I was going to give this book 3.5 but the ending felt wrong to me. Not anticlimactic as such just like something was missing. The story follows special inspector Morden who is sent to Drekenford, a small town away from the big city he lives, to find a witch. I enjoyed many parts of the book, though I didn't always understand what was going on. For example, the unique aspect of the story is that during the day Morden is someone else and so is everyone else. That is to say that every individual has two people inside of them - one that is awake during the night, that's Christopher (special inspector Morden) and Alexander (his musician 'day brother'). I thought this was a really interesting plot point but it isn't really explained what it is all about in the beginning and you have to sort of just accept it even though all throughout I kept having questions that weren't getting answered. Unfortunately, this aspect of the story also ends up seeming a bit irrelevant at the end - whilst it's interesting, there is no reason the same story couldn't have been told with just one person inhabiting the body of every character. It creates some fodder for sidestories such as the relationships between the different characters day brother and night brother (or sister) including that between our main character that actually has some really good development. Ultimately I did enjoy the book. But I do think it could be two books which are better: one about a detective sent to some small village town to hunt a witch and another about day people and night people that really explores this unique phenomenon and the relationships between themselves and others.

I loved the concept of this book but sadly the execution just didn't work for me and a struggled to read it.

* Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for an advance copy for review purposes *

Cristophor, an unflappable Special Investigator with extensive experience in supernatural cases, and Aleksander, a fun loving musician, share a body: Cristophor is in charge during the night, while Aleksander takes the day shift. This is the standard in the world of "Equinox", where this duality is pervasive.

Cristophor, nearing retirement, is summoned to investigate a disturbing case of self harm by a petty thief from a distant town. The investigation leads to more and more super natural events, further complicated as Aleksander's life and acquaintances start getting tangled in the mystery.

The mystery is developed slowly, with a climbing sense of dread as both characters get more and more tangled in a chilling plan in motion. The characters are interesting, and the duality of the main characters (and what happens when they have differing goals) is quite interesting, although I was expecting the dual nature of the world to play a bigger role. There is a fair amount of gruesome imagery, but still within my comfort zone. Very engrossing supernatural mystery, that did deliver on its ending. I'm not sure if the interesting world with the dual personas added much to it, other than in the last quarter of the book, but I would like reading more of that world.

I respect anyone who can tell a compelling mystery, and 'Equinox' is a compelling mystery indeed. Combine this with a low fantasy element sprinkled throughout, adding extra depth and atmosphere, as well as providing some fascinating imagery, and there is a lot in this story to enjoy and appreciate.

Unfortunately, I'm struck by the feeling of a missed opportunity. The book's premise of two people sharing the same body, and switching control at night or day is both the focal point of the book's synopsis and an idea I find super interesting, but it's also one which plays a disappointingly small role in the story. There are minor scenes in the book's first half where this concept is explored, and the second half of the book devotes to it more fully by involving both of the protagonist's two sides in the solving of its central mystery, but by that point I was 60% of the way through the book and it felt too late.

Ultimately, I wanted the day-night duality to play a much larger role, and was left disappointed in this regard. Had the author chosen to either devote to the mind-swapping premise more fully, or alternatively forego it entirely to tell the fantasy detective story, this could have been an excellent dark fantasy detective story. As it is, it makes for a story with two potentially brilliant halves that feel underdeveloped by the end.

All this said, 'Equinox' does still make for a thoroughly entertaining story thanks to the mystery at the core of the story, as well as some fascinating ideas, that I just wish were explored more fully. Nevertheless, I would recommend the book for fans of both low fantasy, and mystery and suspense narratives.

[Advanced Reader Copy provided by the author]

What a fascinating concept this was. One person, two personalities and not a mention of Schizophrenia. Exquisitely written!! I loved this book! Oh wow. What a fantastic book! I was totally hooked… I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

6.5 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/05/08/equinox-by-david-towsey-review/

In a world where identity changes with the rising and setting of the sun, you can never know who to to trust, or just what anyone is hiding. With two beings within the same body, relationships between night and day have been stretched to such an extreme that they might be different worlds altogether. But when one personality changes to another—the world remains the same.

