Unfortunately, I gave up reading this book and I regret it. I didn't find the characters deep enough and I wasn't carried away by th plot.
Sadly it's a DNF :(
But I will definitively try the author's first serie

Matthew Ward es un autor que ya tenía bastantes obras publicadas, tanto de franquicias como originales, pero, por la razón que sea, nunca lo había leído. Así que, en un movimiento parecido al que hice con Play of Shadows, empecé The Darkness Before Them, que es el inicio de una nueva trilogía fantástica independiente de las anteriores.


The Darkness Before Them no es un libro corto, pero se nota que está escrito con oficio porque intenta mantener el ritmo y el interés durante la lectura. Tiene un comienzo fulgurante de esos que te hace pegarte a las páginas mientras intentas hacerte con los personajes y solo atisbas la complejidad del sistema mágico, con el añadido de dos puntos de vista para ir alternando las diferentes subtramas que tiene un interés más o menos parejo, aunque siempre tengamos nuestros favoritos. También es cierto que los cambios de narrador son un poco bruscos.

En la mezcla que utiliza Ward para crear su obra no faltan los elementos más típicos: un sistema de gobierno corrupto, desigualdades sociales, magia a borbotones… se trata de una construcción de mundo muy extensa y que no se explora quizá con toda la profundidad que nos gustaría, aunque es posible que esté guardando revelaciones para los siguientes libros. Esto de las trilogías es lo que tiene.

Lo que es menos perdonable es el escaso desarrollo de los personajes, principalmente Kat, la “protagonista”, pero en general todos tienen poco trasfondo. La impresión que tengo es que se ha intentado meter tanta cultura y mundo que se han dejado un poco de lado las historias personales de cada uno. Y es un error, porque aunque estemos fascinados por un sistema mágico, siempre es importante poder empatizar con los personajes para que nos veamos metidos en la historia. Si no, el libro se vuelve un ejercicio estético y la prosa de Ward tampoco da para tanto.

La opinión general sobre el libro mejora un poco con las revelaciones finales, dejando un regusto más satisfactorio que el que teníamos con el desarrollo habitual del libro. ¿Leeré el siguiente? Pues es bastante probable, así que este primer volumen ha cumplido su función, sin alharacas.

This book had a lot of promise but it kinda wasted it. The main character is introduced in the middle of a heist, which I loved! But after she is caught, her story gets less interesting and I found the writing to be both under and overwritten in this novel, particularly in Kat's sections.

The other POV, Castellan, was much better but was handled a bit clumsy. I think he should have had more POVs so we could learn more about the noble class and the rest of the Firebloods.

I could be persuaded to read book two but it's not a priority.

This starts of with a bang, as the reader follows protagonist Kat on a heist in a city controlled by religion and a monarchy steeped in corruption. The city has so much potential to be great, and had the author kept Kat here I feel like the novel overall could have been so much better. The reader gets glimpses of a city in trouble, with an aristocracy that delights in political scheming, but then half way through Kat just leaves and as a result the plot itself slows right down. I also wanted more from the magic system, which I found overly convoluted at times and took a while for me to get to grips with. However overall the world building far outs rips the plot and characters for it's creativity and originality.

Kat as a character felt pretty one dimensional, and didn't really have a personality beyond someone's girlfriend. She needed more charisma to carry the often sedate plot through to the end. Our other main protagonist, Damant was a little more subtle and complex in their machinations, making them more interesting in a character sense, however they had little in terms of action scenes and therefore kept the plot from moving on at times.

Great, original world building but this overall lacked a solid plot or well developed characters to carry this on its own. I'd consider picking up further books by Ward if only for his wonderful imagination and insightful way with writing, but I'm unfortunately done with the Soulfire Saga.

Sorry for the delay in this one! I actually read this at the end of last year but completely forgot I had not posted my review yet.

This is the first book in a new series called The Soulfire Saga by Matthew Ward.
I really enjoyed this epic fantasy book and it had such an interesting magic system with extracting power, magic from souls. I love it when books have their own intricate magic system.
I loved the mystery of the mist that is slowly encroaching and threatening to take over the kingdom and its surrounding cities. It definitely elevates the book with this.
The world building in this book is fantastic and really well written throughout the book. I really enjoyed the twist in this book and especially the one I did not see coming or expect in anyway.
I felt the characters were well written and had good depth to them.
One of our main characters is Kat who is one of the two main POV’s in this book as well as Damant being the other POV.

The plot does have a slower than normal pace for my normal fantasy books but I did find that I didn’t mind so much. Usually with first books in a series it does take some time to set things up.

I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Darkness Before Them by Matthew Ward is the first book in The Soulfire Saga and it is an epic fantasy book and the beginning if a new series by the author.

