Y'all I was devastated when Theft of Sunlight ended on a cliffhanger, but Alhumdulillah, this conclusion was well worth the wait.  My heart is at ease, even if I am trying to figure out how to get the "Blessing" so that I can forget I read the book, and enjoy it all over again for the "first" time.  I don't normally review second books in the series, and this won't be a typical review, but truly if you have not read Thorn or Theft, what are you waiting for, go get those books and start reading.  I don't know a lot about the publication drama of this fantastic book, but I do know that it was not published in the USA by the same publisher as the first book in the duology, and the thought that we, the readers, could have stepped up the pre-sales and shown our love for the series, the author, and the characters weighs heavy on me.  Thankfully, the UK publisher kept the book and the author found a way to get Darkness to us in the US (it publishes later this summer), but truly we have the power to support good, quality stories, and we must actively show it so that they get published, rather than simply complain about what options are made available to us. This is the author's website: http://booksbyintisar.com/ if you sign up for her newsletters you can get all the bookishly delicious info.  She is not asking me to promote her or her books, but I happily share and direct support to her, because her stories really are great, and from what I can fangirl find out about the author, so is she.

The book picks up where Theft leaves off, and manages to remind readers what might have been forgotten in the interim.  It had been over a year since I read book one and while I fumbled a little at the beginning, the author caught me up to speed and didn't let me lose a beat in Rae's latest and ongoing adventures.  It starts with Rae aboard a slavers ship with children bound for a horrible fate.  More than just her life is at stake, as the information she has recently discovered implicates palace officials, the Circle of Mages, an heir to the throne and so much corruption.  With the help of street thief Bren, Rae gets herself in and out of trouble quicker than most expect.  Her clubfoot, sharp brain, and genuine values, force anyone who underestimates Rae to find themselves scrambling to keep up.  She has grown to love her body and the strengths that it affords her, and in her actions and dedication to changing the world she becomes a formidable river Pirate Queen that you genuinely care for, cheer on, and hope gets a happy ending.

Yes, if you have read Theft and are wondering why I didn't mention Princess Alyrra, Red Hawk, the Cormorant, Niya, Stonemare, Artemian, and everyone else, fear not, they are all present, and get their story arcs, I just don't want to risk a single spoiler.  If you've waited for this conclusion, you will find yourself desperately dreading the final pages, and wishing the story would never end.  The fantasy, action, characters, world building is all incredible and so hard to put down.  The author is Muslim, but there is no Islam present in the stories, although hints of desi culture do seem to present in the Sweetening atleast. 

The book is YA, but I think 15 and up or so would be a good fit. Like the others in the series, it has magic, murder, killing, lying, thieving, alcohol, corruption, implications of sexual abuse, assault and threat of rape, but this book also has some language, talk of infertility, and some implied banter about marital relations. The romance is very halal and clean, but the violence is graphic as dealing with the implications of murder and slavery are grappled with and thus a thematic element of the story.

Thank you Netgalley UK for the arc, if the book looks interesting and fun for you, please preorder the book wherever you are.

I present to you my special trilogy of 2022 💜

Thank you so much to NetGalley UK for giving me acess to this book early, I don’t have words to say how excited I was for this book and still I was not prepared for this. Intisar thank you thank you for this trilogy 💜

What started as a goose girl retelling ended as an pirate adventure. But this book, these series is so much more than that. Heart warming sometimes, destroyer of souls other times, is full of action, adventure and danger. Without dull moments, you see our Rae grow and turn this force of nature, this pirate queen, this protector of the realm in such an amazing and glorious way and I’m so proud to see her reach her full potencial. She is an inspiration since the first line on Theft of Sunlight and maybe I had tear a little during this book seeing her be this heroine in all meanings.

And in the middle of the danger that ship finally sailed and was delicious!!! Bren and Rae are too much cute together. And is so good to see the healthy way they lead with their feelings and their situation and how they accept each other and talk about things. They talk!!!!

This book was the perfect end to this trilogy, my favorite and, for me, the best of the three (what is difficult because they’re all amazing). This trilogy is too much underrated for my taste, so believe me, you had all to read this. Alyrra deserve it, Rae deserve it, Initisar deserve it 💜

So grateful that I was able to get an arc for this one through NetGalley UK - after reading The Theft of Sunlight earlier this year, Darkness became a highly anticipated release for me. And it definitely delivered on all fronts.

But this review was actually one of the harder ones to write because I just want to be like ‘it’s perfect, please believe me & read it!!!’ I am willing to repeat over and over and over, until you believe it!!!!!!

It is so ridiculously underrated! Why aren’t more people talking about and reading The Dauntless Path???