Christophor Morden is a special investigator of the King of Reikova. Awoken early one night, he is called to the city prison where he’s confronted by a grisly sight. A young man has ripped their eyes out in a fit of madness—though the madness might be justified. Why? Well, because behind their eyeballs, teeth were growing.

What Christophor hopes is an aberration turns out to be more common than any would like to admit. Rumors and strange tales out of the south—of witches and magic, of demons and unfaithful, of a war brewing on the kingdom’s borders. But the only thing he can substantiate are the teeth. The teeth are very much real. And they didn’t come into the boy’s eye sockets naturally.

And so he is dispatched to Drekenford—a village on the southern border—to hunt down whatever’s responsible for this dark magic. But what he finds there will cost Christophor—in more ways than one.

Alexander understands his night-brother’s call as a special investigator, but that doesn’t mean he likes it. A musician himself, Christophor’s day-brother often haunts the common houses, theaters, and taverns of Esteberg, where he plies his trade. Yet when Christophor is sent south, Alexander has no choice but to follow. Though what he finds there may cost Alexander more than his trade. For when his night-brother unearths the witch, Alexander will end up doing everything in his power to save her, the King’s justice be damned.

—

The unfaithful lose sight of themselves
The sword shrivels to flakes of snow
The law devours its history
The stone moves on water
The broken heart bleeds gold

—

The more time I spent in the world of Equinox, the more it grew on me. Starting out as a fairly generic city in a generic world, it instantly loses points with the recycling of various real-world subjects to cover where its own world-building breaks down. I’m really torn on this—it’s very much a love/hate relationship; there’s a really good story within and what it does well is done really well, but… well, you’ll see.

Catholicism is the dominant religion of the kingdom, a fact that isn’t remotely explained despite all the questions it brings to mind. Did Christ have a night-brother? Is the whole night/day cycle mentioned in scripture? Is this actually Earth rather than a different world? None of these are answered. In fact, the author seems to go out of his way to avoid these questions, as any debate that comes to center on religion at all gets shut down quickly. The whole night/day cycle suffers the same fate—and so we never get more than the barest glimpse into why or how this system works. While it’s a fascinating concept, the lack of literally any explanation surrounding it ruin what could’ve been an innovative and unique twist.

Honestly, with the amount of questions the system alone raises that are completely ignored, I feel like I could write a whole new book. While I’m assuming that’s the reason the author doesn’t address the subject at all, it just comes off as lazy. He should’ve addressed one or two of the more important points, rather than completely ignoring them all.

For example: how does the body function on zero sleep? Is the day/night thing recent, or eternal? How does an unchanged Earth religion account for literally any of this?

Throughout the text, the various day/night personalities complain about their counterparts. Like it’s a new thing. Like it’s not written into religion (which, if it had been around very long at all, it must’ve been). Grrrraaahhh—writing the review for this is making me rage at the dozens of unanswered questions I have about the concept. Which I’ll try not to address any further.

At its heart, Equinox is a story of witchcraft and witch hunting. Chistophor lives in the shadow, but walks with the light—having arrested 34 witches over his lifetime. And yet this might be the most dangerous of the lot, as it puts he and his day-brother at odds. Despite my issues with the world, the unanswered questions, the characters, the development, the unanswered questions—I know that there is a good story somewhere in here. Even with all the issues I had bouncing around in my head, I never once thought of abandoning this. I was able to buckle down and focus on the story, and let it drink me in.

And so brings the third book in as many days that I’m on the fence about. I had some issues with this book (okay, LOTS AND LOTS of issues), but I legitimately enjoyed it too. There were some parts that were a bit cringeworthy, but they were few and far between. The day/night cycle was fascinating, despite being unformed and unfounded. The world was interesting as well, despite being a bad copy of Earth. The end was good, despite the ending being a bit confusing and hectic. I love the cover, but I’m not sure it’s worth the price. If you were going to rip it off and stick it on the wall—…maybe? But as a book to display… I’d really prefer if it were better.

