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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I LOVED it - all the characters were compelling and I would die for Glorian. The exploration of motherhood was excellent, and I really enjoyed the echoes of early scenes throughout the rest of the narrative.
inspiring
mysterious
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
I have so many words, but none of them will properly convey the amazing power and emotion in this book. I was absolutely blown away by the stunning writing, powerful plot lines, individual yet relatable characters, and clever politics create by Samantha Shannon.
This is clearly an epic fantasy, but so much of the experience of girl hood to woman hood, discovering sexuality, and the boundaries of self are explored. These of course are still modern journeys that everyone embarks on and I loved the discovery within the boundaries of a well established fantasy world. Glorian and Dumai have my heart and soul, but will have Tunuva has a special connection to me because of her difference in age in future. I think this is such a powerful piece of fantasy literature that all lovers of fantasy should enjoy, but particularly for those who have a deep connection with female empowerment/development and members of the queer community!
Now, I have to review a little bit of my personal favorite character Glorian, Sheildheart. Her story is tragic yet empowering and I admire her strength and development of character so much! Her process when coming to terms with pregnancy and betrothal voice feelings that I have also experienced. I truly felt seen by this character and was tearing up when reading about her most vulnerable and freeing moments.
Please, please, please give this brick of a book a chance! It is a standalone novel with additional books in the world, but they are intended to be read separately! I swear you won’t regret it! Also for those who tend to experience book through audio; the vocal performance from the narrators is incredible and is separated by different actors for different perspectives!
My only warning for this novel is its size! If you are a beginning fantasy reader this may prove to be a bit dense and overwhelming, but it is not a difficult read. I would recommend relying on the maps given at the forefront (or googling images for audiobook listeners) to orient yourself to the world because the cardinal directions are important and there is quite a bit of traveling! I was constantly flipping back and forth between story and map to figure out how close characters were to running in to each other!
This is clearly an epic fantasy, but so much of the experience of girl hood to woman hood, discovering sexuality, and the boundaries of self are explored. These of course are still modern journeys that everyone embarks on and I loved the discovery within the boundaries of a well established fantasy world. Glorian and Dumai have my heart and soul, but will have Tunuva has a special connection to me because of her difference in age in future. I think this is such a powerful piece of fantasy literature that all lovers of fantasy should enjoy, but particularly for those who have a deep connection with female empowerment/development and members of the queer community!
Now, I have to review a little bit of my personal favorite character Glorian, Sheildheart. Her story is tragic yet empowering and I admire her strength and development of character so much! Her process when coming to terms with pregnancy and betrothal voice feelings that I have also experienced. I truly felt seen by this character and was tearing up when reading about her most vulnerable and freeing moments.
Please, please, please give this brick of a book a chance! It is a standalone novel with additional books in the world, but they are intended to be read separately! I swear you won’t regret it! Also for those who tend to experience book through audio; the vocal performance from the narrators is incredible and is separated by different actors for different perspectives!
My only warning for this novel is its size! If you are a beginning fantasy reader this may prove to be a bit dense and overwhelming, but it is not a difficult read. I would recommend relying on the maps given at the forefront (or googling images for audiobook listeners) to orient yourself to the world because the cardinal directions are important and there is quite a bit of traveling! I was constantly flipping back and forth between story and map to figure out how close characters were to running in to each other!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Amidst a flood of uninspired, superficially and sloppily crafted fantasy works, A Day of Fallen Night - like its predecessor The Priory of the Orange Tree - holds the torch of quality high, and in some respects, even manages to surpass the first installment.
This epic succeeds in giving a truly diverse cast of protagonists room to unfold with dignity and emotional depth within a world built with remarkable grandeur. Every loss, every relationship and turning point draws us further into this world, so full of life and vitality.
Despite its parallels to works like A Song of Ice and Fire, it feels thoroughly original and distinct - allowing it to tackle certain themes that, in parts, might not be as clearly articulated in other fantasy settings:
1. Religion
In the world of A Day of Fallen Night, we encounter several religions, each of them convinced - in one way or another - that they alone hold the key to saving the world, and that this truth must, if necessary, be imposed on others by force. From the belief in the Berethnet bloodline in Inys to the Priory, which - ironically - is based on the very same story, just interpreted differently.
Faith drives people in this world to turn against each other rather than uniting (the connection between Dumai and Glorian hints at this wasted potential). At the same time, it also leads them to willingly harm themselves — as seen with the pregnant women who refuse food for the sake of Glorian and Sabran, or the complete instrumentalization of the youngest Berethnet generation.
