A Day of Fallen Night
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-27 09:51:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Samantha Shannon
- ISBN：1526619792
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Summary
The stunning， standalone prequel to the New York Times bestselling The Priory of the Orange Tree。
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory。 For fifty years， she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One， and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose。
To the north， in the Queendom of Inys， Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth， narrowly saving both realms from ruin。 Their daughter， Glorian， trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be。
The dragons of the East have slept for centuries。 Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple， trying to wake the gods from their long slumber。 Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate。
When the Dreadmount erupts， bringing with it an age of terror and violence， these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat。
Intricate and epic， Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the world of A Priory of the Orange Tree， showing us a course of events that shaped it for generations to come。
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory。 For fifty years， she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One， and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose。
To the north， in the Queendom of Inys， Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth， narrowly saving both realms from ruin。 Their daughter， Glorian， trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be。
The dragons of the East have slept for centuries。 Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple， trying to wake the gods from their long slumber。 Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate。
When the Dreadmount erupts， bringing with it an age of terror and violence， these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat。
Intricate and epic， Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the world of A Priory of the Orange Tree， showing us a course of events that shaped it for generations to come。
Reviews
Piper
，
A Day of the fallen nightEarc:NetGalley Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing Plc （UK & ANZ）， Bloomsbury CircusPublication Date: 28 Feb 2023 |Genre:General Fiction （Adult） | LGBTQIAP+ | Sci-Fi & FantasyI love the characters in this book。 It's excellent， and the story was entertaining。 This book is also long。 It's a chocker。 A thrilling and enchanting prequel to Orange Tree Priory， A Day of Fallen Night follows one of the darkest nights in the fictional world of books and the protagonists who must be s A Day of the fallen nightEarc:NetGalley Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing Plc （UK & ANZ）， Bloomsbury CircusPublication Date: 28 Feb 2023 |Genre:General Fiction （Adult） | LGBTQIAP+ | Sci-Fi & FantasyI love the characters in this book。 It's excellent， and the story was entertaining。 This book is also long。 It's a chocker。 A thrilling and enchanting prequel to Orange Tree Priory， A Day of Fallen Night follows one of the darkest nights in the fictional world of books and the protagonists who must be saved in the four corners of the world。 I adored the Dumai plot of the story and her character as a strong woman who feels the pressure of family and duty and her desire to fly in Fallen Night even more than I did in Priory。 They're all fantastic characters， and the plot was gripping from beginning to end。 I'm excited to read more about this world。Brutal， heartfelt， and full of twisted politics， intense action sequences， and likeable， complex characters。 It felt magical to return to the world of the Roots of Chaos。 I couldn't put Samantha Shannon's touching delicate prequel to The Priory of The Orange Tree down。This book is entirely focused on LGBT relationships。 Gay/bi and straight relationships are perhaps the opposites of what you'd expect to see in YA fiction。 Most POV characters are gay or bi， with Ace being the sole exception。 Despite significant differences between cultures， this is universally true in all nations。 Male writers can create fantastic creatures and worlds， but they cannot imagine equality。 I believe it is one of the appeals of novels。 However， not all relationships are comparable。 The relationship between Tunuva and Esbar felt very real and mature。 Dumai is an old-fashioned lover enemy， but Glorian and her partner are。Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 #NetGalley #ADayofFallenNight #sapphic # 。。。more
Mitsy_Reads
，
I loved The Priory Of The Orange Tree， so was looking forward to reading this prequel！ The author is a great storyteller as I could see from the previous book and this is a great story。 I feel like it has a pacing problem and can be frustrating at times。 I wish there were more actions in certain parts， especially in the second half， then it would have been 5 stars。 But I think this is a great prequel with some amazing characters， so it is worth a read！
Meagan
，
Thank you Netgalley for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for an honest review。In Inys， the descendants of the Saint rule， their bodies sacred vessels for future queens to come that will protect virtuedom from the threat of the Nameless One。 But Glorian Berethnet balks at the thought of marrying and having a child， her secret wish to be a warrior like her father。 In Seiiki， Dumai lives with her mother Unora on a mountaintop。 As godsingers they watch from their remote location and wait for si Thank you Netgalley for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for an honest review。In Inys， the descendants of the Saint rule， their bodies sacred vessels for future queens to come that will protect virtuedom from the threat of the Nameless One。 But Glorian Berethnet balks at the thought of marrying and having a child， her secret wish to be a warrior like her father。 In Seiiki， Dumai lives with her mother Unora on a mountaintop。 As godsingers they watch from their remote location and wait for signs to wake the sleeping gods。 But Dumai’s world is thrown out of balance when two strangers scale the mountain and change her life forever。 In Lasia， Tunuva Melim is grateful everyday to be a sister of the priory where she can be close to her lover Esbar and dedicate her life to the upholding the legacy of Cleolind。 But even idyllic life at the priory has its troubles， when Esbar’s daughter makes one rash decision Tunuva strives to repair the damage。 All of their lives are changed forever by the creatures that fly from the Dreadmount。 War and fire ravage the world and these women try their utmost to save it。 A Day Of Fallen Night is a story of mothers and daughters， godsingers and queens。 Readers will delight in the vast world created by Samantha Shannon。 。。。more
