It’s time to discuss another horror sequel—Liz Kerin’s much anticipated First Light is hitting shelves April 23, 2024 from Tor Nighfire. I think it’s fair to say that its predecessor, Night’s Edge, took social media by a storm when it came out. Or at least, it did for my corner of Instagram. I really wanted to know what all the Starbucks cups were about, okay? And now I’m going to do my best to tell you what they’re about, what they are both about, without spoiling anything. Because I want more people to read this duology.
To begin, we’re going back to Night’s Edge. I’ve reread the synopsis of this probably five times to make sure I’m not giving too much away when I say the first thing (after the Starbucks cups) I knew about these books was that they involved mom trauma. The second thing I knew (which is about the Starbucks cups) was that this was another sapphic vampire novel to add to the stack. While that second point is usually a good time, the first one gave me pause.
If you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you probably know that I enjoy grief horror. That for me, horror that pulls those emotional strings is going to be what I reach for. But I opened Night’s Edge, read the first page, and said okay. Maybe I’ll give this one a minute. Which, by the way, absolutely props to Liz Kerin for such a killer opening. But I want to bring this up because that thread of mom trauma ties both books together. Again, not really a spoiler—First Light’s synopsis mentions this continuation.
I should have realized going into this read that the timing was going to make this a poignant one for me. You see, I lost my mom in April of 2002. And it feels dishonest to review this duology without providing that piece of context. Mia’s relationship with Izzy in no way mirrors my relationship with my own mother, but the emotions felt true. And the direction they go in First Light dialed that up to eleven. I wasn’t expecting the way the themes begun in Night’s Edge were going to evolve. But evolve they did, beautifully and cathartically so.
Now, if you’re still with me, I want to make sure you don’t have the wrong idea. I know that up there was heavy. But these books somehow aren’t. They are, clearly, but they don’t read like it. They’re fast-paced, fun, witty. I think I read both books in only a few days. Night’s Edge was, dare I say, cute. They both had their heart wrenching moments, but the pacing of both prevents the reader getting bogged down. Which is good, because so often Mia is also not afforded that time. And First Light really kicks up the action and stakes, so that doesn’t change. It really is a fantastic sequel. And since it’s both sequel and finale, it had a job to do.
Having finished both books now, I have questions, but not urgent ones. I have questions in the way you wonder about that friend from highschool who somehow isn’t on social media. You hope they’re doing well, you’d love an update on their life. But the last time you saw them, you had a decent enough picture of how things were going. First Light did its job well. The things I was wondering about in Night’s Edge are answered as well as the story and characters can allow. But a perfect bow wouldn’t fit this tale, so I’m glad I still wonder. I’m glad I’ll still be thinking of Mia, and these books, for a while.
Images courtesy of Tor Nightfire.
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