DNF but I'm still sending in a review because I absolutely plan on coming back to this. I really loved Priory, but I just couldn't get into this. I'm sure it's great, and I'll read it soon, but I just couldn't manage to get through more than somewhere around a tenth before publication.

Before I started, I had wished Shannon had given us a sequel instead of prequel to Priory of the Orange Tree. But after finishing A Day of Fallen Night, I can't imagine my experience of this world without these new layers of history and emotionally compelling ensemble of characters. The pacing was pretty slow at first and it took a while for the book to truly hook me, but by the end I was completely sucked in. The portions of the book following Dumai in Seiiki were probably my favorite, but it was fascinating getting to glimpse how different the Priory was before the Dreadmount erupted.

This book was such a joy and I feel very lucky to get back into the world of the Priory. I think I even enjoyed this one more than the Priory of the Orange Tree.

These new characters hold a special place in my heart and I was sad to have finished this massive book. I might be biased because I absolutely love books with strong female characters and this one definitely had that.

What an incredible book.

3.5 stars,
After letting my thoughts sit for a little while, i think I am now comfortable with giving this book a 3.5. It was good, but it wasn't amazing. I LOVED priory, and I had high expectations for A Day of Fallen Night but I just didn't feel like they were on the same level.I found some of the plot points to be predictable and the amount of time spent traveling through places to be a bit tedious.
I feel like competing with Priory was always going to be a tough task, A Day of Fallen Night adds some excellent lore to Priory and fully fleshes out a time that was mentioned in Priory. The characters were ultimately well written, and it was fun to see the links between generations from both books. I did enjoy returning to the world of the priory, and would love to see more done within the series (ahem, specifically a book about the origins of the House of Berethnet).
If you enjoyed Priory, then A Day of Fallen night is worth the read... but I wouldn't say it's necessarily a mandatory addition to the series.
(P.s. i'm still not over the cover art!!!!!)

What a joy to be back in the world of the Priory! Although it wasn't necessary, I am glad that I reread Priory before starting in on this beast, because there were so many things I had forgotten. But I had so much fun returning to this familiar world and getting to see so much more of it through the eyes of new characters!

Do you like high fantasy but wish it had more strong female characters? More queerness? More dragons? Then the Roots of Chaos series may be the one for you!

I spent the past month reading both PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE and A DAY OF FALLEN NIGHT - both more than 800 pages. They were both immersive and well written, but I think I slightly preferred ADOFN. The stakes felt higher and the dragons scarier. I also really enjoyed each POV, whereas in Priory I definitely preferred some POVs to others.

Like most high fantasies, the worldbuilding here borrows liberally from our own. You have a mix of European, Asian and Arabic cultures, with nods to their mythologies and religions. The lingering questions I had after finishing Priory (mainly, is this a homophobic world or not? I couldn’t really tell) were answered in ADOFN. Overall, you can tell Samantha Shannon really did her research and is thinking through all the nuances of her world. I dug all the politics and intrigue.

Cleolind and Witch of Inysca prequel when??

I cannot explain to you what sapphic high fantasy books mean to me. For such a long time fantasy felt devoid of any sapphics and I want to thank Samantha Shannon for writing such incredible books for sapphics. Although the books seem long and intimidating, once you start them you don't want to put them down. The writing is incredible and this may be my new favorite fantasy duology.

Actual review:

Good Lord, was this book fantastic! Honestly, I'm struggling to think of a book that's just as well written, well plotted, and just so well done overall. I was in love with A Day Of Fallen Night from the very first chapter right up until the last page. I haven't read Priory of the Orange Tree yet, but I am so excited for it now after reading this book.

So, this book follows four perspectives in a world where dragons and wyverns are very real. There's a shared myth among most of the people in this world of the Nameless One, a deadly dragon whose fire has the power to turn the world to ash. Each country has their own version of events about what happened to the Nameless One and what it is, but I'm not going to get into it because it would be too long. In this book, an eruption of the Dreadmount and a series of disturbing events lead people to believe that perhaps the Nameless One, or something else, has come back to destroy humanity.

We follow four different perspectives in A Day of Fallen Night, each of them from a different corner of the world. Dumai is a godsinger who hails from the East, which is pretty much isolated from the West due to a harsh sea. Then there is Glorian, heir to the Inys throne in the West and child to two very important and brutal political figures. Wulfert Glenn is one of Glorian's father's men in the North, who has a mysterious past. Finally, there's Tunuva, a warrior priestess from the South with strange magic. I would explain more about these characters' roles in the book, but again, it would take too long and also would take away from the story.

All of these perspectives interweave in ways you wouldn't expect and are so interesting. I was eagerly invested in each of the perspectives, which is a rare thing for me, especially in an epic fantasy. Usually, I prefer one perspective over the others, but I was equally invested in each of these characters' stories. Honestly, i did not want this book to end because I did not want to leave these characters.

As much as I loved the characters, I think the setting and the world was my favorite part of the book. Every time I picked up this book, I felt like I was literally in the world. Samantha Shannon did such a fantastic job writing the setting, the lore, and even the different cultures. I just love feeling like I'm in another world when I read fantasy, and it's rare for me to find a book where I become so immersed that it takes me a few minutes to come back to reality.