Spiri Skye
，
women are so powerful Thank you Bloomsbury for the arc！ I read priory of the orange tree almost two years ago and reading through this made me realize I really don’t remember much！ There were names that sounded familiar and knowing the world already helped a lot but definitely need to reread that。 I think this can work well enough as a stand alone too， it felt different and similar from Priory in ways。 The first 100 pages I had no idea what was going on。 I was really confused by one POV that now women are so powerful Thank you Bloomsbury for the arc！ I read priory of the orange tree almost two years ago and reading through this made me realize I really don’t remember much！ There were names that sounded familiar and knowing the world already helped a lot but definitely need to reread that。 I think this can work well enough as a stand alone too， it felt different and similar from Priory in ways。 The first 100 pages I had no idea what was going on。 I was really confused by one POV that now makes a lot of sense but it did take me a bit to understand what character was who。 After getting like 15% into the story though I got really hooked。 It didn’t feel like 800 pages because the plot moves smoothly。 The chapters aren’t too long and often end on mini cliffhangers。 I started this around 7pm last night and finished at 7 am！ This book was about 850 pages after the epilogue（btw， the prologue is only like 20 pages， I was expecting so much worse）。 I’m not usually a fan of big books but if Samantha Shannon wants to write another 800 paged one I’ll read it ！ 。。。more
Cait Hutsell
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you already know this is awesomedo not go in hoping for this to feel like the chapter before Priory and you will love it。
Lauren
，
Electronic ARC provided by Edelweiss。A Day of Fallen Night is a standalone prequel that takes place several centuries before Priory of the Orange Tree。 I loved Priory when I first read it， so I was thrilled to see Shannon expanding the series， and making each book a standalone is a fantastic way to handle a series like this。 Fallen Night is once again filled centered on the stories and relationships of women， which continues to be refreshing for epic fantasy。 If you've read Priory then some of t Electronic ARC provided by Edelweiss。A Day of Fallen Night is a standalone prequel that takes place several centuries before Priory of the Orange Tree。 I loved Priory when I first read it， so I was thrilled to see Shannon expanding the series， and making each book a standalone is a fantastic way to handle a series like this。 Fallen Night is once again filled centered on the stories and relationships of women， which continues to be refreshing for epic fantasy。 If you've read Priory then some of the major events here will be familiar， but it's not actually necessary to have read Priory first。 You will have a slightly different reading experience depending on whether you know how these events play out， but that's really personal preference。 Fallen Night also includes a lot of relatively complex politics and world building， and so takes a longer time to really get going then Priory。 It took me a bit more then expected to really get in to the story and pacing， but once I did then I found this book just as good as Priory， though in different ways。 I love Shannon's focus on women in a variety of roles。 I also love the idea that epic fantasy doesn't have to mean a never ending sequence of thousand page books before you reach resolution。 These books are a wonderful choice for anyone who is looking for standalone queer friendly epic fantasy。 I hope that we see more books in this universe in the future。 。。。more
Emily
，
Was there ever any doubt？
Maria
，
The Priory of the Orange Tree was one of my favourite books back in 2019， and it was an absolute doorstopper of an novel。 It took me days to read but was worth every minute and I was eagerly awaiting the publication of 'A Day of Fallen Night' which acts as a prequel of the series。The world building is complex and there are numerous points of view， each showing a different aspect of the world and life within it。 It takes time to become familiar with the world as we learn about names， places， and The Priory of the Orange Tree was one of my favourite books back in 2019， and it was an absolute doorstopper of an novel。 It took me days to read but was worth every minute and I was eagerly awaiting the publication of 'A Day of Fallen Night' which acts as a prequel of the series。The world building is complex and there are numerous points of view， each showing a different aspect of the world and life within it。 It takes time to become familiar with the world as we learn about names， places， and even histories that explain how the East and Western worlds came to be divided and there are a lot of politics at play。 I did find it a little easier to follow the world building in TPoTot and am surprised that it took me so long to settle into read ADoFN as I had expected my previous knowledge to help but this book is indeed a prequel and at some 500 years earlier， with a lot of scene building to create。 Of course， having read TPofOT first， it did spoil a few events in the prequel but overall， I think that it did aid my understanding - in short， I feel that you could read the novels in either order and still enjoy the main story arcs without much issue。Once again， the role of women and their stories are at the heart of this novel。 Worth every second of reading， every second and the muscles that you will build while holding this novel！！ 。。。more
