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saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I am a simple man, I read a gay ass book with dragons, I’m happy.
A Day of Fallen Night is more complex than Priory of the Orange Tree. Following more characters and taking place over more lands, it’s mostly them reacting to wyrms fucking shit up and being like “how the FUCK do we get rid of these wyrms?”
I wish it was a little more interconnected, though pretty much all of the main characters do interact at some point, this felt more like three interconnected stories than one. The protagonists of these stories being Tunuva, Glorian, and Dumai. Wulf is the secret fourth protagonist that crosses over the most between these main plots.
Tunuva’s plot could have been better paced, but I loved her as a character and her relationship to Esbar. The fact she’s a queer middle aged mother and the protagonist of a fantasy novel was so refreshing and I loved how her arc dealt with motherhood. Love to add this to my list of other fantasy novels with mothers who are also protagonists along with The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi and The Fifth Season. I also loved how through her we get a deeper look at the culture of the Priory.
Glorian’s plotline was my favorite. She’s the teenage princess of Inys and is dealing with the responsibility of procuring an heir. She’s dealing with the cruelty of the monarchy at the literal worst time (reminder there are WYRMS). Her arc opens a dialog on reproductive rights, mainly in how having children is so heavily expected and even forced on a lot of women, which is made even more interesting in how she’s implied to be asexual and how ace people are often pressured to have sex. She also has such a great and tender friendship with Wulf. Her arc is at once tragic and powerful.
Dumai’s storyline is perhaps the most important to the plotline. She’s dealing the most with “how the FUCK do we get rid of the wyrms?” Hers took me the longest to get into, though I liked her arc and absolutely ADORED her slowburn enemies-to-lovers relationship. Overall, all of the romantic subplots absolutely devoured, managing to both be tender and angsty without melodrama.
Wulf is a poor little meow meow and a sweet boy. He helped add some much needed connections to the characters and is in many ways the glue of the story. There’s some interesting mystery around his character and as previously mentioned he has SUCH a great connection to Glorian, being so ride and die for her.
This book is gayer than the first one. Tunuva and Dumai are both sapphic and have relationships with other women, Wulf is queer (probs bisexual), and Glorian is likely ace. There’s also other queer side characters and identities seamlessly integrated into the world building, including trans and nonbinary ones. Though there’s an emphasis on bloodlines, it mostly decouples this from heteronormativity (with the exception of the Berethnets who manage to be the only people who must marry men and is a point of conflict in both books, Galian Berethnet when you catch these hands). Also having so much emphasis on bloodlines is of course still a problem (and a major source of conflict) but hey at least they aren’t homophobic about it.
I liked how this deepened the world building of Priory, though I wish we had gotten some more new information. We get a lot of expansion on the history of this world, but I wish we had some more on the magic system and mythology.
The pacing also could have been better. Though the climax is significantly less rushed than Priory’s, the first half was kind of a slog to get through. Though it was all good content, it took too long to feel like the story had actually gotten into motion. But once it did it was a roaring ride.
Overall, A Day of Fallen Night mostly sticks the landing as a prequel. Though it has some pacing issues and could have expanded more on the world, it has strong characters and a tragic, wild plot.
A Day of Fallen Night is more complex than Priory of the Orange Tree. Following more characters and taking place over more lands, it’s mostly them reacting to wyrms fucking shit up and being like “how the FUCK do we get rid of these wyrms?”
I wish it was a little more interconnected, though pretty much all of the main characters do interact at some point, this felt more like three interconnected stories than one. The protagonists of these stories being Tunuva, Glorian, and Dumai. Wulf is the secret fourth protagonist that crosses over the most between these main plots.
Tunuva’s plot could have been better paced, but I loved her as a character and her relationship to Esbar. The fact she’s a queer middle aged mother and the protagonist of a fantasy novel was so refreshing and I loved how her arc dealt with motherhood. Love to add this to my list of other fantasy novels with mothers who are also protagonists along with The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi and The Fifth Season. I also loved how through her we get a deeper look at the culture of the Priory.
Glorian’s plotline was my favorite. She’s the teenage princess of Inys and is dealing with the responsibility of procuring an heir. She’s dealing with the cruelty of the monarchy at the literal worst time (reminder there are WYRMS). Her arc opens a dialog on reproductive rights, mainly in how having children is so heavily expected and even forced on a lot of women, which is made even more interesting in how she’s implied to be asexual and how ace people are often pressured to have sex. She also has such a great and tender friendship with Wulf. Her arc is at once tragic and powerful.
Dumai’s storyline is perhaps the most important to the plotline. She’s dealing the most with “how the FUCK do we get rid of the wyrms?” Hers took me the longest to get into, though I liked her arc and absolutely ADORED her slowburn enemies-to-lovers relationship. Overall, all of the romantic subplots absolutely devoured, managing to both be tender and angsty without melodrama.
