wishes of his partner. To make matters worse, Gadriel chokes Amaris again, but it’s okay because she likes it this time?? Being strangled is a very traumatic experience, and choking during sex could have easily triggered Amaris. The content warning at the beginning of the book for ‘consensual breathplay’ is not really true. Instead, we have scenes that could potentially be very triggering for certain readers.

ODDS AND ENDS
Here are a few other problematic issues with the content of this book.
Here is how a literal demon was described: “blackened gray of a demon’s amphibious skin” with “clawed talons.” Here is how the limb difference of the brothel Madame in the previous book was described: “gray, amphibious hand that slithered down Millicent’s arm, ending in blackened, razor-sharp talons.” Really, a limb difference is equivalent to an actual demon? I didn’t talk about ableism in my previous review. But yes, it is there. The brothel Madame is literally demonized because of her disability, and it is implied she is not a good person because of her disability.

Piper has denied the uncanny similarities between her series and the Witcher, yet the new power Amaris unlocks in this book is the ability to generate destructive shock waves, or you know, Ciri’s main power in the show. You would think someone would want to avoid further plagiarism accusations and double check their work for any potential future issues yet Piper seems to be digging the hole deeper… There’s some other questionably “inspired” parts of this book: the glowing, blue room full of orbs that contain the world’s magical knowledge, the ability to go into memories, riding a freed dragon to a magical university, etc.

FINAL THOUGHTS
The rapid-release schedule is certainly not helping the quality of these books; they feel rushed without proper editing and revisions. I think the publishers don’t want to put in the effort necessary to refine this mess of a series and just want to capitalize on the author’s dedicated fans.

I could keep going, but I’m honestly tired of thinking about this book. I definitely would not recommend this book. I’ll probably keep reading these books out of morbid curiosity, but I have very little faith they will improve. If you are interested in reading it for whatever reason, please do not financially support this author but instead support your local library.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly I won’t take any Piper slander after reading both her books and meeting her in person, TNAIM and TSAIS are amazing fantasy novels to escape into. I’ve been watching and listening to all the ‘cancel culture’ and sure, snapping back at your beta readers can come across as toxic and wasn’t the best move. One wrong decision does not define someone. Projecting your own political and societal issues onto this book is just not it. It is FANTASY. She’s an incredible writer, the ‘over the top’ descriptions just make it that much more immersive. Sometimes I don’t want ‘nuance’ sometimes I want to be led by the hand through a beautiful and well thought out world. She has created a deep and and immersive world that I am addicted to. I can’t wait for her other books.

[Grace Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Night and Its Moon was a very good book – it was everything I wanted as a high fantasy novel with fantastic representation. The Sun and Its Shade went above and beyond, carrying me through multiple enthralling adventures and leaving me begging for more. It was both breathtakingly beautiful and terribly tragic. It was SPICY, it was QUEER, and provided an accurate emotional portrayal of being a queer/bisexual woman. Piper’s writing is beautiful, effortlessly pulling together multiple points of view to enable the reader to create their own opinions and emotions rather than forcing it upon them. It called out racism, taught trust, and redefined love. The characters are beautifully flawed, and unapologetically authentic. Ultimately, I found that this novel asked the reader to question the norms of society in the name of authenticity and being true to themselves.

I would sell my soul to read this again for the first time. 12 stars.

[Jessica Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for providing me with an eARC for review.

I unfortunately do not recommend this book in the slightest. The writing is confusing and underdeveloped, the storyline is all over the place, the characters' voices aren't at all distinguished between one another, and overall there are really racist and offensive ideals interwoven into these words. I also didn't like the way that trauma was handled in this book, particularly in the form of consent and the BDSM that is featured, but that's my opinion and I do understand that there will be people who interpret this part differently.

Overall, I wanted to give the author the benefit of the doubt, however, I have not enjoyed any of her books, and I can't, in good conscience, recommend any of her books. I do not recommend this, and whilst I hope that the author takes time to improve her work, I'm pretty sure I won't stick around for it.

