My goodness, this book is phenomenal. Most book series tend to have a very meh sequel, and I'm happy to asy that this one doesn't disappoint in that regard. It continues building up the anticipation that we had in the first book, and not only that, continues to handle the 5 perspectives really well. There were relationships that were explored that I wasn't expecting to happen (although in retrospect, maybe I should have!!). The romance is definitely steamy in this sequel and I couldn't get enough of them. The ending left us with quite a big reveal and I don't know how I'm going to be able to wait until next year to get the next book!

I DNF'd this book at approximately 15% through. I found I couldn't get into the story. I found myself struggling to stay focused on what was happening. After picking this one up multiple times I still just didn't care enough to keep going.

I didn't realize this was book 2 in a series until after I accepted the galley. Had I of known this was a sequel I wouldn't have attempted to read it without reading the first book. It is possible I would attempt this book again if I end up reading and enjoying the first book.

Rating: 3.5/5 lost relics

Format: E-book. I’d like to thank the author and FierceReads for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What it's like: I think fans of Ember in the Ashes would also enjoy this series!

To sum up: This is the sequel to THERE WILL COME A DARKNESS, and there is at least one more book planned for this series. The sequel picks up where we left off in the first book, deepens the plot, raises the stakes, and increases the complexity of relationships.

What I enjoyed: Look, I would die for Jude and Anton. If this book was just from their POV I would be totally fine with that. Their relationship goes through lots of ups and downs in this book and I was on the edge of my seat reading about them! I thought that the plot inching closer and closer to an implied doomsday was very suspenseful and engaging. Overall, I think all the various plot threads were complex enough to keep me engaged and interested in where the story was going and if there was any way out of this Age of Darkness that everyone keeps mentioning haha

What was meh: While overall I liked the plot, I had a hard time connecting emotionally to characters who weren’t Jude and Anton. It felt like there was a lot of repetition between the plot threads (i.e. everyone paired up romantically in predictable and somewhat unsatisfying ways). The characters also made predictable/reactive mistakes that made it feel like things were being set up so they were doomed to fail. I get that this is a middle book, so there needs to be a lot of failures so that the characters have something to fix in the next book, but it just sort of lost my interest at a certain point which was disappointing.

One of the characters I was most disappointed by was Baru. I really loved her plot in the first book, but in this one, I felt like she didn’t grow in a way that I connected with. She makes some very questionable romantic choices and I just couldn’t root for her, or hope for her redemption after a certain point. Again, maybe this is all part of a redemption arc coming in the next book, but it made me not want to read her sections so honestly, I don’t know if I’ll pick up the last book or not.

Overall, I thought this book was fairly solid, but I didn’t feel as emotionally invested in the character’s outcomes. I think the more desperate the characters got, the more distant they felt from me so that at a certain point it felt like they were being overly dramatic and a little cliche. (I actually felt this way about the third Ember in the Ashes book too). Maybe by the time the finale comes out, I’ll have changed my mind, but sadly I think I’ll be saying bye to Anton and Jude. Best wishes cinnamon roll babes.

Once again, this world is mesmerizing and straight up addictive. The characters are back, better than ever. I have never loved a series so much!

I do not know why this book series is not more talked about, because it is GOOD! Katy Rose Pool really developed a complex and well-built universe, that we continue to explore in this second book. As each of our character keeps pursuing their destiny, for better or for worse, we learn more about the Prophets, who they were and what they truly did. The hunt for the Relics is also on, to save a sister, to commend a country or to stop evil, they must be found.
While Ephyra finds a crew to help her discover where the Chalice that could save her sister is, Beru her crosses path with Hector, and is decided to do one good thing with the days she has left: save his life.
Anton and Jude on their side struggle with their roles, as Keeper of the Word and Prophet, and the attacks of the Witnesses will push them on a dangerous road.
Hassam... he tries to retake his throne and save his city, but it is again backfiring. To be honest, I skimmed a bit through his chapters (sorry Hassam), but that has more to do with my reading mood than the quality of his POV.
My favorites to follow were of course Anton and Jude, they are all I love to see in my characters: damaged, raw, full of doubt, but also full of hope and longing for love. I love them <3
Ephyra had a very interesting character arc development, I won't tell you exactly what happens, but I loved to have a character with this ...mindset in the book too!
And Beru, sweet Beru, she is pretty unlucky herself!
This second book was full of action from beginning to end, we have a lot of questions answered, but by the end, the Age of Darkness may just be beginning...