Wulf is a poor little meow meow and a sweet boy. He helped add some much needed connections to the characters and is in many ways the glue of the story. There’s some interesting mystery around his character and as previously mentioned he has SUCH a great connection to Glorian, being so ride and die for her.
This book is gayer than the first one. Tunuva and Dumai are both sapphic and have relationships with other women, Wulf is queer (probs bisexual), and Glorian is likely ace. There’s also other queer side characters and identities seamlessly integrated into the world building, including trans and nonbinary ones. Though there’s an emphasis on bloodlines, it mostly decouples this from heteronormativity (with the exception of the Berethnets who manage to be the only people who must marry men and is a point of conflict in both books, Galian Berethnet when you catch these hands). Also having so much emphasis on bloodlines is of course still a problem (and a major source of conflict) but hey at least they aren’t homophobic about it.
I liked how this deepened the world building of Priory, though I wish we had gotten some more new information. We get a lot of expansion on the history of this world, but I wish we had some more on the magic system and mythology.
The pacing also could have been better. Though the climax is significantly less rushed than Priory’s, the first half was kind of a slog to get through. Though it was all good content, it took too long to feel like the story had actually gotten into motion. But once it did it was a roaring ride.
Overall, A Day of Fallen Night mostly sticks the landing as a prequel. Though it has some pacing issues and could have expanded more on the world, it has strong characters and a tragic, wild plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Pregnancy and Grief
sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was less plot driven and more character driven than Priory. Some storylines took me longer to get into than others. I was particulalry involved in Dumai's storyline, I thought it was the strongest of them all, but I did fall in love with all the characters by the end. I think this is definitely something to read alongside Priory, as it explains the origins to a lot of that action, and may feel a little empty or leave you wanting a bit more in terms of the resolution of you haven't or don't read Priory. Overall, I really enjoyed it but I think Priory was my favourite of the two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Death, and War
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It is very easy to lose the plot while listening since there is so much going on. But each narrator did a good job. I wasn't fond of how the last hour or so was just an interview. It was nice but it was also something I would've rather searched for.
I did adore how one of the characters was in their 30's. We need more 30-80 year old characters in fiction.
I did adore how one of the characters was in their 30's. We need more 30-80 year old characters in fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide and Adult/minor relationship
The adult/minor relationship is an unconsummated marriage.just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I bought this as soon as it was released, of course. Because Samantha Shannon is an absolute star of [epic, feminine, sapphic] fantasy and one of my favorite authors. I really couldn’t wait to dive into this prequel to Priory of the Orange Tree, which was one of my top ten (though if we are being honest, probably my number one favorite) read from 2020. It took me a few months to be ready for it (almost 1000-page novels are not something to enter into unless fully ready), but this seasonal turn into winter was the sign I needed and the time was finally right to sink into this cozy (as in fantasy a comfort genre, not because it has a particularly comforting plot) chonker of a novel.
I’m not even sue how to give a summary of this book, as it really embodies the vibes of “epic.” We are in the same world as Priory, but half a century earlier. The story is told from four primary perspectives. Tunuva is a member of the Priory, blessed with the magic of the Orange Tree, and trained from birth for the task of defending the true history and legacy of Cleolind (the real defeater of the Nameless One), and the world at large, in the case of its return. Dumai, raised in a temple to the sleeping gods high in the mountains by her mother, finds out that her parentage is far different from, and greater than, she’d ever known…and she must take up a mantel within the court and ruling family of Seiiki. Glorian is the young heir to the Queendom of Inys (yes, the same one the Sabran leads in Priory), happily growing up in the shadow of her imposing parents. Wulf is a young karl in the service of Glorian’s father, whose unknown past and childhood friendship with Glorian sets him up to play a central role in the interconnectedness of the separate nations and storylines. When the Dreadmount erupts, it ushers in an age of violence, sickness, and fear that threatens the existence of humankind and these narrators must fight with everything they have to maintain hope and help their peoples survive.
