This premise was very engaging: a world were people are two different persons at night and during the day, and all the weird questions it raises (how does it work for the logement situation ? and couples, are they together at night and in the day in spite the fact that people are two different personas altogether ? etc. ). I really liked this fun setting.

Unfortunately, the story didn't follow. Our night-brother has a witch to find after a gory dark ritual and takes his day-brother for the ride in a secluded town. At first glance, why not... But I found myself bored by the main characters who lacked real depth and felt very generic. And the investigation was a bit convoluted : I didn't see where we were going with all of this. You'd want things to unravel for the protagonist after discovering facts... but actually, no, you kind of lose track of the investigation at times, because nothing leads you properly to a big reveal. Ending feels thus a bit rushed.

Another thing that bothered me a bit was the references to biblical elements (a bible in every inn, the four hoursemen...) even though you're in a totally different world. Such details take me out of the story : I mean, in another world, would we really expect to read the bible ?! That religions would emerge, okay... but the exact same religion that our western civilizations knows... really?! It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine in a fantasy story, and it really bothered me here.

So all in all, a disappointing read, even though it showed promise.


*Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me access to this digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Very strange but intriguing, and in some parts, horrifying. (As in the plot, not the writing). A couple things this story reminds me of:
1) Christopher, the night brother, is sent to a faraway town from orders of the King in order to find out who has been guilty of witchcraft and bring them to justice. The reception he gets is very similar to Ichabod Crane in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. The town understands why he's there and what he does, but not all of them trust him.
2) The horrific events that happen towards the victims of witchcraft are similar to the creepiness and oddity of the Brothers Grimm movie. This is not your typical, textbook witchcraft.

Most of the reviews so far for this book say the first half of the story is confusing, but I say it's the opposite. I thought the first half was fluid, bone-chilling, and formidable, and really made me excited/anxious to see who was behind the madness. But the second half was rushed. Details were flimsy, unnecessary add-ons like the Four Horsemen were mixed into the plot for no purpose, and loose ends were still not efficiently tied up towards the end. This is still a great book to read for readers who appreciate an eerie fantasy, I just wish there was a more strong, more concrete ending for the last few chapters.

Thank you Head of Zeus for the advanced digital copy!

3/5

Trigger Warnings:
Gore
Graphic Descriptions of violence (including against children)
Ritual Violence

Review:
This fantasy novel pays homage to Jekyll and Hyde in a very interesting conceptual hook. In the kingdom of Reikova, people have a day version and a night version of themselves. Two entirely different minds and souls share one body. The novel opens with our protagonist, night-brother Christophor, who is sent by the King to the small town of Drekenford after it is revealed a ritual of witchcraft is being performed. Christophor's day-brother, the musician Aleksander, dislikes his night-brother's occupation but proves to be a very valuable asset in the end.

I loved the concept, a twist on Jekyll and Hyde had me hooked. But I must say that I thought the second half of the novel was far stronger than the first, this could be due to personal taste as the first half is narrated by Christophor, and the second half by Aleksander. I found Aleksander's narration to be more intriguing, but also the action in the latter half of the novel had a great rhythm to it. The first half was a push to get through, I was continually intrigued by the events of witchcraft, but I found Christophor's character rather tedious.

Towsey masterfully shows you both Christophor's version of Aleksander's events and vice versa, these unreliable narrators add another layer of intrigue to the mystery that encouraged me to continue on. I thought the descriptions and lore in the second half of the novel were very beautiful, and I really enjoyed Christophor's interactions with Victor and Julia, two young children who perform plenty of 'experiments' that help uncover the culprit of these crimes. The fantastical nature of the magic was also wonderful, especially the letter scene which I could picture so clearly in my head.

Unfortunately, I found the first half chose style over substance, which made it difficult to press through. Overall, I thought the world-building was strong but the plot was lacking depth, as the concluding pages of the novel provided me with an unsatisfying conclusion.

For anyone who is interested in a Jekyll and Hyde/V.E. Schwab cross-over, I would recommend this book. You will love the dark magic and secondary/tertiary characters, who really sprung off the page to me.

