gailn's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jessiereads98's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A lot of promise for a first book and looking forward to where the series goes. Some relationships and characterizations did feel a bit rushed so I look forward to seeing how those are expanded on through the series. I do wish each chapter was one POV rather than jumping between them but overall still pretty easy to follow. The final cliffhanger is a bit annoying but not the end of the world. Huge fan of the world, the magic, and Taesia.
nickkimball's review against another edition
2.0
DNF. Well… when you tempt the elder gods with frequent 5 Star reads it’s only a matter of time. If you know me, then you know I very, very rarely put down a book without seeing it through. I was incredibly excited for this one but it’s not what I thought it was going to be. I will refrain from further comments since I didn’t finish it and hate to influence anyones thoughts or excitement for this read. Maybe I’ll come back to it at the end of the year…
miss_scarlett's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I was really looking forward to reading a thick adult fantasy book as a break from all the YA I've been reading lately. This book was more of a letdown than anything else. It took forever for me to slog through it. The first 200-300 pages were incredibly slow and it took me close to 3 weeks to even get past the halfway point. I felt like there was so much boring unnecessary filler. The world building was... interesting in theory but it felt convoluted and confusing. The only characters I cared for were Taesia and Julian. Nikolas, Risha, and Angelica were all annoying and self-righteous. The action at the way end was pretty good but the majority of the book was so boring I was just dying to finish it. I don't really care enough for the story to read the 2nd book.
wintersorbit's review against another edition
4.0
The City of Dusk follow four noble Houses in the city of Nexus that can trace back their ancestry to four different gods. All four gods rule a different realm with its own unique magic system, but centuries before the events of the book take place, the realms were closed off from one another. When catastrophes caused by a banned form of magic start happening around Nexus, the heirs of the four Houses get tangled up in a complicated web of events surrounding this forbidden Conjuration magic, as well as their own family duty.
We follow a large cast of POV characters, all of whom have their own connection to the central plot around Conjuration. The main characters from House Lastrider, Taesia and Dante, were easily my favorite. Dante wants to abolish the monarchic rule their country, Vaega, is under and enlists the help of his sister to do so, even though their methods might not be entirely moral… They wield shadow magic and, honestly, I want their powers.
The heirs of the other noble Houses—Angelica, Nikolas and Risha—all wield magic related to life (the elements), light, and death, respectively, and have their own storylines related to family, duty, and power. Seeing all of them deal differently with these themes was one of my favorite parts of The City of Dusk. Angelica just wants to please her mother, who has always aimed for her to eventually take the Vaegan throne. Nikolas wants to live up to the legacy left behind by his deceased brother but isn’t able to meet his father’s expectations of him. Risha is generally an obedient eldest daughter but also realizes that her parents’ values and opinions don’t always align with her own and starts rebelling in her own way. Reading about all of their relationships with parents and siblings was the main thing that initially drew me into this book and also something that hit me emotionally throughout the story.
What I liked a little less in this book were the romantic subplots that were, frankly, underdeveloped. There was already so much of a focus on magical and political drama, as well as familial bonds, that I don’t feel there was enough room for four different romantic subplots to be developed, even though most of them are still in their beginning stages. There were scenes, especially towards the end of the book, of which the emotional impact was dependent on my emotional investment in the romantic subplots. It’s safe to say I wasn’t invested enough in most of the relationships for the scenes to truly hit home, which is one of the reasons I didn’t entirely love this book in the end.
Apart from the central characters and their relationships, I was fascinated with the world-building of this book. The idea of a Cosmic Scale with different realms that used to be connected with portals but aren’t anymore is fascinating and reminded me a bit of the four different Londons in V.E. Schwab’s [b:A Darker Shade of Magic|22055262|A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)|V.E. Schwab|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400322851l/22055262._SY75_.jpg|40098252]. Throughout the story, we get glimpses at the cultures of the various realms because there are diaspora communities within Nexus of species native to some of the realms that are now inaccessible. Having these distinctive cultures and different types of magic is fascinating and I can’t wait to see more of it in the next book in this series.
What I’d like to mention, finally, is the casual diversity in this book, which is something that shouldn’t be as rare as it is within the fantasy genre. Most of the central characters are people of color, and Risha specifically is coded as South Asian, which aligns with the author’s own heritage. Characters are also casually queer all over the place, which is something that always delights me. I’ve struggled with finding fantasy books that feel safe to me because many worlds either erase the existence of queer people or are unfriendly to people like me, but this book’s main cast largely consists of queer (bisexual, lesbian, and asexual) characters. Trans and neurodivergent characters just exist in the background of the story, which is something that is so meaningful to me as a trans neurodivergent reader. I almost cried when there was a casual mention of a side character making a fidget toy with their elemental magic. Why is that not something I’ve ever seen before in fantasy books?
