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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
Before I get into the review, I would like to thank the author for kindly sending me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: ✯✯✯✯
These Violent Nights is an action packed fantasy set in a universe where there are three different planets, which are all very different from each other. The story begins in the protagonist, Thorn's, Earth, where humans are hunted by the magical Surrias, and the first part follows her and her best friend (Thistle) as they navigate this life and move in with two Surrias (Kol and Nithin) - after Thistle's engagement. Eventually we come to see all three different planets and are introduced to a great cast of characters!
These Violent Nights was definitely one of my favourite fantasy reads of the year so far. I haven't actually had much luck in fantasy recently, only enjoyed one prior to this book, and I'd been avoiding my TBR for this genre for that reason. However, I think it's safe to say that These Violent Nights has now turned my mindset around, and I can't wait to get back to this genre again!
I think one of my favourite things about the book was definitely the world building. In some fantasties information tends to be chucked at the reader in massive chunks but this was far from the case here. Crunden created a really good sense of the planets without overwhelming the reader, and I really admired the way she slipped crucial details into conversations and interactions between the characters, which definitely made it a lot easier to digest. She also successfully slipped in other information, for instance the fact that humans were not allowed to listen to music, which really added an extra something.
I also really liked Thorn and Thistle's relationship - to begin with, that is. I really admired the way Thorn looked out for Thistle, particularly concerning her engagement to Nithin. What I wasn't a fan of, however, was how mean and spiteful they could be to each other at points, although it was nice to see them make up and put everything behind them in the second half.
This definitely made for some great character development, particularly on Thorn's part. At the beginning I kind of hated her character and how pessimistic and close minded she was, but by the end she had come on leaps and bounds and I liked her a lot more. I really enjoyed watching her progress and become more selfless and open to changing her attitude towards the Surrias, and coming to terms with the idea of not all of them being evil.
Of course, Kol helped her a lot with that. Kol was definitely one of my favourite characters in the whole book and I loved reading about the way he constantly took care of Thorn and saw to her needs. He was definitely one of the kindest characters in the book, and I also really enjoyed reading about his species, the Frai (a type of Surria). Kol definitely stood out from the other characters and he was genuinely a really likeable character!
Lucien was another character which I really liked. I really loved how loyal and forgiving he was and he generally came across a really nice person and father figure to Ginny. Lucien was another of my favourite characters and I preferred his character a lot more than Thorn's, with the two of them being the main protagonists through which the story was told.
I also loved the overall strong sense of friendship throughout. I loved reading about Thorn's interactions with the other humans, as well as Nithin and Kol, and there were definitely some really lovely ones in there. I particularly enjoyed the bond between Thorn and Nithin at the end, which was made all the more lovelier by the fact that it had taken so long for them to get to that point.
Of course, friendship wasn't the only strong relationship explored in the book - there was also romance. I really enjoyed both Thorn and Kol and Lucien and Nik's relationship, which were both fraught with obstacles to overcome. Both of these relationships featured a human and a Surria, and watching their different struggles regarding this was really interesting to read. Both of these relationships also made up a good chunk of the book, so it definitely has its fair share of romance!
The book was also split up into four different parts, with a different focus in each one. The first and biggest part explored Thorn's time at Nithin's house, with the second introducing a new character (Lucien) as a protagonist as well as another planet where humans ruled over Surrias. I found it so interesting and intriguing to read about how different the two Earths were and it really helped with not seeing all of the Surrias in a negative light. I don't want to give too much away about the other two parts but they were definitely just as interesting as the first two!
I also really enjoyed Crunden's style of writing. She managed to strike just the right balance between being too descriptive and not being descriptive enough, which really added to the ease of readability. Once I got into it I whizzed through it and read the majority of it in a couple of days! I think this would also be a great book to dip in and out of, too, as that's what I started off by doing, until it completely hooked me in!
The twists were also amazing. I definitely didn't see the big twist coming, and it's safe to say that it left me really surprised. It was definitely really clever of Crunden and the last two parts were full of surprises that left me reeling!
However, that's not to say that I enjoyed everything about this book. I definitely liked the first part a lot less than the other three, which was partly due to how annoying Thorn's character was and also how slow moving it was to begin with. That being said, I wouldn't let that put you off as the other three parts really make up for it and are generally a lot faster paced, as well as having lots of chapters exploring Lucien, who I really liked.
I also felt like there were too many characters, although that could just be me. There was, admittedly, a really great range of characters in this book but I definitely think some of them could've been removed and it wouldn't have made any real difference to the plot and the overall outcome.
