First of all, massive massive thank you for HotKeys Publishing Group for granting me access to the beautiful sequel of The Theft of Sunlight. I can't thank you more than enough.

Second of all, let's talk about this book. YO THIS BOOK IS DOPE!!!!!!!! I love everything that's written her. There are so many action scenes that they live rent-free in my mind. It is fast-paced similar to the first book, which I like, because who doesn't love fast-paced books?

The writing was improved (it's not to say that the writing in book one is bad, but in the second book it was more engaging). I was sucked into this magical and well-done world building that Intisar Khanani created. It has also multiple themes that I may think be sensitive or personal to some, so check the trigger warnings. To put it simply, it depicted the realities of others that have to go through the same kind if experience Rae had gone through.

Also, the representation in this book? Eternal Chef's kiss. A disabled Muslim but her disability didn't stop her from becoming the most badass woman ever. We need more of this, okay? OKAY???!??!!

AND THE ROMANCE???? IMMA DIE FROM SWOONING OVER BREN. THE WAY HE TOOK CARE OF RAE, DOESN'T DISCRIMINATE HER FOR HER DISABILITY. AND DID I SAY THAT HE HAD A VASECTOMY? THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, YOU READ THAT RIGHT. IT'S ONE OF THE PERFECT SLOW-BURN ROMANCES IN ALL YA FANTASY BOOKS I'VE READ. THEIRS IS NOT A DULL SLOW-BURN ROMANCE, BUT AN ANGSTY-FULL-OF-TENSION KIND OF SLOW-BURN ROMANCE. SAY NO MORE FOLKS, YOU NEED TO READ THIS.

I WILL BE GLADLY READING ALL OF INTISAR'S GROCERY LIST IF I HAVE TO.

ONCE AGAIN, TO HOTKEYS PUBLISHING GROUP AND NETGALLEY THANK YOU THANK YOU!

I LOVED this book! I thought it was stronger than Theft of Sunlight. I had a few issues with ToS plotting and character wise, especially with the emphasis and spotlight put on Alyrra and Kestrin at times. This seemed to fix all of that. I loved how Rae and Bren were given all the emphasis and spotlight. We really got to see them both take full form and I adored it!

I was pleasantly surprised by how heavy the romance sub plot got in a good way. I was here for it - I ate that UP! How do I put to words how much I love their dynamic and duo?! Simply the best. I do wish a certain subplot in the very beginning was a little prolonged, but nevertheless, the fast paced action kept the story moving very quickly and in an addicting way.

A few things:

I did take some issue with Rae's character. I think she contradicted herself too many times. I think she had too many logical fallacies with her points. It often happens when someone follows a sequence of logical statements but amounts it to a false equivalence. I think she tripped up because she would follow her logical statements and arguments very linearly and not see the holes in her own reasoning. The fact that she UPHELD the law of the land/state on such a pedestal, but this same state is technically corrupted by the circle of mages who may or may not have influenced that very law? And the King MAY or may not be involved and she has no way of disproving or proving that at the time? Yet she wanted to use ONLY the state's law and stature of justice to take them down? And criticized and judged any other form of justice aka "thieves justice"? It is SUCH a contradiction. My frustration mounted to new levels.

Not to mention, in many of her interactions, you could see how judgmental and biased she was in determining who was morally flawed and who wasn't based on their associations. I was hoping to see an ARC with it, but by the end of the book, she walked back her own ARC and still kept touting the same BS about "the king's justice" with a court and judge etc. It makes no sense. A corrupt state's court and judge may very well be corrupt. This logical fallacy in her argument drove me crazy throughout the whole book. It's very holier than thou.

For a book about the state's elite and their corruption, this is not the message I thought it would sell. This moral purity fit Alyrra's character given Alyrra grew up in a western kingdom among elite because she's technically a princess. Rae grew up a peasant girl who's family faced injustice, causing her to undergo her journey. This message made Rae extremely hypocritical given the company she's in and her experiences, especially when we're given Bren's backstory. How can you be SO judgmental to him? Especially at the end? Let's look at any revolution anywhere please. To me this is analogous to the whole "violent resistance is bad" which is NO NO NO! That's some white imperialist crap. I know the author is brown and I am too. So it has me feeling many types of way when this book keeps repetitively promoting the King's and court's justice as being the most morally pure. I just don't like how for the sake of moral purity, we're gonna pretend that being vigilante justice is truly a "morally bad" thing yet the state's justice isn't?!! Truly makes no sense to me. I remember her calling vigilante type justice "flawed" and "ungoverned". So we're gonna pretend the state's law isn't...? It's a bold assumption to make.

