Samantha Shannon has done it again! A Day of Fallen Night is an expansive, explosive prequel to one of my favorite fantasy stories of all time. I wasn’t sure how she was going to top The Priory of the Orange Tree, but I shouldn’t have doubted her powers because ADOFN is somehow even better than its sister.

From the world building to the characters to the general lore, Samantha Shannon has proven herself to be a masterful and exquisite storyteller. The level of detail given to the individual stories was immaculate. I will forever be impressed by her ability to write such well-rounded cultures and people that somehow stand-alone as their own stories while all working towards the narrative as a whole. And as in TPOTOT, the moment where everything coalesces into that *moment* of clarity was absolutely breathtaking.

I don’t know what else I can say besides that if you love seamless, expansive storytelling and fantasy worlds that are so well developed they feel viscerally real, A Day of Fallen Night is not to be missed.

I don't know how Shannon did it, but she absolutely captivated my full attention with A Day of Fallen Night, which wasn't the case for Priory. Don't get me wrong—Fallen Night's predecessor was an imaginative, sprawling epic in its own right, but none of its characters ever truly grabbed at me, meaning I wasn't invested in any of the relationships and didn't care by the end of it. The same couldn't be more wrong for the prequel story.

A Day of Fallen Night features expertly crafted characters and rich, beautifully realized relationships—all of which I cared deeply about: Glorian, Wulf, Dumai, Tunuva—and perhaps the greatest unsung hero of them all, Unora—I cared so deeply for all of them, and for all the painful losses racked up on every side. There is nonstop tension and terror, harrowing action, immense loss and tragedy... and so much profundity around womanhood and motherhood and empowerment packed into its 800+ pages that it often caught me off guard. It tempts me to reread Priory to see if my feelings about that book have changed given the weight of everything that came before. Simply put, A Day of Fallen Night left me awestruck.

The reason I don't rate this 5 stars is that there was still something off with the pacing that was perhaps exacerbated by all of the time jumps. Several times while reading I had to sit and figure out how old people were and how much time had passed, and often I was very wrong. Perhaps a personal nitpick, but it did keep knocking me out of the story, which made it more challenging to collect my bearings. But despite that, I thought A Day of Fallen Night was a masterful story, more so given it is a prequel.

A must-read for epic fantasy readers.

This book was so unexpected and amazing. Shannon did an excellent job building tension throughout the novel. I was so unexpectedly surprised at how often I was at the seat of my pants. This book stands alone as a strong world builder for the land that Shannon created and the characters she bases future histories on. The high fantasy elements are so clear and well down, a perfect immersion into the world while still focusing on plot and character growth. Each of the characters were wonderfully mixed and complex, and I felt for each of their choices and battles they fought within.

I will say that I wasn't the biggest fan of Priory, I felt like the pacing on it was a bit off and it lent itself to too much world building and not enough character and plot development and then rushed the end. I can say this book sometimes rushes over parts, but it makes more sense in this novel. Reading Priory first let me have some foreshadowing that I didn't before, it let me see some characters for who they really were, and it let me have fun knowing what would come in 500 years. But I don't think it's necessary to read Priory first. This book is excellent if you want to read about the world Shannon created, but want it to be a bit more fast paced and a bit better about the overall trajectory of the story. Overall, I am so impressed with the characters. I want a novel only about the East now, because in both novels their story stood out as the strongholds. Shannon, you convinced me. This book is amazing. 4.25/5.

A Day of Fallen Night

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
Genre: High Fantasy

Effortlessly flawless. This novel is an impecable high fantasy modern classic. Let’s start by saying I am new to this author (I missed the Priory train when it came out) and I’ve fallen in loved with this world and Shannon’s writing style. I am a convinced fan of her’s now and will read Priory ASAP.

World building: Impeccable! This world deserves all the hype and appreciation other High Fantasy novels like Game of Thrones or The Witcher get. Honestly such a good complex magic system, societies and people with strong and detailed differences. The author really takes time to walk you through the intricacies of politics and customs. I got a bit lost at the beginning but it becomes gradually easy to follow.

Characters: The one thing that stands out to me the most is that the author chooses to present a wholly complex set of characters without getting to many people on the page. That’s something I hadn’t found in a while in High Fantasy, where normally we follow so many characters that I become easily distracted. The three main characters are wildly different from each other and also so similar in the problems and relationships they encounter. I was fully invested with all of their stories and journeys. It is so easy to root for them.

Samantha Shannon’s prose has a lyrical quality to it that makes her descriptions and emotional scenes beautiful and breathtaking. The plot takes you by the hand from page one and won’t leave your mind for days after you finished.