This truly is one of the best sequels I’ve read. It gave me everything I wanted and then some.

It was action-packed - seriously never a dull moment! Rae was bold in her decisions, selfless in her actions and above all else she was resilient. It was so beautiful seeing her accept her body and embrace her strengths. Seeing her growth from Theft through to the end of Darkness, it was really inspiring and made me accept a little more of the things in me that I try to hide because of my insecurities. Rae is my new favourite female MC! (And honestly all the other characters are also great!)

The Bren & Rae dynamic was chefs kiss…I don’t want to give away too much away but you’ll love them 😌 and just this whole story.

Read 👏 this 👏 series 👏 you won’t regret it, it’s in my top 3 faves!

Oh God.. I can't believe I was able to get an eARC of A darkness at the door. It has been my number one most anticipated book for quite sometime now. And boy did it deliver.
The starting chapters are a bit slow. But once it gets going, it really gets going all guns blazing.
Plot is tight knot, characters as always lovable and complex. And Bren.. oh my freaking God.. could you have any more perfect thief with a heart of gold person, than him.
There are a few things that could have been explained better like why Rae would constantly trust authorities when she knew the corruption was happening at all the levels of government. And at times Rae acted too naive and wanted justice to be served but without the burden of the punishments being on her. That did at times come across as holier than thou attitude, but other than this one issue the rest of the story and plotline was beautifully brought together in the end, with dare I say a possibility of more stories in the same world.
Loved the increased presence of Niya and her magic and that she gets to go an adventure of her own and find her own path.
Thankyou so much to Intisar Khanani for writing these beautiful characters and this wonderful, amazing story. These characters will remain my comfort characters for years to come.

I loved this book!
I read Rae's short story The Bone Knife years ago, and immediately fell in love with Rae and couldn't wait to read her story. Mrs Khanani has a way with storytelling, I'll read anything by her, she did not disappoint with this conclusion, it was a such a fun ride, I'm sad it's over, but so very satisfied with the end.

Now I'll patiently wait for the next book in the Sunbolt series!

Happy Reading

I...wanted to love this, I really did.
But unfortunately, I had the same problems with this as I had with the 2nd book. But let's start with the things that I liked first,
- the characters! I loved them all so much, I could feel the depth and care with which all of them were written. Rae and Niya were my absolute faves. Though I can't help but think that Niya was just a plot device in this. I wish there was more to her character than just to further the plot.
- the gang wars and stuff were actually very interesting to me but there wasn't enough of it.
- the disability rep!
- the whole premise of slavers and taking down the Circle!

Things that made me disappointed with the book:
- the plot! I didn't like it at all, in both this book and the 2nd one. It just felt like a long dragged-out story in which everyone just kept running belligerent circles around each other.
- Rae kept getting herself into dangerous situations ALL THE TIME when she wasn't even sure she could get out of them. I mean I know this was required, this is what the heroes do and all that but it was still irritating to see her getting into scrapes continuously without any break whatsoever. (SPOILER ALERT: She does get out with the help of Brian or the sorceress or because of some drastic measures she chooses but STILL!!)
- It was just soooooo slowwwwwww, this is definitely the slowest book I've ever read. The ending with the Circle and the wedding are probably the only parts I genuinely enjoyed.
- I didn't actually feel any sort of chemistry or anything between Rae and Bren so the romance part was just...tough for me to get through. They're both really good people and I can see them as really good friends but not lovers.

I do recommend reading it for yourself and finding out if you'll like it or not because I can definitely see people enjoying it. It just wasn't my cup of tea, unfortunately.

I’ve been thirsting for this sequel since I finished The Theft of Sunlight last year, so I feel fortunate to have had access to an ARC.

The unconventional heroine Rae continues to be fearless but she also doesn’t come across as having a hero complex, making her character relatable. I love that she will not be deterred from her objectives and is equally as prepared for physical fighting as verbal sparring.

As nice as it was to see things fall into place for her at the end, I feel like I missed the slow burn quality of Bren and Rae’s relationship from the previous book. Besides that, however, I can’t get enough of the world Intisar has created!

This book is definitely action packed, and you are unlikely to be able to put it down.

Looking forward to more great reads about fantastical yet familiar worlds from the author.

I’ve been following the Dauthless Path series for quite a few years now and I’m really glad I managed to read this third book and learn where Rae’s path took her.

“A Darkness At The Door” was a good continuation and conclusion of the story, following Rae after her abduction on a slaver ship and her struggles to free herself and save all the stolen children she’s been fighting for since the previous installment. Rae is ever the feisty, flawed and persistent character, who, despite her physical challenges because of her club foot, is still willing to fight and to sacrifice all she has for those she cares about, her family, Bren, her thief friend, and all the children that get kidnapped and sold on the other side of the ocean.