Overall, I would recommend These Violent Nights for anyone searching for a deeply engaging fantasy with lots of strong friendships and characters. I would also recommend it to any fan of romance, as there are two main couples in the story which are well developed, with their relationships being fully delved into.
Rating: ✯✯✯✯
These Violent Nights is an action packed fantasy set in a universe where there are three different planets, which are all very different from each other. The story begins in the protagonist, Thorn's, Earth, where humans are hunted by the magical Surrias, and the first part follows her and her best friend (Thistle) as they navigate this life and move in with two Surrias (Kol and Nithin) - after Thistle's engagement. Eventually we come to see all three different planets and are introduced to a great cast of characters!
These Violent Nights was definitely one of my favourite fantasy reads of the year so far. I haven't actually had much luck in fantasy recently, only enjoyed one prior to this book, and I'd been avoiding my TBR for this genre for that reason. However, I think it's safe to say that These Violent Nights has now turned my mindset around, and I can't wait to get back to this genre again!
I think one of my favourite things about the book was definitely the world building. In some fantasties information tends to be chucked at the reader in massive chunks but this was far from the case here. Crunden created a really good sense of the planets without overwhelming the reader, and I really admired the way she slipped crucial details into conversations and interactions between the characters, which definitely made it a lot easier to digest. She also successfully slipped in other information, for instance the fact that humans were not allowed to listen to music, which really added an extra something.
I also really liked Thorn and Thistle's relationship - to begin with, that is. I really admired the way Thorn looked out for Thistle, particularly concerning her engagement to Nithin. What I wasn't a fan of, however, was how mean and spiteful they could be to each other at points, although it was nice to see them make up and put everything behind them in the second half.
This definitely made for some great character development, particularly on Thorn's part. At the beginning I kind of hated her character and how pessimistic and close minded she was, but by the end she had come on leaps and bounds and I liked her a lot more. I really enjoyed watching her progress and become more selfless and open to changing her attitude towards the Surrias, and coming to terms with the idea of not all of them being evil.
Of course, Kol helped her a lot with that. Kol was definitely one of my favourite characters in the whole book and I loved reading about the way he constantly took care of Thorn and saw to her needs. He was definitely one of the kindest characters in the book, and I also really enjoyed reading about his species, the Frai (a type of Surria). Kol definitely stood out from the other characters and he was genuinely a really likeable character!
Lucien was another character which I really liked. I really loved how loyal and forgiving he was and he generally came across a really nice person and father figure to Ginny. Lucien was another of my favourite characters and I preferred his character a lot more than Thorn's, with the two of them being the main protagonists through which the story was told.
I also loved the overall strong sense of friendship throughout. I loved reading about Thorn's interactions with the other humans, as well as Nithin and Kol, and there were definitely some really lovely ones in there. I particularly enjoyed the bond between Thorn and Nithin at the end, which was made all the more lovelier by the fact that it had taken so long for them to get to that point.
Of course, friendship wasn't the only strong relationship explored in the book - there was also romance. I really enjoyed both Thorn and Kol and Lucien and Nik's relationship, which were both fraught with obstacles to overcome. Both of these relationships featured a human and a Surria, and watching their different struggles regarding this was really interesting to read. Both of these relationships also made up a good chunk of the book, so it definitely has its fair share of romance!
The book was also split up into four different parts, with a different focus in each one. The first and biggest part explored Thorn's time at Nithin's house, with the second introducing a new character (Lucien) as a protagonist as well as another planet where humans ruled over Surrias. I found it so interesting and intriguing to read about how different the two Earths were and it really helped with not seeing all of the Surrias in a negative light. I don't want to give too much away about the other two parts but they were definitely just as interesting as the first two!
I also really enjoyed Crunden's style of writing. She managed to strike just the right balance between being too descriptive and not being descriptive enough, which really added to the ease of readability. Once I got into it I whizzed through it and read the majority of it in a couple of days! I think this would also be a great book to dip in and out of, too, as that's what I started off by doing, until it completely hooked me in!
The twists were also amazing. I definitely didn't see the big twist coming, and it's safe to say that it left me really surprised. It was definitely really clever of Crunden and the last two parts were full of surprises that left me reeling!
However, that's not to say that I enjoyed everything about this book. I definitely liked the first part a lot less than the other three, which was partly due to how annoying Thorn's character was and also how slow moving it was to begin with. That being said, I wouldn't let that put you off as the other three parts really make up for it and are generally a lot faster paced, as well as having lots of chapters exploring Lucien, who I really liked.
I also felt like there were too many characters, although that could just be me. There was, admittedly, a really great range of characters in this book but I definitely think some of them could've been removed and it wouldn't have made any real difference to the plot and the overall outcome.