Whitney
，
When I read the last chapter of "A Day of Fallen Night"， the words "towering achievement" came to mind。 What a bland， overused phrase that is， so often thrown upon any book of length that features intense worldbuilding and intricate character relationships， but in this case， it is true: "A Day of Fallen Night" is even better than "Priory of the Orange Tree"。 It's like 900 pages long and not a word was wasted。 Like its predecessor ， "A Day of Fallen Night" features four main story threads from di When I read the last chapter of "A Day of Fallen Night"， the words "towering achievement" came to mind。 What a bland， overused phrase that is， so often thrown upon any book of length that features intense worldbuilding and intricate character relationships， but in this case， it is true: "A Day of Fallen Night" is even better than "Priory of the Orange Tree"。 It's like 900 pages long and not a word was wasted。 Like its predecessor ， "A Day of Fallen Night" features four main story threads from different points of view。 Unlike its predecessor， I loved all four characters！ From the stricken Glorian， princess and hostage to her country's religion， to the bold and decisive Dumai， dragon-rider， all the characters are interesting， layered， and easy to root for。 As an ancient adversary rises to lay waste to the world， alliances form， magic is challenged， and hearts are broken as the situation goes from bad to worse。 And the pacing！ The pacing！ Not a moment dragged。 I basically spent the last two hours sobbing my eyes out as the characters I had come to love over the last few weeks struggled to survive horrific situations。 I feel like I'm babbling。 I LOVED this book。 I'm going to sing this book from the heavens。 If you enjoyed the Priory at all， you'll love this one。 It's more complex， more layered， with even more likeable characters than Priory - a top tier fantasy masterpiece。 。。。more
EmmaSkies
，
I FINISHED THIS JUST SECONDS AGO。 I WILL RETURN TONORROW WITH A REVIEW。 FOR NOW I MUST SIT WITH WHAT IVE JUST EXPERIENCED OVER THE LAST SEVEN DAYS
Kim McGee
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This is a prequel to THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE but can happily be devoured as a standalone。The Priory has supplied the realm with fierce female warriors for generations but they have been idle til now。 A great disturbance has awakened and with it comes wyrms and terrible monsters that slaughter the helpless villages leaving nothing in their wake。 It will be up to the Queendoms and warriors of the Priory to stop the violence and send the Dreadmount back into hiding。 This is a fantastic world This is a prequel to THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE but can happily be devoured as a standalone。The Priory has supplied the realm with fierce female warriors for generations but they have been idle til now。 A great disturbance has awakened and with it comes wyrms and terrible monsters that slaughter the helpless villages leaving nothing in their wake。 It will be up to the Queendoms and warriors of the Priory to stop the violence and send the Dreadmount back into hiding。 This is a fantastic world where women are at the forefront of Queendoms， where women are free to love and marry the women they love and men the same。 A world where women bear children and hand them off to men to care for them so they can go into battle， this unique female-centric fantasy has all the violence ， adventure and political upheaval of GAME OF THRONES but with a lot of tenderness。 Samantha Shannon has continued the world building and deep characters of the first book masterfully。 My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Hillary （abookishmarriage）
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”’This one’s light， I can see clearly，’ Furtia Stormcaller concluded。 ‘This one holds a woken star。’”Thank you to Bloomsbury for an egalley of this book！Samantha Shannon has done it again， and by “it” I mean written another book that feels like it could only have been dreamed， with gorgeous， lyrical writing， and a cast of characters both heroic and human。Make no mistake， I gave Priory of the Orange Tree 5 stars due to the same qualities， but I think her writing and storytelling are even stronger ”’This one’s light， I can see clearly，’ Furtia Stormcaller concluded。 ‘This one holds a woken star。’”Thank you to Bloomsbury for an egalley of this book！Samantha Shannon has done it again， and by “it” I mean written another book that feels like it could only have been dreamed， with gorgeous， lyrical writing， and a cast of characters both heroic and human。Make no mistake， I gave Priory of the Orange Tree 5 stars due to the same qualities， but I think her writing and storytelling are even stronger in this book。 2 of the 4 POVs felt a bit lighter in Priory， and the ending wrapped up a lot of conflict quite quickly。 It’s an incredible book （that of course I now want to reread）， but THIS BOOK。 WOW。Every POV felt equally important and distinct in this book， and I was sad to leave each narrator， while also being excited to jump to the next。 We have Dumai， in the East， a woman with a mysterious inheritance and an important gift from her gods; Wulf， in the North and West， a sworn sword to the King of Hroth/Consort of Inys; Tuva in the South; a sister of the Priory with a deep loyalty to her sisters and the Priory; and Glorian in the West， the daughter of Sabran the Sixth， and future Queen of Inys。What stood out to me most is that Samantha is so skilled in telling their stories in unique ways。 While her writing style remains the same， there are subtle distinctions in the metaphors and language in each， in the way they view the events happening to them and their worldviews， and you can sense this in the writing。 Tuva， as the oldest of these narrators， and a warrior， has an effortless grace and wisdom。 Glorian， the youngest， in contrast， is restless and unmoored， trying to find her way。 I could go on， but it’s truly a gift to read a story from such a gifted storyteller。I won’t say too much about plot， but as you might expect if you’ve read Priory， stories and themes intersect， even when characters don’t have a direct connection。 In particular， the theme of motherhood is central to this story， and there were so many moments that spoke to one another and complemented one another。This story is longer and ultimately possibly a slightly slower ramp up than Priory， but ultimately every moment， every chapter， is so clearly building toward a magnificent conclusion， that it truly is a book to savor。Anyway read this book！！！ 。。。more
