Very interesting concept, however a very short story. I really liked the characters and the writing, but the book was very plot driven and the ending felt very rushed. I truly enjoyed the pacing of the book for the first 70% but the last chapters really lost me, which is sad, because this story had so much potential in my eyes. I can't elaborate much further because nothing really stuck to me in the end.

I enjoyed the read. The quality of the writing was good, and I particularly appreciated its vivid descriptions, which effortlessly painted a clear picture of the scenes in my mind.

Joss assumes the role of an executor, a vocation passed down through generations. Escaping this destiny seems impossible—failing to kill thrice leads to her own demise. On the other hand, Aric, an assassin, survives an execution attempt on his latest target only to be left for dead. Enter Joss, who discovers him and alters their fates.

Although I have mixed feelings, I was engrossed and racing through the pages, drawn into the unfolding narrative. However, around the midpoint, the pacing seemed to falter, posing a challenge for me. But I pushed through and thought overall it was really good. I recommend it! 3.5 stars

I was drawn in by the synopsis, but I quickly realized this wasn’t something I’d usually pick up. The idea of a female executioner was intriguing but I found myself getting bored. For such a short book it did take a long time to get through mostly because I found myself not wanting to pick it back up. I will say things did pick up the last 3rd of the book. Not sure if I will continue the trilogy.

Absolutely brilliant. A quick, immersive read that held my attention throughout the duration of the novel. Joss and Henrik were everything!

I read this in one sitting and I wasn't expecting to love it this much. It's a different kind of FMC from what I usually read, and I liked seeing more into the reality of executioners at the time. They were chosen and had to comply with the duty that was given to them, setting them apart from the rest of society. The fact that it was a woman added even more stigma around her. I really liked Joss, and Aric is still so mysterious, that I really feel like I need more answers and will need to find book 2 ASAP. I recommend it for anyone wanting to know more about the historical role of an executioner and looking for hidden identities, very slow burn and action.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Joss is an executioner. A female one at that. And if she fails in her duty, she will suffer the same penalty as a man: Death by Execution.

It is interesting to see how others act towards her because of this. Some are fine with it. Others are not. A few can’t quite figure it out - they cuddle her because she is a woman and therefore frail, yet they recognize that she is quite proficient at her job and highly capable.

The story begins with Joss finding an injuried man in the side of the road partly hidden among the foliage.

After this, the story slowly unfolds with a budding romance, assassinations and political intrige.

This is the first in a trilogy.
The very comprehensive worldbuilding is compressed in a rather short book, which unfortunately makes the plot feel slow for most of the story. Which in turn makes the majority of the book feel like a prequel instead of the first actual book in a series.
That being said: The worldbuilding is both interesting and well researched.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this e-arc.
I actually really enjoyed this but even though it's short it took me so long to read. It wasn't something I would personally binge because of the way the book is setup. I did quite enjot this book though and the romance was very cute allow not perfect obviously.

Super cool cover and i love the title. I liked the premise of the book and i did. like the characters. I don’t think i’ve ever read a book like this and i quite enjoyed it actually!

"All the Dark Souls" by A. M. Dunnewin is an enthralling and atmospheric start to the trilogy. This book weaves a haunting tale of mystery, magic, and complex characters set against a dark and immersive world. Dunnewin's skillful storytelling keeps readers on the edge of their seats, as they follow the protagonist's journey through perilous challenges and self-discovery. The author expertly balances elements of fantasy and emotional depth, creating a richly layered narrative that stays with the reader long after the final page. With its compelling plot twists and evocative prose, "All the Dark Souls" is a gripping introduction to a trilogy that promises more thrills and surprises to come. Fantasy lovers will find themselves fully immersed in this gripping tale of light and shadow, destiny and choice.

I love the concept of a woman executioner, and the historical details were great, but it felt like nothing happened the entire book.

It seems like it should be a novella or a prologue to another book because it was so short.

Basically I just wish it was longer.
I enjoyed it for vibes alone though.

Wonderful and great read, The author’s writing style was very good and easy to follow. I can clearly understand the descriptions and interactions between characters perfectly. However the change of character pov was very different and difficult to read with. All in all it’s a great book and I look forward to the next one!

This was a deliciously dark, lonely tale with a romance subplot. I’m not even sure if it could be considered fantasy, but it held the same atmosphere as fantasy! It reminded me a lot of Skyrim with certain elements (sadly no dragons). The plot and intrigue really makes up for the lack of dragons and magic though. The characters were very likable, and all held good and bad traits that made them feel very realistic and well-thought out. The mystery and intrigue held up til the end, and caused me to second guess what I thought I knew about everyones secrets. The betrayal stung hard because I found myself not agreeing with one characters decisions along the way, but that made the character all the more realistic. There were parts that had my jaw on the floor, and/or gasping, parts that had me confused as hell, and parts that had me smiling. The glimpse into the royal family at the end gave a perfect premise for book two, and left me with intrigue. Upon reading the acknowledgements, I realized just how well-researched and thought out this book is. The author put a lot of time into researching the material for the concept of this book, which I highly respect! Overall, a very well-rounded read!

I did sometimes find it difficult to submerse myself, solely due to the fact that it is written in 3rd person, and often switches POV mid chapter, sometimes several times in one chapter. That is simply something that I didn’t enjoy as much, but it didn’t take away too much from my overall enjoyment of the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this eARC of All The Dark Souls.

