Sorry unfortunately this is a DNF for me. I did try on many occasions to come back to this but the writing and story are just not for me.

Did not rate or mark on Goodreads.

I am DNFing this book for now because of the similarity between the characters present in this book from several characters from other renowned popular books. The multiple pov did not help either. This book is announced to be for the fans of Throne of Glass and An Ember in the Ashes and next book is for the fans of Six of Crows and Graceling. I am sceptical about the mash up and don't want to trace more of the characters I already love in here.

Unfortunately I am no longer interested in reviewing this book. It is not for me. I can see that it will be a good book for others

I lost interest for now but I might try to read this at a later time because the synopsis still does sound like it might be a great story..

There Will Come a Darkness was everything I had hoped from it and more. Interesting worldbuilding with a rich history and mythology based on real-world cultures, complex characters whose paths cross and twine and clash, plot twists I really didn't see coming, and a fascinating storyline to boot. My only criticism is that it felt a little too YA at times, though I understand it was published as such in the US so it makes sense!

I look forward to seeing where the story continues from here, and what's in store for these characters, both the good and the bad!

A final, secret prophecy. A saviour who will rise to save a kingdom. But will this prophet arise from a prince, a morally grey assassin or a dying girl? In a world that doesn't discriminate on who is blessed with a gift, who will be given the ultimate prize?

Although I liked the initial idea of this, and it had a few original concepts, I found that I just couldn't emotionally connect with most of the characters because there were just too many points of view to wade through. Just as I felt myself getting invested in one plot, we would switch to somebody else's and I would forget what was happening. It took a lot of the suspense and excitement out of the plot, and severely slowed the I overall pacing. It took a long time for the stories to finally converge into one main plot, and by the point that it does I just found that I wasn't interested anymore.

It didn't help that this is very character driven and relies on the reader caring about these protagonists. There's not really much action or anything really driving the plot forward and it falls foul to a lot of the usual YA tropes with the characters it does try to push. The world building also leaves a lot to be desired.

All in all, this is a miss for me, but it may appeal to lovers of YA fantasy more. I really feel as though I'm growing out of the genre lately.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy adventure. There were so many richly developed characters, each with their own unique motivations and moral codes. It was great to read a book with such a diverse range of ethnicities and sexualities. The diverging storylines were well managed, written skillfully and also really, really exciting!
I am sure some would say it is relatively easy to guess where the story is going from about half way, but I would say that only made me enjoy it more. I love being right! Additionally the secondary and tertiary plot lines are much less easy to predict which keeps the reader invested.
I am so excited to see where the series goes next!

The Seven Prophets have guided civilisation for centuries with their prophecies – they ended wars and united nations using their gifts of foretelling. However, one day, they suddenly vanished. With lack of guidance, the world descends into fear and chaos and a new power rises. There was, however, one final secret prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new and final prophet. This prophecy mentions harbingers-who will either be the world’s salvation, or it’s destruction.

rep: gay m/c, brown m/c’s

content warnings: violence, death, childhood abuse, ptsd, depictions of drowning & being burned

I’ve been on such a roll with fantasy recently, i’ve read some excellent ones, such as The Midnight Lie, Queen of Coin and Whispers, and Girl, Serpent, Thorn. I had heard some mixed things about this so went into There Will Come a Darkness with lower expectations but, suprisingly, I really enjoyed it. In the UK, There Will Come a Darkness is being marketed as an adult fantasy novel, but I know in the US it is being marketed as a YA fantasy but it will definitely appeal to fans of both!

One of my favourite aspects of There Will Come a Darkness is the magic and the Prophets. After the Prophets dissapeared, the Witnesses grew in power, led by the Hierophant. The Witnesses despise the Graced-people who have magic- as they tend to be rulers and in the Witnesses eyes, opressors. I really enjoyed the complexities of the magic and the detail that went into the history of the world. World-building is incredibly important for a novel like this, but Katy Rose Pool definitely has a talent for it.

There Will Come a Darkness features an ensemble cast and I really love books that do this well. Our characters, who are connected by an apocalyptic prophecy, are as follows:

Hassan, a prince exiled from his kingdom.
Ephyra, a ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand
Jude, a paladin, a once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart
Anton, a reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone but he’s also running from his past
and finally, Beru, a dying girl filled with grief and guilt and on the verge of giving up


Each of these characters really do bring something special to this story and as the story goes on, you discover how each are linked to the propecy. I really enjoyed how each individual storyline sort of intertwines with each other. I absolutely adored the sibling relationship between Ephyra and Beru and I loved Ephyra’s moral ambiguity- she will do anything for her sister no matter the cost but Beru is struggling to shoulder the guilt she feels. I enjoyed their interactions with Anton too. Jude- a favourite of mine – is a holy warrior brought up with one single goal, to protect the final prophet. However, he struggles to put his duty before his heart. I really love paladins, especially paladins that will stop at nothing to protect those they care about. (It is also strongly implied Jude is also gay). Anton, a scared and soft boy!! I love him. My least favourite is Hassan, his chapters were the least compelling, it’s just such a shame he seemed to have the most!