[Kelsey Rhodes · Rating 1 out of 5]

0/5 stars! How is this book being published and what did I just read? Hats off to this book for being my worst read of 2023 and I've read a bunch of tiny indie books rather than this more mainstream publisher book. All of the failings of the first book are still here. I was really hoping the author had learned and grown and wanted to do better but she doesn't seem to have at all. This book read like a racist fan-fiction of the Witcher. I just can't. Unless you wanna read confusing, disconnected books with a blatantly racist message, I would not recommend this book. (Goodreads won't let me give it zero stars, so it'll have to be 1; ugh).

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Shelby Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline is fine in this book, much better than TNAIM. The writing is a little rough. There are blatant callouts from other series, and probably some that I wasn’t able to identify because I haven’t consumed that specific media. There was a scene ripped from HP directly. The Department of Mysteries with the magical room full of glowing blue orbs that hold blessings and curses. The way it’s described is more like using the pensieve, where you’re pulled into the memory rather than seeing it in smoke above the broken orb like it was described in Order of the Phoenix. That was a cool scene if you don’t make that connection.

Nox and Amaris are both bisexual, but it feels like they are attracted to each other simply for the angst of the plot. Nox is clearly coded as a lesbian, but somehow is horny for Malik? He’s a human man that she cannot have sex with because she will literally kill him. I do not understand why this is part of her story. Also, Amaris being with Gadriel after he tried to kill her in her sleep (consensually but absolutely not really) was icky all around to me. It feels like the first hot guy she comes in contact with aside from Ash that made her all tingly was immediately the guy she decided give up her virginity for. He also doesn’t actually fuck her because of stupid outdated ‘you aren’t ready yet I decided for you’ bullshit. I think if Nox and Amaris weren’t attracted to each other it would further the plot more. Or if they were only attracted to each other and not to the people around them. I did not like the story of Amaris’ conception and birth.

It was immaculate conception and she was carried by a priestess who was described as having box braids and ebony skin. Amaris comes out white skin, hair, eyelashes, and purple eyes. Is she supposed to be Jesus? Is she supposed to be fae? I’m very confused by the mashup of religions here. It feels like it’s being both pulled directly from specific religions, and also like it was just a dressed up messy version of those religions. The timeline is very ambiguous, and I’m confused about Raascot’s king at the end. He’s delusional but no one has stepped up to run the kingdom during this time? He’s still very ill and obviously unaware of his surroundings, so I do not understand why he would not have an advisor or general step up for daily activity.

All of that said, I enjoyed everyone’s separate journeys in this book. Amaris was challenged at every turn. We get a little more background information about both Nox and Amaris. I liked that Amaris and Gadriel had their own journey together after crashing nearby the university that rescued and healed them. Amaris keeps coming across people that she has never encountered before that are resistant to her magic, or that have a magical background that she knows nothing about. She still does not know anything about the outside world (for no reason). Her entire life has been at the orphanage and at the Reev, where she only got specific types of educations. How the men at the Reev did not prepare her for life outside that world besides knowing about demons, I will never understand.

I liked that Nox ended up traveling with Ash and Malik. They really taught her so much about her limits, both physically and mentally. Her finally knowing who her parents are was such a shock. I really thought that would have been Amaris because of the way she has been hyped up. We finally get a glimpse into Raascot and the fae that live there, which is something I’ve wanted the entire book. We get too little information about the fae and humans living there peacefully together.

Overall, I would rate this a 3/5. I will be reading the rest of the series because I am now in too deep. I need to know how this ends.

[Kady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon finishing book2, this is officially one of my all time favorite series. Where TNAIM has a bit of sweeter, familiar feel, watching the 2 FMCs grow up and stumble into the harsh world, TSAIS is all action, epic fantasy, grand reveals, and an even stronger cast of characters. The rich descriptions and insightful prose from the first book continue throughout book2, effortlessly immersing the reader into this enrapturing world. The character development is impeccable. Everyone is flawed and everyone has to question their own internal beliefs and principles. The entire story demands the characters and the reader reflect on their own biases. This includes the magically, physically, & sexually diverse cast of secondary characters, who all bring new perspectives and fresh energy to the story. (The character story novellas from the B&N exclusives are SO GOOD!!) The story strikes a solid balance in being character and plot driven. Achingly beautiful intimacy as well as plot points that sneak up on you before you realize what's happening. There's not many lulls, I never got bored. The spice was delicious. (Living for the bisexual rep!!) Leaving the first book I was so excited to get to explore more of these character relationships and TSAIS gave me so much more than I hoped for. I giggled. I ugly sobbed. I cheered and yelled in triumph. These characters' stories have my heart. 