In the end, I really liked this book and am so excited to see what else Tara Sim has in store for this series. If you like city-set epic fantasy with dark aesthetics, multiple POVs, diverse casts, and characters grappling with duty and power, this is definitely a book I’d recommend checking out. It’s also a book that features main characters in their early twenties, which I know people are often looking for when they’re trying to get into the adult fantasy genre.
Content warnings: blood, death, violence, detailed descriptions of dead bodies, grief, self-harm, parental abuse, murder, suicidal ideation, cannibalism, addiction, drinking
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free eARC through NetGalley by Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review. This has not influenced my opinions in any way.
We follow a large cast of POV characters, all of whom have their own connection to the central plot around Conjuration. The main characters from House Lastrider, Taesia and Dante, were easily my favorite. Dante wants to abolish the monarchic rule their country, Vaega, is under and enlists the help of his sister to do so, even though their methods might not be entirely moral… They wield shadow magic and, honestly, I want their powers.
The heirs of the other noble Houses—Angelica, Nikolas and Risha—all wield magic related to life (the elements), light, and death, respectively, and have their own storylines related to family, duty, and power. Seeing all of them deal differently with these themes was one of my favorite parts of The City of Dusk. Angelica just wants to please her mother, who has always aimed for her to eventually take the Vaegan throne. Nikolas wants to live up to the legacy left behind by his deceased brother but isn’t able to meet his father’s expectations of him. Risha is generally an obedient eldest daughter but also realizes that her parents’ values and opinions don’t always align with her own and starts rebelling in her own way. Reading about all of their relationships with parents and siblings was the main thing that initially drew me into this book and also something that hit me emotionally throughout the story.
What I liked a little less in this book were the romantic subplots that were, frankly, underdeveloped. There was already so much of a focus on magical and political drama, as well as familial bonds, that I don’t feel there was enough room for four different romantic subplots to be developed, even though most of them are still in their beginning stages. There were scenes, especially towards the end of the book, of which the emotional impact was dependent on my emotional investment in the romantic subplots. It’s safe to say I wasn’t invested enough in most of the relationships for the scenes to truly hit home, which is one of the reasons I didn’t entirely love this book in the end.
Apart from the central characters and their relationships, I was fascinated with the world-building of this book. The idea of a Cosmic Scale with different realms that used to be connected with portals but aren’t anymore is fascinating and reminded me a bit of the four different Londons in V.E. Schwab’s [b:A Darker Shade of Magic|22055262|A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)|V.E. Schwab|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400322851l/22055262._SY75_.jpg|40098252]. Throughout the story, we get glimpses at the cultures of the various realms because there are diaspora communities within Nexus of species native to some of the realms that are now inaccessible. Having these distinctive cultures and different types of magic is fascinating and I can’t wait to see more of it in the next book in this series.
What I’d like to mention, finally, is the casual diversity in this book, which is something that shouldn’t be as rare as it is within the fantasy genre. Most of the central characters are people of color, and Risha specifically is coded as South Asian, which aligns with the author’s own heritage. Characters are also casually queer all over the place, which is something that always delights me. I’ve struggled with finding fantasy books that feel safe to me because many worlds either erase the existence of queer people or are unfriendly to people like me, but this book’s main cast largely consists of queer (bisexual, lesbian, and asexual) characters. Trans and neurodivergent characters just exist in the background of the story, which is something that is so meaningful to me as a trans neurodivergent reader. I almost cried when there was a casual mention of a side character making a fidget toy with their elemental magic. Why is that not something I’ve ever seen before in fantasy books?
In the end, I really liked this book and am so excited to see what else Tara Sim has in store for this series. If you like city-set epic fantasy with dark aesthetics, multiple POVs, diverse casts, and characters grappling with duty and power, this is definitely a book I’d recommend checking out. It’s also a book that features main characters in their early twenties, which I know people are often looking for when they’re trying to get into the adult fantasy genre.
Content warnings: blood, death, violence, detailed descriptions of dead bodies, grief, self-harm, parental abuse, murder, suicidal ideation, cannibalism, addiction, drinking
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free eARC through NetGalley by Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review. This has not influenced my opinions in any way.
ellikiress's review against another edition
fast-paced
2.0
Honestly this was a huge disappointment. Sad to say but I really did not enjoy this book. The first page set my expectations high, cause such a great opening, but then just before midway it went downhill.
However it wasn’t all negative. I liked and still do like the world building. Nexus seemed like something that could actually exist. It was structured very well and had some culture which made it seem real and shaped the story well.
My problem starts with the pacing of the book. Although this is smt personal, as are all reviews, I don’t enjoy fast paced books. This book was not only faced paced with the story but also with the characters and their relations to each other. I thought this book was supposed to have unforgettable and lovable character, this was not the case. I really did not like anyone all that much. I liked Angelica the most out of all of them, but honestly I was just always counting the pages until the chapter ended. Sad. Also I felt like thing were, as stated before, rushed so plot twists didn’t hit and newfound relationships had no feelings behind them.
