I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. It didn't seem fair for me to review a book that I didn't finish.

Rome with magic, how cool is that? In this second volume of “The Aven Cycle,” Aven (aka Rome) is beset by enemies both within and without. Iberian tribes are wielding blood magic against Avenian-held territory, and Sempronius Tarren, our hero from the first volume, has been dispatched to lift a siege. Meanwhile at home, the Discordian magicians plot the city’s ruin through the ascendency of chaos. Latona, along with Sempronius’s prickly sister, Vibia, must discover who’s behind the attacks and stop their dastardly plots.

As with the first book, this is a long, intricately detailed story involving a huge cast of characters (and the author has thoughtfully provided a list, arranged by nationality and family affiliation). The pace varies from dramatic battle scenes to quiet domestic affairs. The threads of plot, character development, relationship, magic, and culture clash are so skillfully handled that each individual scene adds another layer to the tapestry. I especially liked the way the love story between Latona and Sempronius unfolded even though they were many miles apart and each growing in their own way. The descriptions of battle tactics, especially Roman discipline against wild magic, were both vivid and insightful (yep, there’s a reason Rome conquered most of Western Europe). Characters discover clues about the plot underlying the encroaching chaos in much the same way people do in real life, slowly putting together a pattern while desperately beating back the most dangerous manifestations.

Magic in this world comes in different flavors that reflect the distinct cultures. I explored this aspect of world-building in my “Seven-Petaled Shield” trilogy where I contrasted the polytheistic, highly structured magic of my version of Rome with scripture-based, story-based magic of ancient Judea, and both with the expansive nature-based magic of my steppe horse nomads. Morris pits the magic of her version of Rome, with temples and deities, against the blood-fueled magic of the Iberian tribes, with great success.

I strongly suggest that the reader begin at the beginning of this long “cycle” (Give Way to Night is only the second installment and there’s more to come). Although Morris provides plenty of references to what has come before, there’s simply too much backstory and previous character development for most of us to jump easily into the middle. And the world and its characters are so appealing, you won’t want to miss out on how it all started!

I find these books conceptually very interesting, but reading them is always a little bit of a slog. This second installment features the female characters more prominently, which I enjoyed and I found all of the sections set in Aven really interesting, particularly the development of Latona's character and the way in which her friendship with Vibia progressed. However, the portions devoted to the battles abroad were just too slow and a bit repetitive. All in all, I retain my interest in this series and will be picking up the next book - I just wish they were a bit pacier.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Interesting premise. Likable/hated characters. Cool plot. I would recommend this story to others. Some spots I found that didn't hold my attention, but overall, I still liked it.

The follow-up to From Unseen Fire continues the story of the Vitellae family in an alternate Rome with magic.

Review at NOAF as seen in the link.

In Give Way To Night, book two of Cass Morris' fantastic Aven Cycle series, Morris weaves together the continuing trials of Latona, Sempronius, and their families. In Aven, Morris' fantasy version of ancient Rome, Latona is beginning to step out of the shadows and assert her identity, developing her magical abilities and confidence. On the other side of the continent her brother Gaius is trying to withstand a siege by the war-king Ekialde, who is using dark magics to destroy those who stand against him. Attempting to rescue Gaius, Sempronius is leading three legions of troops to lift the siege and runs into the dark magic himself. Coincidentally (or not), Latona is discovering similar dark magic in Aven, and she and her allies are the only ones willing to root it out.

Latona continues as the main character in Night, and she is in some ways more sure of herself while in other ways more conflicted than before. Thanks to Sempronius' support she now believes in her talents, and is willing to not only continue experimenting with her abilities but using them. She has a sense of duty that rivals any soldier, but sees her duty as standing for the citizens who need assistance through magic. Interestingly, although we got rid of the Dictator Ocella in the beginning of the first book, his shadow continues to be felt throughout this book. The reader gets more of an idea of what happened to individual citizens, like Latona, here. I appreciated how some characters like Vibia, who thought she knew Latona because of rumors, discover how wrong they were and who the person behind the rumors truly is. Night is full of strong female characters who are continuing to discover and use their strength here: Vibia, Aula, and Alhena all get more page time and are wonderful to get to know further.