[Nikki Jeske · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sequel worthy of immense praise. Nox and Amaris continue to hold my heart in their hands as their journey continues, surrounded by lovingly created characters and breathtaking background images. Piper CJ's biggest strength is her ability to worldbuild such realistic scenery that visualizing these moments is as easy as breathing. While the first book focused on the smaller worlds surrounding the two main characters, this book expands on their relationships with others and the countries that have made them who they are.

[Emily Gvino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book. I wish I hadn’t read it so quickly but I couldn’t help it. I needed to know what happened to all my new friends!! I love these characters and I love that Piper CJ turns all stereotypes on their head. Fantasy books too often have the damsel in distress or questionable love stories…this weaves in consent, resilience, divine feminine rage, and women empowerment in on mythical tale. Can’t wait for #3!

[Jessie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review will be different to my usual style and WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. Please be aware of this before reading.

Please note: I am a white reader, and as such reccomend that when available you listen to POC readers on the topic of Racism in this book.

“Ignorance is no one’s fault, but once you’re made aware of your lack, the choice to remain oblivious is when you become culpable.”

Compared to the first book, this book had much more of a unique voice. It was easier to read, and felt far more alive. Unfortunately, a lot of the writing was repetitive to the stage it cut the flow of the story. The author ended up saying the exact same thing in 3 sentences with no additional information in any of them, or sometimes multiple times within the same sentence.

“Behind a desk, the short, stout man who had spoken at their meeting beamed up from his place behind the desk”.

There were enough of these instances that the book definitely could have benefited from another round of edits. It would have helped the writing so much, and would have made it less clunky. A lot of the sentences simply didn’t make sense, with or without context:

-“Her muscle memory had trained her to flow with the battle as if it were a river.”
-“She gaped at him as her equilibrium floated.”
-“The puddle of longing from her own water as it moved against her inner thighs.”

Yes, that last one was a full sentence.

The plot suffered from a lot of contradictions; Nox has a panic attack that spans pages because she’s scared of the water in the river, but then less than a page later she’s sat on the side with her feet in with no explanation as to how she suddenly overcame her fear. Amaris, the girl who literally has the power to force people to do what she wants just by telling them to and has recently and regularly used her power says the words: “I don’t like that word— obey. It’s not in my blood.” That isn’t exactly a contradiction, but it just felt like a fall-flat joke.

We also had no consequences for any of the plot-points: Gad tears his wings, but it’s fine because next chapter they’re fixed and better than ever. Amaris has a problem? Someone else will solve it for her. Nox has a problem? Don’t worry, she can fuck her way out of it. None of the individual plot points had a lasting effect to any other aspect of the story, and the entire thing felt entirely disjointed.

RACISM
The dark Fae in this book all have darker skin tones, regularly described as copper or bronze.

The text at one point considers that it’s Nox’s Dark Fae blood that gives her a “predisposition for sneaking”, and Gardriel, the other Dark Fae character, states he has an “aptitude for locks.” Being criminals and being sneaky are two racist stereotypes often pushed on real world Black people. Even suggesting their ethnicity as the reason for the skills in the characters is perpetuating this stereotype.

When discussing other powers, it’s said that “Some fae possessed voyeurism, an ability to remain unseen to anyone around them, save for the glow of their eyes..” Voyeurism already has two English definitions, both of with have negative associations when considered out of context (the context usually being BDSM):

1. Enjoyment from seeing the pain or distress of others.
2. The practice of gaining sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity.

Using this word for a power equal to invisibility implies that the dark fae use it for nothing but inappropriate behaviour. It’s such a strange word choice, and it’s impossible to argue that Piper couldn’t consider the connotations of changing the definition of an already established word.

In a later scene between Nox and a white-male, nox is trying to convice herself not to sleep with him. Earlier in this Novel and in the previous book Nox is described as a Succubus, but sudden;y the narrative is changed to the Succubus being an animal part of her that she keeps caged.