I particularly enjoyed following Rae and Bren’s interactions and the friendship they built, not to mention the fact that Bren was absolutely willing to overlook Rae’s club foot, which in a sort of medieval world like the one in the book is usually treated as a big problem by everyone around, and to see what a great, caring and exciting person she is. It was also ever so cool to see the types of interesting friends in unlikely places that Rae managed to make in order to further her cause. I would not mind reading a spin-off about the mages in the world after “A Darkness At The Door”. On the other hand, I’m not a little sad that Alyrra and Kestrin had such a small role in this book, I wish they’d made a bigger bang, even if this was Rae’s story.

I’m definitely excited to see what Intisar Khanani’s next projects will be!

𝘼 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙧 by Intisar Khanani
There are so many great books in the world, sometimes the characters just react immaturely to common situations, which - to me - feels like it's just manufacturing conflict for the sake of conflict.
With Intisar Khanani, there is no easy out, nor copy paste characters. This book, Darkness at the Door, is a labor of love.
I could name ten fleshed out characters who are excellent, but I'll review about the main character, Amraeya (Rae).
Something I love about Rae:
Genuine reactions to real world traumas. It is extremely unlikely that I will ever go through what Rae goes through - but other people have. I don't want my main characters being able to brush things off traumatic experiences so easily. That's not true in real life, neither is it respectful to portray it that way if the genre of the book is more serious. I want characters who get hurt in one "scene" & still have the wounds in the next. I don't need an MC to be hard, strong, witty & impervious every waking minute. I want the real stuff.
Give me the bruises & scrapes - along with believable problem solving. Give me characters taking time to breathe, helping each other out in ways other than violence or grand pep talks. I want skin ship, found family, good & bad coping mechanisms. Rae represents a lot of these. 10/10 for her character developement.
Also, worth mentioning, I have never before seen such a genuine way of discussing an intimate relationship before in another book. What an example of healthy communication.
I got all this with Darkness, & I could not put it down. I'm telling you now, except literally just for my family & sometimes to eat, all I did was read this. SUch a satisfying way to spend a day off.

Ps. One thing I appreciated in the first book remains true for the second: Rae's parents are still alive & active parts of the story! I love when family doesn't have to die to further a plot👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 The family scenes were some of my favorites.
Pps. Chapter 22 is such a sister mood😂.
Chapter 23 gave me life. I'm pretty sure it filled my car up & paid all my bills. Yes, in This economy!

Trigger Warnings:
*Show/Tell slavery
*Seizures
*Drowning
*Physical injuries (in much variety, though none gory)

Cover: Jenny Zemanek
Publication: Snowy Wings Publishing

Great ending to the duology! It is so refreshing to see heroines that are well developed, not insanely gifted, who work through their own limitations and are getting things done anyway. Once again great disability rep and great depiction of a strong character in Rae. Less focus on court intrigues in this one and therefore less of Alyrra, Kestrin and other palace characters from Thorn and A Theft of Sunlight, but great to see more of the worldbuilding outside Tarinon.

Also appreciate that the book doesn't look away from difficult questions and situations, and neither does Rae. A lot of discussion on varying forms of justice and trappings of power and the characters doing the best they can. The threads from the first book all wrap up pretty well in this one, but would love to read more of this world if Intisar Khanani has any future plans.

My ship was sunk well and good in this book, and I'm still giving it five stars.

Because I had lots of fun nonetheless, and in the end I think the romance worked the way Intisar decided to write it. There was more chemistry between that pairing than what I'd have initially preferred, so after this little mournful salute, I'll add that the endgame pairing worked better, much better. Rae didn't compromise on her morals in spite of her choice of man, and there was a redemptive storyline meshed in with the romance that I found well done, too.

I think the aspect I loved the most is that Rae's disability is represented fairly and accurately here. It's not here as a token for representation's sake, nor is it depicted fantastically, overlooking the challenges and discrimination that having a disability entails. Rae isn't magically cured, isn't magically rid of her clubfoot, and for all that "A Darkness at the Door" is a fast-paced adventure story with persecution and evasion sequences, dizzyingly so in parts, she manages to keep up with able-bodied sidekicks and partners without stretching credibility. For example, there's a chase scene through cobblestone streets by night, and she suffers from not being able to run normally and has to essentially use Bren as a crutch. She's not made to be a burden, and she's not made to be a badass for whom her clubfoot is no biggie; it's fair and it's believable.