If you haven't read Cass Morris' first book, From Unseen Fire, you are missing out on a fantastic new voice in the fantasy realm. Give Way To Night proves that she intends to continue writing intricate plots, with layers upon layers of political, personal, and magical threads woven together into a brilliant whole. Her world building skills only develop further here, with detailed descriptions that make the reader feel as if they are marching with Sempronius' armies, or walking Aven's streets with Aula and Latona. Morris has clearly done a lot of careful research to bring ancient Rome to life and clearly thought carefully about what she wants to change for her own world, and the end result is nothing short of spectacular.

While a reader could pick up Give Way To Night without having read From Unseen Fire, it would definitely be helpful to have read Fire first to get to know some of the characters and their conflicts from the beginning. Readers should also be warned that Night ends on a cliff hanger, leaving us more desperate than usual to read the next book and discover how Morris will get her characters through the problems she's gotten them into.

Unlike many sequels, Give Way to Night stands equal to From Unseen Fire and will charm fantasy lovers completely.

A smart, layered read, with strong female characters, GIVE WAY TO NIGHT is incredibly rich with visual and sensory details and filled with political intrigue. The historical fantasy is so well-grounded in factual detail that it seems entirely plausible. One thing I love is the idea that you can be tough and fierce and still wear gorgeous flowing fabrics. The romance is realistically complicated, and I cheered on Latona in moving from a “small and sad” world to one in which she felt she mattered, and that struggle of being powerful in one regard, and yet inside, not being the person people think you are was very real and something I don’t see enough of in literature. We aren’t always strong in all aspects of our lives.

While Latona is officially my favorite, Alhena is a very close second. As in the first book, the strength of the sisters’ bond is so refreshing and vital. As a woman, the connection to moon bleeding and magic was such an unexpected and empowering thought—the idea that it is not shame but power…wow. It’s such an intrinsically feminist book while being a suspenseful action-packed story. Yet, with the taut suspense and swirling magic, there are funny moments as well.

It is truly an intelligent read with an ending that will leave you chomping for book three. Please let it come quickly!

Give Way to Night by Cass Morris is the 2nd book in her Aven Cycle series. This is an epic fantasy that takes place in Aven, with an Ancient Rome background, where they worship the Roman Deity. The story is filled with magic, intrigue, history and romance. Give Way To Night was a good story, but I did have mixed feelings, which I will note later in my review.

Latona, our heroine in the first book, continues to be the main character in this story. Lataona is the middle sister of the Vitelliae family that is highly respected in Aven. She continues to learn more about her mage Spirit and Fire powers. Latona is in a loveless marriage forced by her father, but she is loyal & very close to her sisters. I really loved Latona, and her two sisters, Aula and Alhena, and how strong all three women truly were. It was great when Latona was able to work with Vibia and Merula, who I thought were also great.

Sempronius Tarren, continues to be our hero, and is out in the field with his men to try and find out who is trying to destroy Aven, especially with strange supernatural attacks. Tarren is a very powerful shadow mage.
What follows is an exciting adventure that will put Latona and the other ladies in dangerous situations a number of number times. Tarren will also have his hands full trying fight the unknown enemy and save his soldiers. There were a number of villians that both Latona & Vibia came up against, as well as Tarren’s soldiers fight against. I loved everything about Latona, Vibia, Aula, Merula and their chapters. I thought Tarren’s chapters were good, but all the other chapters were tedious, with too much details and slow reading, causing me to lose interest, pushing along to get back to Latona and the ladies.

As much as I enjoyed the story revolving around Aven, Latona, her family, Tarren, supporters, I did have some feelings about the rest. I thought the other chapters with various villians/political members over done with so much details, I ended up skipping much of it. Overall, Give Way to Night was a good story, with some very good characters. There is a cliffhanger, which makes me want to read the final book; however, I am still on the fence, as this was a huge book, with so many details and characters, I did get lost a number of times along the way.

Give Way To Night is the second in Cass Morris’ “Aven Cycle”, the first of which I enjoyed immensely back when it came out. It combines a secondary world, alternate Roman Republic, lavishly furnished with rich detail, with some eye-popping magic and some fantastic characters. The tl;dr is that if any of those sound like something you’d enjoy, then this is a series you should already be reading. Frankly, I’d suggest you pick it up anyway, because the series is delightful, all the way from its closely observed Roman social mores, to the viscerally realised battle scenes, and back around to cut-throat politics, intermingled with warm friendships to make you smile, and romance to sear the heart, there’s something for everyone here.