“The succubus banged against its cage, howling to be released.”

A few sentences later, Nox reliquishes this train of thought and determines she isn’t a monster but the following sentence she “battled for her own sense of self control, confident that her human half was fighting her fae half with whatever goodness and decency it possessed. She pictured her demon half with wings and fangs and talons, but her human half had responsibility, love, and consent.” This implies that her Fae half-the half that provides the melanin for her darker skin-is an evil, unloving, unresponsible, consent dismissing monster. It’s a ‘strange’ way to treat the only non-white race that regularly appears in your book.

Luckily, the Raascot fae aren’t the only POC in the world. Unfortunately, the other characters are treated no better. A priestess at the temple of the goddess is desribed as having onyx and obsidian skin, and having “rope-like braids.” We never find out her name, as she dies early in the novel. We see her later in a flashback, where she is seen giving birth to Amaris. She never concieved the baby naturally, and it was placed in her by the Goddess. She is this universes version of the Virgin Mary, except-apparently-far more expendable. She is literally descirbed in text as “a vessel” for the white-skinned child. I guess this makes Amaris Jesus. I think it’s possible that Piper considered having Amaris born for the lone purpose of protecting nox would be enough to equalise whatever harm this portrayal caused, but that isn’t how this works. (Not to mention Nox literally got whipped for Amaris in the first book, whilst Amaris has done literally nothing to protect Nox.)

So don’t worry, we have many POC. They’re just all sneaky, creepy monsters that do nothing other than protect our main white character.That’s fine, right?

In a weird, meta moment Piper acknowledges that the Raascot fae are POC, and that people had issue with their portrayal in the first book. Her characters actively call it racist:

“She bit off her sentence right before calling him “demon.” It seemed a little less tasteful after he’d informed her rather matter-of-factly that “dark fae” had certain connotations.” This point, again, is dismissed when she calls him Demon again many times in the book. Calling something racist or acknowledging racism is not enough, you have to be actively against it. This book is not. I don’t know what I expected from a sequel to the book that had the POC main character whipped as not to hurt her white friends “perfect skin.”

The obsession with skin, and it’s color, continues in this sequel. Whenever we get moments of Amaris and Nox spending time together-which are rare, considering it’s their love story-the text focuses on how their skin colors look together:

-“Bronze and pearl contrasting lovingly as Amaris nestled more deeply into early-morning sleep.”
-“Nox raised a hand, appreciating just how tan her smooth, slender fingers looked against the pretty friend in her bed”

It’s multiple instances of “look how good my dark skin looks against her white skin.” Then again, maybe this is just another odd trait of the Raascot fae. They all have an obsession with skin colour, or at least I assume they must considering that’s why the flag of their kingdom is the colour it is. Piper literally says that the flag of the North is “Bronze, like the skin of its people.” I wish that was a joke. Then again, there are worst things in this book:

“Now that she knew what cursed gifts she possessed, some broken part of her wondered if that was the reason her scars had faded to their thin, nearly imperceptible lines. Had she sipped from the cup of Amaris’s love the same way she sucked the life force from her prey?”

Here, POC character actively feels bad because she worries she took some of the white characters “love” to help heal the scars that were caused by her being whipped to protect said white character. The whipping which for some strange reason is brought up regularly, though not at any point to address as trauma. So sure, Nox healed the scars with her ‘evil powers’, but apparently not enough that they don’t distress other characters when needed:

“The servant gasped at the scars that lined Nox’s back, but Nox was too deadened to flinch at the sound.”


PLAGARISM AND EXISTING “INSPIRATIONS”
The desert country the priestess is from is named Tarkhan. Tarkhan is the real-world name of a Sikh Punjabi community that are still present today. As well as an ancient Central Asian title used by various Turkic, Mongolic and Indo-European peoples, especially in the medieval era, and prominently among the successors of the Mongol Empire.

This real-world representation continues when Nox is trying to name her Axe.

““What about Chandra?” They both frowned. Ash spoke first, asking, “Why would you choose that name?” She shrugged. “It’s from the Tarkhany dialect. I don’t speak their language, but one of my clients left a book for me once at the Selkie.”