This was the perfect follow-up to There Will Come a Darkness! Katy Rose Pool managed to take everything that was great about the first book and amplify it in As the Shadow Rises! The stakes are higher than ever in this one (and so was the romance!). It left me breathless and eagerly anticipating book 3!

I had mixed feelings about the first book, There Will Come a Darkness, but I'm a sucker for cliffhangers and was glad when I got the second in the series. Again, I got really excited about all the characters and the plot, but I found myself repeatedly putting it down and reading something else.

I finally came to the conclusion that it was the multiple main characters and separate story lines. I felt that as soon as I got exited for one thread of the story it was suddenly gone and I had to start on a whole new thread while wishing I was still adventuring with the other characters...and repeat. Now, all the threads come together, eventually, to connect...but my patience wears out. I think this is a series I would like more if each book focused on a new character and slowly added one to each new book...but that would probably turn into a new story.

With my complaint out of the way, I do like most the characters, their unique roles, and the plot that is slowly unraveling. I also like that this novel showed some romances blooming between the paired of partners to add a new elements. The author knows how to capture an audience with suspense because I will still probably get the third when it's out because I want to know what's happening.

Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt Books for the gifted copy in return for an honest review.

Patient readers who finish the first book are rewarded in the second novel in the trilogy, which picks up where the first one left off, and is more action-driven. If you’ve made it this far and are convinced that no further layers could possibly exist, you’d be wrong. Apparently Pool was just getting started.

We find out where magic comes from, the nature of the mysterious darkness coming for the world, and how close everyone is to stopping the prophecy from happening (or even ensuring it). Even though the second book is more action-packed, we see our favorite characters battling with themselves and others as they go through intense character growth.

Hassan makes sketchy alliances to win back his kingdom. Beru seeks to atone for her wrongdoings but is running out of time. Ephyra searches for a way to save her sister, and doesn’t care what lives she must destroy in the process. Jude continues to fight his true feelings, in addition to living with the consequences of his actions in the first book. And Anton is forced to confront the past he was running from in order to help save the world.

I’m a sucker for character-driven stories, and Pool’s writing style and delivery made me a happy reader. My heart hurts for our characters (mostly Jude, I think), and I held my breath at moments of anticipation in what would come next, or if our characters would achieve their next steps in time. I will say that Pool is not very descriptive in her writing (e.g. physical appearances of characters and settings); however, the plot is so loaded with details that readers can overlook the lack of it in other places.

We pick up after the conclusion of There Will Come a Darkness, with all our favorite character. There are so many POV in these books, yet I never find myself overwhelmed.. or underwhelmed. As with the first book, our characters are off on their own adventures, trying to stop the age of darkness. I feel like we had more focus in this book. There was a definite mission that needed to be accomplished, and we get to tag along as each character finds their way to the conclusion. ⁣
I loved watching the relationships change and grow. There were some surprising pairings and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Some of them make sense, and others left me scratching my head. I don’t think it’s always necessary for characters to have a romantic interest, and unfortunately that’s what happens here. I’m curious to see how it all concludes. ⁣
These books are fun, easy to read, and full of little twists and surprises. I can’t wait for the next book!

I really enjoyed the sequel to There Will Come a Darkness. The first book definitely left me hooked by the end and wanting to know more. In the first book I felt that most of the book was setting the stage, and I felt overwhelmed by the characters a lot of the time. However, this second book took us right into the action and really upped the stakes. I felt much more connected to the characters, and I found this book much more exciting. I'm definitely intrigued and excited to find out what happens in book 3!

It had been a while since I read the first book in this series, but it all came back to me fairly well once I started reading, and I was once again sucked into this world. I loved being re-submerged into the multiple storylines and the magic of this world. I was hooked again, and eager to see how events would unfold. I loved the twists, the reveals, and seeing how the characters evolved and adapted as the story progressed. And it certainly progressed quickly. There were a few times where I felt like the author "told" rather than "showed;" in some ways, it made those parts of the book feel rushed -- but at the same time, I appreciated the fast pace. For such a hefty-sized book, it was a fairly quick read. This was a solid addition to the series, and I am eager to see how it concludes in the third book.

I'm not going to say this was a disappointing sequel, because it wasn't, but I'll admit that the excitement I felt in book one was mostly missing here. Whereas in THERE WILL COME A DARKNESS I think I was pretty interested in all of the POVs, this time I definitely had favourites and sorta slogged along in some of the paralell plotlines as they eventually converged into one. That said, this is definitely a twisty installment and of a few of the reveals, I think I only managed to predict one of them. I really liked that.

