mw_rose's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/4
Although there are quite a few characters to differentiate between, I felt like I was able to do so within the first quarter of the book (unlike some other books I've read with more than 2-3 characters). I liked The City of Dusk, but I can't quite put my finger on what made me feel like I was trudging through it. I think the main piece of why I didn't rate it higher was that this book is a MARATHON in length and, although I've seen books that begin a series range between 400 and 500 pages, I felt like a lot of the details in this one moved slowly and maybe weren't as important to the main storyline. Overall, it wasn't until the last 20% of the book that I found myself truly enjoying the action and the plot. Would I read the second in the series? Yes. Will this be a book prominently displayed on my shelves? Probably not.
Although there are quite a few characters to differentiate between, I felt like I was able to do so within the first quarter of the book (unlike some other books I've read with more than 2-3 characters). I liked The City of Dusk, but I can't quite put my finger on what made me feel like I was trudging through it. I think the main piece of why I didn't rate it higher was that this book is a MARATHON in length and, although I've seen books that begin a series range between 400 and 500 pages, I felt like a lot of the details in this one moved slowly and maybe weren't as important to the main storyline. Overall, it wasn't until the last 20% of the book that I found myself truly enjoying the action and the plot. Would I read the second in the series? Yes. Will this be a book prominently displayed on my shelves? Probably not.
lauraaubarca's review against another edition
I know that I would enjoy this book if I was in the mood to read it, but that's not right now. So I'm going to put it down for now, because I know that I'm not enjoying this as much as I should be.
slstrong's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
tayloreve07's review against another edition
Soooooooo yeah. I think this one was a little too long, the multiple POVs sometimes rehashed the same events and the pacing just didn’t feel right. Given the ending I’m interested to see where book 2 goes, but I think I overhyped myself for this one. Not that I didn’t enjoy it at all but it definitely didn’t hook me the way I thought it would
blairchristine's review against another edition
5.0
A fantasy is about four heirs and their gods. From the epilogue and the first chapter i was hooked. I wanted to learn more about this world, the four heirs, and the gods that they belonged to. Demons, Necromanciers, Elementals, Lumins and Shades. You get a little bit of everything from book 1 of a new fantasy series by Tara Sim. Conjuring is a big no no and against the law in this world. And a group keeps doing it. The dead coming back without the House of Vakara help. The world is starting to suffer and the only way to break it is for all the heirs to come together. But will they succeed or will it cause more chaos… I loved the writing and how this new world grabbed my attention and kept it the entire time. I will gladly be purchasing a physical copy on realease day and will be eagerly awaiting the next installment. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This is one you don’t want to miss!
blairchristine's review against another edition
5.0
An epic fantasy about four heirs and their gods. From the epilogue and the first chapter i was hooked. I wanted to learn more about this world, the four heirs, and the gods that they belonged to. Demons, Necromanciers, Elementals, Lumins and Shades. You get a little bit of everything from book 1 of a new fantasy series by Tara Sim. Conjuring is a big no no and against the law in this world. And a group keeps doing it. The dead coming back without the House of Vakara help. The world is starting to suffer and the only way to break it is for all the heirs to come together. But will they succeed or will it cause more chaos… I loved the writing and how this new world grabbed my attention and kept it the entire time. I will gladly be purchasing a physical copy on realease day and will be eagerly awaiting the next installment. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This is one you don’t want to miss!
obviouslyenia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Murder
izzyproudfoot's review against another edition
5.0
I disagree with so many reviews for this book.
This story was so well put together. Each characters story was so well thought out.
Yes the book is long. It's the first book in a series so there is always a bit of a lag with firsts, I don't think this lags, it's detailed. There's so much going on, world building, politics, characters.
There are characters I really really loved getting chapters on. There are no characters I really hate.
I want to know more about the gods and everything else.
It did feel like nothing happens in this book, this book is just all the start. Book two will be explosive. I didn't mind that we spent the whole book building up to the ending because it was really well done. The side stories and history were so intriguing.
I have ordered book 2. Hopefully with me soon because I'm desperate to continue this story.
This story was so well put together. Each characters story was so well thought out.
Yes the book is long. It's the first book in a series so there is always a bit of a lag with firsts, I don't think this lags, it's detailed. There's so much going on, world building, politics, characters.
There are characters I really really loved getting chapters on. There are no characters I really hate.
I want to know more about the gods and everything else.
It did feel like nothing happens in this book, this book is just all the start. Book two will be explosive. I didn't mind that we spent the whole book building up to the ending because it was really well done. The side stories and history were so intriguing.
I have ordered book 2. Hopefully with me soon because I'm desperate to continue this story.
syllareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0