Kash Dass
，
This BIG book （they hardly make them like this anymore） was an unexpected treat！By now you would know its a prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree but it can most certainly be read as a stand alone。 This story was successfully told from many viewpoints and brought all the different threads together。 I sometimes got very involved in the individual stories amid the greater story and it was a reminder that war stories are people stories。It is a well written， easy to follow feminist fantasy and co This BIG book （they hardly make them like this anymore） was an unexpected treat！By now you would know its a prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree but it can most certainly be read as a stand alone。 This story was successfully told from many viewpoints and brought all the different threads together。 I sometimes got very involved in the individual stories amid the greater story and it was a reminder that war stories are people stories。It is a well written， easy to follow feminist fantasy and covers a multitude of themes， mainly loyalty， duty， and tradition。 Besides that， one can NEVER go wrong with Dragons， magic， and epic battles！ 。。。more
Melissa Kincaid
，
❤️🔥Thank you to the legends at Bloomsbury for the beautiful ARC copy！❤️🔥‘What is the world but a fleeting dream， from which we will all one day wake？’I was lucky enough to receive an advance reader copy of this incredible book， one which I have been eager to read since it was announced。I。 Was。 Not。 Disappointed。If you enjoy rich， deeply explored family histories， beautifully written sapphic romance， character relationships built with care， and apocalyptic premonitions with dragons？ You’ll love ❤️🔥Thank you to the legends at Bloomsbury for the beautiful ARC copy！❤️🔥‘What is the world but a fleeting dream， from which we will all one day wake？’I was lucky enough to receive an advance reader copy of this incredible book， one which I have been eager to read since it was announced。I。 Was。 Not。 Disappointed。If you enjoy rich， deeply explored family histories， beautifully written sapphic romance， character relationships built with care， and apocalyptic premonitions with dragons？ You’ll love this story 💖 it’s not for the feint of heart， the ARC copy alone coming in at a delicious 866 pages。 Each of which I devoured！ The first half of the book is heavy on the world building， but at about half way through， all hell breaks loose - literally！ It has been a while since I read Priory， but it didn’t take me long to remember the beliefs of the characters， and how the magic system works。 I found myself connecting to the characters， and caring about each and every one。 Samantha weaves their stories beautifully and with incredible care， until each one connects across a very vast and beautiful world。Thank you for this story， Samantha， and thank you for taking me back to the magical land of The Priory of the Orange Tree。 It was definitely one of my top 2022 reads， and such an inspiration to a budding lil author like me。 I can’t wait to have the full copy of this book， which I will proudly display with the ARC copy。 💫 。。。more
Brodie
，
I received a copy of the book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Part of me doesn't want to compare this book too much to The Priory Of the Orange Tree。 While it is a part of the same series it is also its own story entirely。 That being said， I know that if you liked ;The Priory Of The Orange Tree， that you will love this book。 I wont say its better because again I don't want to compare but I can say that it is equally as good。The story follows Characters from the north， South， and E I received a copy of the book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Part of me doesn't want to compare this book too much to The Priory Of the Orange Tree。 While it is a part of the same series it is also its own story entirely。 That being said， I know that if you liked ;The Priory Of The Orange Tree， that you will love this book。 I wont say its better because again I don't want to compare but I can say that it is equally as good。The story follows Characters from the north， South， and East on their journeys as they face a deadly threat。 It was so easy to not only fall in love with these characters and their stories but also be able to sympathize with them and the difficult decisions they all face throughout the book。 Glorian's struggle with not fully wanting to following in her ancestors foot steps was so heartbreaking。 feeling as if your own body doesn't belong to you and not having a way out is so sad。The sisters of the Priory always ambitious and also very strict with their rules。 I know they have their reasons but that doesn't stop me from getting somewhat annoyed with certain characters at times。 Which is another thing I love about this book。 If all stories were only filled with morally good and perfect characters then it would be boring。Dumai's story really pulled me in from the beginning of the book。 Her character is so brake and took all the necessary ;and maybe some unnecessary， risks。Overall， I loved this book and I cant seem to get enough of this world。 100% recommend！！ 。。。more
Katie G
，