Other issues I had with the book also included how conveniently and cleanly things tied up at the end with the King and how trusting she was of Kestrin and his family, and vice versa. I wish the stakes and tension were far higher with that. There were also some (very few) cringe fanfic moments that I wished were edited out between Kestrin and Bren, and Bren and Rae. But they were very minor in the grand scheme of things.

Despite all of that, I still REALLY enjoyed everything else. I had SO much fun reading the book, that it was still a solid 4.5/5 for me!

Not that it's something I keep track of, but I'm pretty sure Intisar Khanani is the only author to date where all the books I've read by them (in the same series, even) have received 5 stars.

Just...wow.

It's not an exaggeration to say that this author is one of my favourite authors, and this is some of the finest YA fantasy I've ever read. It does lean pretty dark, and could make for a good bridge book if you're looking to read a YA that's a bit more mature and could almost be adult.

I also think Rae has become one of my favourite characters ever. Her growth throughout these two books is just amazing. I love her passion and determination, and the way she will do anything for those she cares for or feels responsible for, but also the way she learned to love herself more, and trust herself, and let others help her instead of taking on the world on her own. Her character arc is chef's kiss. I will say that the first 20% or so worried me a bit, because Rae was making some really unwise decisions, but I'm going to write that off as acts fueled by delirium, and everything that she does later more than makes up for it.

There's not much I can say that won't spoil parts of the book, but I do want to touch upon the romance and the way the relationship between Rae and Bren develops. They were never going to be as good for me as Alyrra and Kestrin; as far as I am concerned, that is top tier romance, and I don't know if anything will ever knock them off their justifiably high pedestal for me. But Bren and Rae have their own sweetness to them. Khanani excels at slow builds, but also at realistic obstacles. Watching the two of them communicate clearly and often, and figure out what would or wouldn't work, was honestly one of the best parts of the book for me. I'm so used to being frustrated when it comes to the romance, because the conflict is often based on either miscommunication or a lack of communication, but the author deftly sidesteps that in favor of mature discussions, and I am here for it.

In general, one of the highlights in all three books, for me, has been the way the characters act, and how logical for their circumstances it all feels. Of course I had moments of frustration, where I wanted them to make a different choice, but I never felt they were being ridiculous for dramatic purposes. Even if I didn't always agree, I understood their motivations, so the frustration I felt was the healthy kind, and not the "I want to toss my expensive Kindle at the nearest wall" kind.

There's definite potential for more stories in this world, and I really hope the author will write another book that explores the fae, because so far they've been fascinating, and I'd love to see her spin on them. But I will buy and devour anything she writes at this point.

Wow, this book was INTENSE! A lot went on. Our heroine, Rae, not only has to escape snatchers, but needs to find out how involved the royals are to the country's systematic slavery, bring down the Circle of Mages, and stop a theif lords street war! All with no powers or authority of her own!🙀
As Bren learns though, our girl makes allies left and right, and always has a plan or trick up her sleeve. I LOVE how smart and proactive Rae is and how, even though she's attracted to a man, she holds on to her standards.
Bren and Rae's romance is so cute! I love them together. They face many hardships but still find it in their hearts to fight for others.
There are some themes that may be hard for some people, such as torture, kidnapping, corrupt justice systems, etc. But it wasn't too detailed or gruesome, and it all added to the story and made Rae's goals more urgent. Couldn't help rooting for her! It made the sweet justice at the end SO much more satisfying! LOVED THIS BOOK! Read this trilogy people! Especially fantasy fans! It's so so good!

This had a bit of a shaky start for me specifically because of a trope that I don't like but as the story progressed our protagonist, Rae learnt quickly from her mistakes and went on to follow a path which truly established her as one of my favourite YA heroines.

I have had mixed feelings for Rae since the beginning but her character development in this book was phenomenal. There has always been an insecurity about her because of her disability, making her prickly and easy to anger but in this book she truly came into herself and emerged as this brave and compassionate person who is willing to go at any lengths to see justice done.

Intisar Khanani's writing is quite accessible and easy to get into. I was immediately pulled into the story and kept enjoying the highs and lows of the story until the end. The magic system here is quite well explained and while I would have liked a bit more world building, it's still done quite well.

I also really liked the family dynamics and the small bit of sisterhood that we got. The romance is secondary to the plot but there where still some really cute moments between Rae and Bren and I truly loved how their relationship progressed throughout the book. In fact, the culmination of the romance was very satisfying and I couldn't have asked for a better way for them to be together.

There's quite a bit of discussion done in this book regarding the nature of justice especially when corruption and crime are thriving in a society and rich becomes richer while the poor are left to fend for themselves. It was definitely thought provoking and done extremely well.

