Thank you to Bloomsbury and the author for a physical copy as well as an egalley of this book.

This book is quite hefty, so I’m taking my time with it to truly appreciate how amazing I know it’s going to be. Review to come.

There is no doubt that Shannon can write an immersive and expansive novel. Like Priory, ADOFN follows multiple character arcs, which can be difficult to follow, but the author was exceptional at creating distinctive voices and stories.

I think that if you didn’t like Priory, it’s unlikely you will like this one. It’s long, slightly arduous at points, but gratifying in the same way that Priory was. It is not easy to keep someone’s attention for 800+ pages, but Shannon wields storytelling like knife through softened butter. It feels so effortless and smooth.

My favourite aspect of this world is the way that Shannon continues to have casual queerness.

Samantha Shannon has truly outdone herself. I did not think it was possible for this book to surpass The Priory of the Orange Tree, but it has. I would do disgusting things for a physical galley of this book tbh. It’s perfection. 20/10 no notes

Another fantastic installment! Since I didn’t remember a ton of specifics about Priory, I found it so fun to rediscover this world. Despite its close-to-900 pages, ADOFN enthralled me from the opening chapter (I was even a bit sad to move from the mothers who are introduced in the prologue to their daughters for the rest of the book, that’s how hooked I felt with just a few pages). I think fans of Priory will be equally as pleased with ADOFN, and new readers would be able to jump in fairly easily without having read Priory. However, ADOFN does have similarities to Priory in that some of the climaxes of the novel are over too quickly after all the buildup, or the chapters jump straight to the middle of the action instead of allowing the reader to see exactly what caused it. Also, one major plot point felt a bit unexplained to me (being vague to avoid spoilers). But overall I really enjoyed this one and am excited to see where else in the history of this world Shannon will take us next!

I loved the Priory of The Orange Tree and was really looking forward to this prequel— and it didn’t disappoint! There is less mystery because we know a lot from the POTOT, but the different viewpoints are so compelling that they keep you going through this thicc book. As we know with this author, there is no straightforward happily ever after, but the emotional resonance is so well done that even if that’s my preference when I read, I don’t care in this case. It’s masterful. Is it too much to hope for yet another prequel about Cleolind?

An absolute masterpiece!

Samantha Shannon has done it again. This is an amazing prequel and wonderfully written.

I was so excited to receive a copy of A Day of Fallen Night! I loved The Priory of the Orange Tree and it is one of my favorite books so I was so excited to see that Samantha Shannon wrote a prequel and it did not disappoint! The story follows three different women and every story line was interesting. It took a while to get into it because there was so much back story but everything was so interesting and I loved all the different characters and all the world building! Definitely would recommend especially if you’re already a fan of Samantha Shannon!

Okay. This cover for starters. Second this is not the book I thought it was going to be but I was sucked in none the less. I love this world and all the little antidotes that make it unique, but I feel the same as I did in Priory, you really need to pay attention when reading this because all of the revels are at the end of chapters and subtle. I loved the story building and how we got more background, but this one kind of hurt my head.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I read Priory of the Orange Tree at the beginning of the year, and it took me a while to pick up because I was intimidated by the sheer size of it, but by the time I finished reading it, I was enthralled with the world and characters that had been woven in the story. The prequel does not disappoint, and in my opinion, is even better than the book first introducing us to this epic fantasy world.

I loved all of the characters, and there was no point-of-view that I was wishing would be over already. Some I did like more than others, but that's to be expected. There are four main POVs, following Glorian, Wulf, Tunuva, and Dumai, and as the story progresses, their individual plotlines drift towards each other to create a really really good book. As I read I would whisper my thoughts under my breath, as if the characters could hear me and see how utterly stupid they were being or how totally awesome. And like Priory, it's gay. My gaydar was going off left and right as characters were introduced and I was not wrong about any of them.

If you are at all a fan of Priory, pleeeease pick up this prequel. It's still a standalone story, which I appreciated greatly, and it gives a lot of history on the world given that it takes place 500 years prior to Priory (heh look at my play on words i'm so smart). Five out of five stars, excellent book!

Loved the first book and this chunky sequel is one of my highly anticipated releases! Samantha Shannon is an incredible writer.

Shannon’s continued causal approach to queerness is a breathe of fresh air. Representation done expertly. This allows queerness to exist without trauma, a welcomed, arguably necessary, addition to a fantasy world.

This book feels more like a masterclass on surviving tribulations over bravely battling against them, harrowingly pertinent to current times. Resilience is an incredibly important skill, one that is beautifully demonstrated throughout this book.

The pacing of this book struggles only marginally with a slow beat in the middle, otherwise breathes easily.

Similarly to The Priory of the Orange Tree, flipping over the last page left me wanting more time spent with each character.

Overall, an impeccably written and researched piece. Samantha Shannon has set new standards in fantasy.

More in depth reviews to follow on Goodreads and social medias.

Thank you immensely to NetGalley and Bloomsbury.