Chandra is a Sanskrit and Hindi word, and also the name for the Hindu goddess of the moon. Piper claims it’s a word in the-unnamed-language of the Tarkhany people.

The goddess and “all-mother” in this universe is represented in a tree. The tree often goes by other names: “Bodhi, Genesis, Yggdrasil.” Bodhi is the Buddist term for true enlightenment, named after the Bodhi tree under which it is said the Buddha achieved said enlightement for the first time. Genesis is the name of the first bible book, and the two trees of Genesis are a part of Christian belief. Yggdrasil is a tree in North mythology, that is said to support the universe with it’s roots tethering the underworld.

Piper has taken existing terms-one of which is sacred to people of that religion-and shoved them into her fantasy book with no respect or acknowledgment of the original cultures. It’s a mish-mash of things that she wanted to take, so she took them.

This applies to the content too. Anyone who read the first book will know that it got accused of plagerism for being so similar to the Witcher. That didn’t stop in the second book-With Amaris, the ciri coded character-even getting the one power that Ciri gets in the Witcher show.

We also have a magic quill, where the other side of the conversation appears on the page as if written by someone in the room. As well as a tall room full of blue, floating orbs-all of which show you old memories using Magic. Both of these are well-known moments from the Harry Potter series (Tom Riddles diary, and the hall of prophecy.) Could this be a coincidence? Sure. The issue isn’t that Piper decided she liked these ideas-it’s that this book is just idea on top of idea, sandwiched together but none of the ideas are hers. She’s taken from different existing stories and cultures and shoved them together to create a book without changing enough to make them not instantly recognisable as their original source.

SEXUALISATION
Following on from Nox’s fears of being constantly sexualised in the first book, she continues to be constantly sexualised in this book. At one point she has run away and has nothing but the clothes on her back:

“”Don’t get me wrong. We love seeing you like that, but you’re going to need something more practical if we have any hope of traveling,” Ash said as he eyed Nox’s tattered dress. Malik frowned sympathetically as he evaluated her. Red welts lined her arms, her cheeks, and the exposed places of her chest and legs from the scratching fingers of twigs and brambles. Malik grimaced at Ash’s choice of words. It didn’t feel right to objectify their newly acquired travel partner. Not only had she saved them, but clearly she and Amaris knew each other exceedingly well.”

I was pleased to see Malik acknowledging this, and I wanted him to call it out, yet less than a page later he’s doing it himself:

“He couldn’t speak for Ash’s resolution in self-control, but resisting the urge to turn was no small feat.”

This is followed by a description of how beautiful Nox is, and again mentions her body. It’s tiring, and we’re constantly being told how sexy this girl is, as if there’s nothing to her other than her beauty and her need to Protect Amaris. This is futher projected during the following paragraph, where Nox is simply showing Malik a directional arrow on a pocket watch:

“She leaned in conspiratorially, closing the gap between them as she pressed the pocket watch into his palm. She was too entranced by the spelled object to appreciate the nervous tremble of his hand. If Nox could have heard his thoughts, she may have empathized enough to take several steps backward. She wouldn’t have wanted to make him feel uncomfortable, after all…Malik’s throat bobbed and he hoped she missed how loudly he’d swallowed. Try as he might, he couldn’t keep the blush of shyness from coloring his neck. Goddess, she smelled good. The brush of her skin was the softest touch of velvet. Somehow, after days of travel, she still smelled like fresh plum pie sprinkled with cinnamon as it cooled on the window ledge.”

Somehow, this too is sexualised, and it gets tiring; to the stage that Nox mentions in passing that she “had a client” and the men have to stop thinking about the world-saving quest they’re going on to consider the thought of having sex with her:

“There was a shuffling and adjusting of postures that may have implied the men were undergoing a triumphant effort not to picture what it meant to be one of Nox’s clients.”

Amaris and Gad also have issues with what is an attempt to be Sexualisation. Whne Gad is offering to help her unlock her powers, he asks for a verbal confirmation. The exchange as followed:

“I need a verbal confirmation.” Amaris sat in a state of shock as stars began to populate the sky. It was hard to know how much time had passed before she found her voice. “Yes,” she said finally, mind and body still whirling with disconnect.“

After giving her confirmation, he then proceeds to choke her in her sleep. There was never any mention of this before, just that unlocking her powers would be rough. When she panics and lashes out at him-new power unleashing-he practically mocks her.

