hanks to Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape, for my advanced reader copy. Here's my honest review from the heart.

I absolutely loved this book. I was immersed In this book, and we followed away; I was inquisitive about Four and why they had disappeared. In this book, we follow three points of view: Rui, Nikai, and Yiran.

Nikai is an otherworldly figure who is a reaper tasked with transporting souls from Earth to the afterlife. With a sombre demeanour and a black cloak that seems to swallow light, Nikai is a fearsome sight to behold. Nikai is investigating why Four has disappeared, as this has caused danger to humans and is causing the underworld barriers to be weakened.

Rui, on the other hand, is a cadet of Xingshan, a prestigious academy that trains young magic users. Rui is a talented spellcaster and combatant with a natural gift for weaving magic and martial prowess into a seamless dance of destruction.

Yiran is a member of the esteemed Song family, one of the land's most potent and influential magical clans. Though he is respected for his pedigree, Yiran is often overlooked by his kin due to his lack of magical talents. Despite this, Yiran remains determined to prove his worth through his wit, resourcefulness, and sheer force of will.

As Rui's powers are transferred to Yiran, both worlds turn upside down. Rui wants what belongs to her back, and Yiran is finally at a place where he feels he belongs. This book has plenty of action and significant character development.

This is my favourite book that I've read so far this year. It has excellent character development and a well-paced plot; it keeps you engaged until the end. The emotional impact it had on me was intense, and I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the next book in this epic fantasy duology.

Darker By Four combines elements of CDramas, K-pop, anime & mythology to create one of the most fun books I've read in recent years.

I adored the characters, Rui, Zizi, Nikai, Yiran, Ada, Ash, Yuki & even the Kings. (Also Mao! 🐈) Everyone had such vibrant personalities and stood out. The settings as well were all so unique and combined together made an amazing backdrop to the story (The Academy, Night Market, Underworld & the hotel to name a few).

The story flows so well and is fast-paced but there's still room to breathe such as everyone gathering together for karaoke. We get a proper look into the academy students lives in class & outside of it and ahh it all works so well!

Honestly, one of my favourite reads! Absolutely cannot wait for the sequel to see what happens next to Rui, Zizi & Yiran (let alone everyone else) but also just to see more of this world and hopefully expans upon a certain few locations we saw briefly!

Thank you so much for the arc Hodder & Stoughton

This book was unputdownable. I couldn’t stop reading. The story hooked me in from the first page. The worlbuilding was easy to understand and I found it very interesting. I mean we have magic, “exorcisms” and gods?! Worlds colliding! Ten Courts of Hell , an academy, a night market , a mysterious hotel and so many secrets!

The writing was SO good, the more I read the more I felt like I was part of the book and I was experiencing what was happening, and that the characters were my friends too. There is also a mystery aspect to this book and well I was shocked by the plot twists! While reading there were clues to where the story was going and I was trying to put them all together, some of my theories were right.. some were very wrong. But, truly , the writing kept me on the edge of my seat!

Our protagonists are all amazing in their own way. I seriously loved all of them and just wanted to give them an hug. They all have tons of baggage and so many layers to them.
The banter was amazing , the author managed to insert some bits comic relief through out the book and it balanced the serious moments so well.

But let’s dive in into the characters a bit more:

Rui is our female protagonist and what’s not to love? She went through the wringer but still found a way to be a certified badass. She was looking for vengeance and I admired how tenacious and loyal she was. And how she found her strength again despite losing her magic. And she was so awkwardly adorable while she was trying to understand her feelings.

Zizi is my favorite. He is a mysterious mage and he is fiercely protective. He is also awkward in his own way and I just can’t get enough of him. He wears pajamas, loves cats, and creates weird spells.

Yiran also has a difficult past and his family life is complicated due to his “grandaddy issues” ( can we call it that? Lol) . He goes through a vast range of emotions and it’s totally understandable. I could feel his frustration and rage and the need to be finally accepted. He is also smart and obsessed with coffee.

Nikai is a reaper for the Fourth Court and thanks to him we could glimpse into the underworld. He is very loyal to Four and he has been trying to find him for a long time. He is very loyal and fair and I loved how he decided to help Rui even if there would be consequences.

As for the romance, it was amazing. The slow burn and the tension were very well done. I cried at the end with that cliffhanger and those confessions?!

There is a second romance that started to develop and well it’s definitely an enemies to (hopefully) lovers? They are for sure enemies in the literal sense. I’m very excited to see what will happen in the sequel.

I’ll finish this review with one of my favorite quotes:

“You want to save the world and the innumerable fools in it, whether they deserve a chance or not. But I—I would give up this entire world for a single breath to leave your lips again. And I don’t need you to feel the same way about me to do it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodderscape for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review

This is the kind of book you read in 1 to 2 sittings, not being able to stop consuming the story. Rui is such an interesting main character and I loved her relationship with Zizi (would happily give my life for him). I even felt for Yiran and his lack of magic, trying so desperately to be respected.

I need more:)