I mentioned in my review for book one, this is definitely a darker, grittier, version of the Falling Kingdoms series. And I totally stand by that assesment; in fact, this book only solidified my opinion on that comparison. We didn't gain any new POVs, though we did gain quite a few new faces along the way, but what did change were many of the dynamics we had been given in book one. I enjoyed seeing these characters overlap, pass amongst each other, and then come together.

I did like this installment, it pretty much absorbed me all afternoon, but I hope book three pushes this out of like-zone and back to really like (if not love!)-zone to round out the series.

This is by far one of the multiple POV series out there. I won't lie there is always one character in these books that I find to be making stupid decisions, this time it was Ephyra. Her journey wasn't my favorite and she became the character I was most irritated with. Hassan is still the character I like the least. Jude and Anton are my favorites and Beru felt a little misguided.

The couples in this book were shaken up, which I liked. Illaya and Ephyra were a surprise but I liked it. Jude and Anton are still the best and my favorite of course. Hector and Beru seemed far-fetched and shaky. I really enjoyed how the characters really had to face the consequences of their actions in the previous book.

I am eager to see where this series goes. The unveiling of the true history and the revelation of the One God and the Prophets was exciting. I think we are about to see the Prophets come back in to play as Pallos and the Wanderer aren't the only ones. I like the corruption angle that the author is taking. I'm very interested in seeing how things go from here.

4/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for the early review copy via netgalley!

I had a hard time initially getting into There Will Come a Darkness but did not have that issue with As the Shadow Rises. I also did not have time to re-read book one and just jumped right in. Surprisingly despite how many characters are in this series it was incredibly easy to jump back in. The author did a great job adding little reminders and clues throughout the books about the last book without being clunky and it did not read unnaturally.

The characters get more and more entwined together and the story seems to just keep getting better. I honestly had NO idea how this story would end up going but I definitely did not expect it to end up where it did.

I definitely recommend this series!

As the Shadow Rises is the second installment in author Katy Rose Pool's The Age of Darkness series. For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity. Using their visions of the future, they ended wars and united nations―until the day, one hundred years ago, when the Prophets disappeared. All they left behind was one final, secret prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation . . . or the cause of its destruction. This is a world where Graces exist: Grace of Heart, Grace of Blood, Grace of Mind, and Grace of Sight.

There is also a pending prophecy that says that key figures will be responsible for the rising of the Age of Darkness or stopping it. The key characters are: Ephyra, the infamous Red Hand killer; Jude Weatherbourne, Keeper of the Word for the Order of the Light; Beru, Ephyra's younger sister who is dying; Prince Hassan who has been pushed aside by his own Aunt; and Anton, the alleged last Prophet. As I did in the previous installment, I shall begin my review with Ephyra.

Ephyra could use her Grace of Blood to heal people, but instead spends much of the novel analyzing her behavior and questioning whether her previous actions make her good or bad. Despite this self-evaluation, she continues down the same path of self-destruction. Her single-mindedness makes for a frustrating hobby rather than an exercise in self-improvement. She chases rumors about The Thief King who corresponded with her own father about Eleazar's Chalice that may be able to save her sister who walked away from her to find her own way. We see a darker part of Ephyra in this book.

She meets up with a group led by Shara to look for the Chalice knowing that her search could lead to her death as well as others. There are plenty of issues. Someone doesn't want the Chalice to be found. The Chalice, if found, could be used as a powerful weapon. The Chalice is the original source of the Grace of Blood which means that Ephyra could fall under its power and help unleash the Age of Darkness. And, it seems, she’s not the only one who wants to find the Chalice. I'm not sure how to take the connection between Ephyra and Illya. He's already betrayed his brother, wouldn't take much to betray Ephyra.

Jude, who is a Grace of Heart which enhances strength, agility speed and senses, faces a tribunal convened to see if he broke the trust and therefore should be removed as Keeper of the Word as an oathbreaker. Jude is now a once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart. Jude’s worry that he put too much trust in Hector which weighs him down for a large majority of this story. The negatives are plenty. He goes through a long stretch of story where he wasn’t exactly the most likable character in this book. He fawns, he whines, he loses any ability to use the Pinnacle Blade which is one of the (4) primary artifacts and source of the Grace of Heart until he faces his darkness. The only positive is that he found Anton, the final Prophet.

