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A review by rubeusbeaky
There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool
4.0
The characters, setting, and magical system of this world are captivating and breathtaking. There is a sense that it's Not Quite Earth, everything feels familiar but a little off. Definitely some Avatar/Legend of Korra vibes, which is GREAT, I'm a huge fan of that universe.
However, the story centers heavily around a prophecy, which is a trope, it's been done and overdone. Plus side: The existence of prophecies in this universe is linked to prophets and an ancient, still popular, religion, which is very relatable! And the heroes come to the conclusion that prophecy or no prophecy, they're going to follow their hearts. Minus side: There is a HUGE chunk in the middle of the book where everybody is trying to follow the prophecy verbatim, and therefore nobody has any agency in their actions. All that great characterization and setting flies out the window as people do things they wouldn't ordinarily do to adhere to some mystic mumbo-jumbo (which is easy to misinterpret in the first place!).
I'm glad I stuck with the book until the end, and am excited to see how the series continues. But fair warning about that spot in the middle you have to trudge through to get back to the good stuff.
However, the story centers heavily around a prophecy, which is a trope, it's been done and overdone. Plus side: The existence of prophecies in this universe is linked to prophets and an ancient, still popular, religion, which is very relatable! And the heroes come to the conclusion that prophecy or no prophecy, they're going to follow their hearts. Minus side: There is a HUGE chunk in the middle of the book where everybody is trying to follow the prophecy verbatim, and therefore nobody has any agency in their actions. All that great characterization and setting flies out the window as people do things they wouldn't ordinarily do to adhere to some mystic mumbo-jumbo (which is easy to misinterpret in the first place!).
I'm glad I stuck with the book until the end, and am excited to see how the series continues. But fair warning about that spot in the middle you have to trudge through to get back to the good stuff.