Overall, this was such a fantastic finale if a bit dark ar times. I truly think this is one of the better YA fantasies that I have read and this trilogy/duology in general is grossly underrated.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ rounded up to 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Bonnier Books UK/Hotkey Books and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I was so keen to see how this series would end and A Darkness at the Door did a good job at concluding the series.

What I liked:

❤️Rae is an imminently likeable MC
❤️Most* storylines are resolved
❤️Fast-paced

What I didn’t like:
❌ What happened to Kirrana?!
❌The magic system could have been fleshed out more

I look forward to what the author will write next!

This book was simultaneously everything I wanted, and nothing like I thought it would be. Or, no, it’s not quite that it's not what I expected, but it felt somehow different to the previous book: I’m struggling to put it into words, but I think the best I can explain it is to say that where Theft had all the political machinations and myriad plot threads equally alongside Rae’s emotional arc, this book felt more like it was concerned primarily with Rae herself (and her relationship with Bren!), with the macro-plot happening around her, more in the background, or as a secondary focus?

But, I was still totally happy with that because I adore Rae – and even more so in this book! She’s come such a long way from where she started in Theft, and I just can’t get enough of her strength and intelligence and selflessness. She has so much more confidence in herself and her own value now, but I love that she’s also so much more willing to accept help when she needs it, and can acknowledge that that isn't a weakness. She still faces realistic challenges because of her clubfoot, but every moment of her feeling comfortable and confident in her body just made my heart so full.

The new friends we meet in this book were also wonderful, both those with smaller and larger parts, and I also love that we got to see more of Rae’s family. They were the only thing I wished we’d had more of in the first book, so I’m so glad they were larger parts in this instalment.

And, of course, Bren – sweet, wonderful Bren. Intisar always says she can’t write romance, but the yearning and the tension in this book was just everything: I loved their banter, and their inside jokes (windows. If you know, you know), and just how perfectly they suit each other, but also how they had things to work through before they could be together (I feel like that’s not a spoiler – we all knew it was coming!)

Plot/theme-wise, I also feel like this was quite different from the first book. Everything about power and inequality was still there, but the driving ideas of this one really centred more around justice and mercy, anarchy vs changing things from within, and who gets to decide what’s right. I was so impressed by how much nuance there was in the discussion, and how it was all woven so seamlessly into Rae’s feelings and actions.

The ending was somewhat bittersweet – there were a couple of things I wished for that we didn’t get, but it also felt right for the story that had been told, and it is ultimately one of hope. There were a couple of plot threads left open, (and the entire presence of the Fae in this world still feels a little less thought-through than everything else,) but it still felt complete and satisfying overall.

CW: death; physical abuse; trauma; child slavery; ableism; drowning; execution; brief gore; threat of rape (not acted on); references to kidnapping

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I had a rough time trying to finish this book due to my hectic schedule, bht fortunately it was fun and enjoyable enough for me to make it through.

I really like the later chapters more compared to the earlier ones, it was slow-paced and quite different from the second book. While I liked tremendously the previous book, I suddenly found this one to be a bit bland. The characters are great, they are fun and relatable, with disability representatives there, this book deserves the praises. However, the plot was excruciatingly slow and I had to put off this book for a few weeks before I had the will to pick it again. The plot twists aren't surprising, and it fell a bit flat on me. But the writing is great. I like it and it keeps me going.

Thank you so much Bonnier Books UK (Eleanor Rose 😊) and NetGalley for the arc of A Darkness at the Door by Intisar Khanani in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I’ve loved every one of Intisar Khanani’s books and this one definitely does not disappoint, beginning where The Theft of Sunlight ended with that humdinger of a cliffhanger.

This is the third book in the trilogy, but the concluding part of the duology within - confused yet? Thorn is the first book, about princess Alyrra, which can be read as a standalone, and The Theft of Sunlight and A Darkness at the Door are about a new main character, Rae, which take place immediately following the conclusion of Thorn…and yes they do feature princess Alyrra too. At the end The Theft of Sunlight with Rae has been betrayed by someone within the palace, and is kidnapped onto a slave ship.

The pacing in this book is perfect, fast, high stakes and even more exciting and dangerous. Rae is plunged into more desperate positions as she pieces together the mystery of the stolen children, the Darkness and the Blessing, and all the interwoven connections. The theme of human trafficking and child slavery remains key to the story, and Rae is the champion for all those stolen, lost and abandoned, and of course a fantastic disability rep.

There is no magical cure for Rae’s club foot and Khanani handles the consequences of this very realistically, and I absolutely love the journey Rae takes with her disability, and her own personal growth.