Anton as the Last Prophet via the Grace of Mind can see the future. He can also locate any living being. Anton, who was betrayed by his own brother Illya to the Hierophant, goes through a lot of growth in this book and learns to accept his role as the Last Prophet. He makes difficult decisions, even if it means facing some of the darkest moments in his life by returning to the place where is brother nearly drowned him or dealing with emotional pain, and his connection to Jude. Anton is best known for being a reckless gambler with connections to the most interesting cast of characters. Anton meets a key character in this book along with Jude. She is called the Nameless Woman. I won’t spoil who she is and why you should pay attention to her. Let’s just say that her role is one that parlays to the final book in this series.

Hassan is a prince exiled from his kingdom but has decided to return home to Nazirah with no real way to get back his throne that the Hierophant and his Aunt stole from him. His mother is missing, and we, as readers, don't know whether she is dead or alive. Hassan is willing to do anything to keep his people safe and reclaim his city, even if it means making some questionable decisions and working with even questionable allies which include his alleged friend Khepri. Even if he must parlay a temporary peace with the Hierophant to find a key piece of the prophecy puzzle to remove his aunt from being Queen. Hassan is Graceless like Beru.

Beru is a dying girl on the verge of giving up. She is a revenant living on the last dregs of her “stolen” life which was given to her by her sister who refuses to let die. She ends up meeting with Hector who is apparently in the same boat as Beru is. Beru tries to atone and make things right and brings Hector along for the ride. But she's a bit on the trusting side. She always has the best intentions at heart and just really wants to atone for her stolen life and leave some good in the world to make up for the bad that she and Ephyra have caused. Beru is allegedly without any Grace but if that were true, who is the fourth person with a Grace?

I am one who thought the ending was both the best part of this book, and the most shocking. Characters from Hierophant, to a long thought dead Necromancer King, to the Nameless Woman are revealed as to who they really are. Anton’s rise as the only Prophet remaining who may be able to stop the Age of Darkness from taking hold still leaves several characters standing on the line between life and death.

Thanks to Macmillan and Net Galley for an eARC of this to review! I loved There Will Come a Darkness, so I was excited to pick up this sequel. And it definitely didn't disappoint! The characters I came to love in the first book all came back in this one, engaging in even higher stakes than before.

If you haven't read the first book, or it's been a while since you have, I definitely recommend a refresh before picking up this book. I struggled at the beginning to pick up where the previous book left off, mostly because it's been a minute since I read it. This book picks up pretty much immediately where the last one left off, so keeping up to date is crucial.

Once I got back into the story, though, I remembered why I liked the first book so much. It's the characters that really drive the story for me. Their relationships built around these doomsday events happening pull the story forward. I'd say they even aid in raising the stakes. Once you get into the story, you definitely won't want to put it down until the end.

An epic fantasy with a strong cast of characters you'll be rooting for until the end.

This story just keeps shocking me with how much I love and enjoy it! Honestly, as a “bookstagrammer,” I am shocked that I don’t see more people reviewing and talking about this series!

This book picks up directly after the events of TWCAD, following our five different points of view. I think one of my favorite parts about this story is that there are five different characters with stories of their own and they all weave into each other’s lives.

The way Katy Rose Pool has written this story is just mind blowing. As the Shadow Rises (and TWCAP) is full of twists and turns, romance (even though in my opinion, it isn’t to centered on the romance) and we see our characters struggle and grow a lot.

The only character I would have loved to seen more progress with is Ephyra but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing that in the final installment. I did love that we saw more of Beru though since her chapters were very few and far in between in There Will Come a Darkness! I was able to better understand her character and feel more of an attachment to her.

Overall, I love the way Pool can move her stories along. No parts of this story every felt dull or unnecessary to me, the pacing was always perfect and I love how it just completely picked up where the first one ended and kept going. There wasn’t too much explaining it any info dumping, I just felt like I was watching a movie the entire time!

*I won this book from the author's newsletter giveaway!*

There Will Come a Darkness was one of the best group cast books of 2019, in my opinion. Katy Rose Pool wove a complex plot around these five people without even having them all interact. Naturally, I was really excited to see where she would take us in book 2.

As the Shadow Rises delves further into the Last Prophecy and the beginning of the end of the world. At the end of There Will Come a Darkness, the three Harbingers are revealed and Anton's vision is clear: darkness of coming. And while As the Shadow Rises doesn't quite take us into doomsday, it certainly puts us on the right road.