Seriously, I feel like this is a book I’m prepared to make everyone read, by force if necessary 🤌🏻 It is worth every drop of hype it is getting and more.

LESBIAN DRAGON BOOK PART 2

I have accidentally become a Samantha Shannon groupie. I don't know if I'm proud of it, but here we are. It's a running joke among my friends that I need to propose to her (I'm sorry, Samantha, I love your work). She's alarmingly smart and extraordinarily talented, and this absolute doorstopper of a book is every bit as good as I'd dreamed it would be. Also, that cover? Goddamn

I am in utter awe of this book. And can’t believe it’s over, and there’s a part of me that is also surprised that what feels like an entire , epic era managed to fit in self into 900ish pages.

Priory is a well loved tale, and for so, so many good reasons. I won’t drone about that too much, but I do mention it so as to say: somehow, this was better.

A Day of Fallen Night gave me everything I could have imagined and have ever wanted from a high, epic fantasy. It felt even more engrossing, and much more fast paced than it’s predecessor (some of this may be because the reader is now familiar with the world, and doesn’t need to *learn* it, however, from an objective standpoint, there is a ton more action that keeps things moving along.)

I fell so deeply in love with these characters. I’ve tried to name favorites, but honestly all of them fill my heart to the brim. Glorian’s arc was absolutely stunning, and the message about monarchy and the violence that comes with expecting all women to bear children hit me very hard. As we knew her to be “the most beloved” of the queens of her line, this story absolutely fulfilled and surpassed my imaginings.

Wulf & Dumai were everything to me as well. I loved Wulf’s honor, his vulnerability, his strength and his loyalty, his kindness. I loved Dumai’s courage, her determination, her hard edges and soft center. We got SO much time following her on dragon back in this book, and Shannon’s writing makes the imagery of this (and everything else) cinematic and potent.

The battle scenes were aplenty, and never repetitive. I felt the threat of the Grief of Ages very fully, in a way I didn’t quite experience with Priory. Really, this book just brought *more* of everything. The characters are even more complex, the threat is even higher. We get MORE DRAGONS! And more potential for tears and heartbreak.

I’m not sure how to end this review, because it feels like I could go on forever. What I will say is: do not fear the big shoes this book had to fill, and if you haven’t read this world yet, this is your sign to do it. I read priory immediately before, and it feels like this world is a part of mine now in some strange way. I am endlessly grateful to Bloomsbury publishing for the opportunity to read this book before publishing, and I can’t wait til the rest of the world gets there hands on this.

Of course this standalone prequel is great. I think most people aren't surprised, but it's certainly a relief to know this lives up to the 'Priory' standard that Shannon already set up.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I so enjoyed Priory of the Orange Tree, but this book is just an unwieldy journey with too many details, too many storylines and not enough tying them together to make a cohesive whole. This might have been forgivable in a sequel where I was already invested in the characters, but this story is set 500 years before Priory.

In the end, I just wanted to be done so I could move on. And that makes me sad.

Samantha Shannon always writes such beautiful prose and wonderful world building and the most enjoyable slow burn queer relationships.

I just love Samantha Shannon’s writing and this one did not disappoint. It took a while for me to get into but I’m glad I stuck with it!

Thank you for the digital ARC.

I have had to take my time formulating my thoughts on this book, because oh. my. goodness. Even though I have not read much fantasy lately, this book was an utterly phenomenal read. Samantha Shannon is an absolute master at world-building, and with this prequel has created an epic story that matches the magnificence of Priory of the Orange Tree in every way. The characters, the story, all of it was action-packed and engrossing, and it was one that I could not stop thinking about days after finishing.

Perhaps it was the nature of this story being a prequel, or the fact that I have not read fantasy in a long time, but I seemed to struggle to get into reading this book. HOWEVER, this is not indicative of my feelings towards this book as a whole. Although I felt that the plot of Priory was engaging from the start this book, which starts as more of a slow-burn, picks up in a massive way about a third of the way in. What I'm saying is- when the sh*t starts to go down, it REALLY goes down and does not stop until you reach the end.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is one of my favorite fantasy books EVER, and a big reason of that is because of the characters. One of my major concerns before reading this book was that the characters and interactions would not live up to Priory, however, I ended up feeling more invested in all of the characters as a whole throughout A Day of Fallen Night. While there were times I preferred some perspectives to others, there were no characters that I actively disliked when it came to reading their point of view. This book featured four different perspectives: Wulf, Glorian, Dumai, and Tunuva.