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review。 Although full disclosure I have had this on pre-order since it was announced and will 100% still be buying my hardback copy！ The squeal when I got approved for this e-ARC was undignified， to say the least。 If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would do so， it has immediately joined Priory of the Orange Tree as one of my favourite books ever。 It is hard for me to overstate how much I lov My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review。 Although full disclosure I have had this on pre-order since it was announced and will 100% still be buying my hardback copy！ The squeal when I got approved for this e-ARC was undignified， to say the least。 If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would do so， it has immediately joined Priory of the Orange Tree as one of my favourite books ever。 It is hard for me to overstate how much I love these books。 When I first read Priory I said that it was the epic fantasy I never knew how much I needed until I discovered it; on a par with Lord of the Rings in terms of depth， scope， and worldbuilding， but also queer， feminist and effortlessly diverse。 A world I had been waiting my whole life to discover。 All that is to say that for me ADOFN had a lot to live up to but it easily did so， and more。 Like Priory， this is a real epic， spanning nearly 900 pages and several continents， all with richly drawn histories， myths and legends。 The sheer amount of work that must have gone into this level of worldbuilding is mindblowing， each region has such depth to it， and they feel distinct whilst clearly belonging to the same world and being affected by the same issue。 Samantha Shannon truly is a deeply and incredibly talented crafter of worlds and stories。 I loved each of the main characters whose POVs told the story， often with multiple POVs I have a clear favourite who I can't wait to get back to but in this case I think I adored them all equally。 Their stories made me feel such an intense range of emotions， and I know that I'll revisit this book again and again。 And again。 。。。more
cole ✧
，
i need this right now
Elyrria
，
Samantha Shannon has universes inside of her mind， and I feel so lucky to be privy to the mythologies， poetries， and magic she brings forth through her writing。 This book is in the top five favorite fantasy books of all time for me， which is really saying something since I read around 300 books per year… most of which are SF/F。 A Day of Fallen Night is a masterpiece， and I will be recommending it to every single person willing to discuss books with me。 This fantasy work is the book that women+， Samantha Shannon has universes inside of her mind， and I feel so lucky to be privy to the mythologies， poetries， and magic she brings forth through her writing。 This book is in the top five favorite fantasy books of all time for me， which is really saying something since I read around 300 books per year… most of which are SF/F。 A Day of Fallen Night is a masterpiece， and I will be recommending it to every single person willing to discuss books with me。 This fantasy work is the book that women+， femmes， and women who love women deserve。 Every female character is deeply cultivated and nurtured in terms of character development and page time， which I cannot say for most fantasy books being written these days。 A wide range of ages is represented from girlhood to elder years， and that is so very meaningful since many fantasy works are more skewed toward a teenage audience。 While there is nothing wrong with a market for younger readers， we need a place for people above the age of 23 to be able to self-actualize and find themselves through the books they read。 Women of all ages are heroes， and they deserve to be seen in all their glory， regardless of the season of life they are in。 As one of Shannon’s characters says: “If women are flowers， we are not roses， but day’s eyes- blooming not once， but over and over， each time the light touches us。”Although any male/men+ characters who appear in the book are crafted with care and attention， the emphasis is less on romantic （and sexual） love between men and women， but rather is centered on friendship。 Though men in Shannon’s book are meaningful and heartfelt， they never steal the show from the women+/female characters。 The real romances and complexities of passion are given to the women—the sapphic element of Shannon’s book（s） being one of the most appealing to me。 Even though this work of fantasy is far from being all sunshine and roses， it feels like a safe space to explore relationships between women with all their nuances and challenges。The thing about big fantasy books is that they can also be slow burns。 Some people enjoy a slow， but methodical approach to storytelling， but I would be lying if I said I was one of them。 Shannon’s book is a BIG ONE， but I failed to find a single dull or boring moment the entire time I was burning through it。 As with many fantasy works， the story is told from the perspectives of a few main characters （mostly women）， with the occasional， important side character added in as the book progresses。 （There are nonbinary characters too with they/them pronouns！） With many big （nearly 1，000 pages） works like this， I usually find myself loving one or two characters， but being bored with the others… sometimes feeling like I want to skip the chapters with perspectives of the characters I find less interesting。 I loved every single character in A Day of Fallen Night and found myself re-reading passages because the prose was just that beautiful or pivotal。 There is something to enchant you in every paragraph whether it is amazing poetry， deep wisdom， or a juicy unfurling of one of the beloved characters。 In short， Samantha Shannon has a rare gift， even in a market as massive as fantasy storytelling。 Every word is potent， and every chapter is as inviting as the last。 There is no filler or sense that she is trying to rush through the plot。 Every moment is purposeful and delightful， and my hat is off to Shannon for her skillset。You may be thinking at this point: “Sounds great！ You didn’t really tell me much about the book’s plot though。” The truth is that I can’t dive too deeply into the details because this is one of those books that is best enjoyed when almost every morsel is allowed to flower in the moment。 Simply put， it would be all too easy to ruin something for another reader， and I do not want to steal that experience from anyone。 What I will say is that as much as I obsessed over The Priory of the Orange Tree， this book is even better （It’s hard to imagine， I know。）。 A Day of Fallen Night takes place about 500 years before the events in Priory of the Orange Tree， so if you read POTOT first， you will find some easter eggs and “aha！” moments in this prequel。 For those who might read ADOFN first （since they can be read in any order）， I am pleased to tempt you/them with the knowledge that there are talking dragons， adventures in the peaks of the high mountains， magic， and so many beautiful moments that give you chills when you realize where Shannon is going with a plot idea or character connection。 So， if you want to give yourself the best treat in the world and live several lifetimes within the span of a book cover， this is the number one book you will want to read in 2023。 Lastly， I am so grateful to the publishers and creatives at Bloomsbury and Netgalley who sent me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 To you lovelies， it may have been another approval request on a Wednesday， but you wielded the kind of magic nestled in the realms of humans and transformed my week into something beautiful and enrapturing。 Thank you so much。 。。。more
Althea ☾
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literally have not yet read priory and i already want this
Ash || readby_ash
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MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE BOOK IS BECOMING A SERIES？！？！
Eleni K
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This review will probably end up being a hot take and it breaks my heart in some ways as Priory was an easy 5 stars for me and I really wanted to be as swept away and love the prequel to the epic fantasy novel as much as the original。 Now don't get me wrong， this book is still incredible， but there were some things that simply didn’t work for me this time around - let's dive in。Starting with the POSITIVES， Samantha Shannon is remarkable with world building。 She understands fantasy as a genre and This review will probably end up being a hot take and it breaks my heart in some ways as Priory was an easy 5 stars for me and I really wanted to be as swept away and love the prequel to the epic fantasy novel as much as the original。 Now don't get me wrong， this book is still incredible， but there were some things that simply didn’t work for me this time around - let's dive in。Starting with the POSITIVES， Samantha Shannon is remarkable with world building。 She understands fantasy as a genre and where it can improve and the world she’s created stands on such solid footing with a complexity of cultures and an open challenge to the more problematic aspects of Fantasy。 I truly see her as a leader in the genre， especially in creating intrinsic feminist worlds。The book is long and it may be intimidating to pick up- but somehow the chapters breeze by， the words consume the reader - the writing is immersive and I was so delighted to be back in this world。 The characters are where we start to split a bit… this book is a mix of plot and character driven - yet it felt like the plot took precedence this go around。 There are some characters I loved and thought their development was gorgeous and they elicited moments of tears （Glorian， Wulf， Dumai-） - then there were some that I think I favored the plot they were thrown into but ultimately that plot didn’t really mean much （ ie。 Dumai） and other characters who were frustratingly incapable of communication and fell into trusting the wrong people that can be seen a mile away （ie… the whole Priory storyline。。。）The characters are just a bit flatter than I had expected， I didn’t care for a lot of them and the ones I did it was not as strong a connection as the characters from Priory and the same kind of falls into the rushed and sudden relationships - and I sort of think the reason brings us to the next issue of the Time Skips…。This book is ambitious in plot， it spans nearly a decade and the time and things chosen to be cut for time skips are… interesting？ There is a lot of summarizing rather than seeing character moments referred to and sometimes it felt we built to something only to jump ahead when we get there。 I did not think I’d need to say that an 850 page book still skimmed over important character moments - but this probably should’ve been 2 booksAnd I am also， not huge on some resolutions to the plot… But I did enjoy Day of Fallen Night ， when you focus on multiple characters there will be some you love and some you can’t stand and some you do feel indifferent to， this is ambitious but a gorgeous prequel that feels a bit more plot than character leaning but I am still really glad I read it and would recommend for Priory fans， Samantha's an instant buy author for more and I'd say this book was still excellent。Thank You Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
melis