Overall, I would recommend These Violent Nights for anyone searching for a deeply engaging fantasy with lots of strong friendships and characters. I would also recommend it to any fan of romance, as there are two main couples in the story which are well developed, with their relationships being fully delved into.
I’m not even surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this book. I had high expectations for These Violent Nights as the author’s previous work, The Outlands Pentalogy had been one of my best reads of 2020. I wasn’t dissapointed in the least by this book.
These Violent Nights shows a cruel world where humans are hunted and tortured by beings called Suriia who have taken over the human world. Some humans search for Suriias, or in other words, some Suriia take ownership of humans as companions to protect them. This is what happens with Thistle and Thorn, two young girls who are humans and who decide to stay with Nithin, Thistle’s boyfriend, and his best friend, Kol who are Suriia. Thorn is reluctant to have anything to do with Suriia, having been attacked and tortured by them many times in her life, but she agrees to do so in the hopes of finding and killing Veryn, a Suriia who killed her and Thistle’s parents. However, that is not all that the book encompasses. The plot is very rich. This 600+ book takes the readers through a long journey with many events and ups and downs in the characters’ lives.
I was sucked into this book very quickly. The anticipation of a budding romance between Kol and Thorn kept me hooked, as well as the danger and mystery that surrounded the characters’ fates.
The focus was as much on the characters’ growth, especially Thorn, and their relationships as much as the plot. Fantasy books can be tricky in balancing world-building with characterization and this was done well in this book. There was a great mix of danger and action with emotional, funny, and everyday human moments. Through Thorn, the book shows what it is like to live your life in the shadow of immense trauma that you have faced, trauma that you feel you can never let go of. The world-building in this book was amazing. It was refreshing and not too complex.
A portion of this book is from Lucien’s perspective. Lucien is a Suriia and the world he lives in is the opposite of that of Thorn’s—humans rule over Suriias there. I didn’t expect the book to show the humanity and cruelty of both beings—the humans and the Suriias. I think it was clever of the author to do so, making a larger comment on what power can do to people regardless of who they are.
For such a long book, there aren’t many boring moments. So much happens throughout the length of the book and multiple characters are introduced. By the end, you feel like you went on a terrifying, thrilling, and emotional journey with the characters. The ending wasn’t as action-packed and thrilling as I expected it to be, but it was still satisfactory.
These Violent Nights by Rebecca Crunden is a well-written dystopian and fantasy stand-alone novel. If you’re looking for a book that’ll keep you engrossed for a while, I’d definitely recommend it.
Check out more of my book reviews, recommendations, and other content on my blog Travelling Through Words and bookstagram!
These Violent Nights shows a cruel world where humans are hunted and tortured by beings called Suriia who have taken over the human world. Some humans search for Suriias, or in other words, some Suriia take ownership of humans as companions to protect them. This is what happens with Thistle and Thorn, two young girls who are humans and who decide to stay with Nithin, Thistle’s boyfriend, and his best friend, Kol who are Suriia. Thorn is reluctant to have anything to do with Suriia, having been attacked and tortured by them many times in her life, but she agrees to do so in the hopes of finding and killing Veryn, a Suriia who killed her and Thistle’s parents. However, that is not all that the book encompasses. The plot is very rich. This 600+ book takes the readers through a long journey with many events and ups and downs in the characters’ lives.
I was sucked into this book very quickly. The anticipation of a budding romance between Kol and Thorn kept me hooked, as well as the danger and mystery that surrounded the characters’ fates.
The focus was as much on the characters’ growth, especially Thorn, and their relationships as much as the plot. Fantasy books can be tricky in balancing world-building with characterization and this was done well in this book. There was a great mix of danger and action with emotional, funny, and everyday human moments. Through Thorn, the book shows what it is like to live your life in the shadow of immense trauma that you have faced, trauma that you feel you can never let go of. The world-building in this book was amazing. It was refreshing and not too complex.
A portion of this book is from Lucien’s perspective. Lucien is a Suriia and the world he lives in is the opposite of that of Thorn’s—humans rule over Suriias there. I didn’t expect the book to show the humanity and cruelty of both beings—the humans and the Suriias. I think it was clever of the author to do so, making a larger comment on what power can do to people regardless of who they are.
For such a long book, there aren’t many boring moments. So much happens throughout the length of the book and multiple characters are introduced. By the end, you feel like you went on a terrifying, thrilling, and emotional journey with the characters. The ending wasn’t as action-packed and thrilling as I expected it to be, but it was still satisfactory.
These Violent Nights by Rebecca Crunden is a well-written dystopian and fantasy stand-alone novel. If you’re looking for a book that’ll keep you engrossed for a while, I’d definitely recommend it.
