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A review by laelyn
The Darkening by Sunya Mara
4.0
Oh, what a wonderful debut this is! A debut that really doesn't read like one. "The Darkening" is the first book of a new ya fantasy duology (at least I think it's going to be a duology?), and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Mara develops a unique world and spends just enough time on worldbuilding to make it feel alive, though I would have loved even more information on, for example, the world beyond the city where everything takes place. The magic system is very cool, with magic based on words and writing and so-called ikons. It's something I haven't read a thousand times over so I really loved it.
The writing is beautiful and, as I have said before, really does not read like a debut author's prose. The plot is captivating and exciting, though the pacing does feel a little off at times. Some parts feel rushed, like the whole plot point of our protagonist, Vesper, learning magic and gaining entrance into the prince's elite military unit. She really didn't do much training, so this whole part felt a little glossed over. There is also something happening in the last about 10% of the book that felt completely off regarding a certain character's actions. Other than that, it was a really engaging read.
Speaking of characters, Vesper is an amazing protagonist that I absolutely ADORE! She's flawed, traumatised to an extent, she's allowed to make mistakes and actually learn from them and she grows beautifully as a person. Her romance with Dalca is, for the most part, very well done - my personal pet peeve is enemies-to-lovers romance where the protagonist absolutely loathes the evil love interest yet somehow wonders if he's really so evil and despicable after looking into his eyes for like, five seconds, which this book does a tiny lil bit of too but then solves it beautifully. Dalca is an intriguing character on his own, though he felt completely inconsistent during those aforementioned last 10%. There is a personality change that is really just too crass to make sense for him and he lost me a little there, to be honest. That part was not done well - but let's see how Mara writes him in the next book. The major side characters, Casvian and Iz, are both absolutely great and once again manage to outshine the actual love interest, but maybe that's just a me problem because I say that about most side characters. I was a little disappointed that there are no important female characters at all having a bigger role in Vesper's journey, so I'm hoping Mara adds one or two in the next book. Generally, all characters are written well and I really liked them and their development.
As a whole this is definitely one of the more unique and better ya fantasies I have read in a while. There is room for improvement, but it's an impressive debut with an action-packed plot and great characters. I also very much loved that there is, in fact, not a clear cut good/evil dichotomy but lots of shades of grey.
3,5 stars, rounded up happily to 4 because I really enjoyed my reading experience.
Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the arc!
The writing is beautiful and, as I have said before, really does not read like a debut author's prose. The plot is captivating and exciting, though the pacing does feel a little off at times. Some parts feel rushed, like the whole plot point of our protagonist, Vesper, learning magic and gaining entrance into the prince's elite military unit. She really didn't do much training, so this whole part felt a little glossed over. There is also something happening in the last about 10% of the book that felt completely off regarding a certain character's actions. Other than that, it was a really engaging read.
Speaking of characters, Vesper is an amazing protagonist that I absolutely ADORE! She's flawed, traumatised to an extent, she's allowed to make mistakes and actually learn from them and she grows beautifully as a person. Her romance with Dalca is, for the most part, very well done - my personal pet peeve is enemies-to-lovers romance where the protagonist absolutely loathes the evil love interest yet somehow wonders if he's really so evil and despicable after looking into his eyes for like, five seconds, which this book does a tiny lil bit of too but then solves it beautifully. Dalca is an intriguing character on his own, though he felt completely inconsistent during those aforementioned last 10%. There is a personality change that is really just too crass to make sense for him and he lost me a little there, to be honest. That part was not done well - but let's see how Mara writes him in the next book. The major side characters, Casvian and Iz, are both absolutely great and once again manage to outshine the actual love interest, but maybe that's just a me problem because I say that about most side characters. I was a little disappointed that there are no important female characters at all having a bigger role in Vesper's journey, so I'm hoping Mara adds one or two in the next book. Generally, all characters are written well and I really liked them and their development.
As a whole this is definitely one of the more unique and better ya fantasies I have read in a while. There is room for improvement, but it's an impressive debut with an action-packed plot and great characters. I also very much loved that there is, in fact, not a clear cut good/evil dichotomy but lots of shades of grey.
3,5 stars, rounded up happily to 4 because I really enjoyed my reading experience.
Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the arc!