There Will Come a Darkness is a compelling and immersive fantasy adventure featuring paladins, rogues, princes, and seers. Highly recommend for fans of the genre.

**I was provided with a copy of the book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

To put things simply I thought this book was pretty anticlimactic.

In part this may have come down to my personal expectation of books that have a multi-PoV story where a ragtag group of individuals are made to work together. Then again with such an exciting synopsis I expected more. Despite the book being an easy read the plot had an air of mediocrity and I got bored quite fast.

Each main character had a strong introduction – their individual backstories and situations had me originally hooked however, as the story progressed I found that I was only really interested in the arcs of 2/5 of them. I remember 1 character in particular having a VERY out of character moment purely for a particular part of the plot to progress and it annoyed me.

I guessed most of the plot twists and the “big reveal” fell flat as it literally signed the whole book off as the prequel for the main story that I’m guessing is coming in book 2.

I will say though I did really enjoy the worldbuilding and magic system! For a debut book it was all concisely narrated and so well thought out and developed.
Final Rating - 3/5 Stars

I am most definitely a fantasy nerd at heart and love nothing better than diving into magnificent worlds of pure imagination. It’s a crowded market and hard to stand out. But There Will Come A Darkness from Katy Rose Pool delivers something exciting and fresh above and beyond my expectations. The first in a planned trilogy this first book sets the tone, in what are sure to be some incredible adventures to come.

In short and with no spoilers the Seven Prophets had guided humanity for millennia before vanishing, but leaving one final prophecy behind which predicts the birth of a final prophet who will save humanity from an Age of Darkness. We quickly find out that this Age of Darkness is imminent.

At first glance this synopsis seems pretty standard fantasy fare but Pool imbues this novel with very modern sensibilities and a cast that is ethnically, socially and sexually diverse. She breathes new life into old fantasy tropes. Be warned, there are a lot of characters as the plot unfolds from the perspective of the five central characters, but Pool skilfully weaves all their threads together amidst truly magnificent world building. This book has action, magic, romance, darkness and hope and gasp out loud moments . I’m hooked. Look for the second book As The Shadow Rises in 2021.

An impressively original new fantasy voice ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five

3.5 Stars

I feel very conflicted on this story. I really enjoyed the time I was reading it, but when I stopped reading I felt no motivation to continue. And when I eventually picked it back up, it didn't feel like it'd been a whole month. I still remembered everything vividly and fell right back into things.

This was a very character driven story and I really liked the characters for the most part. They fit the mould of typical YA fantasy characters, but they all had some quirks which made them feel a little different which I really liked a lot. I'm glad I enjoyed the characters and their relationships because the plot seemed to go round and round in circles sometimes, since everyone was obsessed with this prophecy.

I did enjoy some perspectives more than others. I really liked reading from Hassan, Anton and Jude's perspectives, and I loved the way their stories ended up intertwining. I'm very curious to see where their stories go.

I did enjoy Ephyra and Beru's chapters, however their story always felt very separate. That's not always a bad thing, but as the book progressed and the other characters' stories came together, I stopped caring about what was happening with them. Their side of things was a bit predictable, and the end of the book just made me really confused. It didn't feel like they had any logical involvement with the prophecy, and it almost feels like it was left all 'mysterious' just for the sake of a sequel. Everything else made total sense to me, except Ephyra and Beru's story. It's kind of infuriating, but not in the "OMG I need to know more because this is so good" kind of way.

For the most part I did enjoy this book, and I do want to read the sequel. But there was something missing from this story that I just can't put my finger on, and that just didn't sit well with me.

While I thought this was a good book, overall it didn't really work for me. It felt very drawn out to me and I wasn't invested in the characters. Nothing really happens until well into the second half of the book. There is quite a good cast of characters but a few of them were a little under developed and annoying. Overall I think a lot of people will like this but unfortunately it didn't work for me.

Content warnings: mild violence; some blood magic; description of drowning.

