Scan barcode
A review by aksmith92
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
To start, I will say that I've been meaning to read The Priory of the Orange Tree since it came out in 2019. I, unfortunately, never got around to it, so I decided to read this prequel first. I couldn't find a divisive answer on whether I should read the prequel first or the first book in the novel, so I made the executive decision to read it chronologically.
I absolutely adored Samantha Shannon's writing and prose - I was fully immersed from the start. I will say that I read a bit of context at the back of the book (i.e., I read some of the descriptions of the main characters/narrators, the glossary, and the timeline). I highly recommend doing this, as it really helped me understand the world. I did NOT read every single description of the characters from the east, west, north, and south, though.
The beginning chapters/parts of this MASSIVE book were heavily filled with character development and background, which I greatly enjoyed. One of my favorite parts about a book like this is getting to know the characters more intimately, and I think Shannon delivered. With that said, for some of the more plot-focused readers out there, I can imagine that this would potentially drag (e.g., how in the world are these people connected? What is the purpose of this book in general?). Even after reading, the plot really didn't come together (at least for me) until 30-40% of the way into the book. Additionally, I enjoyed the action scenes scattered throughout the book, but they weren't the main event.
I absolutely adored Shannon's analogies and descriptions - the writing was simply phenomenal. I felt like I was in the world, in the various countries/queendoms/republics. To say I was fully immersed would be an understatement, and I barely noticed how long this book was. While the novel dives into the political nature of this world, I saw such amazing plot development throughout. The characters were layered and nuanced, and I appreciated the expansive world-building. I feel like it takes an incredible writer to really dive into a plot this big, and I appreciated every second. Truly 5/5 stars!
PS: Honestly, I LOVED the food/dinner descriptions in many parts of this novel. Was it necessary? No. Was it super fun? Yes!
I absolutely adored Samantha Shannon's writing and prose - I was fully immersed from the start. I will say that I read a bit of context at the back of the book (i.e., I read some of the descriptions of the main characters/narrators, the glossary, and the timeline). I highly recommend doing this, as it really helped me understand the world. I did NOT read every single description of the characters from the east, west, north, and south, though.
The beginning chapters/parts of this MASSIVE book were heavily filled with character development and background, which I greatly enjoyed. One of my favorite parts about a book like this is getting to know the characters more intimately, and I think Shannon delivered. With that said, for some of the more plot-focused readers out there, I can imagine that this would potentially drag (e.g., how in the world are these people connected? What is the purpose of this book in general?). Even after reading, the plot really didn't come together (at least for me) until 30-40% of the way into the book. Additionally, I enjoyed the action scenes scattered throughout the book, but they weren't the main event.
I absolutely adored Shannon's analogies and descriptions - the writing was simply phenomenal. I felt like I was in the world, in the various countries/queendoms/republics. To say I was fully immersed would be an understatement, and I barely noticed how long this book was. While the novel dives into the political nature of this world, I saw such amazing plot development throughout. The characters were layered and nuanced, and I appreciated the expansive world-building. I feel like it takes an incredible writer to really dive into a plot this big, and I appreciated every second. Truly 5/5 stars!
PS: Honestly, I LOVED the food/dinner descriptions in many parts of this novel. Was it necessary? No. Was it super fun? Yes!