Sadly and I'm really sorry for that, I end up DNF the book, I've really tried but it was hard for me to connect with the characters and the story I thought it was a lot going on and happening at the same time

This was a great start to the series. The author does a great job in introducing and immersing the reader in this unique new world. The elemental magic system was wonderful and the characters were well written and engaging. I look forward to more from this world and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a romantasy book.

ARC received through Net Galley

TLDR: Doesn't break new ground, but is comfortably familiar and has some promising ideas.

Welcome to the Grasp! A peninsula where the tyrant Osbert, his Fingers (secret police) have total control, and few dare to stand up to their rule.
We follow two stories: two dactyli - outlawed magic users from who collect the memories of the world - who are looking for a potential new dactyli, and an inquisitive young girl named Kylene who is trying to uncover her father's secrets.
The story itself follows predictable paths, and if you expect something to happen, it most likely will. The world also lacks a strong personality, as the author doesn't spend much time fleshing it out beyond a few tidbits here or there.
But. But, but, but. This is a debut novel. This is the first in a series. The story gives us enough to have a sense of familiarity with what the world looks like, and there is one spicy idea which, if developed as the series goes along, could be taken in interesting directions.
The spicy idea is this: sgeuls - the magically collected memories of the world, drawn and collected from trees and people by the dactyli. This connects with an underlying theme of memory, and the value of history which is thread throughout the book.
Looking forward to seeing how the next part turns out, and I can recommend this to people who want light fantasy read.

the perfect start to a fantastical series (I hope it is a series).
this is such an epic slow burn, from the beginning, i knew this was one of those books that you have to be patient with to really enjoy and i was right. from the writing, the language used, the atmosphere (felt like i was watching movie becuase of how vivid the descriptions were), the banter, you're truly transported to a whole different world.

the pacing was so perfect, the characters were interesting and kept me so hooked that I finished the last 60% in one day. i was captivated by Lovelaces's sarcasm and wit, Gunnar's stoicism and mystique, Kylene's courage and strength and even Ailwyn and Pif who also had and impact, and especially Alev's whole Voldemort-y vibe.

truly a 10/10 experience, this is a book that once you start, you just think "this is fantasy". truly impeccable, perfect writing, and very deserving of 5 stars and is a book I will totally recommend to everyone once it is officially out.

thank you netgalley and Roundfire books for this arc in exchange for an honest review💞</i>

some of my notes:

this book is giving harry Potter mixed with game of thrones and a bit of the hobbit

OMGGG Kylene reminds me soo much of Arya from GOT

Lovelace is so funny and sarcastic🤣love seeing the dynamic between him and Gunnar😂😂it's giving grumpy- sunshine

3/5 ⭐


This was actually a really good and engaging debut! However, i found the story a little too predictable and yet, it didn't stop me from reading it as i enjoyed the bits of magic. When it comes to the writing: i did need to get used to it but it was beautifully and competently written in general. I think this story would be great for those who seek captivating world building and those who love having a book with more than one perspective. (yes, we have two POVs which is what i appreciated the most:))

4 ⭐

Slow burn fantasy, dual POV, elemental magic, in-depth world building, and off-the-bat amazing start to the story!

This book was more than I expected
Gunner and Lovelace are fantastic MCs that had me absolutely absorbed in following their adventure - I loved reading about their dynamic together. I recommend this book to anyone who would like an in-depth fantasy, with a good vs evil and elemental magic theme.

Title: When Shadows Grow Tall by Maressa Voss
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Pub Date: August 1, 2024

"You must never stop asking questions, my darling. If you don't go about asking questions, no one has to worry about the answers they're giving you."

🔥 Elemental Magic
🕯️ Ancient Secret Societies
⚔️ Growing Rebellion
⏳ Dual POV/Timelines

Voss utilities personification and metaphor heavily throughout. It's beautiful to read, but can quickly become difficult to comprehend (there are a lot of big words that aren't necessarily used in normal daily speech). There are also long descriptions of actions that were pretty and well written, but maybe more than necessary?

Ex: He sighed, a great heaving thing that made his bones press against his skin. And then, from deep within his belly, a strange gurgle rose. Laughter, in spite of himself. It climbed up and out of his throat, escaping his lips like a wild thing that would treat with no taming. It poured from him in an endless stream and soon deep hoots twittering chirps, tinkling bells and faint wheezes joined the rumble of his utter surrender to the path that lay before him.

As you can see, the writing style is beautiful but it's just a lot lol

I struggled to grasp things at the beginning, finding that world building/explanations of powers/etc is done later in the book. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but I felt pretty confused until about 50% in when things were explained in the form of "info-dumping" dialogue between characters. This is also where the story began to pique my interest.

For a debut novel, it was good. I personally prefer my world building sprinkled in the beginning to avoid the confusion, but now that I understand I have high hopes for the next book, and now I know I need to read this author's work when I'm in the mood for a lot of poetic language.