““Oh my goddess, you can’t be serious. Snowbird, witchling! Snowbird! You didn’t even try the safe word! Besides, I did get a verbal yes from you yesterday before even considering exercises that might help unlock your powers. If you want to stop, you have to say so.””

How was she expected to say the safe word if she was choking and couldn’t breathe? And here, Gad actively admits he didn’t warn her that he was going to do this. It’s assault and his apology is nothing more than a “crooked, apologetic half smile.” But don’t worry, because a couple of chapters later Amaris decided she actually liked nearly being killed, and apparently it turned her on. this led to a sex scene in which this violent assault and near murder was apparently the foreplay? In the one trigger warning for this book this is described as “Consentual breathplay.” except choking someone until they force you off is not breathplay, and it’s not consentual if Amaris didn’t know it was going ot happen beforehand. I think Piper was attempting to add BDSM into her story, and there’s nothing wrong with that. This, however, was not BDSM. BDSM has strict rules, and is all about care for your partner.

Overall, this is not a book I’d reccomend. You may not agree with everything in this review, but I like to think the quotes from the book speak for themselves. Please listen to POC and own voices reviewers when considering book content that relates to them.

This was a complete review in terms of opinion but did not comment on every aspect within the book.

[Tiffani Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piper has done it again! After finishing TNAIM (Book 1), I knew I had to get my hands on this book as quickly as possible. I was yearning to learn more about where the MCs were headed on their journey, if they would reunite, and what challenges were awaiting them along the way.

Upon receiving my ARC of TSAIS, I was instantly transported to the Continent of Gyrradin and along for the adventure. If you were a fan of TNAIM, then you will absolutely love TSAIS. It had me sobbing, laughing hysterically, and cursing characters along the way with each new chapter. Every time I thought I knew what was to come, Piper took me by surprise with a bit of a plot twist. It has a way of making you question who the "good" vs "bad" guys are, and question whether they are neither and both at the same time. Piper does such a great job really making you feel the characters emotions along the way.

Warning: there is some adult content and this book series is not for younger readers, however, mature readers will be pleasantly surprised with the classy, elegant and romantic love scenes that take place. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loved the first book, loves folklore/fantasy and or bisexual representation. Preorder this book ASAP - you will not regret it!

[Alexis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly I couldn't get into this book at all. It couldn't pull me into it. I had to dnf this book sadly. I thought it might have been better written than the authors last book but sadly it wasn't. 1 star book.
I don't recommend this book at all

[Octavia Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my absolute favorite series. The writing is just flawlessly beautiful with descriptions of the people, places and plot that make you feel like you’re right in the center.
Everything about this work is perfection. A masterpiece.

[Luce McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Night was not a time defined by the colors of the sky, but the sun did keep the house awake.’
Piper has floored me once again. I could spend forever reading this series and live alongside Nox and Amaris. Even the creatures in their world are so incredibly beautiful.
The dichotomy of beauty of ‘dark’ and ‘light’, as a consistent motif throughout the world that Piper develops, is a true masterpiece of creation as it has in-numerous interpretations. The dedication to exploring the intricacies of each character becomes even more committed into the second novel as we get to experience the boundless attributes of our favourite characters, especially my angels: Zaccai and Yaz. One of the most exciting chapters features the University full of drama and quests and magical academia and I only wish I could attend. I could talk about the extreme talent in the extended metaphors within the TSAIS and I would never get tired. Piper has an amazing gift for translating stunning and breathtaking worlds into words and back into our imaginations. Every second of this series makes me excited and allows me to dive in at my own pace. As a longer book it did take me longer to read but every second I didn’t want to end. I fall in love with Nox and Amaris more and more in every page but am constantly comforted by their humanity (ironically) and growth. ‘This was love.’ This was the defining statement of the relationship between Nox and Amaris. Their love is so much more complicated than any other relationship that they maintain. It depends on truth and feeling and displays how natural and blessed their bond is. They are fated to be both together and apart with neither distance defining their connection. It is truly heart warming to be able to read such an extraordinary contribution to the queer canon and for the fantasy not to focus on the traumas of the community but on the adventures of these freaking awesome characters. The new plot twists had me biting my nails and almost screaming and crying in public. The ending had me tearing through every sentence because I needed to know what was happening as soon as possible and now I wait impatiently on book three but I’m very excited to dive into the adventure. I’m breathless, speechless, and will not be moving again until the next book!