I know this is the first book in a series so development may still happen. Though feeling this disappointed and not caring about the plot, cause it had no emotional or exiting/ mysterious impact I don’t think a sequel will change my feelings.
I wish I could have enjoyed it more, I had fun in the very beginning but sadly this was just not it for me.
However it wasn’t all negative. I liked and still do like the world building. Nexus seemed like something that could actually exist. It was structured very well and had some culture which made it seem real and shaped the story well.
My problem starts with the pacing of the book. Although this is smt personal, as are all reviews, I don’t enjoy fast paced books. This book was not only faced paced with the story but also with the characters and their relations to each other. I thought this book was supposed to have unforgettable and lovable character, this was not the case. I really did not like anyone all that much. I liked Angelica the most out of all of them, but honestly I was just always counting the pages until the chapter ended. Sad. Also I felt like thing were, as stated before, rushed so plot twists didn’t hit and newfound relationships had no feelings behind them.
I know this is the first book in a series so development may still happen. Though feeling this disappointed and not caring about the plot, cause it had no emotional or exiting/ mysterious impact I don’t think a sequel will change my feelings.
I wish I could have enjoyed it more, I had fun in the very beginning but sadly this was just not it for me.
jasallbooked's review against another edition
4.0
IF YOU SEE THIS HALLIE I'M SORRY I FINISHED IT WITHOUT YOU.
3.5, rounded up.
3.5, rounded up.
beachbagbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
paragraphsandpages's review against another edition
3.0
This book should've been absolutely everything I loved combined in one book, and in some ways it definitely was, but it just didn't hit for me. For a 500-page book, there honestly just wasn't enough time to fit in everything.
This book's greatest strength, it's intense world-building that goes so deep you can sink into it, is also its greatest weakness, purely because it comes at the cost of everything else. You can have the most intriguing world, but if there are no characters to meet it on that same level, your whole story just loses its purpose. You can have the tastiest cake base, but if your frosting is bland, you still won't want to eat the cake. And that's not to say the characters were bland or cookie cutter necessarily, maybe it would've been better if they had been! Instead, these interesting, flawed characters were just not given the space they needed for me to care about them. There is always so much going on that we never get the calm moments where we bond with our characters, where we begin to feel for their relationships and care about them meeting their goals. Instead, we are just constantly given either action or world building, but no character development. Add to that the extensive side character catalog that gets very difficult to keep track (because again, none of them are given enough time to become memorable), and you have a massive pool of characters but not a single connection to any of them. And this only is worsened when all the romances start building up, because you barely feel invested in any of them (except for the straight relationship, because that actually occurs between two main character, so you have a bit more build up there at least). Really, this book could have just been so good if the priorities were balanced a little better.
But even with all this, I still saw so much potential in this book, and this series, and it does make me excited about the future of this series. I love the twists that were revealed as the story progressed, even if some were a smidge predictable, and I honestly always love when gods play a role in stories like this. There's just so much going on here, in a good way this time, and I can't wait to see where all these threads go next. Hopefully the characters get a bit more room to breath in the next book, as most of the set-up is done now, and we can start to form actual connections with them.
Overall, there were a lot of good pieces here, but the combination of them all just didn't make a perfect piece for me, unfortunately. Despite it all, I do have plans to finish this series, and I am tentatively excited to see where it all goes next!
This book's greatest strength, it's intense world-building that goes so deep you can sink into it, is also its greatest weakness, purely because it comes at the cost of everything else. You can have the most intriguing world, but if there are no characters to meet it on that same level, your whole story just loses its purpose. You can have the tastiest cake base, but if your frosting is bland, you still won't want to eat the cake. And that's not to say the characters were bland or cookie cutter necessarily, maybe it would've been better if they had been! Instead, these interesting, flawed characters were just not given the space they needed for me to care about them. There is always so much going on that we never get the calm moments where we bond with our characters, where we begin to feel for their relationships and care about them meeting their goals. Instead, we are just constantly given either action or world building, but no character development. Add to that the extensive side character catalog that gets very difficult to keep track (because again, none of them are given enough time to become memorable), and you have a massive pool of characters but not a single connection to any of them. And this only is worsened when all the romances start building up, because you barely feel invested in any of them (except for the straight relationship, because that actually occurs between two main character, so you have a bit more build up there at least). Really, this book could have just been so good if the priorities were balanced a little better.
But even with all this, I still saw so much potential in this book, and this series, and it does make me excited about the future of this series. I love the twists that were revealed as the story progressed, even if some were a smidge predictable, and I honestly always love when gods play a role in stories like this. There's just so much going on here, in a good way this time, and I can't wait to see where all these threads go next. Hopefully the characters get a bit more room to breath in the next book, as most of the set-up is done now, and we can start to form actual connections with them.
Overall, there were a lot of good pieces here, but the combination of them all just didn't make a perfect piece for me, unfortunately. Despite it all, I do have plans to finish this series, and I am tentatively excited to see where it all goes next!