Wulf ended up being my favorite perspective by a lot. I enjoyed watching him wrestle with his past and the rumors that have followed him since childhood, and there were so many twists and turns involved that I was not expecting. He went through so much throughout the course of the story, and I never wanted his chapters to end. I loved his friendship with Glorian, they were most definitely platonic soulmates and I loved how he was there for her no matter what. His relationship with Thrit was to. die. for. I loved every single one of their interactions, not to mention that Thrit was a marvelous supporting character who was there for Wulf without fail.

Glorian was a wonderfully complex character. Watching her wrestle with her duties as the future queen of Inys was equal parts fascinating and heartbreaking. Her entire being surrounds the importance of her marrying and having an heir so that the Nameless One will not return. This is completely at odds with her nature, as she has no interest in marrying or having children. She was such a badass main character, and even though she remained relatively separate from most of the other perspectives, I would not even be upset when the story switched back to her point of view because she stands so well on her own. Over the course of the book she becomes such a powerful figure, and I was living for every moment of it.

Dumai's story was so fascinating, especially with her unexpected lineage and her connection to the dragons, but was stood out to me was her interactions with Nikeya. The pair had the classic rivals to lovers, forbidden love kind of story that you can't help but root for, and I was absolutely living for the push and pull between the pair as Dumai learns to trust the Lady of Faces.

Tunuva was an unexpected main character for me. A lesser story would have focused instead on Siyu, as she learns to mature and become a more true member of the Priory. I feel like it is not often, especially in fantasy, that an older woman is placed in the spotlight, especially in such a powerful role, and I appreciated this perspective. Tunuva is quietly powerful as a main character. Not only is she a warrior of the Priory (meaning she is a total badass), she is so reserved and level-headed, a perfect contrast to how fiery Esbar is. I loved Tunuva's dedication to protecting Siyu, as well as her journey in relation to her own past and the child she lost.

As with any fantasy book that has a prequel, I know reading order is going to become a hot topic for debate, and I am not sure where I stand. Reading this book having read Priory is a really interesting experience. It is so complicated being so invested in the characters from Virtuedom knowing what I know from Priory, even though their belief system is not their fault because they do not know the truth. Knowing the specifics of the story from Priory, some of the twists did not come as a surprise to me, however I still think I would suggest reading Priory first. It will be really interesting to see how different the reading experience is between those who have read Priory and those that are going in blind. When it comes to the conflicting beliefs between the Priory and Virtuedom, there was one plot line that I absolutely loved, because I go to see how one of the characters reacted when faced with the fact that what they grew up believing was all a lie.

Overall this book surpassed every single one of my expectations. The world and story were massive in scope, and each of the characters stood on their own in unique ways. As with Priory, this book was filled with LGBTQ+ representation that felt wholly natural, with multiple queer main and supporting characters. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you love epic fantasy books with characters that you will fall in love with and an intense story that will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC of one of my most anticipated reads of 2023!

Samantha Shannon is a master wordsmith and storyteller, providing epic tales and stunning world-building, rich characters and heart-and-gut-wrenching twists and turns. A Day of Fallen Night is an incredible addition to the already spectacular Roots of Chaos universe.

How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time. That’s how it feels to consume and further describe this book - it’s large in size and content, following several characters across the world whose stories intertwine in expected and shocking ways. For those of us that read Priory first, we know in general how things turn out but it never takes away from wondering how it happens or what fate will befall these specific characters. The characters are rich and real, evoking deep emotions; hatred, joy, hope, confusion - they feelings are real because the characters feel real.

As she describes the mountains, the sea, the snow….you can almost feel and see them; the tapestries and stonework, the gnarled trees and magical beings - they all seem so lifelike as if you’ll see them outside your window if you only knew where to look.

And the plot - romance, betrayal, heart break, political intrigue, grief, heroism, the power of discovering who you are….Samantha Shannon weaves it all together beautifully to where there is something for everyone, from lovers of magic and battle to those that crave intimacy and politics.

There are few authors that can accomplish what Shannon does - few can write sweeping epic tales that approach 900 pages and keep people’s attention. It speaks to her intelligence, planning, practice, and ability that she’s been able to do it not once, but twice with the Roots of Chaos books (I’ve yet to read Bone Season but they’re on my shelf).

Highly recommend, though readers should make sure they have a wrist support if reading a physical copy!

I can't stop screaming!! I loved this so much! I might have loved this more than Priory!

This was a Big Book. It was intimidating and I put it off for a while. When I got to ~65% I finished it really quickly because I couldn't put it down... I'm considering rereading it right now to go back and catch all the things I missed my first time around!

Parts of this were heartbreaking, parts of this were joyful, parts of this were beautiful and awful and ugly and just amazing. I felt an entire range of emotions throughout this book. I enjoyed all of the perspectives but in different ways (not the case in Priory if I'm entirely honest).

I loved the characters and the world so much. I didn't want this to end! The relationships between characters, the magic, the world, the politics... all amazing and wonderful and beautiful. The complex emotions shown here!!! AHHHH!!! I could scream about this all day. I'm going to let it simmer overnight before I write my goodreads review because I feel like I have so much to say but I don't know how to word it properly and I'm going to explode.

Whoever approved me for this ARC... I love you. I hope you sleep so well every night. This was such a beautiful book. I've already preordered my physical copy and my broken binding special edition. Samantha Shannon is amazing. Please I want 50 more books in this world.

Samantha Shannon does it again! I will never get over how gorgeous her writing is. I grew up reading books full of dragons and it's hard to find a good one these days so the series has a special place in my heart. I cannot wait to see what other stories she has for us

ADOFN was incredible— I love being back in this world I missed so much from Priory

There was political intrigue was immaculate and adjusting the world to be so similar to priory yet different enough with subtle changes to spellings and such, it definitely felt like attention was rightfully paid to the little things!

Each characters POV was so wonderful, I really enjoyed each one and didn’t try to skip to my favorites 😂

There was so much casual queerness, and I love love love a queer normative world. I loved this book and highly recommend

I am still reeling from that absolutely wild ending. I CAN’T BELIEVE it’s done, and that book is closed. I felt like I was hallucinating a movie the whole time—the writing and descriptions were THAT GOOD. Immersive and compelling with character dialogue you can’t stop reading.

My main gripe with Priory was that the ending felt rushed, like everything had to be resolved before the book got too long. (and at nearly 700 pages, the Priory could afford to take a couple more pages for a resolution!) but THIS BOOK. It DID IT. The resolution was amazing, heart-wrenching, beautiful, everything I ever wanted.

The 4 interwoven storylines are not for the faint of heart. Instead of just 3, we have North, South, East, and West, and all of them overlap at different points. The worldbuilding was easier for me to digest (having read Priory) but this cast of characters was extensive! The “Persons of the Tale” was my best friend as I plodded through the first couple of chapters.

The diversity in characters was amazing. There wasn’t a moment where I felt like the women were blurring together, or that all the stories sounded the same. I just LOVE these WOMEN!! Esbar and Tunuva of the Priory, with their steadfast love and admiration for each other. Glorian, young princess of Inys, courageous even in the worst circumstances imaginable, such a badass with a character arc to squeeze my soul. Dumai and Nikeya, on their snowy mountain quests and questionable loyalties. And who could forget Wulfert Glenn?! What a guy.

The dialogue was so well-balanced: carrying exposition when it needed to, and lighthearted when the heavy plot required. The book doesn’t feel long when the plot and dialogue moves along so organically.

I received an EARC Copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was amazing to be back in this fantasy world and get even more information about it and it's history. I loved how we had multiple points of views from each are of the different kingdoms. It really enhanced the story and created such an complex and beautiful story. I also just loved the dragons. Dragons are cool, even when they're evil, they're still cool. I had such a fun time reading this story. Samantha Shannon writes such amazing high fantasy worlds and I highly recommend this book.

I loved this just as much as I loved Priory of the Orange Tree!
It was a perfect prequel.

I really enjoyed that it was set far enough in the past, that I never found myself really comparing it to Priory.
It stands well on it's own even though it's a "prequel".

If you love fantasy, this book is a definite need!

Samantha Shannon has done it again, and I can't say I'm surprised. Priory was and still remains one of my favorite books, so when Shannon announced that she'd be publishing a prequel, I was ecstatic.

I can't tell you how refreshing it is to read an epic, legendary fantasy novel that A. includes women as vital elements of the story and B. doesn't reduce the women to fantastical stereotypes and secondary characters to further the male character's story along. A Day of Fallen Night, along with Priory, is like a breath of fresh air compared to the popular fantasy stories we're being fed by (more often than not) male authors.

At it's core, A Day of Fallen Night is a love story. Shannon takes you on a journey over generations, capturing the magic of 'Priory' while also crafting a breathtakingly beautiful story.

Successfully writing and publishing a unique, epic fantasy in an oversaturated, male dominated genre? Check.
Doing it again a few years later? Check. Check. Check.

Samantha Shannon does it again. I’m so glad she returned to the world of the Priory and gave more insight into The Priory itself, especially before the events we already know from Ead and Sabran. Full of political intrigue and phenomenal worldbuilding.