Book 2 sees Anton finding his place as a prophet alongside Jude, who is also struggling to figure out how to live without his Grace. Ephyra is still trying to track down Eleazar's Chalice, for the first time in a long time, she's apart from Beru. Meanwhile, Beru and Hector embark on a journey to find the Daughters of Mercy for answers about their revenant curse. Hassan is no longer Prophet or Prince. Herat is in the midst of rebellion, and he's caught up in it. But which side is he fighting for?

As the Shadow Rises does NOT suffer from second book syndrome. It is filled with twists and turns, unexpected allies and enemies, truth (and love) revealed. And it also features an epic build up to book 3.

4.5 stars

As the Shadow Rises by Katy Rose Pool suffers a bit from the middle novel syndrome. While I enjoyed the story, it does not contain that special something that made the first book so spectacular. We know the world, the characters, and the catastrophe they want to avoid. In my mind, As the Shadow Rises is simply more of the same.

This time around, I struggled with the characters and their additions to the story. This is especially true of Ephyra, who spends much of the novel analyzing her behavior and questioning whether her previous actions make her good or bad. In spite of this self-evaluation, she then continues down the same path. Her single-mindedness makes all of that analysis a frustrating hobby rather than an exercise in self-improvement, which means it becomes nothing but a waste of time for the reader.

At the same time, one of the main characters has the ability to see the future. When that occurs, the story becomes less about what will happen and more of how the foreseen future will happen. The distinction is slight but it certainly impacts the overall tension when you already know what will occur. In addition, it tends to disrupt the idea of free will versus destiny because the visions of the future always come true regardless of a character's choices. In this instance, destiny and free will appear to be the same thing.

As the Shadow Rises also has a tendency to include what I would consider to be plot twists of convenience. While I am sure Ms. Pool plotted the entirety of the trilogy arc, some of the bigger reveals in this middle story feel contrived. There are less shock and awe and more eye-rolling at the expediency.

I still enjoyed As the Shadow Rises and think Ms. Pool has a unique story to offer readers. However, I also think Ms. Pool had to meet a certain word quota that did not match where she needed her characters and the story to be at the end of it. As such, there appears to be a lot of unnecessary filler in the form of character self-analysis that does not go anywhere and a story that includes too much tell and not enough show. My hope is that she got all this out of the way so that the story's finale can shine. Time will tell.

An amazing sequel!
It certainly did not suffer the slow second book syndrome because I was hooked from the get-go.
I think one of my favorite parts to this sequel was witnessing the consequences of the characters previous decisions and how these actions affect life going forward.
Hassan, especially, was a character who grew on me during this book because he's trying to come back from manipulating his people and others. He was the weakest POV for me in the first book, and while he still is not my favorite to read, I liked that he gave the reader a city perspective since all the other characters were moving across the country. He kept us grounded with updates, and he learned a lot along the way about his ancestry.
Now just like in TWCAD- Beru is the standout POV for me because she is such a rarity in literature now a days. People continuously want to create characters mimicking extreme strength and power like Ephyra, but Beru is the compassionate, wholesome soul that I love to read about. She is not given a lot of POV time in this book, but each moment was a treasure to me. I adore her so much, and I'll forever gush about the sisterly love shared between Ephyra and Beru. They both may be at odds, but their love still is a standout to their personalities, which I think is a great contrast to Ilya and Anton, who also had an interesting turn of events and plot line to this sequel. Ephyra and Ilya's journey was not something I was expecting.
Moreover, Anton and Jude are the close second in my favorites list for this trilogy. They both grow and change throughout the course of this sequel, and they gave me some of the rare heartwarming moments in this otherwise dark world. I loved that Katy chose to focus on their relationship more in this sequel, and it really allowed them to become fleshed out beyond their fears from the previous book. Both are courageous and selfless. They deserve happiness!
Lastly, Ephyra's Indiana Jones moment was so... enlightening? I know Ephyra has her own agenda always, and she is the more ruthless between the sisters, but when she started to thaw a bit in this book, my heart roared with feelings. She's honestly more dainty at times than Beru because of what happens.
Overall, I enjoyed this sequel more than TWCAD, which is a wonderful sentiment! I cannot wait to see where our characters go next, and I'm still biting my nails from the last 5oish pages of this book. HOW IN THE WORLD DID SO MUCH HAPPEN?! How will the trilogy wrap up? So many questions and barely any of them answered!
P.S. There's some GREAT twists in this sequel, so if you're looking to have the rug pulled out from under you then do yourself a favor and grab this book ASAP.