Although the story concludes in this volume with all the different threads neatly tied up, I think there's potential for revisiting the characters in a future story set in this world, similar to how we saw again Alyrra and Kestrin from "Thorn." The kidnapping of boys and girls for the slave trade, the Circle of Mages' abusive rules on apprentices and secret magical Talents, Bren and his thieves, have been solved satisfactorily here, so I don't mean these overarching plotlines, but more like small little side details such as Niya training with the Fae, what Winterfrost's backstory might be, seeing more of Rae playing her flute and finding more children, things like that which can turn up again in future stories.

In sum, it's been a pleasure to read this conclusion to the saga. I'll miss Rae very much, she's been to date Intisar's best creation as a character, in my humble opinion, so enterprising, so feisty, so persistent, so not self-pitying, so <i>relatable</i>; hence my not-so-subtle pleadings in her direction for more someday.

This book was everything I wanted and more. The balance between the romance and the plot was exactly right for my tastes. It was amazing to not only see Rae acting on her one but also combined with others as well.. I even loved that not everything got tied up in a bow at the end leaving just a little bit left for the possibility of more. But, what I truly love, are the characters. Rae is somehow even stronger in this book than the first showing just how inventive and smart she can be. Bren, oh Bren, he was everything I wanted in this book. He was a great foil to Rae and I especially loved that the two of them talked about their feelings with one another. I enjoy when these hard conversations are had because it makes the couple feel actually real to me because they have the same problems that I could. Well, maybe not the same ones I could but something that felt real to their situation.

I could go on talking about this book forever but I don't want to get into spoiler territory. My one and only regret is that I didn't purchase a physical copy of this book when the Kickstarter was going.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bonnier Books/Hot Key and Intisar Khanani for giving me access to an eARC for review!

Thorn and Theft of Sunlight mean so much to me as books, so as soon as I saw I got approved for DatD, I jumped on the chance to pick it up. As always, Khanani has delivered what she set out to do - writing strong, fierce young women into diverse worlds.

I love Rae as a character - she never backs down, but she also acknowledges the limits of her body without lamenting it. I really enjoyed her relationship with Bren for this reason too - he's always looking out for her without it being overbearing or intrusive, and I think they're a really good match for each other. I also liked though that you got to see Rae being a baddie on her own without his help for a lot of this book, especially as it would have been easier for her to lean on him to accomplish her mission.

DatD explores some incredibly important themes like justice, corruption, reparation and slavery, which makes this book a bit darker than the first two (in my opinion) but leads to some really interesting discussions and conundrums for Rae. I also liked how they never really solved the issue of justice (because it is a big issue to solve) but instead are working towards something better.

I'm sad to see the series ending, but I am so incredibly glad it found its way into my life and I cannot wait to read more from Khanani in the future!

CW: slavery, threatened sexual assault, violence/murder, attempted hanging, implied torture

This is my third Khanani novel, and she has officially made herself an auto-purchase author for my shelves.

After finishing The Theft of Sunlight earlier this year, I ached for the next installment as I turned the final page, so you can imagine my excitement when I was approved for this ARC.

A Darkness at the Door is a balm to me as a reader that constantly finds myself stuck in the three-star doldrums of YA and NA fantasy. Flimsy worldbuilding, predictable twists, trite characters, and poorly concocted politics have left me feeling cold toward the genre in recent years. Khanani’s world of Menaiya, however, revives me. It feels so real, carefully constructed, and thoughtfully drawn. I believe in it, and I believe in the politics and corruption that Rae so desperately wants to rectify.

I’m so further grateful for the characters that Khanani has given us. Rae, with her fierceness and strength, but also with her idealism and soft heart — to me, the embodiment of a strong heroine. Bren, who was an absolute delight with his protective spirit and rugged charm. But perhaps most impressive to me is the dedication to making supporting characters just as real as our heroes. Alyrra and Kestrin, who we get to see grow from where we left them in Thorn; Artemian and Lirika, whose safety readers cannot help but hope for; and even smaller roles, such as Matsin and Elehar, who manage to endear themselves even with limited page space.

I’m always impressed when a book genuinely keeps me in suspense — will the heroine end up with her beloved? Will she succeed in what she strives for? Will everyone make it out alive? — and Khanani is excellent at doing so. I’ve realized that perhaps this is why I never truly bond with romance novels; I crave the doubt, the suspense that makes me genuinely question how it will end. It makes the reward all the more sweet to me.

