Maddy‘s Review of A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for letting me read and review this book. I was so excited to get the chance to read A Day of Fallen Night! After reading Priory of the Orange Tree I knew I had to pick up another book set in this world. Shannon does a stunning job with world building, and creating complex and relatable characters. I think it is best to read Priory of The Orange Tree first, especially since A Day of Fallen Night is more complex with its politics and has more characters in it. It might be even more overwhelming just jumping straight into Fallen Night, without having read Priory first. Read whichever you want first of course. But I think it is more enjoyable because I read Priory first.
The cover is so beautiful! This story is set 500 years before The Priory of the Orange Tree, and is set around amazing, strong women. I loved the writing style, and am glad that this book was longer than the previous book. The ending didn’t feel rushed. There are a lot of places, people and things to remember, so it can be overwhelming. I took notes and highlighted a lot in the ebook arc. I knew coming into this book that it would be a complex read where I would have to take notes, but knew it would all pay off. Shannon makes you care about each character, and envelopes you into this world of dragons, politics, and amazing queer characters.
I was instantly hooked from the beginning. The fact that this surrounds strong women, has great lgbtq+ representation, and has dragons was enough to draw me in! A Day of Fallen Night surrounds four women: Tunuva Melim, Sabran, Glorian, and Dumai. They are all intriguing and interesting characters to follow. I like seeing how their paths intertwine with each others, and with others throughout the book. I love the lgbtq+ representation. The characters are relatable and fun to follow. The story was a little slow at points, but overall it was full of interesting information and scenes. The build up to the ending had a better pay off than the previous novel. I can’t wait for the next books in this series! I know Shannon didn’t originally plan on this being a series, but I am glad it will be. Glad that we get to dive deeper into this fantasy world. The world-building is stunning. I loved learning about the lore, the characters, and the different religions in the different kingdoms.
This book was even better than the first. I think Shannon’s writing will just keep getting better and better as the books go on. I can’t wait to read the next installment in The Roots of Chaos series. She did say on Goodreads that it takes about three years of research and work to make these books, but it will be worth the wait!
Pages: 880 pages
Author: Samantha Shannon
Published: 2/28/2023
Stars: 5 out of 5 stars