⭐ 3.5/5

Thank you so much NetGalley and Roundfire Books for the review copy!

A story of magic and quiet rebellion, this started a little slow but has set the stage for future tales. While the world building was excellent, much of the magic isn't clearly explained, so it was a little confusing until farther into the book. In addition, it wasn't very clear when parts of the story took place in the past and then jumped to the present. The band of characters that came together by the end did draw me in. I'm looking forward to their future adventures.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

This was a great start to the Cycles of Night series, it does a great job in writing this type of story and introduced us to a unique world. It had a great fantasy element that I was looking for and thought the characters were everything that I wanted overall. Maressa Voss has a great writing style and thought it worked well and left me wanting more. I enjoyed the idea of truth in this book and how it worked in this universe.

When Shadows Grow Tall sets out to be the first entry in a sweeping, brutal, high fantasy series and does an impressive job hitting that mark.

I will freely admit that the first quarter of a new fantasy series is always the hardest for me to get through, but Maressa Voss kicks her book off with a brutal prologue that caught me off guard in the best way. From the end of the prologue I found myself intrigued and invested in what happened. The pacing is one of the strongest aspects of this book, and the point of view exchanges between Lovelace and Kylene are timed very well. Voss’s prose is sweeping in a way that feels very familiar to anyone who has spent time in the genre, but I don’t think she goes overboard with it. I found the descriptions to be very sensory, and would be imagining the smells and sounds of a scene just as often as what everything looks like.

The character archetypes and good vs evil conflict they play into are fairly simplistic, which didn’t detract anything from the story for me. I don’t have any terribly strong opinions about the villains, but I don’t think the audience spends enough time with them to develop any. Lovelace is easily my favorite, his anger is palpable and it bleeds off the page as much as his kindness does. He plays very well of Gunnar, and the introduction of Pif and Ailwin as companions does a good job to help flesh everyone’s personalities out. Kylene endeared herself to me the page long choice paralysis she ran into trying to decide what toppings to add to her porridge. I feel the same way about oatmeal.

Voss refuses to hold your hand and expects the reader to be able to keep up with her which has its pros and cons. I think her magic system is simple enough that she doesn’t need to explain it anymore than she does, with the sguels being my favorite part. Her characters generally talk about the magic in a way that you can pick all the important functions up, while managing to keep those conversations feeling natural. It’s refreshing as a reader to be trusted like that, but it’s not infallible. I think we’re supposed to piece together some rules about gender roles and expectations in the Grasp, but nothing is clearly defined until around 43% of the book where it becomes very explicit. So many aspects of Kylene, Lovelace, and Gunnar’s lives are dangerous, it can be overwhelming to parse out what differs in the threats between people considered rebellious, rangers, educated people, women, and men.

I do think the blurb gives too much away. As a rule for myself, I like to go into a book pretty blind and if the genre and first couple sentences of a book line up with my taste that’s enough for me. Your milage may vary with that, but I didn’t read the blurb until after finishing the book and was very happy with that choice.

Overall this was a very strong debut and I really like Voss’s voice and style. I look forward to reading what she puts out next.

Thank you NetGalley and Collective Ink for the eARC.

3.5 stars thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC of this book. I enjoyed it but I found it a little slow paced for my liking. The world building and the character growth was consistent throughout. I enjoyed the plot well enough. I will most likely read the next book when it comes out. It's got elemental magic, a fire mage/villian, love, family, badass fight scenes. I would definitely recommend it.

I enjoyed this book a lot as the characters are fascinating and their interactions are thoroughly entertaining. With playful dialogue and wonderful world building, this novel was impossible to put down. The inclusion of elemental magic with the sense of adventure, Voss creates an atmosphere like no other. Her writing is so unique and addicting to read, and the story was fast-paced and unpredictable at every turn of the page.
This was an excellent debut novel and I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

‘When Shadows Grow Tall’ has all the makings of a great read and an amazing fantasy story.
I think what I most appreciate about this book is the narrator. Not only an omniscient presence, but also a clear and reliable reader of human character and something of a philosopher. It’s not easy to achieve this, I think.
I have the utmost respect for the author’s efforts in creating such fully fledged characters with rich inner worlds and background stories that feed into their personalities, their set of beliefs and ultimately their actions. I am still unsure of who I like more: the passionate Lovelace or the taciturn Gunnar.
I appreciated the beauty of the author’s world building and how, at times, it really felt like instead of reading a book excerpt, I was watching a painting of the landscape she was describing.
Love the concept behind the book, I took great interest in the politics of the dactyli (interesting choice of word for a fantasy caste as well) and I would definitely recommend it to my friends.
If I were to mention one thing that made the book slightly challenging at times, I would say that the syntax choice and vocabulary can get a little bit in the way of cruising through a reading session. It might be me, though, and my brain, too tired after work. I found that at times things could have been slightly simplified, without losing effect or meaning. Also, I felt like the language was a little convoluted on occasion and heavy, obscuring some much needed information. Again, not something I would hold against this book, it might just be me. I also am aware that this book is classified as more of a high fantasy work, and I know that these really need a lot of attention and dedication and a clear mind when reading them.
I think this is a great piece of literature, and once out, I will look at adding it to my physical shelf.