2. Power, Blood, Patriarchy?
George R. R. Martin’s world, previously mentioned, explores similar mechanisms of how religion operates. However, A Day of Fallen Night makes it even clearer that the abuse of religion to maintain power is an inherent issue - one that, despite its undeniable reinforcement by patriarchy, cannot be simply reduced to it. Either this, or that patriarchal logic, in this sense, is by no means limited to men.
The power wielded mostly by women in this deeply queer world is not exempt from coercion around reproduction for the sake of preserving a "valuable bloodline," nor from the normative control of female bodies. The religious practices that stem from this serve not only to maintain internal power structures, but also - as already hinted - to marginalize potential allies from the outside. Wulf incapsulates this dynamic as he tells Thrit as well as us: "We could start by not scorning one another for our beliefs, or lack of them."
Even the comparatively moderate Priory follows a similar logic which, in its darker dynamics, calls to mind the Bene Gesserit from Dune.
3. Chaos (?)
Few fantasy works I know manage to establish such an ambiguous, almost paradoxical relationship to the concept of "chaos" as A Day of Fallen Night. While the Wyrm attacks and the destruction they bring are perceived by humans as chaos, the Eastern dragons suggest a harmony between these powerful beings' antagonistic forces - where the dominance of one is always followed by that of the other.
Here too, differing uses of magic (e.g., Tunuva) lead to misunderstandings, as patterns of thinking have become deeply ingrained.
Meanwhile, age-old rites and traditions are increasingly hollowed out (Sabran’s conception) or outright ignored (Glorian’s decision to enter the battlefield) the longer the "chaos" endures - because they exist within a paradox, merely providing the illusion of stability, which in turn upholds very real power structures.
All of this points to a message as simple as it is relevant: where dynamics, customs, and forces are not understood, they are perceived as chaos. And where order is sought (a human-made order), it often turns out to be nothing more than a facade - one that requires belief, just like religion does.
4. “Love is the death of duty”
Fittingly, this quote from the aforementioned A Song of Ice and Fire series kept coming back to me from about the second third of the book onward. Because outside of Martin's universe, there are few characters who embody the truth of this statement as profoundly as Glorian and Dumai.
Glorian grows up with an emotionally distant mother who primarily sees her as the heir to her name and duties. Later, she is denied the chance to experience love and intimacy on her own terms. In service of her duty to Inys, she agrees to a marriage that she deeply abhors. Her compromise with Wulf as the father of her child - kept as a secret rather than an oath - is the closest she ever comes to love.
Dumai, on the other hand, struggles throughout much of the book with her feelings for Nikeya, refusing to act on them because her formerly estranged family's political plans demand hostility toward Nikeya's clan. We get brief glimpses of what her dream might mean as she searches for happiness and chooses to reject the struggle for the throne. But as her responsibility for Seiiki becomes heavier, she steps directly into the confrontation she had hoped to leave behind. Even when she falls, she consciously chooses Seiiki's well-being over her love for Nikeya, performing a sacrifice that marks the most tragic moment in the book. Her happiness was meant to be only a brief dream—nomen est omen.
A thoroughly vibrant, rich novel that speaks to our world while creating one that feels lived-in and alive.
What more could one really expect from fantasy?
This epic succeeds in giving a truly diverse cast of protagonists room to unfold with dignity and emotional depth within a world built with remarkable grandeur. Every loss, every relationship and turning point draws us further into this world, so full of life and vitality.
Despite its parallels to works like A Song of Ice and Fire, it feels thoroughly original and distinct - allowing it to tackle certain themes that, in parts, might not be as clearly articulated in other fantasy settings:
1. Religion
In the world of A Day of Fallen Night, we encounter several religions, each of them convinced - in one way or another - that they alone hold the key to saving the world, and that this truth must, if necessary, be imposed on others by force. From the belief in the Berethnet bloodline in Inys to the Priory, which - ironically - is based on the very same story, just interpreted differently.
Faith drives people in this world to turn against each other rather than uniting (the connection between Dumai and Glorian hints at this wasted potential). At the same time, it also leads them to willingly harm themselves — as seen with the pregnant women who refuse food for the sake of Glorian and Sabran, or the complete instrumentalization of the youngest Berethnet generation.
2. Power, Blood, Patriarchy?
George R. R. Martin’s world, previously mentioned, explores similar mechanisms of how religion operates. However, A Day of Fallen Night makes it even clearer that the abuse of religion to maintain power is an inherent issue - one that, despite its undeniable reinforcement by patriarchy, cannot be simply reduced to it. Either this, or that patriarchal logic, in this sense, is by no means limited to men.
The power wielded mostly by women in this deeply queer world is not exempt from coercion around reproduction for the sake of preserving a "valuable bloodline," nor from the normative control of female bodies. The religious practices that stem from this serve not only to maintain internal power structures, but also - as already hinted - to marginalize potential allies from the outside. Wulf incapsulates this dynamic as he tells Thrit as well as us: "We could start by not scorning one another for our beliefs, or lack of them."