(A huge thank you to NetGalley, Head of Zeus, and Ad Astra for the eARC)

Note: Thank you to Netgalley & publishers for allowing me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review! 

When reading the description of this book, my first thought was, "this sounds intriguing!" My first thoughts were right, as this book was certainly intriguing. However, the first half of this book is confusing, and it takes far too long to get to the good parts of the story. Had the first half matched the second, I would have given this four stars.
Note: Though this is a good book, I firmly believe that it may be better suited for a television show (or long movie). I think that the concepts would play out much more nicely on screen, and I'm not usually the type of person to say that about a book.

The Good Things
1. The overall concept of the story is fantastic! The idea that day and night are wholly different is interesting.
2. The characters (though they were a tad lackluster) in relation to the concept of day and night: it's certainly a well-designed idea that the night and day parts of characters affect one another.
3. I think it is important to say that the cover is gorgeous. Many potential readers look at a cover of a book FIRST, then turn to the book's summary (which is lacking), then to reviews.

The Bad Things
1. As I mentioned before, the book's first half was a tad confusing, and I had a hard time trying to understand where the plot was going. It can be hard to build an entire world right off the bat, but I feel like the first 50% (or so) was lacking significantly. The second half of the book gets much better and makes much more sense. If you can deal with this flaw, then read on!
2. I didn't LOVE the writing style. However, writing style IS the type of thing that is up to the reader, so my personal opinion on this matter may not matter much.

I wanted to love this book but I just couldn't. Instead, I found it a struggle with little payoff in the ending. The original idea of Day/Night personalities is intriguing but it's presented as a given with next to no explanation or background which would have helped.

As a reader, I am always looking for fantasy novels that are not a saga but a standalone. It is not an easy task but when you find something like Equinox, by David Towsey, you know the search is worth it.
First, I was stunned by the cover, it just checks all my curiosity boxes and I am really looking forward to seeing how well it will do in our bookstore shelves as well.
The idea per se is an amazing one as well. Two people in the same body, one living during the day, one during the night, each with their separate and independent lives (there is even mention to day-husband and wife who have separate night husband/wife, which I am sure leads to a lot of shenanigans).
The story itself follow Christophor, a night-brother, in his mission to uncover the truth behind a truly, horrifying, teeth-gritting, vision. His day-brother goes along as well… at least at the beginning. One of the major points in the novel is how the day-night equilibrium can be easily broken and the consequences one brother may have in the life and choices of the other one.
The story could be better fleshed sometimes, there seems to be some information that the reader never really gets, but I do not think it comes in detriment of the novel as a whole. It could, however, push some readers. The characters are very well written, with their lights and their shadows, and the pacing is absolutely brutal and leaves no margin for taking a breath. Once you’re inside the world, you are not out until you are not finished with the story.

Thank you to Head Of Zeus and NetGalley for this ARC of "Equinox" by David Towsey.

I'll be blunt here, I didn't understand the plot until 68% into the book. Certain pieces of infomation were mentioned and never recited and it just felt like it was missing a good edit. Once I did finally get the plot, it was a good book but I feel like it was too late into the book for me to enjoy the full experience of this book. Do I blame the author? Of course not, his writing style is tremendous. But somethings missing here.

I liked the concept of the day and night being two different worlds and rendering the tension between what the two worlds, day and night, coming from the same person yet completely different personality creates. Making situations where they will themselves creates trouble for the other side, it was fun to read however the character weren't really outstanding I wish we knew more about them, it was missing some depth to really care about their trouble even if that was interesting already

I love a good bit of escapism fantasy, and David Towsey does just that with his book "Equinox". A little reminiscent of what VE Schwab does with A Darker Side of Magic, or how Sarah Mass plays with the veil between the Fae world and the regular world, Towsey explores the idea of two separate worlds (and yet, the same world) - one in the day, and one at night. Every person has their day persona and their night persona (persona is maybe the wrong word, since the two are totally separate), and what happens during the day does not cross over into the night. The plot centers around the tension that occurs when what the day persona and the night persona want are at odds - and it's so fun to watch unfold.

Five stars for characters, pacing, and overall dark magic and fun.