This book also sees the return of Bren and the growing friendship between the two provides further insight into Bren as a character, which can only be a good thing. I absolutely adore him, and it was a joy to read more about him and his beginnings.

Overall, this was a wonderfully crafted, excellently paced, captivating and engaging conclusion to this series and definitely one I’ll be recommending to anyone looking for a great fantasy adventure.

The third in the Dauntless Path series, following from Thorn and The Theft of Sunlight, this picks up Rae's fight to stop the snatchers just after she herself has been kidnapped. You do need to have read the previous books to understand the context, but it's a great closing book to the series - covering her sister's secret magic, political corruption and the morals of thieves, as well as action and romance. Rae also grows as a character, becoming more accepting of her disability whilst refusing to accept the limitations others might try to put on her because of it. Not everything is neatly tied up at the end, which is a realistic take on a story about seeking justice, and there are some scenes dealing with difficult issues, but it's all well done.

A good end to a great series (I'd like to see Intisar Khanani finish her Sunbolt Chronicles as well please!)

Fantastic, sweeping, and whole host of other adjectives that can't begin to describe just how much I love these characters and this world. Highly, highly recommended!

F I N A L L Y!!!

I have been waiting for A Darkness At The Door ever since I read The Theft of Sunlight slightly more than a year and a half ago. And once again, I was not disappointed. Since this is book 2 of the duology, there will be spoilers for The Theft of Sunlight in this review.

A Darkness At The Door picks up right where The Theft of Sunlight ends, with Rae trapped on a slaver’s ship. She may have discovered that the Prince’s cousin is complicit in the kidnapping of children to be sold as slaves, but what good is this knowledge if she can’t escape? However, Rae finds enough strength to escape (she may or may not have made an unwilling deal with a powerful being in the process) and meets up with a rather dangerous friend, Bren, who may be able to help her.

I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to be familiar with, or at least remember the main plot points of The Theft of Sunlight before reading this. Most of the characters here have appeared in the first book, so you’ll want to be familiar with them before you continue on this journey.

In terms of pacing, I thought this book was generally good! The opening was exciting and though I felt the book slowed down a little too much at one point in the middle, during the respite from all the fighting at the start, the last third of the book was exciting and extremely gripping. I actually don’t think the middle section was that slow or very long, but my attention flagged a little because it was basically a journey between the two sections. Then again, maybe I’m just being picky because of how excellent the rest of the book is.

As always, Rae is an amazing person. I already liked her in the first book, but I really appreciated her character development here. Despite her club foot and losing a finger, she manages to find the energy to carry out her mission. I also liked that the book dealt with her physical disabilities realistically – Rae pushes herself, but when she pushes herself too much, it comes at a cost. She’s a badass but she’s a realistic one – she’s not going to be doing superhero stunts. This is also the book where Rae is forced to wrestle with some tough questions, namely: who should be judge, jury, and executioner? and Is the ‘thieve’s justice’ ever justified? I won’t spoil the book by sharing the answers but I appreciate how the book has Rae grapple with these questions.

There was also quite some romance in this book between Rae and Bren. It’s something that’s been developing since the first book and I really enjoyed their interactions. The way their relationship develops and how they learn to trust one another while fighting for Rae’s life is really the type of romance I like. Their romance developed very naturally and I actually really enjoyed reading it.

All in all, A Darkness At The Door is a fantastic ending to this duology. I love Rae and her friends, I love the world-building, and I love basically everything about this book.

This conclusion blew me away. I loved the magic and characters and their dynamic. The prose is beautiful too. Rae is indeed "something fierce" in this book and totally "pirate queen material". Bren is such a badass too, loved him even more in this one. The ending is heart-stopping and I very much want to read more books set in this world. Publishers take note🖊

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Had a small breakdown while reading this book because I'd love myself a Bren😭
A Darkness At The Door is the best conclusion to my fave series I could have possibly ever asked for. Brimming with danger (lots of it), love and hope this is one book every YA reader is sure to love and treasure, like me. Big thanks and kudos to the amazing author for writing such a phenomenal and mind blowing book.
5 stars!💖

I adore intisar’s writing. This book is incredibly fast paced and was so good!! I loved this one so much and I can’t wait to read the next one.

This book!!!! It is EVERYTHING I wanted for Rae’s story and so much more! There is action and romance, coupled with Khanani's special brand of depth and meaning that makes her one of my favorite YA authors now. She is able to deliver a page-turning, swoon-worthy read while pushing her characters and readers to ask the tough questions without easy answers. I didn’t want to put it down and didn’t want it to end! This trilogy is incredible without a single weak link. But I think this book is my favorite in the series.