Even the comparatively moderate Priory follows a similar logic which, in its darker dynamics, calls to mind the Bene Gesserit from Dune.
3. Chaos (?)
Few fantasy works I know manage to establish such an ambiguous, almost paradoxical relationship to the concept of "chaos" as A Day of Fallen Night. While the Wyrm attacks and the destruction they bring are perceived by humans as chaos, the Eastern dragons suggest a harmony between these powerful beings' antagonistic forces - where the dominance of one is always followed by that of the other.
Here too, differing uses of magic (e.g., Tunuva) lead to misunderstandings, as patterns of thinking have become deeply ingrained.
Meanwhile, age-old rites and traditions are increasingly hollowed out (Sabran’s conception) or outright ignored (Glorian’s decision to enter the battlefield) the longer the "chaos" endures - because they exist within a paradox, merely providing the illusion of stability, which in turn upholds very real power structures.
All of this points to a message as simple as it is relevant: where dynamics, customs, and forces are not understood, they are perceived as chaos. And where order is sought (a human-made order), it often turns out to be nothing more than a facade - one that requires belief, just like religion does.
4. “Love is the death of duty”
Fittingly, this quote from the aforementioned A Song of Ice and Fire series kept coming back to me from about the second third of the book onward. Because outside of Martin's universe, there are few characters who embody the truth of this statement as profoundly as Glorian and Dumai.
Glorian grows up with an emotionally distant mother who primarily sees her as the heir to her name and duties. Later, she is denied the chance to experience love and intimacy on her own terms. In service of her duty to Inys, she agrees to a marriage that she deeply abhors. Her compromise with Wulf as the father of her child - kept as a secret rather than an oath - is the closest she ever comes to love.
Dumai, on the other hand, struggles throughout much of the book with her feelings for Nikeya, refusing to act on them because her formerly estranged family's political plans demand hostility toward Nikeya's clan. We get brief glimpses of what her dream might mean as she searches for happiness and chooses to reject the struggle for the throne. But as her responsibility for Seiiki becomes heavier, she steps directly into the confrontation she had hoped to leave behind. Even when she falls, she consciously chooses Seiiki's well-being over her love for Nikeya, performing a sacrifice that marks the most tragic moment in the book. Her happiness was meant to be only a brief dream—nomen est omen.
A thoroughly vibrant, rich novel that speaks to our world while creating one that feels lived-in and alive.
What more could one really expect from fantasy?
4, could argue 3.75– listen, i am a sucker for complex politics and long winded fantasy worlds, and i LOVED priory for the slow pacing and build up, but fallen night is a bit too slow. it was always going to have less action than priory as it shows the arrival of the wyrms in the world & we know the real drama happens centuries later, but it really didn’t start going anywhere until halfway in which i can see as a deterrent for a lot of people. also while i liked them a lot, i just never got as attached to this batch of characters as i did priory’s cast.
still absolutely loved it for its expansion of the world’s history and connections between characters!
still absolutely loved it for its expansion of the world’s history and connections between characters!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Complicated
Wulf glimpsed a sweet and unexpected future, far away. Then he turned around and walked towards his past.
I savoured this book, like I did Priory of the Orange Tree. While I found the overall themes and characters pretty similar to Priory, I enjoyed the world building and prose in this series so much that I've let comparisons fall by the way side. An achievement in it's own right.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
reflective
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:
Yes
Far more enjoyable than The Priory of the Orange Tree.
The characters within this book held a lot more depth and diversity, and I thoroughly enjoyed the aspect of exploring different perspectives throughout the book, whether those perspectives were manipulated by their faiths, age, etc.
The ending tied wonderfully with The Priory’s current timeline, and I adored reading about the inner conflicts characters had about their faiths.
Overall, the book was enjoyable, but I feel like it would’ve been more impactful spread across several books, rather than the one. At points it felt very drawn out and I found it hard to read.
The characters within this book held a lot more depth and diversity, and I thoroughly enjoyed the aspect of exploring different perspectives throughout the book, whether those perspectives were manipulated by their faiths, age, etc.
The ending tied wonderfully with The Priory’s current timeline, and I adored reading about the inner conflicts characters had about their faiths.
Overall, the book was enjoyable, but I feel like it would’ve been more impactful spread across several books, rather than the one. At points it felt very drawn out and I found it hard to read.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
4.25- 4.75 probably. I feel like I would’ve loved this just a tad more if I’d read it before reading Priory because I felt a bit like I knew too much of this story, specifically the parts that gave it suspense.