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A review by lupetuple
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.25
What an adventure of a book... I can't say I remember much from Priory of the Orange Tree, though I recall loving it, but this was during my insufferable speed-reading days; A Day of Fallen Night most likely has a lot of throwbacks to Priory that I couldn't pick up on, particularly in the character of Canthe .
My favorite aspect of the book had to be the relationships between the characters, particularly between Esbar and Tunuva. They broke me so much, and while fantasy dialogue can strike me as incredibly cheesy, I melted reading their interactions--though I have to say that the most winning words of love were fromNikeya to Dumai, when she says "I had a dream that you were still a godsinger, and I was your shrine." I wanted to die on the spot. Speaking of this relationship, though, it was the least believable to me, and Nikeya wasn't exactly my favorite character. Their water wedding was still a gorgeous scene. Dumai, herself, however... she was one of my favorite characters.
That said, though I loved the relationships, most of the other characters on their own don't stand out to me. The book has an extremely extensive cast, and suffers for it in terms of a lack of depth. I loved Wulf most in his dynamic with Glorian, Wulf being the weakest of the main characters in my opinion, which is a shame because I adore his backstory, but for some reason, I just didn't care about him as much as I wanted to.
I also don't like that the book endswith the continuation of monarchy. There's inklings of democracy, in Carmentum, but it's torched to ashes early in the narrative. It strikes me as a fantasy series that doesn't want to let go of fantasy conventions, even when it subverts them with blatant interrogations of and scathing remarks on misogyny.
I do like the ambiguity of Glorian's epilogue, though, and I do feel like she'd be one to eventually challenge the monarchy, with all her "blasphemous" and "traitorous" actions against it in this book. It's inevitable that she will learn the truth of the lie of the Saint; throughout her narrative, I kept agonizing over her staunch faith that her bloodline kept the Nameless One at bay, even though I adore her character in general. At the same time, I wish she had tossed aside family legacy and asserted her own identity; even at the end, she's proud to be both her mother and father's daughter, saying as much, even when lamenting that the world sees her only as a "womb".
The book also rarely has slow moments to allow the reader to process the events of the previous chapter... so much happens, in every chapter, which is both positive and negative, to me. While it rarely meanders, there's also just so much to absorb and keep track of, and the fact that there are so many characters and places don't help in orienting the reader.
It's ambitious and, while I have a few qualms with it, I had a satisfying time reading this book. I love Samantha Shannon's writing and intricate world-building; she pulls off the mysterious and ominous tones well, my favorite scenes being in the haithwood and those involving the Priory's magic. Esbar and Tuva are also just such a compelling couple, and characters by themselves. I fell in love with them instantly... definitely the standouts of this book.
My favorite aspect of the book had to be the relationships between the characters, particularly between Esbar and Tunuva. They broke me so much, and while fantasy dialogue can strike me as incredibly cheesy, I melted reading their interactions--though I have to say that the most winning words of love were from
That said, though I loved the relationships, most of the other characters on their own don't stand out to me. The book has an extremely extensive cast, and suffers for it in terms of a lack of depth. I loved Wulf most in his dynamic with Glorian, Wulf being the weakest of the main characters in my opinion, which is a shame because I adore his backstory, but for some reason, I just didn't care about him as much as I wanted to.
I also don't like that the book ends
I do like the ambiguity of Glorian's epilogue, though, and I do feel like she'd be one to eventually challenge the monarchy, with all her "blasphemous" and "traitorous" actions against it in this book. It's inevitable that she will learn the truth of the lie of the Saint; throughout her narrative, I kept agonizing over her staunch faith that her bloodline kept the Nameless One at bay, even though I adore her character in general. At the same time, I wish she had tossed aside family legacy and asserted her own identity; even at the end, she's proud to be both her mother and father's daughter, saying as much, even when lamenting that the world sees her only as a "womb".
The book also rarely has slow moments to allow the reader to process the events of the previous chapter... so much happens, in every chapter, which is both positive and negative, to me. While it rarely meanders, there's also just so much to absorb and keep track of, and the fact that there are so many characters and places don't help in orienting the reader.
It's ambitious and, while I have a few qualms with it, I had a satisfying time reading this book. I love Samantha Shannon's writing and intricate world-building; she pulls off the mysterious and ominous tones well, my favorite scenes being in the haithwood and those involving the Priory's magic. Esbar and Tuva are also just such a compelling couple, and characters by themselves. I fell in love with them instantly... definitely the standouts of this book.