I loved this one so much. 😭 I’ve read several ARCs this year and this one was by far the most polished. But more importantly, it was just what I had hoped and been waiting for. I love Rae so much, and Ms. Khanani is so good at writing the perfect combination of exciting action and character development. Act one was a sprint, there was a bit of a lull in the middle, which was used for fleshing out characters, and then there was another exciting sprint at the end. I love how many incredible women there are, how Rae is POC, has a disability, and those things are beautiful parts of who she is; how important the themes of social justice, how well thought out the world building is, and how there was like the perfect ratio of action, romance, dialogue… every book this woman has written I love so much. I am really hoping for more books (maybe Rae’s sisters???)
.

Thank you NetGalley UK for an advanced copy. It's been a long time since I read the previous two books in this trilogy, and I was sometimes lost while reading this sequel. The reader absolutely needs a refresher before reading A Darkness at the Door in order to remember characters, plot, and politics. The themes of justice, morals, perseverance, bravery, and trueness to oneself can all be discussed. While this is a fantasy novel, the topics of kidnapping and trafficking are timely. While the author is Muslim, there is nothing religious and only a few cultural influences appear (mostly food, clothing, and some wedding traditions). I appreciate that this is a clean novel with halal-romance, but some reader flags are: sexual/domestic abuse and violence. I would recommend this book for our middle/high school classroom libraries. Thank you for a happy ending!

A Darkness at the Door by Intisar Khanani begins right where The Theft of Sunlight ended, which is a good thing because that cliffhanger was a bit evil to be honest. So please know this is the second book in a duology and my review will contain spoilers for the previous two books. As I was a bit confused myself, let me explain first before I go into my review. Thorn is the first book, about princess Alyrra, which can be read as a standalone, and The Theft of Sunlight and A Darkness at the Door are about a new main character, Rae, but they take place right after Thorn and feature princess Alyrra too, and you find out how her story goes on, along with some loose ends from Thorn. So all in all, it’s a duology inside a trilogy and do yourself a favor and read them all! The two short stories are also amazing and free to read.

So we end The Theft of Sunlight with a betrayal from within the palace, and Rae gets snatched herself and ends up on a slave ship.

I absolutely loved this third book, it was all I wished for. The stakes are higher, the situations more fraught as Rae gets snatched herself and finds herself in impossible situations. We also find out more about how the snatching and the Blessing and how it all connects, and the world in this book is even bigger than in the previous books. I love how every books add to the worldbuilding a little more, instead of having it all established in book 1. The theme of human trafficking tugs at my heart strings, and the question of how justice can be handled if the authorities refuse to act, is a very intruiging one. Of course our favorite thief Bren makes an appearance. Quite a few in fact, as he can’t stay away from Rae, and his hair is still glorious. We get to see the vulnerable side of him, too, and his character arcs is one of my favorite. Rae’s family gets dragged into this as well, and that was an aspect I really loved as well (can’t say much because of spoilers).

And yes, while I love a good theme (and this book has the best), especially combined with an intelligent yet not infallible main character who’s grown so much (I’m so proud of Rae!), I loved the disability rep best. Simply because it is so uncommon. Her club foot has real consequences and impacts her way of getting away, but it is not used as a plot device, and there are no magical healings. Rae deals with her disability very realistically and I love that. It is so rare, either people get healed or you get to be an inspiration (and usually die at the end). Rae was Rae, and her club foot is part of her, but not the most important part. And I’m so happy to see this in a fantasy book! Gimme more please!

This book is intruiging, has such a rich world and even better characters, is complicated and asks big questions. It’s basically everything I want in a fantasy novel and this series have become one of my favorites. I recommend it to everyone, but especially to people who like The Winner’s Curse, The Remnant Chronicles and An Ember in the Ashes.

I received a free e-arc from the publisher through Netgalley, but my opinions are my own.

This book is the perfect sequel and conclusion to Rae's story. A Darkness at the Door picks up exactly where The Theft of Sunlight left off. Rae manages to escape much sooner than I anticipated (with a little help). Her determination to save the children she was captured with and to bring her findings to those in charge is inspiring. She never stops believing that we can make a difference, and the questions about whether thieve's justice or dismantling an injustice system would make for a great discussion for a book club and is highly relevant to this (sometimes depressing) world we live in.

I had written more, but it just turned into gushing about how much I love this book and Khanani as an author. This entire series is just a delight to read. I did wish that I had reread Thorn and Sunlight ahead of time to better understand some characters motivations that popped up in this book. But that's something for the re-read.

Favorite quote from the book: "Sometimes justice is stopping oppression any way you can, rather than taking ou the criminals at the top"