Check out more of my book reviews, recommendations, and other content on my blog Travelling Through Words and bookstagram!
Thank you to the author, Rebecca Crunden, along with the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinions in any way.
3.5 stars
”Sometimes life is disgustingly unfair. It doesn’t change the fact that you have to keep trying to live life as you want it to be. If we let the pain cripple us, there’s no hope for anything.”
These Violent Nights is a story consisting of four parts, each of them told from a different perspective. The first one is where our main character Thorn lives with her best friend, Thistle. They both are humans who are desperately trying to survive their Suria-dominated earth and avenge their parents’ deaths. Surias have taken over their world and don’t take kindly to humans.
The other perspective we get is of Lucien, a Suria who lives in an earth parallel to Thorn’s where humans are the superior species, with Surias treated like dirt.
The dynamics of both these worlds were very engaging and had excellent world building. I think I did get attached to the characters the most, because they’re what held the story together in my opinion. The character arcs were something I greatly admired
about this book because honestly, Thorn really annoyed me at first.
Her discrimination towards the Suria was something that was brought up every second page and reading about it repeatedly ticked me off. I think I can safely say that I was beyond glad with her character development at the end.
The banter between Thorn and Kol was also something I really enjoyed (Kol reminded me of Nikolai from the Shadow and Bone series and I loved it so much). The fact that Kol was kind to Thorn despite all the nasty things she said about his species was something I deeply respected about him.
”Stop being so cynical, Rose. We’re not all bad.’
‘My name’s Thorn.’
‘I know.’ He took a sip of his coffee, a roguish smile on his face. ‘But you’re not so thorny all the time. In exchange, you can call me whatever you want.’
‘Fine, Charcoal.”
Another thing I felt was off was the transition from one part to the other. By the time I realised that part two had started and I’d entered Lucien’s POV, I was already so invested in Thorn’s that it took me quite a bit of time to get used to it.
The numerous friendships and relationships in this book were heartwarming to read about and I fell in love with them instantly.
”I don’t need a teacher. I need a reason not to fear the shadows.’
‘Shadows are just dark things we imagine to be nefarious. But things that are intangible aren’t worthy of fear. The real things, those are what to fear.’”
The enriching plot kept me hooked to my seat the whole time I was reading and I couldn’t look away. And those plot twists at the end, I can say that I had a small hunch about it but it was still shocking to experience.
It’s been a while since I read a book with a happy ending that didn’t break my heart, so I love that for me.
”But sometimes horrendous acts could never be forgotten. Sometimes no amount of kindness or pledge of protection or oath of loyalty could ever fully erase the scars left by cruelty. Wishing for a change of heart was like trying to change history. And she couldn’t do either.”
3.5 stars
”Sometimes life is disgustingly unfair. It doesn’t change the fact that you have to keep trying to live life as you want it to be. If we let the pain cripple us, there’s no hope for anything.”
These Violent Nights is a story consisting of four parts, each of them told from a different perspective. The first one is where our main character Thorn lives with her best friend, Thistle. They both are humans who are desperately trying to survive their Suria-dominated earth and avenge their parents’ deaths. Surias have taken over their world and don’t take kindly to humans.
The other perspective we get is of Lucien, a Suria who lives in an earth parallel to Thorn’s where humans are the superior species, with Surias treated like dirt.
The dynamics of both these worlds were very engaging and had excellent world building. I think I did get attached to the characters the most, because they’re what held the story together in my opinion. The character arcs were something I greatly admired
about this book because honestly, Thorn really annoyed me at first.
Her discrimination towards the Suria was something that was brought up every second page and reading about it repeatedly ticked me off. I think I can safely say that I was beyond glad with her character development at the end.
The banter between Thorn and Kol was also something I really enjoyed (Kol reminded me of Nikolai from the Shadow and Bone series and I loved it so much). The fact that Kol was kind to Thorn despite all the nasty things she said about his species was something I deeply respected about him.
”Stop being so cynical, Rose. We’re not all bad.’
‘My name’s Thorn.’
‘I know.’ He took a sip of his coffee, a roguish smile on his face. ‘But you’re not so thorny all the time. In exchange, you can call me whatever you want.’
‘Fine, Charcoal.”
Another thing I felt was off was the transition from one part to the other. By the time I realised that part two had started and I’d entered Lucien’s POV, I was already so invested in Thorn’s that it took me quite a bit of time to get used to it.
The numerous friendships and relationships in this book were heartwarming to read about and I fell in love with them instantly.
”I don’t need a teacher. I need a reason not to fear the shadows.’