I struggle to come up with a single flaw for this book. If I had to find something I didn't like, I'd probably say it was how some things feel unresolved. <spoiler>The dream connection thing, Canthe's real identity, the meaning of the magic stones, and the real story of Cleolind to name a few</spoiler> However, like I said before, I haven't read Priory of the Orange Tree yet. For all I know, the things I thought were unresolved could come up in Priory. Also, Samantha Shannon is planning on writing two more books set in this world so she could be planning on coming back to certain things in the future. Also, this issue of unresolved things didn't hamper my love for this book at all. I still think this book is practically flawless.

If you love dragons and magic and fantastic epic fantasy writing pick this up!!

Pre-review: Could this be the best book I've ever read in my lifetime? Right now, I'm thinking A Day of Fallen Night definitely feels like the best book ever. I need some time to sit with my thoughts and feelings, so review to come later (hopefully).

Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for an advanced e-book in exchange for an honest review.

A Day of Fallen Night is the PERFECT PREQUEL! It is a stand-alone epic fantasy that took take place hundreds of years before the events in Priory. I really loved this book - from the world-building to the complex and diverse set of characters, to the story line, everything is perfectly crafted. I was captivated from the very first page 'til the end.

Samantha is such an amazing storyteller. Thank you for giving us another masterpiece!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury for this e-arc!

A Day of Fallen night can only be described as one word. Epic. What a sweeping, masterpiece of a book. She’s a chonk but well worth the work.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely devoured this beast of a book. Dare I say that this prequel is even better than The Priory? Either way, it definitely captured my full attention and has made me want to reread The Priory all over again, which is quite a feat considering the size of the book.

Samantha Shannon's worldbuilding is so intricate that I can't even fathom how she keeps it all organized in her mind. This is the definition of an epic fantasy. But despite its intricacies, it wasn't hard to follow for me at all - and I usually find it very difficult to follow books with more than 2 POVs. I actually had a harder time with Priory, and I was worried about having that same problem with this book, but I'm so glad I didn't. Each character and setting stood out from one another, and the way their stories intertwined was captivating. My favorite was probably Tunuva's story, which takes place in the Priory itself, but I honestly loved all of the characters. And of course, I am SO glad this book is also incredibly sapphic. Thank you, Samantha Shannon.

I can't wait for the third book of this series! I'll be preordering it ASAP.

A Day of Fallen Night is an epic fantasy that delivered an epic reading experience, I went into this as if it were a true standalone-- Priory has been sitting on my shelf, unopened for quite some time-- and I knew nothing about this world.

It was very slow to start as it took me at least 10% of the book to fully grasp this amazingly inventive world and all of its MANY, overwhelmingly so, characters. I've read that Priory eases you into the world a bit better, and that would have been helpful here. Also, I was reading a digital arc and didn't realize until the end that Shannon included a helpful timeline and character summary. In any event, once I got my bearings the book really picked up for me and was mostly unputdownable through to the end. However, I do think it suffered from some pacing issues throughout and could have been shortened by at least 100 pages without any significant substantive loss.

This book is written through multiple POVs and it was a rare experience for me to not want to skip over any one character's storylines. Each character was richly developed and I loved the little overlaps between them (I was also DEVASTATED, in at least one instance, when the overlap didn't pan out the way I had hoped). For me, there were certain characters whose storylines felt somewhat unfinished-- Canthe, in particular, left me with a lot of questions, but I have a feeling that I may get some answers in Priory. I also thought that Shannon did an excellent job of having these characters deal with and balance their individual responsibilities to their world and it's crisis, with their own more personal but equally as a grand (to them) issues. This is something that is often poorly done in fantasy and made the characters believable and relatable. Shannon also did an excellent job of foreshadowing what was to come, without making the book predictable. Without spoiling anything, the book's ending was perfectly crafted in the way that it impacts each individual characters, as compared to the world as a whole.

One thing that stood out to me: this book had an overwhelming theme of motherhood, which I wasn't expecting. It is usually a theme that I dislike, but it was represented in so many different forms and with so many different views that I actually ended up really loving the way it was done, I also thought it was an interesting take to see the monarchy viewpoint from the perspective of a female, and specifically the lack of bodily autonomy that comes with it, So much of this book focused on responsibility and the choices/sacrifices that we must make, and I think those lessons will sit with me.

I will be Priory and perhaps re-reading this one. One problem with the scale of this book and its world is that I do feel that it's impossible to really consume it fully with one read. As I sit with this review, even, I feel that this novel very subtly imparted some important perspectives on me, that will definitely resurface again.

I'm not big on star ratings, but sometimes they are requested. I will say that I started this review convinced that this very solidly was a 4 star read for me-- due to pacing and what felt like unnecessary length. In writing this review, I'm realizing just how well done it was, and that it may linger for a while. I'll round up and call it in the middle at 4.5 stars, for now.