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Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review This book is a masterpiece。 I don’t even know where to begin。 Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Samantha Shannon’s books （especially Priory）， and A Day of Fallen Night is no exception。Returning to the world of the Roots of Chaos felt magical。 Samantha Shannon wrote a touching and intricate prequel to The Priory of The Orange Tree， and I simply couldn’t put it down。 As usual， the worldb Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review This book is a masterpiece。 I don’t even know where to begin。 Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Samantha Shannon’s books （especially Priory）， and A Day of Fallen Night is no exception。Returning to the world of the Roots of Chaos felt magical。 Samantha Shannon wrote a touching and intricate prequel to The Priory of The Orange Tree， and I simply couldn’t put it down。 As usual， the worldbuilding was amazing。 I really enjoyed getting to see the Priory in depth and discovering the North。 The characters’ arcs were developed beautifully， it was very moving to see them grow through the years and hardships。 Though I loved all the POV characters， Glorian and Tunuva’s perspectives were my favorites， their arcs were heart-breaking yet so satisfying。While ADOFN covers a very dark part of the world’s history， there were plenty of soft and hopeful moments， along with two sapphic relationships that I absolutely adored （and I’m so grateful for how queernorm this world is）。 Mothers and daughters were a big part of the book， as was resilience and finding oneself amid chaos， making ADOFN a deeply emotional and tender book。 Lyrical and beautiful， A Day of Fallen Night was all that I hoped for and so much more。 I can’t wait to hug my copy on February 28th and I'm already so excited for the 3rd Roots of Chaos book 。。。more
larasbookcase
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Honestly I think it's impossible for Samantha Shannon to write a book I can't love！ This world she has created is beautiful and intricate and fascinating and I'm so happy we got another book。 I loved the multiple narratives， with my favourite being the chapters from Gloria's perspective - the challenges she faces becoming a young queen and coping with the burden of producing the Berethnet heir are tough to read about， but she finds the strength to do so， and with dignity。 The ending was epic and Honestly I think it's impossible for Samantha Shannon to write a book I can't love！ This world she has created is beautiful and intricate and fascinating and I'm so happy we got another book。 I loved the multiple narratives， with my favourite being the chapters from Gloria's perspective - the challenges she faces becoming a young queen and coping with the burden of producing the Berethnet heir are tough to read about， but she finds the strength to do so， and with dignity。 The ending was epic and intense and over far too quickly。 Thank you so so much to Bloomsbury for sending me an advance proof copy， it is now one of my most precious items！ 。。。more
Ify
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Samantha Shannon has done it again。 An amazing prequel to The Priory， Shannon builds on it the beloved world we were first introduced to。 The four parts of this stunning world are developed even further with more intricate plot building。 I’m honestly still speechless and impressed by this unique world。 And now I need more。 Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review。
Marie （UK）
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There were parts if this book that i really enjoyed but others that felt like a trial。 I have had The Priory of the Orange Tree on my - perhaps one day shelf - for a long time。 The chance to read he prequel via aan ARC from Netgalley seemed a real opportunity。 There is obviously some world building in the narrative that takes up quite a large part of this lengthy book。 This was， for the most part interesting。 There is also a multitude of formative events in getting that "world to the stage of bo There were parts if this book that i really enjoyed but others that felt like a trial。 I have had The Priory of the Orange Tree on my - perhaps one day shelf - for a long time。 The chance to read he prequel via aan ARC from Netgalley seemed a real opportunity。 There is obviously some world building in the narrative that takes up quite a large part of this lengthy book。 This was， for the most part interesting。 There is also a multitude of formative events in getting that "world to the stage of book #1 in the series。 The development and qualities of the characters was well done and I was drawn into their visions for how their worlds were being impacted by events。However for me there were parts that were just too detailed， long winded almost and definitely difficult to get through。 The length of the first book in this series has always been the thing that kept it on my perhaps shelf rather than my TBR。 I don't believe that this prequel has done anything to change that situation。 I am glad I persevered with this book but don't think i can garner enough desire to continue with the series 。。。more
Riley Holmes
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A huge thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the E-ARC。So I can honestly say that I liked this one better than Priory of the Orange Tree and that is saying a lot。It took me until around the halfway mark to really get into it but it really picks up at that point。 I read the second half of this book in one day because I just couldn’t stop。Once again Samantha Shannon gives an amazing work of fantasy。 Of the characters I loved Glorian and Dumai’s storylines the best。 It was fun to see some of th A huge thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the E-ARC。So I can honestly say that I liked this one better than Priory of the Orange Tree and that is saying a lot。It took me until around the halfway mark to really get into it but it really picks up at that point。 I read the second half of this book in one day because I just couldn’t stop。Once again Samantha Shannon gives an amazing work of fantasy。 Of the characters I loved Glorian and Dumai’s storylines the best。 It was fun to see some of the connections and background to the first book。If you love fantasy and enjoyed Priory I definitely recommend picking this one up。 It’s large but worth it！ 。。。more
Chris Haigh