Aven sits at the centre of its world. Rome, but one step to the left, Aven is a republic on the rise. Its senate believes they’re at the centre of the world. And why wouldn’t they? Aven’s gods - Juno, Mars, a familiar pantheon - clearly favour them. Aven is on the cusp of authority over much of the known world. And the city lives and breathes that truth. The question in that world, in the marble halls of the forum and the grime of the Suburra, is what that truth means. Whether the city should expand its influence, bring more of the world under its aegis, and accept change as a consequence alongside trade and wealth - or whether to shut itself away, isolate itself in the name of purity, hold fast to what it has, and let the rest of the world fend for itself. It’s an issue of identity which feels very contemporary, even embedded in the systems, institutions and personalities of an alternate Rome. From street to street, from Senate hall to darkened forest, Aven and its world are real, living, breathing places. The author really manages to capture a sense of place- -from the bustling urban metropolis of Aven, with its marble lined hallways and decrepit tenement blocks, to the isolated farms and small villages that drive an agrarian economy, to the wild lands beyond the reach of the legions, where unpleasant spirits and inimical tribes hold sway under lowering boughs. Even as the Aventine are our Roman analogues, still we see other perspectives - in both their allies and their enemies, both of whom clash not only in terms of arms, but culturally with the Aven; indeed, their unwillingness to assimilate, and the struggle of some tribes to assert their own identity (albeit with, er, unpleasant blood magic) is part of what drives the conflict for the story. This clash of ideology and identity is combined with an interest in the liminal spaces - the borders where changes can be made. Socially, yes - in the tribes that ally with the Aventine, and the Aventines that see the role of their city as part of a wider world, but also in a more concrete fashion; this is a world of gods, of magic, of mysticism and active spirits, as much as blood and iron.


Incidentally, there’s rather a lot of that. The legions of Aven are on the march, coming to the aid of their allies in not-Spain. When the tribes and the legions meet, it’s often messy - and the battles are wonderful set pieces of tactics, magic and adrenaline. The crash of blood-fuelled berserkers again a shield wall thunders off the page. The world changes as we turn those pages, and the stakes are at once extremely high, and extremely personal. The visceral energy of combat is matched by the mystery and intrigue of investigations into a magical conspiracy at the highest levels of the Aventine seat of power. That strand is a compelling blend of mystery and magic, of betrayals, divided loyalties and stunning revelations.


The characterisation is top notch. Latona of the Vitelliae remains our central protagonist, a woman who is slowly coming out from under the shadow of her own trauma. Latona is growing more aware of her own strengths now, less willing to accept the word of others, to shrink into her own self. Instead, she’s reaching out to others, making connections and constructing a self of her own, one which is shaped by her past, perhaps, but not defined by it. Latona is clever, articulate, and above all, good - a heroine who does the right thing for the right reasons, or at least tries to. Watching her slowly unfurl, build a self confidence backed by actions, is a pure joy. That she kicks arse, holding fire and friendship in one hand, and spirit and righteousness in the other, is great too. Every time she appears on the page, Latona is a joy - and that she does so in the company of her family dynamics, likewise. We can see her speaking with her sisters, working through relationships shaped by year, and struggling with a failing marriage, as well as a father who isn’t quite sure who she really is. This is a woman who has lived a life, and her life is a thing all its own, of texture, weight, sorrow and joy.


Part of Latona’s changes is her budding romance with Sempronius, the general currently leading legions into a maelstrom of blood magic and madness. Sempronius remains fun to watch, as he shuffles pieces around like they’re on a chessboard, parts of his agenda still uinclear, but his essential humanity and decency still very much visible. If he seems pale beside the pure energy of the Vitelliae women, that is not to his detriment - the Vitelliae each bring a presence to the page, and make for a wonderful read.


Which is what I’d say about this story of conspiracy, murder, epic battles and marvellous, mysterious magic. It’s a wonderful read, and you should definitely give it a try.

The second volume of a trilogy that started with From Unseen Fires, this "Rome with magic" sequel is a great followup to book one (but start with book one, and you really should start with book one because it's fabulous). The characters travel, and/or deepen their experiences and magic, and the stage is set for book three. All in all, very satisfying.