The original pitch for this book was apparentlyShadowhunters meets Chinese Mythology and while it's much more than that it has a lot of the features that made the Mortal Instruments series popular: whip smart, weapon wielding teens with family and relationship issues, deadly non-human creatures threatening life as we know it and a great found family dynamic and will they/won't they romance.

The story is told via three different POVs, Rui - an exorcist cadet, marked by family tragedy and insanely good at what she does; Yiran - a member of an illustrious, wealthy and powerful family who lacks the abilities the rest of his family are blessed with and the mysterious Nikai - usherer of souls to the underworld and friends with the Fourth King of Hell.

The story rattles along and is easily finished in two sittings - so relieved to know a sequel is on the way!

Rating - 4.25⭐️

If you haven’t checked out the character fanart of this book yet then you must IMMEDIATELY go on June CL Tan’s Instagram page (@junescribbles) because the stunning fanart was what initially sold the book to me!!!

I really liked the found family dynamic between Rui, Zizi and Yiran. I also especially liked Nikai, he’s my precious reaper🥹 and I wanna see more of him in the sequel🫶🏻.

There’s a M/F slow burn romance and also a M/M enemies to …?👀

The slow burn between Rui and Zizi was so cuteeee!! I kept squealing!!! Just like with Rui, Zizi can also make me giggle and laugh like a fool because I love his humour and flirtatiousness. I could listen to him talk all day because his dialogues are pure gold.

Alsooo, I am so intrigued with whatever is happening between Yiran and another particular character😏. I can’t wait to see more interactions between those two because their first encounter had me laughing so much😂.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher Hodder & Stroughton for the e-arc!

final rating: 4.5/5☆ (so why is it a pseudo 5? because i really really liked this one :)

'darker by four' is such a clever title. after the big turning point in the story where it gets out to the Guild that our main trio knows about hybrids and they've fought one, the sky starts getting darker by four o'clock. and not to mention, the world they lived in with the evolving blight and the Nothing swallowing towns up only turned darker by Four (the king) leaving the underworld and forgetting his life to be a moral. brilliant.

honestly, a modern cultivation story?? sign me up the moment i say this!! i really liked the creavity of the whole setting. it's not just a historical drama but set in reality. it's not cultivation sects and politics and someone practicing demonic cultivation and being shunned by everyone else (if you know what i mean). i love the twist on the setting with am actual school teaching them to use their magic to defeat Revenants (spirits infected by a supernatural virus calles the Blight to become monsters). already, it was shaping up to be a unique story.

the first half of the book was a big of a drag for me. it felt like things were happening too fast, and yet a whole lot of nothing was happening. suddenly bam, Zizi gives Rui the talisman that can move one's spiritual energy, bam, Yiran heads out to nab himself a Revenant. and well........ you know where it's going. for a good while, it felt like a lot of character motivations like Yiran's home life, backstory etc were beong word vomited at me, which did not make me sympathise for him at all, which of course made me like him even less when he started NOT wanting to give Rui's powers back, even when she only transferred it to him to save both their lives.

it's kinda a funny story for Yiran actually. i went from hating him (even if i really did understand wanting to hold on to something good that falls into your lap), to kind of tolerating him and maybe liking him a bit later on in the story, and then back to absolutely disliking him when he got mad at Rui at the end because he lost his magic again when she got it back. Rui feels bad because she now did it twice to him, give him magic and take it away without consent.

but well, it didn't belong to him in the first place, did it? but i really did like his character journey, and morally grey characters written well!! [and the whole thing of Yiran and Yuki (a Hybrid and literally an enemy) being attracted to each other and seeing each other for a chat after a big fight?? a solid idea, and i can't wait to see where this goes, especially after Yuki offered to help get his magic back. (even if it's not even his to begin with!!)]

not gna lie, when i was still early in the book, i was so sure Zizi was the second lead and i'm gna be feeling be bad when Rui ends up with Yiran because that's how such stories always go, and the way their relationship just gets more complex, from a secret more than friends less than lovers situation from the moment Zizi saved Rui, to being ACTUAL lovers, and later on to the ??? did he really love me or was it Four protecting his vessel— (spoiler alert: he did!!) was such a ride.

would 10/10 read this again and i look forward to the next installment to this series :"

(cross posted on goodreads)

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Darker by Four' by June CL Tan.

'Darker by Four' is the newest book by author June C.L. Tan and is soon to be a duology - hopefully this time the publishers do give Tan the second book because I haven't forgiven the publishers for the Jade Fire Gold cliffhanger.

From the moment I started this book, I knew I would enjoy it. Perfect pacing for me, interesting characters with an equally interesting magic system made for a really great read. I felt my interest did slowly dwindle at the 89% mark but honestly, that could be purely on me and I'm not gonna dock points off the book for a final 11%. The mini cliffhanger ending was definitely needed for this book and I sure hope the new book in this duology comes soon.

I am really really extremely excited to read this book and positive that I will love all the characters, however, I am unable to read my ARC as the formatting has messed up and chapters are combined together so that it’ll have a half paragraph from one chapter, a different paragraph mid sentence, and then resume that paragraph , the whole way through, which makes attempting to read it difficult. I am still extremely hyped for this book tho !!!!!

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:)