Equinox is a Supernatural Thriller novel by David Towsey, set in the early 1700s. With a unique embellishment to the setting; the sharing of two souls in one entity. Christophor Morden lives by night, and his day-brother, Alexsander share the same body but leads completely different lives. Christophor is a Special Investigations Officer, tasked with discovering the truth behind a grizzly mystery – a prison inmate The investigation sweeps Alexsander along Both as a willing and unwilling bystander.

Night Brother, Christohper, introduces the story in the first half of the novel.

The brothers, Christophor and Alexsander, share the telling of the story. Rather than split the presentation of their tale into alternating chapters Equinox divides their attention in half. Night Brother, Christohper, introduces the story in the first half of the novel. The second is by Alexsander. Although we’re given snippets of the lives of the non-point-of-view brother, we know little about what they do during their awakening time while the main soul is telling the story.

Although it’s a somewhat confusing concept to understand, it makes for some fascinating and mysterious storytelling. This leads the reader to ask questions of the narrator’s inactive brother and question their motivations, leaving room for suspicions and inter-character conflicts. Halfway through the book is a turning point and the point of view character switches to Alexsander; relationships between himself and secondary characters develop and challenge the reader’s thought process. This is a wonderful point in the book as it adds further complications to the plot and already intense character-driven drama. This structure also makes a refreshing change from the alternative perspective chapters that are usually ‘the norm.’

Every sibling relationship is different. The way the physical relationships are handled within Equinox is a fascinating concept that I’ve not come across. It makes for a captivating read that adds another layer to an already well-considered plot. An additional hook to make the witch-craft storyline more captivating. The lead characters are engaging in their own right, but the fact that they differ so much in terms of personality and profession from one another emphasises the trials they come across. While Christophor is a Special Investigations Officer (Witch Hunter) Alexsander is a musician. Their lines of work do not easily cross over and Alexsander is often taken along for the ride into places he doesn’t wish to be. He has to, somehow, earn a living while there. Their conflicts with one another are as enthralling as the outside world in which they are trying to navigate.

While interesting in their relationships, the main characters themselves are a little lacklustre. They carried the plot well and suffered their drama and traumas as any good fictional character should. However, they were lacking in their sense of presence. Christophor; is a great Special Investigations Detective, but there’s a spark missing in his convictions. He was world-weary, certainly, but that tapered into the realm of banality. Alexsander in turn is a stilted musician. His trials differ greatly from his brother and it was only when they aligned in their goals did they seem to overcome that which held them back from being truly memorable.

At its heart, Equinox is a mystery novel. Christophor is trying to solve the case of the tortured prisoner. This takes the brothers to the town of Drekenford. Into a small-knit community where they don’t entirely belong and investigating the locals who might be behind the witch-craft. On top of this are scenes of pure horror. Although the story is primarily a mystery novel, I found the heart of the character’s problems rather easy to guess. As more characters and potential antagonists are introduced the culprit became rather obvious. The story in this sense is somewhat basic. However, the investigative plot isn’t the reason that this book is so successful. It is in its unique concepts and world-building that it truly shines.

The written descriptions are vivid and visceral and become more terrible as the story progresses and the demonic ritual nears completion. It is in these rich descriptions that author David Towsey sets himself apart. After one such description of abject horror, I had to simply put my kindle down and breathe! These scenes are the strength of the novel as much as the concept and world-building.

Equinox is a fast-paced, page-turner and this pace picks up in the second half; when the characters arrive at Drakenford and the investigation begins in earnest. Before this, plenty of scenes build up the tension and keep the reader interested. I initially struggled with the idea of the two souls and kept wondering what the origin of the two-soul concept is? There is precious little background to the concept. It is assumed that the reader will accept this in good faith. I’d like to have known more about the origins of the world, what makes it this way? Has it always been like this?

This is certainly a book I’d recommend for readers that enjoy mystery cases, witch-craft and deeply disturbing fantasy novels. The horror elements of the book aren’t for the faint-hearted. Some of the scenes depicted can be distressing in their content; which at times involves animals and children.