[Elizabeth Graven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piper CJ's novel The Sun and Its Shade, part two of the story begun in The Night and Its Moon, takes the world of Gyrradin and the people who live there to new heights and new depths, and the reader on a roller coaster of emotion that will occasionally leave them breathless. If you liked the first book, you will love the second, and will ache for the third once you have finished it.

While Piper's immersive, sensory-focused writing style makes it easy to feel as though you are experiencing the world, the loving effort she makes in representing so many overlooked and misunderstood people can make you feel that you have truly become a part of it. Nods to everything from queer love, kink, and polyamory to living with mental illness and using prosthetic mobility aids populate the continent with people who are so much more than cookie-cutter fantasy heroes. They are deep, complex, and feel real in ways that stir feelings of empathy in the reader even for the ones whose actions are most cruel. There are few truly evil people in Gyrradin, but plenty who are doing their best with what they have in the darkest of circumstances.

The story begs to be read in a way that makes the book difficult to put down. Sometimes it is because the reader is falling in love alongside the characters, while other times the building tension is too strong to delay resolution. The "spicy" scenes, included at points of character relationships that feel natural in their development, may well leave some readers fanning themselves and wondering who left the heat on. On the other end of the spectrum, some scenes may leave you in the same frantic scramble as the characters, or screaming internally in a desperate attempt to help them. Be prepared to run the full gamut of human emotion.

If I had to sum up what I thought of this book in three words: stunning, seductive, subversive.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of reviews about how book 1 really builds to book 2 and they weren’t kidding! I was so absorbed in this book. I loved the way emotions and coping mechanisms are explored and demonstrated throughout this book, just like the first. I’m obsessed with the characters and I’m so excited this series is on rapid release so I can get my hands on book 3 soon!!

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very upset at the cliff hanger of this book lol but I loved it overall. It’s a 4.3 for me but I’m giving 5 Goodreads stars because I loved the plot twists sm

[Eline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik vind deze boeken echt heel leuk! Ik gasp bij elke plottwist. Het einde was alleen zo zielig😭 Ik ben alleen een beetje confused met alle relaties. Een ding is duidelijk Nox en Amaris houden van elkaar. Alleen ze hebben ook nog beide een soort guy on the side die ze af en toe willen zoenen😕 Het boek praat wel deels over hoe liefde niet een limiet heeft maar oneindig is, en dat de limieten die er zijn komen door jaloezie, maar het was toch een beetje verwarrend. Hopelijk meer duidelijkheid in boek 3!

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked to see a brief recap of book 1, but instead this book picks up directly where the first left off without any real reminders of what happened in the first book. I got the Barnes and Noble signed edition (not on purpose, didn’t know it was signed until it arrived on my doorstep) so I was surprised to still find so many typos in this book. I thought she was getting a different editor after the debacle with the first book? Evidently not.

Anyway, aside from typos, I really enjoyed the story. I personally find the lengthy descriptions and prose to be quite helpful in making the book an immersive experience, I’m not sure why this is a gripe some people have. Ever read Stephen King? Talk about long winded…… I digress.

I do find some aspects of the characters slightly annoying (both being so unwilling to acknowledge their own feelings, to start) but I still found the story to be compelling and I tore through the book in just a handful of reading sessions.

The book ends directly on a major plot point which I guess is a good cliffhanger but is an annoying place to end. I look forward to reading the next one and finding out how the story actually ends.

Hopefully someone actually edits the third book. The typos are so jarring and it’s truly disappointing to be ripped out of my literary hallucination because of a spelling error that nobody noticed before giving the OK to publish.

[Bela Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been less than 5 minutes since I’ve finished this book and I haven’t fully processed what I just read, nevertheless, it has certainly been an incredible experience.