It introduces readers to a world ruled by a dangerous immortal king, where souls fuel magic, and a supernatural mist known as the Veil threatens to engulf the land. It is a book set in a dark fantasy world and it has a lot of action. Set in a world of ancient myth and dangerous magic, The Darkness Before Them begins a heart-pounding adventure where a thief dares to seek vengeance - and finds herself on the path to war.

I really liked the writing style and how intricate the world building and the magic system was. I enjoyed the story despite finding it a little bit slow paced and complicated at the beginning. There are many twists and turns that make the book really engaging. There is a lot of political intrigue and many betrayals that you do not anticipate.

Well-built magic system. Political intrigue. Good character work and morally grey characters.

I should preface this review by saying I am writing it more than a month after I had finished the book, so I might forget to mention some things, yet it also showed me that this book passed the test of time, and as I was reading my notes, I remembered the book with great fondness.

Welcome to Khalad. A kingdom where the rich build on top of the old buildings creating cities with great spires that tower over the shadowy slums. A kingdom taxed down to the last penny by the noble houses. A kingdom where you cannot escape your debts even in death.

Kat might have once lived where the sun shines, but now she is just another thief of the Undertown. What sets her apart from the others is her ability that allows her to tamper with all soul-powered devices. Her abilities are key in a big heist that would clear her family's debt and set her up for life.

The first thing that really stood out for me in this book is its soul-based magic system. It is used in different ways, yet also manages to stay cohesive. It is simple to grasp the basics, but it leaves room for more complexity. I think the book also did a good job of introducing it, as well as the rest of the lore, bit by bit without causing confusion or resorting to info dumping.

The setting is also quite well worked out. We have interesting cities where the slum building might actually be an old mansion or a prison that just got buried beneath the newer layers. The atmosphere of the world is quite bleak, especially when we learn that it's all surrounded by the Veil that consumes anything living it touches and all that keeps it away are sacred fires. The religion is a bit confusing which is definitely done on purpose. On one hand, we have a two-faced goddess of justice and mercy, and on the other, an immortal king. There were even some small things that made the setting more unique and the world more alive, such as the widely spread usage of sign language. The only thing I really missed when it came to the setting and lore was a map.

We are introduced to a wide plethora of characters, with neither of them being white or black. Kat might be our hero, yet while she draws the line earlier than some others, she still does some morally questionable things in the name of survival and revenge. I enjoyed the moral conversation as there were characters with different views and motives. One of my favorite characters was Rîma. Without spoiling anything, I can only say she has a very interesting personality and code of honor. She reminded me of a certain archetype of an anime character, in a good way.

In the other camp, we observe the political intrigue among the noble houses through the eyes of Castellan Ihsan Damant. While I was initially less interested in his part of the story, it definitely also had some strong characters and, in the end, it pleasantly surprised me.

All that being said, this book might not be for everyone, as it is quite slow-paced and probably longer than necessary. It also had some moments where the writing was a bit weaker. Despite that, I personally enjoyed it and can't wait for the sequels.

I received an ARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is something else. Not only because of very, very interesting world-building. Not only because of character development and very intense pace. It's something else because the author paints everything in a very unique style. For me reading this story was like watching Renaissance slowly but at a very proper pace, creating in my head. I don't know why I felt this book this way, but it is awesome. I do not want to make any spoilers about action and characters because I think this particular story will be better if the readers try to read this book with free minds.

It's awesome.

"The Darkness Before Them" by Matthew Ward is a captivating blend of historical fantasy and intricate world-building. Set in a beautifully detailed alternate 19th-century London, Ward masterfully weaves together elements of magic, politics, and social dynamics. The story follows the exploits of its charismatic and enigmatic protagonist, Stephen Day, a magician with a dark past.

Ward's prose is rich and evocative, immersing readers in a world where magic is as much a part of society as the intrigues of the upper echelons. The characters are multifaceted and relatable, each with their own secrets and motivations.

The novel's strength lies in its exploration of power, identity, and the consequences of choices. As the plot unfolds, Ward skillfully peels back layers of mystery, keeping readers engaged until the very end.

"The Darkness Before Them" is a must-read for fans of historical fantasy, offering a refreshing and intricate take on a well-loved genre. Matthew Ward's storytelling prowess shines in this enchanting tale of magic and intrigue.

I haven’t read anything by Matthew Ward before, but reading this, I am definitely interested in reading his backlist.

In this book Matthew has made a vast cohesive group of characters that are so intriguing and different from one another, I fell for every one of them as soon as they were introduced.

The intensity that he portrayed with the Viel slowly closing in on the city and the interesting characters made me want to keep reading and I finished it in only two days!