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury USA and to Shannon for providing me a digital copy of this novel in advance of publication,

An excellent prequel to the well-received The Priory of the Orange Tree. Once again, Samantha Shannon's work is not for anyone who isn't into world building and info dumping. That said, this work is magical and mystical, and perfect for fantasy fans.

TL;DR REVIEW:

A Day of Fallen Night is a fantastically rendered standalone fantasy novel. It has everything you could want: dragons, queendoms, mystery, battles, politics, and multiple POVs spanning four continents.

For you if: You like (very sapphic) epic fantasy and don’t mind very long books.

FULL REVIEW:

I, like so many others, loved The Priory of the Orange Tree, and so I, like so many others, was absolutely HYPED to learn that Samantha Shannon had given us a standalone prequel. I’m happy to say that I loved A Day of Fallen Night just as much, if not more. It is LONG (like 900 pages, lol), but it was worth it!

DAY takes place about 200 years before PRIORY, and it’s a true standalone — honestly, I think you could read either one first and enjoy them both just as much. This one spans all four continents of this world and has four main characters: Tunuva, a member of the Priory; Glorian, princess of Inys; Dumai, a godsinger in the East, and Wulf, a member of the King of Hroth’s house guard — all of whom are more connected than they think. When the fire under the earth births horrors not seen in centuries, it throws the whole world into chaos. (And yes, this book is EXTREMELY sapphic.)

How do they stack up? Well, DAY is slower-paced than PRIORY; there are a lot more political plotlines. But I didn’t dislike that; in fact, I think I fell in love with the characters of DAY a bit more for all the time we spent with them. Tunuva may have been my personal favorite, but honestly I loved them all. Also, I’m happy to say that DAY’s ending is better paced than PRIORY, which many agreed felt a bit rushed.

This book is not for fantasy beginners; in true epic-fantasy style, there are lots of characters, places, and more to keep track of. But if that is your thing — and especially if you enjoyed PRIORY — I think you’ll love this one too.




CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Death and grief; Death of a parent; Death of a child; Violence, blood, war; Pregnancy and childbirth; Animal death

Priory was an immediate fav when I read it the first time, and I loved it even more on a reread so I was beyond excited to read "A Day of Fallen Night". I am absolutely in awe of this book and the world Samantha Shannon has created. It is so stunningly written with an amazing cast of characters. I will also say that this is even more queer than Priory and with even more dragons. I was captivated by every single storyline that we were following and I loved seeing the creation of cultural aspects that were a regular practice in Priory. Namely, seeing the creation of the Red Damsels in Lasia and seeing how the Priory got entwined with Inys, giving more context as to why Ead was sent to protect Sabran, and the beginning of dragon riding in Seikki. And just like in Priory, I loved how seamlessly the different perspectives came together. In Priory it felt more like they clashed together in the most epic way and in Fallen Night, it was more like they entangled together, unknowing that they were all fighting the same enemy. I truly can't praise this book enough, it can be read as a standalone or you could read it before Priory though I am very glad to have read Priory first, giving me an immediate attachment to the world that only grew as I read Fallen Night.

Shannon's Priory of the Orange Tree had such an impact on me that it's been my favorite book for years. I never pass up an opportunity to recommend it to new readers. So I absolutely smashed the request button (and preordered a physical copy) when I saw A Day of Fallen Night.
A Day of Fallen Night is a stand alone prequel to Priory. Though it is set in the same world, and Priory readers will recognize many of the characters, you do not need prior knowledge of this world to enjoy this title. Shannon does an excellent job of expanding upon existing characters and locations without retconning her previous work.
It was an excellent story, in a vibrant world, and I will absolutely be rereading it in the future.

This book was a very enjoyable read! I really loved the complex world building.
It was really nice to return to the setting that I loved in Priory of the Orange Tree. Every character’s arc felt pretty well-developed, and I enjoyed the pacing of this book more than I did with Priory. Overall, an excellent book! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

I absolutely loved Priory of the Orange Tree, so I was slightly worried going into A Day of Fallen Night because my expectations were so high, but Samantha Shannon absolutely slayed.

I will say that this one was a bit slower to start for me, and it took me a little while to truly feel like I was connecting with all of the different storylines. However, once I did, I couldn't help but be swept away by the rich imagery, beautiful prose, and epic plot. A Day of Fallen Night is (as reflected in the covers) a lot darker than Priory, but I still really enjoyed it. I definitely want to reread Priory now with all of the additional context and history A Day of Fallen Night brought, but I definitely need some time before my brain is ready to process more epic fantasy.

Thank you Bloomsbury for the advanced copy on NetGalley!

Though it’s a prequel it can easily be read as a standalone. One that will have you gripped from the start as you are immersed into the beautiful world Samantha Shannon has built. Set five centuries before THE PRIORY, it follows four women, each with their own story to tell, and how a series of events ultimately shape the course of the lives of all in their world.

I loved this story as it was enriched in themes of motherhood, strength, and the bonds of love and devotion to each other. Dragons, magic, and a powerful sisterhood, it has all the elements for a phenomenal fantasy that will sweep you off your feet. Thank you Samantha for creating these magnificent stories and sharing them with us all!

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.