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A thrilling， absorbing prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree， A Day of Fallen Night is about one of the darkest nights of the fictional world the books inhabit and about the protagonists at the four corners of the world who find themselves compelled to save it。 Brutal and heartfelt， full of twisting politics， intense action sequences， and likeable and complicated characters， it doesn't quite reach the catharsis of Priory but is still a stunning piece of high fantasy literature。 A thrilling， absorbing prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree， A Day of Fallen Night is about one of the darkest nights of the fictional world the books inhabit and about the protagonists at the four corners of the world who find themselves compelled to save it。 Brutal and heartfelt， full of twisting politics， intense action sequences， and likeable and complicated characters， it doesn't quite reach the catharsis of Priory but is still a stunning piece of high fantasy literature。 。。。more
Kathreadya
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Wow this was an epic high fantasy novel！ I was definitely intimidated by this book， but I'm so glad I tried it！ There are definitely a ton of characters， and I feel like you need a character list， glossary， and family trees to really understand it。 But at the same time， the writing will grab you and make you keep reading。 It feels grounded by the characters emotional journeys and relationships。 I love this series！ Wow this was an epic high fantasy novel！ I was definitely intimidated by this book， but I'm so glad I tried it！ There are definitely a ton of characters， and I feel like you need a character list， glossary， and family trees to really understand it。 But at the same time， the writing will grab you and make you keep reading。 It feels grounded by the characters emotional journeys and relationships。 I love this series！ 。。。more
AltLovesBooks
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"to hold the risen fire at bayuntil the night descends"This will be a placeholder review until much closer to the release date， out of respect for my fellow Goodreads friends who are （rightfully） adverse to spoilers。 I'll update this review with my full review at that time。Suffice it to say that if you enjoyed Priory of the Orange Tree， you'll enjoy this one。 I actually enjoyed it a bit more， honestly。 Keep this one on your radars。 It's worth it。 "to hold the risen fire at bayuntil the night descends"This will be a placeholder review until much closer to the release date， out of respect for my fellow Goodreads friends who are （rightfully） adverse to spoilers。 I'll update this review with my full review at that time。Suffice it to say that if you enjoyed Priory of the Orange Tree， you'll enjoy this one。 I actually enjoyed it a bit more， honestly。 Keep this one on your radars。 It's worth it。 。。。more
Brittany Smith
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Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me an arc！ I owe you my lifeThe Priory of the Orange Tree was a book I put off reading due to mixed opinions and sheer size， but when I read it， I read it in two sittings and LOVED it。 It’s one of the few popular books that deserve the hype it gets， in my opinion。When this prequel was announced， I was very interested， and apprehensive， because Priory casts a long shadow and I’m a standalone lover。A Day of Fallen Night met all my expectations and did not disapp Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me an arc！ I owe you my lifeThe Priory of the Orange Tree was a book I put off reading due to mixed opinions and sheer size， but when I read it， I read it in two sittings and LOVED it。 It’s one of the few popular books that deserve the hype it gets， in my opinion。When this prequel was announced， I was very interested， and apprehensive， because Priory casts a long shadow and I’m a standalone lover。A Day of Fallen Night met all my expectations and did not disappoint me in the least。Yes， it’s a big book。 Yes， it’s an expansive high fantasy and thus slowly-paced in the beginning。 Again， I didn’t mind。 It’s an epic adventure: every journey starts slow to begin and you have to appreciate the scenery。 I admittedly read this much more slowly than the first， but hey， the holiday season has started and I work retail。 I can only expect so much of my brain。As opposed to Priory， where there was a perspective character I hated and wish death upon （Niclays） and another character I just didn’t really care about （Loth）， I really enjoyed ALL the perspective characters in A Day of Fallen Night。 Tunava， the middle-aged member of the Priory。 Glorian， the young princess of Inys。 Wulf， a housecarl with a mysterious past。 Dumai， a godsinger raised on a mountain。I also appreciated how much more explicit all of the LGBT representation was in this one， compared to Priory。 In Priory， Ead and Sabran were the only concrete main LGBT relationship or established characters I can recall。 The author has since said she thinks of Tane and Loth as being aspec， but I don’t remember it even being stated in text。 In A Day of Fallen Night， we get TWO lesbian perspective characters （each with their own separate relationships）， an aroace perspective character， and a bisexual perspective character。 There are other side characters in same sex relationships， as well as mention of a trans/nonbinary character， I think。 This was just awesome to read。I had worried that the climax wouldn’t be as exciting since this is a prequel。 I mean， we know the world survives， and the Nameless One rises in the time period Priory takes place in， but A Day of Fallen Night proved just as exciting and epic。 I couldn’t put it down once I neared the climax。 I found myself holding my breath， worried what could happen to our characters， and indeed the world。 I stayed up until 5 or 6 am to finish reading。It’s just astounding that Samantha Shannon can write these books， honestly， and that this didn’t pale in comparison to its predecessor。 I look forward to her next installment in the Roots of Chaos series， whenever that might take place。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Day of Fallen Night
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Day of Fallen Night&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Day of Fallen Night&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0