The action packed plot makes me want to continue reading in this world and I’m so excited for a sequel!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc of this book

I really really enjoyed this book. I really wanted more after it ended. The plot was great thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

Matthew Ward doesn't disappoint and delivers the beginning of a new series full of promises.
Great characters, world building and storytelling.
A bit slow at the beginning
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was easily my most anticipated book since learning about it, and yet on finishing it, I'm left feeling somewhat...cold?
Unfortunately, the pacing of this one didn't work for me. I found much of the book to be quite slow and drawn out. I was left in a perpetual state of wondering what the main plot was actually about and when it was going to start.
Kat is the main protagonist of the story but I didn't feel like I knew that much about her, other than her ability and the fact that she was in love with Azra. Kat didn't have a personality of her own and was more of an extension of Azra. I liked Damant more. I found him a more interesting and complex character. He had a lot of honour and knew when to make the right choices.
This world is amazing, but it's also quite a steep learning curve.
The world-building is so strong in this book from the city setting and hierarchical system, to the culture, and magic system. The inclusion of Arab mythology was also interesting.
The writing is very lovely, but perhaps a tad over-written. Some scenes have a sense of urgency that quickly fades amid all the descriptive writing.

Pro tip: there's a glossary at the back. You'll need it.

(full review on Goodreads)

This is a fantastic book and I'm so excited to read the next installation. Fantastic character work with great storytelling!

My very first Matthew Ward book, and it did not disappoint!! All you need is thieves, a rebellion, sky ships and a found family to make me happy, The Darkness Before Them has all four, so naturally I'm a fan.

Though I will say that parts of this book were a slight struggle, namely the first 14% until it picked up, and then some middle sections as well, but everything else was smooth sailing (yes, I had to).

I'd call this a slow paced book in general, which I'm normally not a fan of, but the characters won me over so the pacing didn't really matter.

Kat is one of our two main PoV characters, possibly my favourite, although Damant (the other PoV character) won me over first. At the start, Kat loses her girlfriend Azra after a heist gone wrong, and her whole life gets turned upside down as a result.

Some might say she doesn't have a personality beyond being Azra's girlfriend, but in my opinion she kept working on herself while working through her grief AND trying to stay alive when the world wanted her dead. She's done enough, let my girl be!!!

I love the way she looks after Yali, her banter with Tatterlain, the mutual jabs she and Vallant take at one another, and how she genuinely cares about the rag-tag crew she found herself amongst.

Kat is also a lesbian, and I really appreciate that, because she's not only the main character, but I haven't seen anything wrong with the rep itself. Hopefully it'll stay that way in the future books.

Now Damant, I'll be completely honest and say that it was his full name that got me. Don't know why, it just did. And just like that I was ready to sail away to Damant-ville.

I enjoyed seeing his whole world crumble before his eyes, as he learned the family he was so loyal to were the real villains. Not that I wanted him to suffer, mind you!!!

If you're big on politics, you'll love this. We get the bulk of it from Damant's PoV, a lot of scheming a lot of backstabbing, all that good stuff.

Although I think it would've been better to delay the politics a bit until we got to know the characters better, instead of throwing us into the fire. I was sitting there going "now why is this important", "why do I need to know this" etc, and it DOES make sense at the end, but it can be overwhelming.

There's a lot of worldbuilding going on throughout the whole novel, once you get the hang of it, it's not that difficult, but I think it's a part of why I struggled at the beginning.

I wish the magic system was as vast as the worldbuilding, because I kind of get it, or parts of it, but I'm still not 100% sure how exactly it works. I am looking forward to seeing what else Kat can do, after that ending.

Speaking of, it was a great ending that succeeded in clearing up some things and telling one complete story. Of course there's still more to go, but it's very satisfying.

One last thing, there was a twist in this book that could put many thriller authors to shame. I haven't been that surprised in a while. Good job Mr Ward.

*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The Darkness Before Them is the first book in a new series by Matthew Ward. The paced of the story was slow to start as the author introduces us to the world and characters. It does pick up due to the plot twists, plenty of action which drives the story forward keeping you engaged.. The world building was well handled, not too much information over-load. The character development, political intrigues and the scheming are the standout. The standout character was Kat, I enjoyed her growth, which showed a steady arc throughout the story, also watching learn about her personal and individual motivations. I also really appreciated the dual POV so that you can see the story unfolding from both sides, especially the way in which each plot line intersected at the end was really satisfying to read and well handled. Overall, this book was an enjoyable read; the world has a lot of great potential, and I'm interested to see where it goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the e-ARC of The Darkness Before Them.