Look, I can sum this entire review up with just one line: Shannon is the queen of fantasy. And she just keeps getting better. I mean, I loved Priory. And I have long loved The Bone Season and cannot wait for more of Paige’s saga there. But this? This was a whole other level. I loved every single narrator. I loved their perspectives and their complexities (strengths and flaws). I loved how deeply developed they were internally and in all their other relationships and the climates within which they lived. I am really not sure that I can put into words how much the variety of female realities represented in this novel affected me. There were older women at the forefront, with direct addressing not just of menstruation, but also menopause and related sexual urge changes. There was pregnancy and childbirth and postpartum bodies and depression, all of which was not just not glossed over, but major aspects of the storyline and the experience of the women involved in how living that alongside a world-ending crisis of this magnitude feels. There was early motherhood and mothering of adult children, with the variety of different challenges each presents. There was motherhood as it lives on even after the loss of a child. There was motherhood as a requirement and as sacrifice and in defiance and to right previous mothering wrongs. There were incredibly soft and comfortable queer vibes (sapphic and asexual, with passion and connection that are meaningful, but still so light, ohhhhhh it’s lovely). There were women that didn’t want to bear a child or have sex, and while their choices on how to respond to the social structures that expect and require that were different, that representation too felt full and real, as sometimes that pressure is fought and sometimes its given in to. It was all just…right. I felt seen in so many ways and even in the choices I haven’t made myself, the breadth of exploration of womanhood and motherhood was stunning. That all is a major reason why, for me, Shannon is queen of fantasy: the strength and diversity of women are central and there’s not a single one-dimensional female character in the bunch.
I also loved the world-building. It’s just magnificent. Shannon has created something so massive and real here. And while this builds in together with what she began in Priory in physicality, this prequel also adds further context, in a way that both complements and expands. The tone of the writing is expansive and familiar all at once and the stories weave together in ways that are so smooth and well-paced. The scoops large. And while I could see an argument for some editing down, a bit, I can’t way I’d have wanted that. This is the kind of unfolding tale that you get lost in, that you allow to soak into yourself, and so you want every bit of that slower (but evenly) paced development, because it gives you more time in this world, with these characters. And for what it’s worth, though it’s long, it’s never dull. There is always something happening, whether it be interpersonal relationship growth, political maneuvering, discoveries of evils growing and betrayals occurring, or battles against dragons and the malformed animals they twisted to their service. And when the narratives do start to converge, it’s so good. Because you know it’s coming, in some form, and are waiting for it. And yet, every time there’s a crossover, it never hits that point of formulaic; there always remains some aspect of the unexpected. And as they drift apart again, and then spin back together, sometimes with just the barest touches, it’s just achingly well done.
SPOILER IN THIS PARAGRAPH. SKIP TO THE NEXT IF YOU WANT TO AVOID IT! Finally, I appreciated, so much, the ending. The fact that what truly “saved the day” was not a chosen one/person or an act or a perfect deus ex machina, but a foretold celestial event that no one could prevent or make come faster…I was completely here for that. The message that these characters were all fighting, with everything they had, with the barest hope, against a seemingly unbeatable foe - and even for those that had an inkling of the foretold event that would hopefully end things, that’s still a fight for survival until something greater, promised only by a legend/dream, arrives to stop it… That is a totally “other” kind of strength. And it’s a style of denouement that is very uncommon in fantasy. I really appreciated the way it was used here. Plus, the way it explains the small riddle that is the title – loved that.
I feel like, when I usually write reviews, I add in details about which characters I liked most, which plot points were best, what the language was like…and with specifics. And as I’m looking back over this so far, I have none of those specifics here (except for the part about the way the plot “ends”). It’s all more general impressions and overarching reactions and themes. I’m not sure then, if this is a good review or not. But, it’s the truth that I have. I loved it all. And it contains so much that details that minute really become impossible to include, because there’s no time, no space, for it all.
The many ways this book, this series, is an ode to the myriad and (generally) unheralded strength and power of women is unmatched. Plus, it was very cool to see how the threads of this story set the groundwork (and became the legends of yore) for Priory. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel reading a prequel after what it comes before, but it turns out, I liked the experience. To repeat myself, because she deserves it…this novel is epic and Shannon is a queen.
“All women can be sisters. We will be yours.”
“…but a house that crushes its own daughters beneath its foundations, that is no house at all. Better it burns with the rest.”
“A flower in a world of ash is proof that life endures.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content and Animal death
shlymiller's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Animal death, Suicide, and Violence
rae42's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Really good but took a long time to get into, found the amount of characters hard to follow
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Death of parent, and War
taroroot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i can't even formulate the words to express how this book made me feel. beautiful work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Death, Animal death, Body horror, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit, Murder, and Misogyny
nesquik05's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, War, Death of parent, Grief, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
broken_biscuits's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I really loved this read. I found it to be much better than priory of the orange tree-- I was much more invested in these characters, and the pacing was better. Just high quality work on all fronts, including actually great queer representation (which I'm very picky about). Really showcased how the whole idea of a monarchy rests on the objectification of women-- even those in great power. The interpersonal dynamics and exploration of motherhood in all its complexity was beautiful. Definitely gnarly in a lot of ways, so be warned about that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
the_reading_wren's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Wow, what a story! Darker and more brutal than Priory, but beautiful and wise as well. A great foundation for the Roots of Chaos series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual content, Animal death, Blood, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, War, Violence, Grief, Alcohol, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Gore, Abortion, Excrement, Infidelity, Cannibalism, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Suicide, Confinement, Mental illness, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Classism