‘Shadows are just dark things we imagine to be nefarious. But things that are intangible aren’t worthy of fear. The real things, those are what to fear.’”
The enriching plot kept me hooked to my seat the whole time I was reading and I couldn’t look away. And those plot twists at the end, I can say that I had a small hunch about it but it was still shocking to experience.
It’s been a while since I read a book with a happy ending that didn’t break my heart, so I love that for me.
”But sometimes horrendous acts could never be forgotten. Sometimes no amount of kindness or pledge of protection or oath of loyalty could ever fully erase the scars left by cruelty. Wishing for a change of heart was like trying to change history. And she couldn’t do either.”
Fascinating multi-world story
This is book about a dystopian future for humans, except with a twist. An interesting exploration of the evils of power, hatred and prosecution and how the world (or worlds!) we live in can bring out the best and worst in us all.
There's an excellent cast of characters. I particularly liked Thorn as a character - yes, she's angry and at times unreasonable, but for entirely understandable reasons!
Another aspect I liked was all the domestic scenes, they really helped to ground the readers in the day-to-day life of these characters and their worlds.
Overall, an enjoyable read I would definitely recommend.
This is book about a dystopian future for humans, except with a twist. An interesting exploration of the evils of power, hatred and prosecution and how the world (or worlds!) we live in can bring out the best and worst in us all.
There's an excellent cast of characters. I particularly liked Thorn as a character - yes, she's angry and at times unreasonable, but for entirely understandable reasons!
Another aspect I liked was all the domestic scenes, they really helped to ground the readers in the day-to-day life of these characters and their worlds.
Overall, an enjoyable read I would definitely recommend.
challenging
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
Before we begin, I want to thank the author for sending me this book early for review!
Magic. War. Extinction. As always, Crunden has written another immersive, creative, and addicting book that I absolutely fell in love with. There were points in the book where I just couldn’t put it down. I got so addicted, and I would find myself reading past midnight! I highly recommend checking this book out! It is an amazing stand-alone that will leave you attached to every character you meet, and only wanting to stay in this world longer!
I highly recommend picking this book up! It’s got everything you could want in a book and more!
Final Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️
Magic. War. Extinction. As always, Crunden has written another immersive, creative, and addicting book that I absolutely fell in love with. There were points in the book where I just couldn’t put it down. I got so addicted, and I would find myself reading past midnight! I highly recommend checking this book out! It is an amazing stand-alone that will leave you attached to every character you meet, and only wanting to stay in this world longer!
I highly recommend picking this book up! It’s got everything you could want in a book and more!
Final Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Thank you so much to the author Rebecca Crunden for my early copy of These Violent Nights. This is no way affects my opinion.
I wasn’t sure what to expect heading into These Violent Nights, but I ended up adoring it. The synopsis only tells a small portion of the story because it takes some wild and twisty turns that I was not expecting.
I wasn’t sure what to expect heading into These Violent Nights, but I ended up adoring it. The synopsis only tells a small portion of the story because it takes some wild and twisty turns that I was not expecting.
My favourite part of These Violent Delights was the characters. I fell in love with them as soon as we met them, and they could do no wrong in my eyes. All of them had such complex personalities that constantly left me guessing how they would side on issues, which is what I love from my characters. They are all very morally grey, especially when they are put in perspective of their respective Earth’s, but I think this added a great amount of depth to them and made them seem real. The only minor issue that I had is that there is quite a vast supporting cast of characters the further you get into These Violent Nights, and I did find myself getting them all confused with each other.
The plot of These Violent Delights left me constantly guessing at what was going to happen next, and the majority of the time, I was utterly wrong. I didn’t expect most of the plot twists that occurred, which made it even better because it meant I could just enjoy the story rather than constantly working out what would happen next. I loved how Rebecca Crunden twisted the Earth’s on their heads, which showed how one decision could change perception and the course of a race; this was a really interesting concept.
A great amount of worldbuilding has gone into These Violent Nights, and it is really noticeable. I was immediately immersed in the world, which helps when starting a long fantasy. I think this was enabled because there aren’t any big info dumpy sections that I always find pull me out of the story. But I sometimes found myself getting confused about the Suriaa because of this, as elements were mentioned once and then not again till the end, which did detract a small bit.
As These Violent Nights is a standalone, there is a definitive ending, and I was pleased with it. It leaves quite a bit up to the reader’s imagination, which I enjoyed because it showed that even though this particular moment in history is over, there is still work to be done.
After reading These Violent Nights, I can’t wait to read what Rebecca Crunden releases next. I highly recommend picking up These Violent Nights, especially as you will be supporting a self-published author.