Smoulder/The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

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

Daphne is a half-demon, half-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.

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

                                                  My rating - 4


My review:
I loved Smoulder. There were a lot of things I really liked.
1) The girl is the supernatural creature and the boy is human. Unlike the many YA fantasy novels where the girl falls in love with a mysterious boy who turns out to be supernatural.
2) The romance was believable.
3) All the characters were well developed and relatable.
4) I got excited when I discovered that the protagonist was the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. How cool is that?

The story alternates between the first and third narrative which is usually confusing, but Brenna did it in a way that was interesting and easy to follow. The way that she described Pandemonium made it east to picture.

Daphne is a demon but she doesn't act like one. She has a very kind nature and is very relatable, and she's generally an outcast in Pandemonium. She isn't treated fairly by her sister's because she's different. Daphne has a television in her room because it's the only way she can connect with out world. She's fascinated by it.

I felt sorry for Truman. He is very troubled and has been through a lot. His mother died, forcing him to live with his step-dad and he copes by drinking heavily and partying.

The two characters meet when Daphne's brother Obie disappears, and she goes to Earth to find Truman because he was the last person to see her brother alive. They join forces to try to find him.

There is romance but it isn't overwhelming. The thing that bothers me about YA is that the romance seems to take-over the story and the main theme is ignored. That was not the case for this book. The main characters go through a lot together, so it's understandable why they get close.