The Space Between - Brenna Yovanoff

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.

Synopsis taken from goodreads. 

Title: The Space Between

Author: Brenna Yovanoff

Genre: Young adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: November 15, 2011

Format: ARC

Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Vimala from Penguin Canada for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Look for it: Amazon, Chapters, Book Depository

My rating: 4.5/5

Daphne has never left Pandemonium. She has never had a reason to, until her brother Obie disappears. Something sinister is afoot and it is up to Daphne to find Obie. She tracks down the one person she knows may have seen Obie last, and with him at her side she will try to track down her kidnapped brother. Her demonic powers manifest in the earthly realm, and she will need to learn how to defend herself from the deadly archangels who protect earth from her kind. 

Daphne is a half-demon, the spawn of Lucifer and Lilith. Pandemonium is a brilliantly realized world, brought to life with a metallic sheen. Yovanoff has this beautifully descriptive writing style that just grabs hold of you and thrusts you in with her creations. 

Daphne is completely alone in Pandemonium. She is certainly not like her sisters, and does not want to have anything to do with the lifestyle that they have chosen for themselves. She believes she is above that and does not care if she ever steps foot outside of Pandemonium. Everything changes for her though when she realizes that the one person that means the most to her has gone missing. She will have to step out of her comfort zone and befriend the boy who visited and left Pandemonium with her brother, Obie. I enjoyed her character, especially as she made realizations about herself that had never crossed her mind before. 

Her male counterpart and link to Obie is Truman. He is a richly drawn character as well, and he shows so many different sides. He complements Daphne. Daphne is steel, strength, and determination, and she doesn't have any qualms about defending herself. Truman on the other hand is aware of his faults, and the darkness around him. He knows that his thoughts may not be based on reality, but once he meets Daphne, he realizes that there might be more to life than drinking himself to death. 

They carry the story so completely, and I loved reading about them. The secondary characters round out the story more, and they add humour when needed, as well as the right amount of tension.

This read is so atmospheric, I felt like I was at the party with Truman as he was drinking himself to oblivion, and I was right there with Daphne as she questioned the people and things around her. I can't decide which novel I liked more. The Replacement, or The Space Between. They are both so atmospheric and so fleshed out. The attention given to detail and to the respective worlds from both books is easy to see. They are both so richly realized and they both completely hooked me.

Yovanoff is an author to watch out for. If The Replacement showed us her talent, then The Space Between solidified it. Her world-building, heartwarming characters, and lyrical writing will have me coming back for more. I cannot wait to read the next book she writes, or any of the subsequent titles she releases thereafter. She's a must-read author for me now and I hope you enjoy her writing style and world-building as much as I do.