3.5 stars
Interesting concept and intriguing book.
Equinox offers an interesting world - a world where day and night are two personalities, each having its own careers, lifestyles, and unique characteristics and often at odds with each other. Our protagonist Christopher Mordan is a detective by night and uncaring musician by day. An early call to a prison one night pulls our protagonist into a witchhunt in a foreign land where everything might not be as it seems.
Equinox is a slow burn where understanding the world is as important as trying to figure out the antagonist trying to spark an apocalypse or a war. It was also interesting to see the events unfold from both day and night pov and their dynamics. Spend time with the book and you might be embroiled in rethinking fundamental things like family dynamics.
So, even though I enjoyed the writing and story, why am I still rating it 3? That's because after spending time with the book, I was disappointed with the second half. The culmination and final reveal were unsatisfactory. A lot of sub-plots ended up being loose ends that were not tied up. The depth of the plot frayed towards the end and was limited to an outsider trying to destroy the world for no reason whatsoever.
Overall, good start but could have been a lot better in the second half.

This book tells the story of Christophor Morden, an investigator, and his day brother Alexsander. In this world everyone changes when the sun sets or rises between their day identity and their night identity. It has elements of the classic Jekyll and Hyde story. Christophor is brought in to investigate a crime with paranormal circumstances, and things slowly develop to reveal a much darker secret.

The plot and setting of this story reminded me a lot of tales like Sleepy Hollow or Tam O’Shanter. It’s full of darkness and some parts really made me squirm. The atmosphere of the story is created quite well, and is a great blend of 18th century countryside village, with plenty of magic and creepiness to keep you looking over your shoulder.

There is a solid crime solving element to this story too. As Christophor gets thrust deeper into things beyond his control the line between what is real and what is not gets blurred. As a result the plot can seem slow-paced but it’s not because the author wastes time on things that he shouldn’t. Rather it’s because reveals and mysteries are done with purpose and care, and are done slowly.

One aspect of the book I really enjoyed was the world building. The idea of everyone sharing a body between two people, and changing to become someone totally different each day or night is done very well. It’s a complex idea to convey in a believable way and I really found the author nailed it perfectly. It doesn’t take over the entire story but it is a solid and well realised concept that is different and really set this story apart from the rest for me.

My main improvement I would suggest would be that while I loved the story and the setting, I didn’t get quite as invested in the characters as I hoped I would. The conflict and tension between Christophor and his day brother Alexsander didn’t get the emotional reaction from me as a reader as was perhaps intended. However, I tend to be a character focused reader so perhaps this point is subjective to an extent.

Overall, this book has many promising elements and I’m glad I picked it up. It’s different to what I would typically read and I would love to thank the author and publisher for the ARC copy. This book comes out on May 12th.

Strange creepy book. Two souls / personalities inhabiting one body. Everyone has a day brother /sister or a night brother /sister. Many of the dual personalities get along but some do not. An interesting if not strange premise for a book. Throw in that one of the brothers is a witchfinder and add a bit of gore ( I lost sleep over the depiction of the horses death). Still trying to decide if I liked this book but it was interesting and I did get to the end.

If you like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow , you'll probably like this book.

...is what I thought while reading this book. The vibes, themes and setting are quite similar to each other. The unique concept of each person having a day-self and a night-self was executed in a believable and balanced way, in my opinion; it definitely added to the intrigue of the overall story and made the narrative interesting. I also like that we got to follow a middle-aged character; this gave some interesting dynamics to interactions between characters and was something I haven't read much of before. The scenes where any magic was happening were fun to read (especially the gruesome scenes!) and the mystery was fun to figure out step by step.

However, something kept me from getting fully immersed into the story and getting attached to any of the characters. I think it's the fact that the writing style is quite to-the-point and heavy on the dialogue between characters. The lack of description had me confused a couple of times as to what exactly was going on. I also really didn't like how the ending was handled; it felt quite rushed and unfinished to me. It would've probably been better if the author spent just a little more pages to work that one out.

All in all, I had a very fun time, but something kept me from completely loving this book and losing myself in it and its characters. There is quite some potential here, so I'm interested to see in what the book will be like once it's published.