The Sun and Its Shade is enthralling and breathtaking. The story is so well written I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen as I hung to every world. The emotional journey of the characters you already came to love in book one (and a few new additions that are sure to steal your heart) and how they’re so three dimensional, it’s take on morality, the actual range of the queer spectrum, the representation of struggles with our own inner voices and overall cleverness at narrating situations rarely describe in fantasy literature caused me to laugh and cry and scream (to be perfectly honest, I mostly screamed) at every chapter.

While talking to the author I mentioned my favorite thing about her books were the characters and that I could only describe them as “soulful” and after finishing the book, I know for certain that they do own a would of their own.

The second installment of The Night and Its Moon series is deeper and more complex and I can’t believe it is still just scratching the surface of what’s waiting ahead for this saga.
I can’t wait for everyone to be able to read it!

[Natasja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot believe this book. What a rollercoaster of emotions this was. Piper is an excellent writer in making you wish for things you actually don’t really want or need. But gosh, my heart got broken multiple times.
This book was everything I wanted the sequel to be - it was waaaaay better than book one, and I loved book one!!!!
There were a few minor point for me, but I love reading these epic fantasy tales. However much I love the smut sometimes, it’s very refreshing to read a story that’s about adventure rather than the intimacy. It was perfectly balanced.
The plot it amazing and the further along you get the better and more put together it becomes?!?! Like how? I thought I had my life figured out but I clearly didn’t. Someone please give me the sequel.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am unsure how I feel about this sequel. I was absolutely obsessed with it at the start and couldn’t put it down. The more I read the more I was unsure.

I hate to admit it but I’m not as excited for Nox and Amaris to be together and was dreading them finally being reunited. I can’t help but think that Amaris doesn’t even love Nox. The only reason she does is because of Nox’s gift. It just feels forced and fake. But obviously this is just how I interpreted it.

Other than Nox and Amaris’s relationship I adored the whole book. Odrin by far is one of my favourite character and I wished he could be in it more.

So overall mixed feelings about it but I will be reading the third book

[Katie Yurdiga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I shouldn’t say I read this book because I basically devoured it. Rarely can I say that I was delighted in my predictions being wrong. This authored served up twists and curveballs which kept me reading past my bedtime. Excellent character development, I can’t say enough about this novel.

[El :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

im so sorry nox and amaris are getting so annoying

[Rheanna North · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helloooo, let’s stop you right there as I’m about to give you a review on ‘The Sun and It’s Shade’ by Piper CJ 🤍

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
4.5/5

First of all I just love how Piper CJ adds a playlist and a pronounciation guide for reading this book!😂

This book was a joy the whole way through but it did feel unnecessarily long at times but damn that ending had me in a chokehold!! I cried so damn much but this is a no spoilers review so don’t you worry! I know the next book is going to be amazing because so much tension has worked itself into this finale (wellll it might not be the finale). This book also is so in touch with women and what we have to suffer through, it is great! 🤍

But that ending has left me with my mouth open and I’ve already got the third book in my hands 📖. Ready for me to rapidly read (hopefully! I have quite a busy week coming up). I love more about how Nox and Amaris are finding themselves and their identities along their separate journeys and I’m still heartbroken I haven’t had much time with them together yet! But still a whole book to go 🤞🤍

However, Gadriel!!! I meannnn Dadrielll where did you come from?? You little demon 😂 sorry he has me fan forking a bit too hard. Piper has written his character perfectly this whole book but WHY!!! You’ll only understand this towards the end of the book.

I am here for all the relationships that have blossomed and I am really interested in learning more about Yazlyn. I was really fond of her until yanno… but mistakes happen!

This is definitely a worthy read and I recommend it to you all! So go get your grubby mits on this series.

[Maya Fish · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5. Compared to the first book this one was bounds better. While some of the storyline was slightly predictable the moments in which the secrets came to light were absolutely perfect. I still think there is a lot of unnecessary filler to be found in these novels, this one had a lot more action going on than the last. The timing of certain choices feel so reminiscent of real life, despite being a fantasy novel. I’m already grabbing the next book off of my shelf because wow, this was captivating.