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deedireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
TL;DR REVIEW:
A Day of Fallen Night is a fantastically rendered standalone fantasy novel. It has everything you could want: dragons, queendoms, mystery, battles, politics, and multiple POVs spanning four continents.
For you if: You like (very sapphic) epic fantasy and don’t mind very long books.
FULL REVIEW:
I, like so many others, loved The Priory of the Orange Tree, and so I, like so many others, was absolutely HYPED to learn that Samantha Shannon had given us a standalone prequel. I’m happy to say that I loved A Day of Fallen Night just as much, if not more. It is LONG (like 900 pages, lol), but it was worth it!
DAY takes place about 200 years before PRIORY, and it’s a true standalone — honestly, I think you could read either one first and enjoy them both just as much. This one spans all four continents of this world and has four main characters: Tunuva, a member of the Priory; Glorian, princess of Inys; Dumai, a godsinger in the East, and Wulf, a member of the King of Hroth’s house guard — all of whom are more connected than they think. When the fire under the earth births horrors not seen in centuries, it throws the whole world into chaos. (And yes, this book is EXTREMELY sapphic.)
How do they stack up? Well, DAY is slower-paced than PRIORY; there are a lot more political plotlines. But I didn’t dislike that; in fact, I think I fell in love with the characters of DAY a bit more for all the time we spent with them. Tunuva may have been my personal favorite, but honestly I loved them all. Also, I’m happy to say that DAY’s ending is better paced than PRIORY, which many agreed felt a bit rushed.
This book is not for fantasy beginners; in true epic-fantasy style, there are lots of characters, places, and more to keep track of. But if that is your thing — and especially if you enjoyed PRIORY — I think you’ll love this one too.
Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, War, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Animal death
bryonyindecisivereader'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, War, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Violence
jrbenson95's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Pregnancy, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
ebergeron456's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Grief, and Blood
starrysteph'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Sexual content, War, Abandonment, Child death, Gore, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This is more politically intricate than the previous tome from Samantha Shannon. I didn't personally prefer this much politics in my fantasy, but I know lots of people who enjoy political machinations and intrigue in their high fantasy so I'm sure it'll be popular for that reason. There's a lot more time spent discussing various kingdoms' relationships with one another and marriage features a lot more in this (at least to my memory of what <i>Priory</i> was like). But don't fret, there's also plenty of action and darkness.
The dragon content doesn't disappoint. It feels like it's scraped from the depths of a volcano with how intimidating and ancient they feel. We get lots of conflict with dragons in this which is satisfying because <i>Priory</i> never felt like quite enough. Samantha Shannon is generous with the drama in this book.
Women and women's love are at the core of this novel. Romantic love, parental love, sisterly love. This puts a spotlight on these kinds of relationships and over the course of the novel, they grow and change. They betray one another, they uplift one another, they love each other, they defend each other. It's great. There were some characters I felt more attached to and whose plotlines entertained me more while others were lesser favoured. Glorian was my favourite but I liked aspects of all them.
All in all, I don't think this will disappoint fans. Depending on your personal preferences, you may like this a little more or a little less than the previous, but most importantly, it's its own story with a fresh take on the world. It doesn't live in the shadow of the predecessor but right alongside that legend.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Death, Pregnancy, Violence, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, War, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Infidelity
Minor: Alcohol
Forced pregnancy, young pregnancyheartbrekker'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: War, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Murder, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Vomit, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Cancer