As for the romance — I have always craved a believable, addicting, epic romantic SUBplot (not main plot) and Rae and Bren absolutely deliver. His loyalty, his fierce protectiveness of her is the stuff that fictional dreams are made of. And Rae is allowed to desperately love him without centering her life around him. That kind of balance is definitely important to me, as I don’t love codependency nor am I interested in the idea that a female character must be cold and alone to be “strong.” My only complaint here is really down to personal preference: I am a hopeless romantic that craves affirmations, so I’m always a little let down when couples are given no kiss by the end! I was sad about it in Thorn, but I am more sad about it in this book, as I love Rae and Bren even more as a pairing and yet we skipped straight into a married life epilogue without ever getting that kiss. I’m but a starved girl and I am SORRY about it!

Overall, a triumph, and I cannot wait to see what Khanani does next.

Many thanks to Bonnier Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

What else can I say about this book beyond that I loved it? I just really love Rae and Bren and this story. The messages, the themes. It's just all incredible and I truly cannot recommend these books enough.

I have been absolutely wrecked with a book hangover since I finished The Theft of Sunlight, so I really needed this book. And it did not fail deliver.

This series reminds me a bit of Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, with an amazing heroine tempered like a blade through her trials, coming out stronger.

There are brutal moments in this story, so it is not for the faint of heart, but there are sweet moments as well, friendship and sisterhood and romance.

Also, kudos to the author for being added to my Goodreads shelf of "authors who do horses right". I hope to read even horsier books from her in the future.

Highly recommend all 3 books in The Dauntless Path series (definitely read in order.)

Thank you to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for the ARC!

The absolute perfect conclusion to this lovely trilogy. Rae’s story was heartbreaking and beautiful and I would not have had it end any other way.

This book had many different plot lines that had to be wrapped up and I think Khanani did great work in doing so. Her words and tone were perfect from start to finish. Rae and Bren were two halves of a whole and I loved reading their interactions: witty back and forth that you just eat up. I also loved some of the new characters that were introduced: Lirika especially.

I can’t say much more without spoilers but do yourself a favor and go read the Dauntless Path trilogy now!!

I enjoyed reading this book so much! I loved the series and how Khanani wrapped it up. I also enjoyed the character development of Rae, how she started in the first book, and how she turned out in the end. I love the conflict she faced when deciding between theif justice and king's justice, I loved how she dealt with all of it in the end. Overall, I enjoyed the plot, the characters, the conflicts, and the journey of this book.

Damn, this book is what I call a great finale. I almost regret reading it so soon because now I'm finished with the series. Seriously, it has so much depth that I don't know where to start with this review.

I'm impressed by the character development. Despite her qualities as a hero, Rae discovers that she has to do bad things to survive and save the day. She has grown into this brave, stubborn survivor who won't stop until the evil that corrupts the kingdom is no more. It pleases me to see a disabled POC accomplish so much! She has learnt to love her body and to use it to her advantage. I love her straightforwardness too: she knows what she wants and asks the necessary questions (especially as to her relationship with Bren). She has standards and won't take scraps. Bren is also experiencing changes. I mean, he's still the guy we love but he learns to be more than a thief lord.

The slow-burn romance is everything. I love Rae and Bren SO MUCH. It's sweet, cute and pure. My heart was palpitating when they were sharing stories about their pasts. Bren is always supportive of Rae and her decisions. It sometimes borders on worship, the way he is living for Rae's plans and accomplishments. Also, (view spoiler). He never comments on Rae's disability, and it never makes her lesser to his eyes. It's very important.

If the found family aspect with the gang is heartwarming, it's nice to see Rae beloved by her own family.

By the end of the book, you see how much work was put into it. With the way previous scenes and dialogues lead to the understanding of some choices and plot resolutions. I'm happy with how the author wraps up the story: there are no plot holes.

I love everything about it!

Thank you SO much NetGalley for this eARC!

This book is just incredible. Intisar Khanani is a queen of character development, and I grew to love Rae even more than I did after Theft (which is saying a lot!).

A Darkness at the Door follows Rae after she was captured by the Snatchers at the end of The Theft of Sunlight. She manages to escape, but now knows how deep the corruption truly is to allow the level child trafficking that is happening throughout the kingdom. She has her allies, not the least of which is the thief Bren, but can she really do anything in the face of such power?

I. Adore. This. Book.
Rae is the perfect pirate queen and I would read about her forever. Her growth in learning to love and care for her body (rather than her pride) is beautiful. Her relationships- especially with Bren, but also Lirika and the children she encounters- add such an important dynamic to her character.
I honestly didn't know how things were going to play out for the majority of the book, and I loved every minute of it. What an excellent (hopefully not actual!!! Please give us more!!!!) end to the Dauntless Path books.