The title of this book more or less sums up the main driving force behind the plot – the final prophecy ever given says an Age of Darkness is coming. There will be one last prophet who may be able to see how to avert the disaster, and we pick up the story 16 years after the signs say they were born, with multiple groups searching for them. At first, we don’t know how this is going to fit into the disparate group of characters we meet, but as they all become entangled with each other and the search for the prophet, things get very interesting… It’s a classic fantasy premise, and one that feels like a favourite jumper – you know exactly where you stand with building blocks like this. However, it’s the execution that keeps it fresh, and I thought both the world-building and the character work were just spot on with this book – it’s great epic fantasy for a modern age.

Five viewpoint characters feels like a lot, and when they were all being introduced one after the other, I was worried it might be too distracting to keep changing between them. Luckily though, that wasn’t the case. All five have easily distinguishable voices, and feel like their own people – even when they’re physically with other viewpoint characters and we get multiple views of a scene, their takes on the things happening feel so different and unique to them. I genuinely didn’t have a favourite, which is astonishing – I was invested in all five of them, from killer-with-really-good-reasons Ephyra, to her dying sister Beru, to refugee prince Hassan, troubled seer Anton, and insecure paladin Jude. They are all very young, in their late teens, and they’re well-balanced between realistically inexperienced and fantasy-capable. They’re also, for the most part, good people trying to do their best, which is one of my favourite things in fantasy. I liked that for the most part, the chapters were very short, which kept things flowing and interesting – there’s no rigid order to the POV switches, we just go with whatever feels natural to keep the story moving. It was just handled really well.

It’s also got some pretty good queer rep, though romance isn’t really a focus. At least two of our POV characters have same-sex attraction (no labels are given), and there are hints that a relationship might blossom between them (if they ever get to take a breather from saving the world). There’s also a cute m/f romance that gets a little bit more page time and a couple of kisses (again, in between a lot of peril, so it’s really not a focus of the plot). Things are really only just kicking off, and this is the first book of a trilogy, so I am excited to see where both romances go, and if we get any more!

I’ve had an interesting run with larger fantasy books recently, where I’ve been struggling to connect to characters or stay invested in their plots, so I was genuinely surprised at how quickly and thoroughly this book grabbed me. It’s just under 500 pages, but I read it in one sitting (while my bath went cold!). It’s just a total romp of a book – it would make a great gateway book for someone just testing the waters of epic multi-cast fantasy, as it’s just so darn pacey and readable. It’s sold as adult (in the UK at least), and feels more like adult fantasy in style, but would equally appeal to YA readers, I think. I personally disagree with all the official comp titles in the blurb – it’s got far more in common with Robin Hobb or even one of the less-depressing Guy Gavriel Kay books (I love him but man does he make me cry) than Throne of Glass, for sure. There’s a sense of hope and determination that suits my reading tastes down to the ground – no grimdark here!

This would be perfect for fans of Sam Hawke’s City of Lies, Sebastien de Castell’s Spellslinger or KA Doore’s The Perfect Assassin, with it’s classic-but-fresh vibe. I can’t wait til September for the next book! Five stars!

This book just lacked so much for me.
It had a lot of potential, the actual plot was good, it had a good twist, I enjoyed (some) of the characters and (some) of the characters had ok development. There was a little bit of romance in there which I enjoyed.

My first issue is that there’s almost too much going on. Especially in the start when all five narratives are separate, it was way too much to take in. There was so much info dumping and almost descriptions of what was to come but very little description of what was happening there and then during the book. The setting and character descriptions got slightly better as the story went on but I still can’t picture any of the characters in my head because they weren’t well described and any descriptions they did have were very vague and I felt like it wasn’t always clear who the author was actually describing (for example, we got brief descriptions of Jude’s guard but apart from two of the members I don’t know who the author described when they were spoken about). Same goes for the settings really. There was description to a certain extent but nowhere near enough. The world building and character building was just all a bit too vague.

It had a good twist, I didn’t see the twist coming, but in my opinion the twist happened way too late in the book and I would’ve liked it to happen a little bit earlier so that the characters had more time to react? Like the twist was HUGE but because it was so near the end of the book everyone was just kind of like “oh ok well, this is happening. oh well let’s carry on with our plan”. I feel like they’d have felt a LITTLE more betrayed.

The ending didn’t feel well rounded off either. When the ending came it just felt very abrupt. I’m assuming that’s so people read the next book? Because essentially apart from the twist, you get NOWHERE in this book. Like barely anything is resolved, everything is left open.

I liked the fantasy element too. That there are those who are Graced and those who aren’t. Again I would’ve liked that explained a little more.

Like I said this book had a lot of potential but in the end I felt like it was just dragging me around in circles and for a 400+ page book, nothing really happens!

