Originally reviewed at Hooked on Books 
 What a gorgeous and heart wrenching novel. 
 If my reviews were only one sentence that would be the sentence for this book. 
 But my reviews are more than one sentence, so let me elaborate. 
 For Darkness Shows the Stars, a post apocalyptic adaptation of Persuasion, was a book I was expecting to like. It sounded fun and interesting and right up my alley. I was not, however, expecting to love this book (probably because I'm not a huge Austen fan). But as my recent re-watch of Grey's Anatomy has taught me - you can't choose who (or in this case what) you fall in love with. 
 For Darkness Shows the Stars starts off strong with a unique take on the future. Human beings, obsessed with technology, pushed the limits of our species too far, resulting in catastrophe. In response, they reverted back to an almost pre-industrial state of living. They still have tractors and some other basic equipment, but there are now inventors, great scientists, or even musicians or artists. Life has basically stalled. I thought this was really interesting for two reasons. 1) It was a fantastic comment on both our addiction to technology and our fear of it and 2) though this world was completely imaginary it did not seem like a huge stretch of the imagination. Her world building was smart and believable and I was completely immersed in it. 
 And then there was the romance - or maybe I should say lack of romance? Suspension of romance? Whatever the correct terminology, the story of Elliot and Kai made my heart beat faster and tears well up in my eyes. It was just so tragic! When presented with the opportunity to run away with the boy she loves, Elliot turns him down out of a sense of responsibility. Four years later, Kai returns, successful and proud and determined to make Elliot feel sorry for her decision. They were both hurt and cruel, and neither was truly an innocent party. And best of all (for us the readers) is that there weren't any easy answers. Their problems didn't magically disappear and the obstacles keeping them apart were real things they needed to confront. I truly didn't know what would happen until the very last pages of the novel. 
 So between the genius setting and the heart breaking romance, this novel had me hook, line and sinker. Though I can't say I loved all the characters or approved of all their choices, it didn't seem to matter. This is story telling at it's best. And to top it all off, it's even convinced me to give Miss Austen another chance. 
 Final recommendation: Recommended for fans of romance and those who enjoy writers like the Brontes, Jane Austen etc. Not recommended for those looking for just another YA dystopia/post apocalyptic novel.