All The Dark Souls is an intriguing story featuring the main female character as the last in the long line of executioners.
She is also a healer, which is a stark contrast.
The world building in this novel is vastly described and you can tell a lot of research has gone into this world building. The characters and their development pulls this book together but the pacing is somewhat slow. This novel is short compared to some fantasy novels and it did feel like there was a lot of information and not a lot of action.
Overall it was a good read.

There’s nothing I love more than a complex female character!

I would have loved this book to go on far longer and cannot wait for the next one!

Female executioner?! Where do I sign up?!! This book was such a great take on an old practice we never delve deep in. I can't even think of one instance where any book, show or movie showed the behind the scenes of a executioner's life.....a female one at that. This was a great palette cleanser, the writing was good, Dunnewin was able to build out a great story in under 200 pages and left me wanting for more. I can't wait to continue this trilogy. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, solid 3 stars for me!

I really loved the main character of this story! She was a bada** and I loved the world that was built in the story. The pacing was a little off, but I still found it to be engaging and enjoyable!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dark Hour Press and the author A.M. Dunnewin for providing me with this ebook.

3.75 stars

First off, I love the cover! It's what made me take notice of the book in the first place.

Second, I really enjoyed this book. You get thrown right into the story and the author does a fantastic job with the worldbuilding. It did start to drag slightly in the middle and I think there would have been room to developed the romance much more as it is a big reason for some important decisions our MCs are making later on and to me it just wasn't enough... But then the story quickly pickes up again and I loved the ending!

The best thing about the whole book however are the very well researched execution scenes and the life/laws/rules as an executioner! These parts were amazing!

I'm excited to see where this story takes us and will definitely continue this series.

This was EXCELLENT, I highly enjoyed and would recommend. I can’t wait to read the next one.

A slight criticism is that the dialogue was sometimes a liiiittle clunky and it seems a little pointless to split it into a trilogy, as each book ends up being closer to novella length, BUT I suppose that this form allows each book to reach a crescendo and then be followed by an epilogue taking place apart from the main narrative. Shout out to NetGalley for this one xoxo

The premise of the book is very interesting. I was immediately hooked by the idea of a story following an executioner who moonlights as a healer. The juxtaposition grabbed my attention and I really wanted to know more about what drove the character to both professions. Unfortunately, none of the characters in this book were dynamic and three-dimensional enough for me to care about.

A lot of this book is infodumping and telling the reader exactly what's happening, which makes for a pretty boring read, especially when nothing actually happens throughout the book until the very end. We are told that Joss doesn't love being an executioner, but her behavior suggests that she doesn't care one way or another. We're told that Joss and Aric have a pull toward one another, but aside from some short conversations between them nothing really happens to suggest that bond forming. It was very frustrating to read, especially since this book would have been so good if I cared about the characters and there was a plot to progress.

In addition to being intrigued by the executioner aspect of the story, I was equally intrigued by the assassin angle. I was kind of hoping for We Hunt the Flame or The Bridge Kingdom vibes but didn't get either. Aside from some flashback and thoughts about how much easier it was when he could move, Aric is too banged up to do much of anything. He basically lays around the cottage all day, until the very end of the book. We didn't really get any assassin vibes aside from those flashbacks and the action packed into the ending, which was disappointing to me.

The whole assassination plot itself was lacking, actually. I never really felt the pressure of figuring out who the masked people were, wondering how everything tied together, and hoping our characters would make it out alive. There was...nothing. Aside from two or three interactions with the masked people, the whole assassination plot just kind of fell together with no tension or resistance. I like the concept of it, I just didn't really care! It was a blend of absence and predictability that could have been better executed (heh) had more attention been paid to the character development and pacing of the plot. This book is incredibly short, and here's not a whole lot that happens throughout the book until the very last couple of chapters, then it was like whiplash trying to keep up with what was happening.

Now, I did like the worldbuilding in this book. I actually have one of the author's reference books on my tbr because it sounds so interesting. I enjoyed the descriptions of the society in which the characters lived, learning about the expectations placed on the town executioner but also the alienating nature of the job. Several mundane tasks were also described, which I actually found quite fascinating since it added depth to the setting, something the other areas of the book were missing. Things like cooking and doing the laundry were described in a way that really brought me into the scene and made it more enjoyable to read.

I also really loved Henrik. While he sometimes felt like the sidekick character to Joss, he still managed to feel like the most fleshed-out character in the book. I liked learning about his backstory and his motivations to stay with Joss despite their outcast status within their society. He seemed to have the most emotion between the three main characters, as we got to see his protectiveness alongside his sweet nature.

Really, there's nothing specific in this book that I can point out as being bad. I just really wish there had been so much more detail in regards to the characterizations and the plot. It's hard to enjoy reading a book when you don't feel strongly toward the characters and how their lives are being affected by the events in the book, and that's really where I struggled with this one. Perhaps readers younger than myself would enjoy this book, keeping in mind the sometimes gory scenes depicted. I just feel like readers who have more experience with historical fantasy and political intrigue/corruption will find this boring, much like I did. I don't know that I will read the second book, despite the good cliffhanger book one left off on.

I was really excited to read this book when I read that the female main character was an executioner. You could tell that the author did a lot of research while writing this book because the world-building in this book was so well done. Even though it took a while for the story to pick up, I enjoyed the read and would like to continue with this series and see how Joss and Aric's story will end.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.