When Kylene's world is turned upside down she knows staying quietly at home is never going to be an option. Travelling a land she knows very little about to an unknown destination seems a small price to pay if it means helping her people escape an oppressive regime, but is it really?

Lovelace and Gunnar, two members of a dwindling brotherhood, who believe in the persuit of absolute truth, are sent on a quest to discover the cause of a never before seen signal and its significance for their order. Heading into a countryside full of hidden dangers in the company of two unwanted companions isn't ideal especially as their discoveries leave them shaken to the core and facing an ever changing and volatile future.

Book one in Maressa Voss's Cycles of Night series has, by necessity, a great deal of world building contained in its storyline. The Grasp is a divided land and the author shows this with an expertise that makes its complexities clear and easy to understand while belying the fact that this is her first novel!

My only grumble, tempered by the fact that, as an arc, some things may be missing, is the lack of a glossary. There are words used which have meanings specific to this story but they aren't explained on their first appearance and pronunciation is never covered. This slows the story down which is a shame as it has an excellent energy and sympathetically drawn main protagonists.

There is obviously far more of this journey and its consequences to be told and I will definitely be on the lookout for book two. The author has started a story I definitely want to stick with, happening to characters some of whom I am already rooting for while wanting others to receive the comeuppance they absolutely deserve!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Collective Ink Books, but the opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed this very much, despite my previously mentioned concerns, and definitely plan to continue Lovelace and Gunnar's journey with them.

I sadly had to give up on this book about 50 % in. The writing was very competent and impressive for a debut novel, but I just couldn’t get into the story.

It started out really interesting, and as a reader you’re thrown right into things. But as the plot progressed, I lost interest. The storyline felt jumbled, and there was too much info dumping for me.

This isn’t a bad book, but since it ended as a DNF for me, I can’t really give more than one regretful star.

I think this is a fine fantasy book if you want a bit of magic, a lot of banter and a good/evil conflict. It is competently written and in general, I enjoyed my experience in the world of Maressa Voss.

Now, you might think that glowing praise sounds different, and you would be absolutely right. For while this is a fine fantasy book, I did not find it particularly original or surprising. In fact, what is presented as a plot twist seemed very clear very soon. I am also a bit tired of bad people doing bad things because they are bad. Also, the good people are really good, so that is a bit... binary? Obviously Maressa Voss has ideas, but it felt like I already knew most of them. The magic system might be interesting, but it remains a bit... vague. We have a special one, of course, but that alone does not make a book very interesting. I think When Shadows Grow Tall could be a table-setting book, followed by more interesting volumes, but then I would prefer to read those.

I did receive an ARC from the netgalley for my honest review, and would have really liked it to be a bit less lukewarm. Alas, it is what it is. While reading the book did not annoy me, I will absolutely not remember much of it in a few weeks.

This fantasy novel has a compelling heroine and well-crafted characters, making it an ideal read for those seeking immersion in a captivating story. The quality of writing in this book is excellent, and I highly recommend it to fans of the genre. I look forward to exploring more of the author's works.

When Shadows Grow Tall is a debut fantasy novel that introduces you to two compelling storylines that later merge.

Rangers Gunnar and Lovelace are a sort of long suffering, likeable pair that I enjoyed, I looked forward to their dynamics when dealing with problems and especially uncooperative people. Meanwhile, Kylene's personality and her story was definitely something that propelled me forward while reading, I love a good questing heroine!

Voss's lyrical and descriptive style of writing brings world to life - immersion is pretty easy.

Overall, When Shadows Grow Tall is a great choice for fantasy enthusiasts, showcasing the talent of a promising new author.

DNF at 10%
Writing isn't for me, feels almost like the author tries their hardest to use uncommon words to make the book sound more "old school fantady", but for me this didn't do it.
Also, in medias res is a starting point I am not too fond of.

This book was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had huge expectations for this book and was not disappointed. That is genuinely a very good book ! I love how visual the writing is, I could picture everything very clearly in my head, including the fights, which are usually a bit hard to understand for me. The magic in this world is quite interesting ; it seems to be a classic element based system, but it works in very mysterious way, that I think might be explained a bit more in the next books.

Also, the characters made me laugh so much ! Lovelace is a bit uptight, which makes him funny at his own expense. And Pif has a great sense of humour. In general, I like how the dual point of view progressed, I liked understanding more and more why and how the two characters would meet, what they had in common.

I cannot wait to know when the next book will be published !