This is hard to review and give a rating to as I feel that it was very much the first book of a trilogy and I'm not sure it told a completely satisfying story on its own. That said, I will continue on with the series for at least one more book to see where things are heading.

I felt a bit distanced from the characters but am not sure if that's because it felt like a very long prologue rather than action I was involved in for much of the book. Things did escalate at the end and I'm interested in the world and where things may go.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Gritty fantasy with many a twist and turn! The multi POV worked so well and I loved each character and what they brought to the mix. I can't wait for the sequel!

I really enjoyed this story. It was refreshing and even though i didn't fully connect with the characters i still had a good time. The romance isn't too present and i really enjoyed that aspect !

Thank you to the wonderful people at Little Brown Book Group UK and Orbit for providing me an ARC of this wonderful book. When I saw this reveal for the first time, I knew I had to have this. I want more Ancient World fantasy inspired novel books. I want way more of this. The Ancient World was fascinating for one big reason: The Times of Ceasar, the expansion into Gaul, Nero's rule as Emperor, Ramesses and the Sea People, Egypt at the heights of its new found empire, the Assyrians and the Babylonians establishing their legendary empires. And the mythologies of the Norse, the Egyptian, the Greek Gods that has been told throughout humanity. Even Gilgamesh and the cities of Ur and the Sumerians. All these tales come from a time that is now long gone. So when I saw this, I knew I had to review this. There needs to be WAY more fantasy in the Ancient World. I appeal to Little Brown Book Group and Orbit to publish way more fantasy inspired in the Ancient World and the Bronze Age.

This is a book that was made into a legendary saga of a story. I have become a bit weary of high political intrigues in fantasy, for some reason what shocks me the most, is that humans are the best at manipulating each other. Humanity is humanity's worst enemies. We are our worst enemies. There is so much political intrigue that it pays off right at the end. How long will humanity keep manipulating each other for the sake of a throne that carries power? It boggles the mind.

All the characters in this book served a solid purpose. None of their character arcs felt wasted in any shape or form. Khepri and Hassan make a wonderful couple, and I loved how their relationship blossomed from Pallas Athos to the Kingdom of Herat. There is so much power-plays and prophecies that it does take a while to get into. But I say keep reading on because then it gets interesting. I liked the Hierophant, but I was not convinced of his arguments that much. I wanted to see why the Seven Prophets had disappered. Was the Hierophant behind that?

Lethia is a character that will shock you in the end. I felt a lot for Hector, poor lad. I hope he has a better life. Jude was one of those characters that doesn't spark until the end. I'll tell you why because he's privy to the events of the world around him. He reacts more than he does take action. And sometimes while I know the demand is that your character should take action, it's nice to see a character actually figuring out what his entire purpose is. I liked the concept of the Graced and the Witnesses, but I did not see much of the power structure in Pallas. I didn't see much of that and I would have wanted to seen more.

I love the fact that there's trains. Please let there be trains. They are my favorite thing in fantasy. The Pale Hand and her sister have a tale that is best explored by you, the reader. I liked the world-building but I wished there was more references to actual Egyptian clothing and Greek armour etc. I felt we were in a sort of Medieval World with references to Paladins and Order. That's my quirk, a small minor one. I want to see if there's Gods in this universe. And Anton, he's a character that grows with you in this book.

And if the Hierophant is working with Illya (who is a sadistic creature that has become a monster) and Lethia, then surely there's more power-struggles at play. I was shocked when Hassan had his army ready, that Lethia's son betrayed him and then it showed that Lethia had been playing Hassan like a fool all along. It reminds me of the admiration that Catherine the I of Russia had towards Frederick the Great. Frederick may have been a great general and king of Prussia, but she learnt a lot of her skills from him That is why Lethia reminds me of this relationship with her and the Hierophant.

I do feel we need more chapters into Herat, giving us more details of this fantasy Egypt. I'd like to see more hoplites and traditional Greek armour, and other things to show us more of this ancient world inspired fantasy.

I felt this was a fantastic book. A solid 10/10 from my side.

This is a novel that will captivate you in its wonderful prose, take you on a breath-taking journey and make you question your morality. For are we not all imperfect?

My Amazon review has been submitted but the Barnes and Nobles link doesn't work. I am Madaworld12 on Barnes and Nobles.

This was an action-packed, well-paced fantasy that I enjoyed a lot. I liked the writing and the world building. It definitely kept my mind off things and turn the pages. Great line of characters too!
If you like fantasy, definitely give it a go.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
---
I could not finish this book as it couldn't keep my interest. However, I'm well aware that that is simply my experience and I know very well that many readers will adore it. It has good characters and an interesting plotline.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars