mashedpotatoandsaladcream 's review for:

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

4.0

adventurous challenging dark sad tense 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

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“time passed, and the world kept burning” 

samantha shannon is a phenomenal writer, how she creates these characters and the way she puts together the plot of the story is truly skilful. i loved the priory of the orange tree so i didn’t hesitate to buy this book, despite how long it took me to pick the book up for the first time. and i loved the characters in fallen night as well -i have to say my favourite was glorian from the very start to the very end. and in general i think this book was a fantastic read. 

as much as i say this thought, this book dragged for me. i’m unsure whether it’s just because i’ve been in a slump and it’s a very large book or if it was just too much to take in and find interesting at times -that is to say i loved the writing but when id put the book down id find it difficult to pick it back up, especially once it was revealed how they solved the main villain. it was interesting seeing all the backstory behind the world of the priory -canthe returns, why the queen of inys now has a protector, how seiiki became a land of dragon riders- and it was also super fun picking up and remembering things i had long forgotten by making these connection. but i do have to say the resolution just fell flat for me, i understand it’s probably difficult to find a way that would fit with this being a prequel, with the evil being defeated hundreds of years later in the next book, but was this the only solution?

they just had to wait it out for the comet to arrive again?

, it just seemed pretty much anticlimactic, especially with how the priory found out about this being the solution:

“i have a revelation for you first, something may be about to stop all of this. i’ve been combing the library for any knowledge that might help us. i found an ancient tablet”

but even with this i do have to say it was a good book mainly because i see it more as a way to explore the characters themselves. from glorian and wulf, dumai, and tunuva they all had depth and insecurities and personality and you could feel their emotions when reading scenes, full on chills with glorians war speeches, tunuvas on her son, wulf after he sees the result of the ship. and the characters really make up for the boring resolution. i do have to say that you can see a clear favourite (i remember thinking at the start that i wanted to see more glorian because it just seemed like every other chapter we were going back to tunuva and i understand her being the main person at that point who has the most context and this did waiver once the others were caught up, but i just kept hoping for any other view point even if i did like tunuva)

“she would not drown in grief again. instead, she swam in it, bathed in it. she drank it like a bitter wine, until only a sliver of her soul was left to gasp for breath. she could see him again: his soft head, his eyelids, his perfect fingers curling around hers, his first smile”

“you think me weak, you always have - but i know whose bone and blood i am. i am the chosen of the saint, the fruit of his unending vibe, the iron of the eversmow. i am the daughter of sabran the ambitious and the hammer of the north, and i will rule this realm without fear. my reign will be remembered for centuries to come. i am enough”

i am not someone who finds much interest in motherhood plot lines in fantasy, i only tend to like it when it explores the complex and realities, but with the context and how shannon explores the different aspects and effects of your upbringing on parenting styles, what happens when necessity to conform to tradition leaves all parties at a loss that it was interesting to even just see the mirrors and parallels to each characters view point (tunuva with her lost son, glorian with a mother who never shows her care and seemingly placing the kingdom first only to end up having to deal with personal turmoil of having a child herself by ‘necessity’, dumai with a mother who keeps secrets and wulf who remembers no mother growing up and even many other side characters) but it did get a little old when i ended up feeling how many plot points revolved around motherhood and their kids (if i had a nickel for every time one of the reoccurring characters got pregnant and gave birth, id have two nickels which isnt a lot…). 

anyway it was a good read when i was reading it, its just an incredibly intimidating read at over 800 pages where it took me so long to finish that i lost some of the connection with the characters (and yet shannon was able to get me invested very soon after ive started reading again). it also helps that this is so so inclusive -with asexuality, bisexuality, lesbianism having main roles and even non binary and transgender references where it’s made clear that they are a part of thsi world and they’re accepted too. the book does deal with a lot of grief, a theme that was so well done, and just made a the character study really well developed. 

overall, it’s a hell of a book to read in the best and not so best way. it will take you a while to read, it’s very slow paced at times but i believe the writing and characters make up for the times you may find yourself dragging a little.