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A review by asipofcozy
The Darkening by Sunya Mara
adventurous
dark
fast-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
3.75
After many failed attempts at picking up any YA book and enjoying them (I guess YA is just not the IT genre for me anymore), I am happy to say that I actually enjoyed The Darkening by Sunya Mara. It was unique enough to capture my attention, and that was a good thing.
I loved the idea of a storm eating everything in its path and slowly consuming the city year by year. I especially loved the backstory to the story about a Great Queen fleeing from her husband and creating a storm in her wake. It was a unique concept and was done fairly well.
I also found the magic system to be interesting, the ikonomancy. It sort of reminded me of how runes work in the Shadowhunter universe; granted, I know little of those runes, but the concept was fairly the same. It seemed that drawing ikons were an important part of the magic system. Then there was the Wardana, the guardians of the city, that protect them against the monsters that come out of the storm. I can't wait to see more of the magic system developed in the next book.
Finally, applause to the rich and diverse characters and settings. I could imagine many of the settings in this book, the shadows from the dark storm encroaching the streets, the colors and brightness of the higher parts of the city. It was breathtaking in its telling. Also, chef's kiss to the side characters Cas and Izamal. The dynamic and banter between the three Wardana is perfecto!
I did enjoy the main character Vesper. While her naiveness got her into a lot of trouble and she could annoying at times, she was trying to save a father that she loved despite his disappointment in her. She just didn't always think her actions through.
What could have been better/expectations for the next book:
I loved the idea of a storm eating everything in its path and slowly consuming the city year by year. I especially loved the backstory to the story about a Great Queen fleeing from her husband and creating a storm in her wake. It was a unique concept and was done fairly well.
I also found the magic system to be interesting, the ikonomancy. It sort of reminded me of how runes work in the Shadowhunter universe; granted, I know little of those runes, but the concept was fairly the same. It seemed that drawing ikons were an important part of the magic system. Then there was the Wardana, the guardians of the city, that protect them against the monsters that come out of the storm. I can't wait to see more of the magic system developed in the next book.
Finally, applause to the rich and diverse characters and settings. I could imagine many of the settings in this book, the shadows from the dark storm encroaching the streets, the colors and brightness of the higher parts of the city. It was breathtaking in its telling. Also, chef's kiss to the side characters Cas and Izamal. The dynamic and banter between the three Wardana is perfecto!
I did enjoy the main character Vesper. While her naiveness got her into a lot of trouble and she could annoying at times, she was trying to save a father that she loved despite his disappointment in her. She just didn't always think her actions through.
What could have been better/expectations for the next book:
- More worldbuilding - While I understand this YA and I can't expect the intensity of worldbuilding like that in high fantasy, I am hoping for more explanation behind the Great King and Queen as well as how Ikonomancy came to be.
- Dual POV - I believe that The Darkening would have benefitted from dual POV over the singular POV of Vesper that we get the entirety of this book. I think it would have helped with some of the explanations of what was going on.
- Lackluster romance - Okay, so this isn't something I am necessarily upset about. Romance in books isn't my biggest focus anymore. I am glad romance wasn't the focus here; however, it was inserted and was weird at times However, I can see more potential for expanding on this in the next book. I am just glad the MC didn't have an instant-love situation and even acknowledged to herself that while she has growing feelings, her main concern is the storm and her father.
Whelp, that's it! I kinda look forward to the next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Death of parent, War, Death, Body horror, and Animal death