A big, big thank you for Netgalley and House of Zeus for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an early copy for review.

DNF (choosing to give an average rating of three stars as I can't say for sure whether I like or dislike the book)

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to admit defeat with this one. I've read a lot of reviews for this and was glad to hear the story picks up and gets a lot better in the second half. But for me, I just can't force myself to read 50% of a book before I get to the good stuff.

I initially found this really interesting. The premise is fascinating. I was instantly drawn to the concept of two consciousnesses sharing a single body and love the idea of a day-brother and a night-brother. Super unique and original idea. Alexander, a musician, is the day-brother, and Christopher, a special inspector, is the night-brother.

I thought the chapters would alternate between one brother and the other with the turning of day and night, but instead, the first half of the book is from Christopher's POV while the second half is from Alexander's. I really wish it was written in alternating POV. As the general opinion seems unanimous that Alexander is the most interesting of the two, this may have saved me from DNFing. I struggled to connect to Christopher as a character, and unfortunately, I didn't get far enough in to read any of Alexander's chapters.

My main problem with this book is the pacing. The first few chapters are really interesting but the moment the travelling begins, the pacing drops and the plot becomes boring. It's just too slow. Not enough happened in those opening chapters to keep me interested and reading. I'm not prepared to keep reading a book if I'm still not invested by the 20% mark. That should be more than long enough to grab my attention and if a book doesn't then I know I'm just not gelling with it and it's time to move on.

I found the city of Reikova really cool and atmospheric. This was one of the reasons that kept me reading in the beginning. I loved reading all the details and descriptions of the city, with all its dark sides and slums. It really painted a gritty picture of the world in my head.
But after Christopher left Reikova and began travelling to Drekenford to investigate a mysterious witch case, I realised that the majority of the story would probably take place there, and the city I'd already grown attached to was long behind us.

As much as I initially enjoyed the world-building, there was one little thing that completely threw me off. The religion. Normally I love exploring religious beliefs in fantasy books cause they're always so creative and new, even the ones based on real-life religions. What I noticed in this book was that they were just Christians. Christopher wears a crucifix and refers to Christ and the Lord. Even his name is derived from 'Christ'. There's just something about reading a fantasy book set in a name-up secondary fantasy world in which people still worship Jesus that turns me off entirely. Now I could be wrong about this as I know I didn't read enough of it to truly learn everything I could about the religion, but those mentions of Christ and crucifixes were an immediate red flag for me. I just don't want Jesus in my fantasy. Sorry.

On a positive note, that cover is stunning and drew me to the book in the first place. I'm very pleased to see so many people enjoying this book, but this one just wasn't for me.

Loved the concept and the writing was very well done. This isn't my usual genre but the description really pulled me in and I'm glad I read it, it gave me Dan Brown vines kind of, with the mix of an investigation and the occult.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The description of this book is what hooked me. A world where two people inhabit the same body… one comes out during the day the other at night. Add to that the magical mystery and I was more than sold. While the book was entertaining, I feel that the first half was very slow, to the point where I was uncertain about continuing. It picked up during the second half, the story kept me guessing and the plot twists were mostly unexpected. I enjoyed the dual POV where you got to know how different the day brother was from his night brother. It is definitely a concept I would dive into more. I did find that the conclusion was somewhat convoluted for me. The resolution was equal parts confusing and disturbing (though not entirely in a bad way) for me. Overall it was enjoyable and interesting.

The concept of this story was amazing and immediately had me intrigued and wanting to read it. The idea of a dual personality living in one body, with day brothers and sisters giving way to their night brothers and sisters as they switch with the setting sun. One never to see daylight and the other never to see the moon. So clever and it made for such a good story!

I really loved how this book was written. Not only was the authors writing amazing but I loved the effect it had. Written in first person from the eyes of the inspector and then subtly shifting to third person as he describes his day-brothers day, leading into part two where the inverse was true. I loved seeing the different perspectives of the brothers and found the whole thing so engaging and enticing. There was definitely a magical quality to this book which drew me in an kept me reading.