Oh my goodness, I’m not quite sure where to start with reviewing Matthew Ward’s latest fantasy. He’s created a dark and gloomy world ruled by an immortal king where the land is threatened by a mist that sucks the life out of everything. His characters are, with very few exceptions, just plain bad or at best morally grey. Add to that a huge amount of political intrigue with nobody quite sure whose side anybody is on and you have a recipe for an engrossing, complex fantasy. And there are sky ships too!!!
The main protagonist of the story is Kat who we meet as she is planning the biggest theft in history. The theft goes wrong and, as a result, she becomes involved in the rebellion against the city’s ruling families. To counter balance her point of view, we have Damant, who is Castellan to the ruling Bascari family and completed devoted to the family and his duty.
I loved the world building in this especially the city of Tyzanta which has grown ever upwards, building on top of what has gone before. The magic system is a novel one to me where souls can be captured and used to power golems and devices as well as create medicines and poisons.
The plot is just basically an unfair regime which a rebellious element is trying to overthrow but Matthew Ward has created something that feels different and new in this new series.
It’s not an easy read. At some points especially early on, it became quite a slog to get through a couple of the chapters. I got a bit confused with who everybody was on more than occasion too as there are a multitude of characters. However, the final third of the book delivered as much drama, plotting and excitement as I could have wished for and I certainly want to read the next instalment to find out where this story goes next.
Huge thanks to Net Galley and the publishers, Little Brown Book Group for providing my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a solidly-written fantasy book, the first of a series by a new (to me) author, and it has lots to recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Unfortunately, I can't say that it particularly grabbed me beyond that.

Our story is set in a world with an immortal king, with ruthless noble houses throwing their weight around - a major technology, used particularly to ensure that said king and nobility keep both their wealth and their power, is the use of spirits as both alarm systems and enforcers. Our protagonist (Kat) is a thief whose father was involved in researching those systems and who has a tattoo he created which allows her to affect and sometimes control them. After her father's death, she found herself in dire straits and ended up stealing for a living before she gets dragged into a conspiracy against the state that she's not particularly interested in.

There's some very nice world-building in this book, with a magic system that's slightly different to what I've seen before, and in general the characterisation is pretty solid too. At times the pacing is a little uneven, which made some sections drag, and I couldn't really find it in myself to care about what happened to Kat. The prose is a bit over-blown too for my liking. None of these things are a good sign at the start of a trilogy? All in all, worth my time as a reviewer but not a book I would be coming back to at any time and I doubt I'll make much effort to pick up the next in the series.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.

The Darkness Before Them is the initial novel in the epic fantasy The Soulfire Saga series, written by Matthew Ward. From the start, Ward proposes an overly complex worldbuilding, woven together with political intrigues, epic action and a plot that doesn't stop surprising the reader; creating a story that keeps you glued to the page.

The novel starts explosively, in the middle of action, following Kat (Katija) and her girlfriend Azra, trying to steal the biggest prize in the entire kingdom of Khalad, in order to pay the debts Kat's father left to her; however, plans have a difficult encounter with reality, failing and getting caught. Kat is sent to death, but fate's intervention changes all, putting her in the middle of a rebellion against Khalad and its tyrannical system.

While Kat's story takes most of the narrative weight, Ward introduces a second POV, Castellan Damant, giving us an insight into the dysfunctional Bascari family, rulers of a province, which helps us to understand the reality behind the Fireblood, the ruling class of Khalad. It slowly prepares us for the revelations that will end intertwining all the plots together.

Ward's worldbuilding is extremely ambitious, featuring a vivid world, with an unusual magic system based on extracting power from souls. The kingdom of Khalad is heavily skewed towards favouring the Fireblood, the nobility that is the ruling class under the power of the immortal king; lower classes barely survive in poverty. The Veil, a supernatural mist, is threatening to engulf the land.

There's a complicated equilibrium between the prose and the pacing, as sometimes this book can be felt as slow, due to Ward's writing style; but it balances with thrilling action scenes and tense moments (especially the sky battles are incredible).

If you are in the look for a great epic fantasy novel, which sets the world for a really ambitious plot, The Darkness Before Them is an excellent choice for you. Can't wait to see how Ward continues the Soulfire Saga!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐝
These are dark times for the kingdom. As the magical mists of the veil devour the land, the populace struggle beneath the rule of the ruthless noble houses and their uncaring immortal king. Kat doesn’t care about any of this. A talented thief, she’s pursuing one big score that will settle the debt that destroyed her family.

No easy feat where indentured spirits hold vigil over every vault and treasure room. Kat has a unique ability where she can speak to those spirits and even command them. And she has no qualms about using her power to her advantage. She just wants to be free. But as rebellion rekindles and the war for their furniture beings, everyone will have to pick a side.

Let me introduce you to world ruled by a dangerous immortal king, where souls are the source of all magic and a supernatural mist threatens to engulf the land. If that doesn’t intrigue you enough then let’s add a morally grey heroine, high stakes that tilt between life and death, and an uncanny ability to talk to the dead. I’m sure your intrigued now. This is the first book in a exciting new trilogy that I’m definitely keen to continue.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘥