Samantha Shannon has done it again! I always feel like even though the books are huge, I wish they were a few hundred pages longer because I'm never ready to say goodbye to the characters and world of the priory. This book had me on the edge of my seat even though I had heard the lore from this time period before in the 1st book. I loved every single perspective and was always amazed how each character became interconnected as the story progressed. I can't wait to see where the next book takes us and I know it will be worth the wait to find out!

I loved the Priory of the Orange Tree so when I found out there was going to be a prequal, I couldn't wait to read it! I loved all the characters and the writing!
I think if you're reading it for the first time it'd be easier reading this book first but even if you don't everything will make sense.

I loved Priory of the Orange Tree and this book is an excellent addition to that world. Sometimes prequels can feel a little bit awkward, shoehorning events that you've already read about in other books into awkward timelines that don't quite flow, and this was not the case at all with this book. If I had picked this up before reading Priory I would not have known they weren't written in chronological order.

This is a very in depth and expansive fantasy world. If you're looking for a light and easy fantasy read, this might not be the series for you,.as keeping the many characters and regions, beliefs and traditions straight can be a bit of a task at first. If you are an avid fantasy reader and up for a little bit of a challenge, then I highly recommend both this book and Priory of the Orange Tree.

I had no idea what to expect when beginning the journey of A Day of Fallen Night. While very long and detailed fantasy, I found myself excited to read more every day.

A Day of Fallen Night follows 3 main female POVS - Dumai, Glorian, and Tuva. There is also a male storyline about Wulf that was one of my favorites. If you are looking for a deep dive into a beautiful, female-driven fantasy with dragons and epic adventures this book is for you.

This book is a prequel to Priory of the Orange Tree. You do learn about the history of the Priory in this book and while I was once intimidated to read it, now I simply cannot wait! While this is a prequel, you can read A Day of Fallen Night and Priory of the Orange Tree in any order or as standalones per Samantha Shannon.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ebook ARC of A Day of Fallen Night. All opinions are my own.

Another brilliant book from Samantha Shannon, and even bigger than the last one. I appreciate a story I can really sink into and this is it. Incredible world building, and interesting and characters you can root for. Loved the pacing, and the exposition.

This is the "prequel" to The Priory of the Orange Tree, but I think you could read it without having read Priory - though I think it's easier to get into the world with some point of reference.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and netgalley for an egalley of this book!

In Inys, the descendants of the Saint rule, their bodies sacred vessels for future queens to come that will protect virtuedom from the threat of the Nameless One. But Glorian Berethnet balks at the thought of marrying and having a child, her secret wish to be a warrior like her father.
In Seiiki, Dumai lives with her mother Unora on a mountaintop. As godsingers they watch from their remote location and wait for signs to wake the sleeping gods. But Dumai’s world is thrown out of balance when two strangers scale the mountain and change her life forever.
In Lasia, Tunuva Melim is grateful everyday to be a sister of the priory where she can be close to her lover Esbar and dedicate her life to the upholding the legacy of Cleolind. But even idyllic life at the priory has its troubles, when Esbar’s daughter makes one rash decision Tunuva strives to repair the damage.
All of their lives are changed forever by the creatures that fly from the Dreadmount. War and fire ravage the world and these women try their utmost to save it.
A Day Of Fallen Night is a story of mothers and daughters, godsingers and queens. Readers will delight in the vast world created by Samantha Shannon.

When I read the last chapter of "A Day of Fallen Night", the words "towering achievement" came to mind. What a bland, overused phrase that is, so often thrown upon any book of length that features intense worldbuilding and intricate character relationships, but in this case, it is true: "A Day of Fallen Night" is even better than "Priory of the Orange Tree". It's like 900 pages long and not a word was wasted.

Like its predecessor , "A Day of Fallen Night" features four main story threads from different points of view. Unlike its predecessor, I loved all four characters! From the stricken Glorian, princess and hostage to her country's religion, to the bold and decisive Dumai, dragon-rider, all the characters are interesting, layered, and easy to root for. As an ancient adversary rises to lay waste to the world, alliances form, magic is challenged, and hearts are broken as the situation goes from bad to worse. And the pacing! The pacing! Not a moment dragged. I basically spent the last two hours sobbing my eyes out as the characters I had come to love over the last few weeks struggled to survive horrific situations.

I feel like I'm babbling. I LOVED this book. I'm going to sing this book from the heavens. If you enjoyed the Priory at all, you'll love this one. It's more complex, more layered, with even more likeable characters than Priory - a top tier fantasy masterpiece.

While Priory was an easy 5 stars for me and I really wanted to be as swept away and love the prequel to the epic fantasy novel as much as the original. Now don't get me wrong, this book is still incredible, but there were some things that simply didn’t work for me this time around - let's dive in.

Starting with the POSITIVES, Samantha Shannon is remarkable with world building. She understands fantasy as a genre and where it can improve and the world she’s created stands on such solid footing with a complexity of cultures and an open challenge to the more problematic aspects of Fantasy. I truly see her as a leader in the genre, especially in creating intrinsic feminist worlds.

The book is long and it may be intimidating to pick up- but somehow the chapters breeze by, the words consume the reader - the writing is immersive and I was so delighted to be back in this world.

The characters are where we start to split a bit… this book is a mix of plot and character driven - yet it felt like the plot took precedence this go around. There are some characters I loved and thought their development was gorgeous and they elicited moments of tears - then there were some that I think I favored the plot they were thrown into but ultimately that plot didn’t really mean much, and other characters who were frustratingly incapable of communication.

The characters are just a bit flatter than I had expected, I didn’t care for a lot of them and the ones I did it was not as strong a connection as the characters from Priory and the same kind of falls into the rushed and sudden relationships - and I sort of think the reason brings us to the next issue of the Time Skips….

This book is ambitious in plot, it spans nearly a decade and the time and things chosen to be cut for time skips are… interesting? There is a lot of summarizing rather than seeing character moments referred to and sometimes it felt we built to something only to jump ahead when we get there. I did not think I’d need to say that an 850 page book still skimmed over important character moments - but this probably should’ve been 2 books

And I am also, not huge on some resolutions to the plot…

But I did enjoy Day of Fallen Night , when you focus on multiple characters there will be some you love and some you can’t stand and some you do feel indifferent to, this is ambitious but a gorgeous prequel that feels a bit more plot than character leaning but I am still really glad I read it and would recommend for Priory fans, Samantha's an instant buy author for me and I'd say this book was still excellent.

“‘This one’s light, I can see clearly,’ Furtia Stormcaller concluded. ‘This one holds a woken star.’”

Thank you to Bloomsbury for an egalley of this book!

Samantha Shannon has done it again, and by “it” I mean written another book that feels like it could only have been dreamed, with gorgeous, lyrical writing, and a cast of characters both heroic and human.

Make no mistake, I gave Priory of the Orange Tree 5 stars due to the same qualities, but I think her writing and storytelling are even stronger in this book. 2 of the 4 POVs felt a bit lighter in Priory, and the ending wrapped up a lot of conflict quite quickly. It’s an incredible book (that of course I now want to reread), but THIS BOOK. WOW.

Every POV felt equally important and distinct in this book, and I was sad to leave each narrator, while also being excited to jump to the next. We have Dumai, in the East, a woman with a mysterious inheritance and an important gift from her gods; Wulf, in the North and West, a sworn sword to the King of Hroth/Consort of Inys; Tuva in the South; a sister of the Priory with a deep loyalty to her sisters and the Priory; and Glorian in the West, the daughter of Sabran the Sixth, and future Queen of Inys.

What stood out to me most is that Samantha is so skilled in telling their stories in unique ways. While her writing style remains the same, there are subtle distinctions in the metaphors and language in each, in the way they view the events happening to them and their worldviews, and you can sense this in the writing. Tuva, as the oldest of these narrators, and a warrior, has an effortless grace and wisdom. Glorian, the youngest, in contrast, is restless and unmoored, trying to find her way. I could go on, but it’s truly a gift to read a story from such a gifted storyteller.

I won’t say too much about plot, but as you might expect if you’ve read Priory, stories and themes intersect, even when characters don’t have a direct connection. In particular, the theme of motherhood is central to this story, and there were so many moments that spoke to one another and complemented one another.

This story is longer and ultimately possibly a slightly slower ramp up than Priory, but ultimately every moment, every chapter, is so clearly building toward a magnificent conclusion, that it truly is a book to savor.

Anyway read this book!!!

I have controversial/complicated opinions on Priory of the Orange Tree because of its relationship with falling action and the standalone nature of the title. I was pleased to get more of this world from Shannon, and was satisfied much more throughout this one. Likewise, I think it had to do with being more established withing the world immediately. I look forward to more from her and this world in the future, I hope. My qualms with Priory could easily be retrospectively corrected.

Part of me doesn't want to compare this book too much to The Priory Of the Orange Tree. While it is a part of the same series it is also its own story entirely. That being said, I know that if you liked ;The Priory Of The Orange Tree, that you will love this book. I wont say its better because again I don't want to compare but I can say that it is equally as good.
The story follows Characters from the north, South, and East on their journeys as they face a deadly threat. It was so easy to not only fall in love with these characters and their stories but also be able to sympathize with them and the difficult decisions they all face throughout the book.
Glorian's struggle with not fully wanting to following in her ancestors foot steps was so heartbreaking. feeling as if your own body doesn't belong to you and not having a way out is so sad.
The sisters of the Priory always ambitious and also very strict with their rules. I know they have their reasons but that doesn't stop me from getting somewhat annoyed with certain characters at times. Which is another thing I love about this book. If all stories were only filled with morally good and perfect characters then it would be boring.
Dumai's story really pulled me in from the beginning of the book. Her character is so brake and took all the necessary ;and maybe some unnecessary, risks.
Overall, I loved this book and I cant seem to get enough of this world. 100% recommend!!

An epic tale of dragons, magic, intrigue, and love, A Day of Fallen Night is written by Samantha Shannon and published by Bloomsbury USA. A Day of Fallen Night is the second book published in the Roots of Chaos series.

Almost five centuries before the events of The Priory of the Orange Tree, it is the time of the Grief of Ages or the Great Sorrow. Hundreds of years ago, Sir Galian Berethnet defeated The Nameless One, the evilest wyrm of all. But now, the Dreadmount, his birthplace, has erupted again. Wyrms are terrorizing towns, and strange twisted creations half animal/half wyrm are popping up. In the West, unease grows as rumors spread that the royal line of Berethnet queens is no longer enough to keep the Nameless One at bay. And in the East, the great dragons that helped defeat the wyrms the first time they arose have been sleeping for over 200 years.

The books’ various narrators introduce readers to the world as they tell their stories. These narrators include Glorian Hraustr Berethnet, princess of Inys, Dumai of Ipyeda, godsinger, and dragonrider, Wulfert’ Wulf’ Glenn, housecarl to King Bardholt, and Tunuva Melim, daughter of the Priory. Telling a story from the point of view of so many characters is a great way to organize the many plot threads within a book as expansive as A Day of Fallen Night. Shannon excels at giving each character a unique and distinct voice.

While present in Priory, queer romance, and queer characters in general, are far more present in A Day of Fallen Night. Queerness is simply a normal, accepted part of this world. Esbar and Tunuva have a long-term relationship, and Wulf has two dads. Dumai is attracted to women. This isn’t to say that stories of fighting for acceptance aren’t valid or essential, they are, but sometimes you want to read a story where queerness is a nonissue in society.

The primary threat within A Day of Fallen Night is the eruption of the Dreadmount and the reemergence of wyrms. But within that are potentially less world-ending but still significant problems. Namely, the marriage and conception of a new queen by Glorian Berethnet and Dumai’s quest to awaken the dragons in the East. Glorian and Dumai are very different at first glance. One is a girl raised from birth with the burden of keeping an entire kingdom safe; the other is raised on an isolated mountain, guiding pilgrims to a site of great religious importance. But ultimately, both of them have to accept the roles they never wanted to play: Glorian must bear a daughter, and Dumai must accept her royal roots and her responsibility to the people of Seiiki.

Glorian and Dumai’s journeys tie into a prominent theme within the book; how does one stay true to themselves while growing and adapting to the changing world? Similarly, Wulf and Tunuva both deal with upheaval in their own lives. Wulf continues trying to prove his worth, to create a name for himself outside of the nasty rumors of him being a witch’s child. Meanwhile, the sisters of the Priory must carry out their divine purpose, causing Esbar and Tunuva’s relationship to strain.

The big question with A Day of Fallen Night is, should you read Priory of the Orange Tree before or after? Fallen Night is a prequel to Priory, but reading it first will spoil some of the surprises in Priory. Personally, I recommend reading Priory first because it gives you a broader understanding of the world of The Roots of Chaos. But Shannon has said that each book can be read as a standalone, should you finish one and have no desire to read another. Though I cannot recommend both books enough.

Shannon’s worldbuilding and character creation are top-notch. It’s easy to get acquainted with this world, and you won’t want to leave when the story ends. At well over 800 pages, this is an absolute brick of a book, but every single page is well worth it. A Day of Fallen Night proves that Shannon can take what was originally a one-off story and expand on it in a seamless and spectacular way.

A Day of Fallen Night is available on February 28th, 2023, wherever books are sold.

If you go in realizing this is not a prequel in the sense most use, you will really enjoy this. The beginning was a lot of information to retain, but by the time the plot started moving I was fully hooked. I lovely addition to the universe I loved in Priory.

Samantha Shannon has universes inside of her mind, and I feel so lucky to be privy to the mythologies, poetries, and magic she brings forth through her writing. This book is in the top five favorite fantasy books of all time for me, which is really saying something since I read around 300 books per year… most of which are SF/F. A Day of Fallen Night is a masterpiece, and I will be recommending it to every single person willing to discuss books with me.

This fantasy work is the book that women+, femmes, and women who love women deserve. Every female character is deeply cultivated and nurtured in terms of character development and page time, which I cannot say for most fantasy books being written these days. A wide range of ages is represented from girlhood to elder years, and that is so very meaningful since many fantasy works are more skewed toward a teenage audience. While there is nothing wrong with a market for younger readers, we need a place for people above the age of 23 to be able to self-actualize and find themselves through the books they read. Women of all ages are heroes, and they deserve to be seen in all their glory, regardless of the season of life they are in. As one of Shannon’s characters says: “If women are flowers, we are not roses, but day’s eyes- blooming not once, but over and over, each time the light touches us.”

Although any male/men+ characters who appear in the book are crafted with care and attention, the emphasis is less on romantic (and sexual) love between men and women, but rather is centered on friendship. Though men in Shannon’s book are meaningful and heartfelt, they never steal the show from the women+/female characters. The real romances and complexities of passion are given to the women—the sapphic element of Shannon’s book(s) being one of the most appealing to me. Even though this work of fantasy is far from being all sunshine and roses, it feels like a safe space to explore relationships between women with all their nuances and challenges.

The thing about big fantasy books is that they can also be slow burns. Some people enjoy a slow, but methodical approach to storytelling, but I would be lying if I said I was one of them. Shannon’s book is a BIG ONE, but I failed to find a single dull or boring moment the entire time I was burning through it. As with many fantasy works, the story is told from the perspectives of a few main characters (mostly women), with the occasional, important side character added in as the book progresses. (There are nonbinary characters too with they/them pronouns!) With many big (nearly 1,000 pages) works like this, I usually find myself loving one or two characters, but being bored with the others… sometimes feeling like I want to skip the chapters with perspectives of the characters I find less interesting. I loved every single character in A Day of Fallen Night and found myself re-reading passages because the prose was just that beautiful or pivotal. There is something to enchant you in every paragraph whether it is amazing poetry, deep wisdom, or a juicy unfurling of one of the beloved characters. In short, Samantha Shannon has a rare gift, even in a market as massive as fantasy storytelling. Every word is potent, and every chapter is as inviting as the last. There is no filler or sense that she is trying to rush through the plot. Every moment is purposeful and delightful, and my hat is off to Shannon for her skillset.

You may be thinking at this point: “Sounds great! You didn’t really tell me much about the book’s plot though.” The truth is that I can’t dive too deeply into the details because this is one of those books that is best enjoyed when almost every morsel is allowed to flower in the moment. Simply put, it would be all too easy to ruin something for another reader, and I do not want to steal that experience from anyone. What I will say is that as much as I obsessed over The Priory of the Orange Tree, this book is even better (It’s hard to imagine, I know.). A Day of Fallen Night takes place about 500 years before the events in Priory of the Orange Tree, so if you read POTOT first, you will find some easter eggs and “aha!” moments in this prequel. For those who might read ADOFN first (since they can be read in any order), I am pleased to tempt you/them with the knowledge that there are talking dragons, adventures in the peaks of the high mountains, magic, and so many beautiful moments that give you chills when you realize where Shannon is going with a plot idea or character connection. So, if you want to give yourself the best treat in the world and live several lifetimes within the span of a book cover, this is the number one book you will want to read in 2023.

Lastly, I am so grateful to the publishers and creatives at Bloomsbury and Netgalley who sent me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. To you lovelies, it may have been another approval request on a Wednesday, but you wielded the kind of magic nestled in the realms of humans and transformed my week into something beautiful and enrapturing. Thank you so much.

This is such a great prequel! Loved every moment of it! Was so well done and emotionally gut wrenching

I'm working through the Priory of the Orange Tree now but I'm excited that this prequel can also work as an introduction to the series! Will definitely be handselling selling this - the worldbuilding is astonishing!

Samantha Shannon has done it again.

An amazing prequel to The Priory, Shannon builds on it the beloved world we were first introduced to.

The four parts of this stunning world are developed even further with more intricate plot building.

I’m honestly still speechless and impressed by this unique world. And now I need more.


Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely flawless prequel to a staple of the genre. A Day of Fallen Night does everything your average author hopes to do with their work -- and more. Concluding this book felt like a piece of me was missing, and immediately send me into a reread of the original work, Priory of the Orange Tree, to cling to the setting, the characters, the lore. Samantha Shannon is a miracle.

Another beautifully written novel filled with all aspects of fantasy that makes you want more: intrigue, romance, knights, battles, and of course dragons! There's so much packed into the novel that it warrants a second reread if not more. So much happens, and yet the pace never feels rushed. The characters are fleshed out and feel human; you can't help but empathize with, hate, or love each character. Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC. I cannot wait to own a physical copy to reread multiple times.

So I can honestly say that I liked this one better than Priory of the Orange Tree and that is saying a lot because priory was amazing.

It took me until around the halfway mark to really get into it but it really picks up at that point. I read the second half of this book in one day because I just couldn’t stop.

Once again Samantha Shannon gives an amazing work of fantasy.

Of the characters I loved Glorian and Dumai’s storylines the best. It was fun to see some of the connections and background to the first book.

If you love fantasy and enjoyed Priory I definitely recommend picking this one up. It’s large but worth it!