The plot was a great steady mover and as more of the plot started to unravel, I became increasingly hooked. I needed to know more and even though I did get a little confused at times as to what was going on, it was a clever story and one that held a spooky undertone of dark magic and witches. A very intriguing one !

The premise/world of this book is incredible - there are two people in each body, one awake in the day and one at night. It creates so many fun opportunities for a different culture. What does it mean for relationships and family units if the day-sibling doesn't like the night-sibling's partner's other version? What does it mean infrastructure wise if you have a population only active at night?

I was really interested in the fact that the characters can see/remember bits of their counterpart's life, react to it emotionally. It's not clear as crystal but it's still part of their vague awareness. It also let the book follow the story from both perspectives, but heavily coloured by the current narrator's view.

The first half of the book is told from Chistophor's perspective, with small insights into Alexsander's days. Chistophor is by far the larger character in this section, with only fleeting sections from Alexsander. When the book switches narrator at the halfway point, we get a lot more of Alexsander seeing what happens to Chistophor than we did the other way around. Which makes sense; the investigation is still ongoing (heading toward the climax) and we really need to keep seeing that, even as Alexsander tries to be more involved.

The investigation itself is very much about the occult from the start. The boy who plucks out his own eyes because there are TEETH growing behind them and it's so uncomfortable he will do anything to be rid of the pain? That was so unnerving, really really creeped me out. It does do well to set the entire tone of the book, though, and prepare you for the ending, which is full of creepy ritual.

The investigation itself is interesting because of the fact that there are day and night versions of people. Trying to get information from both from someone else's vague impressions of the vague impressions the suspect's counterparts have definitely gives a unique spin on this book. Not to mention not knowing if both versions of someone is in on it or not, and yet only having access to one.

I reached the end and wished there was more, so fingers crossed for another entry in this world. Doesn't have to be the same characters - I really want to explore the cool premise further!

2.5 stars

I want my time back.

Read this if you want something meandering and artsy, an interesting premise with a disappointing execution and a criminal ending, have atter.

My rating does not reflect the quality of the work. David Towsey can write very well, but interesting does not equal good. It was an 8-course meal of all broth. It could have benefited from some bread which could have benefited from some butter, never mind meat and veg. I wouldn't have objected to a salad. The dessert was simply being finished with it all.

It was about 50% of the way through that I became quite bored and realized that nothing was going to come of this book. There is no excitement, no investment, no nail-biting edging of seats. It's a 16-minute song without a chorus or a crescendo. You just keep waiting until you eventually get irritated and now you've wasted all your minutes and you're still hungry because all you've had is consomme, and while it certainly requires a bit of time and effort and perhaps a bit of skill to make it, it's not terribly filling.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this eARC of Equinox

This novel is so intriguing and strange, the concept of two people sharing one body is fascinating. If I read it right then this isn't a story of schizophrenia, its literally two people in one body. One by day and one by night.
Our characters are drawn into a witch hunt and the story is fascinating if not a little confusing. The first half doesn't really explain anything, the second half however, picks up and it becomes an interesting read.
The world the author builds is great and he intergrates both characters really well.

Light versus dark? Good versus evil? Just who is 'good' and how can the reader tell?
In the world of 'Equinox', two souls inhabit one body- a day and a night persona, light and dark. For our protoganist Christophor he is the Night side of his body, with his twin Alesander the Day side. Both struggling to understand the actions of their other half, especially as Christophor is a Special Inspector for the King, and tasked with investigating suspected witchcraft. Alesander on the other hand, is a musician and far more open to magic - or is he simply naive?
As Christophor spends his nights struggling to complete his investigation, he suspects that Alesander may be working against him.
Their individual activities accumulate in an epic battle for survival, with each brother believing that they are on the side of good.
It took a while for me to settle into the tale as I read of the day and night characters with their individual activities and the requires potions to ensure all remained calm. I felt as though I needed some background or introduction to the world. Having said that, the tale commences quickly but then slows as Christophor travels across the Kingdom. There is certainly an epic battle building and plenty of action towards the final quarter of the novel.

Story very well written, easy to read & page turner. Great plot & fascinating characters.
Totally recommended.

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received free from the author.