You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
Somebody sedate me, I will never get over how well Shannon writes. This book is the absolute definition of escapism. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of this world, I’ve seen a few people commenting that there’s too much going on and too many characters, but I whole heartedly disagree, I love this kind of world building, I loved trying to piece together clues for the Priory and I look forward to any more instalments in this world. Samantha Shannon defines epic fantasy.
Picked this one up on a whim, knowing nothing about it, bc I thought the cover looked cool. The length was intimidating at first, but once I sat myself down to read it I gobbled it up in no time and I ended up loving it! The world is so well crafted, the characters are so compelling, and the writing is so beautiful. Nothing about this one I didn’t love!
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is fucking massive but still doesn’t feel very deep. The worldbuilding is great but not very entertaining. I found the first half very dull and the third quarter to start picking up but still very much a slog. This book didn’t pay off until the last 1/4 of the book and still is the payoff worth it? I don’t know. It was still good but I definitely feel this could be 200 pages shorter and be perfect. All in all it was a big bite to chew but not much flavor there. Kinda like the Burger King of fantasy, it’ll definitely leave you feeling full but was it very satisfying?
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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:
No
🐉A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon ☄️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
Samantha Shannon, you brilliant world-building queen. I was completely swept back into the lush, expansive universe of The Priory of the Orange Tree, and this prequel absolutely delivers on everything I love about high fantasy: rich history, complex women, sweeping timelines, DRAGONS, and jaw-dropping emotional stakes.
This is a story that spans continents and generations, told through the lives of four extraordinary women (and the best boy, Wulf) - each navigating legacy, power, faith, and the end of the world as they know it. And while the scale is massive, Shannon never loses the emotional thread that makes it all matter.
One thing I’m endlessly obsessed with? How effortlessly and authentically LGBTQ+ representation is woven into this world. From trans and non-binary characters to beautifully written same-sex relationships, it’s never performative or shoehorned in - it simply is, and it feels so natural and right. It’s representation done so well, it made my heart full.
This book is an epic in every sense - layered, powerful, beautifully written - and honestly, I didn’t want it to end. If you love fantasy that’s unapologetically feminist, queer-inclusive, and emotionally devastating in the best way… this is your next obsession.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
Samantha Shannon, you brilliant world-building queen. I was completely swept back into the lush, expansive universe of The Priory of the Orange Tree, and this prequel absolutely delivers on everything I love about high fantasy: rich history, complex women, sweeping timelines, DRAGONS, and jaw-dropping emotional stakes.
This is a story that spans continents and generations, told through the lives of four extraordinary women (and the best boy, Wulf) - each navigating legacy, power, faith, and the end of the world as they know it. And while the scale is massive, Shannon never loses the emotional thread that makes it all matter.
One thing I’m endlessly obsessed with? How effortlessly and authentically LGBTQ+ representation is woven into this world. From trans and non-binary characters to beautifully written same-sex relationships, it’s never performative or shoehorned in - it simply is, and it feels so natural and right. It’s representation done so well, it made my heart full.
This book is an epic in every sense - layered, powerful, beautifully written - and honestly, I didn’t want it to end. If you love fantasy that’s unapologetically feminist, queer-inclusive, and emotionally devastating in the best way… this is your next obsession.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
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
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book that feels like laying down on a field and watching the day sky turn into night. Incredibly written, with characters who are all fleshed out even as they have to share the pages with each other, with all plot points leading back to each other neatly.
I personally advise reading The Priory of the Orange Tree before this, even though both books can be read in any order.
I personally advise reading The Priory of the Orange Tree before this, even though both books can be read in any order.