4.5

I recently read “A Day of Fallen Night” by Samantha Shannon. A really wonderful story with interesting characters and great world building. It took me a while to get into the story as there are 4 different story arcs and a multitude of characters. It was hard initially to keep all the characters straight. Once I got farther into the book, it was easier to keep everybody straight.
The story is really enjoyable. There are four different stories taking place and differentiated as North, South, East and West. Some characters move from one geographical area to another and become involved in multiple storylines.
This book covers a lot of characters and a wide spreading story. It does come to a conclusion, but I could see the story extending to another book.
My favorite characters were Dumai, Wilfred, Bardholt and Kanifa.
If you enjoy great fantasy, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! Happy reading!

The way this book has made me lose sleep... I have already been telling everyone to go preorder this book and will be continuing to do so until it comes out.

Samantha Shannon sets the standard on what fantasy books should be. This book was absolutely incredible and is among my top three books I've read this year. The way Shannon builds worlds and characters is incredible.

This book is chunky and long, but it is absolutely worth it. In most books that are above 600 pages, I usually find I feel that at least 100 pages are unnecessary. That is far from the case here. While A Day of Fallen Night is long, every page is worth the commitment.

This is, without a doubt, the best book I have read this year. A Day of Fallen Night is the perfect prequel to Priory of the Orange Tree. There is so much more I want to say, but believe me when I say this book is the perfect companion to Priory. While a successful standalone for any fantasy lover, if you are a fan of Priory, you will absolutely adore this book. Samantha Shannon has an incredible talent for building these worlds and characters that feel real and heart wrenching. This book has so much life, love, and pain in it. I absolutely loved it. Please read it. Also, yes, the dragons are iconic still. There is no need to worry, they're here, they're beautiful. I love them. GET EXCITED FOR FEBRUARY.

Prequel's can be a hit or a miss but Samantha Shannon has absolutely knocked it out of the park with A Day of Fallen Night. Impeccable story telling, world building and characters (as we have come to expect from Shannon). I read this in a couple of days and I'm now off to re-read Priory.

I read this in a week lmao and now I have to reread Priory. Samantha Shannon supremacy!!!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

All other epic fantasy authors should take lessons from Samantha Shannon in how to create complex characters and how to build layers of a story. While "The Priory of the Orange Tree" is still my all-time favorite fantasy, this one is a close second.

People, this book is LONG.
Worth it in my opinion. Like if you could only get one book a year, it'd be smart to get this one. You could make it last a while.
It's incredibly well written and makes me want to read Priory of the Orange Tree even more!!
Fantastical with Eastern myth/fable flavoring. Right up my alley, of course.

Samantha Shannon makes a daring attempt to expand the stunning world and riveting story she created in her book The Priory of the Orange Tree with A Day of Fallen Night, which serves as a roughly immediate prequel to the events that occur in its predecessor. I wouldn't have believed it possible, but Shannon takes a story I thought to be a complete and singular entry and spins up a truly fascinating prequel tale full of well-written characters, real stakes, and world-building intrigue that delivers and will make every reader immediately reach for a copy of Priory when they hit the last page.

I loved returning to the world of Priory, and A Day of Fallen Night is a triumphant return indeed.

This sweeping, breathtaking prequel to the Priory of the Orange Tree completely blew me away.
Like Priory, ADOFN is a slow-building political novel set against the backdrop of a fantasy dragon war. Set 500 years before Priory takes place, it tells a fantastic story in its own right.
A Day of Fallen Night continues Priory’s themes of religion and the role of religion in defining history. If anything, Shannon uses this story to develop those themes even further, exploring the ways that religion influences the lives of every character in her world. Her characters all embody faith in different ways. Glorian Berethnet, the sole heir to her throne and the fifteen-year-old figurehead of her religion; Tunuva Melim, who has dedicated fifty years of her life to the Priory and to her goddess; and Dumai of Ipyeda, whose journey and relationship with the slumbering gods of the East will go on to define history.
These three women are the heart of the book. They are what made A Day of Fallen Night genuinely excellent; not one POV was less compelling. Each of them had a unique story arc that was woven together by the fabric of Shannon’s universe. I’m reluctant to say more, for fear of spoilers, but the ways that their stories intersected and referenced one another absolutely thrilled me. Even the short scenes that were from other points of view provided the story with some of its best moments.
The historian in me was absolutely thrilled by the attention to detail in this book. Five centuries is one hell of a long time, and the idea that a world can be so similar for five hundred years is in itself a stretch. Shannon acknowledges this in a great way - through tiny spelling changes, mostly of proper nouns. Changing spellings is so typical of ancient texts, and as you study the same thing over centuries it will be spelled in ten thousand different ways by anyone writing about it. In A Day of Fallen Night, the city that we know as Ascalon is referred to as Ascalun; Carscaro is Karkaro, and so on. It’s small, it’s subtle, but it’s so realistic that it made me extremely happy.
At its core, A Day of Fallen Night is a story about mothers and daughters, and that visceral, unbreakable connection. It’s a theme that resonates throughout the story’s disparate narratives, in multiple tiny ways, in storylines that will break your heart. It’s intergenerational, multiple POV, and stunning in a way that is still intimate, emotional and accessible. Samantha Shannon has truly outdone herself with her second book in the Roots of Chaos series. I can’t wait to read what is yet to come.
Sidenote: I also loved the casual queerness that exists in this world. It’s not a statement, it’s not central to the plot, but queer people exist in and remain part of the fabric of the world. Secondly: the fact that the Berethnet queens are all over six feet tall is my favourite tidbit from this book. Amazing.