2.5 stars (rounded down)

"Not everyone who leaves comes back. Sometimes the silence is goodbye."

I was drawn in by the synopsis, but after the first few chapters I realized this wasn't the type of book I'd normally read. I did still enjoy it even though some of the pictures in my head made me shudder.

It did feel short. I guess now I have to read the sequel.

This was a free copy via NetGalley.

I've definitely never read a book with this premise before! I enjoyed Joss' character and how, despite her history, she was trying to do good in the world. It was a short book, but still managed to describe the world and its characters. I'm interested in where this story will go.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC on exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Joss, the last executioner I the long line of her family. Each time she is called to carry out her job she has three tries to get the job done or she will face being executed herself.
One day while on the way home, Joss and Henrik find a badly beaten man at the side of the road. They take him in and help him to recover. As Joss gets closer to this stranger though - is he really who she thinks he is?

I really enjoyed this book. I like that it switched seamlessly between different perspectives. It’s quite a short book and I wish it had been a little longer. The majority of the action is in the last few pages and I felt it’s finish was a little abrupt - but this is probably in preparation for the next book.

Really great short novel. Great Dark fantasy, both Max characters are interesting and the book is very fast pasted , strong women trope, lots of actions and very little romance but still very enjoyable.

all the dark souls by a.m. dunnewin
☆☆☆.5 /5
“joss brevyn is the last heir in a long line of executioners. although a woman, the same rules still apply: kill the condemned within three tries, or be tortured and killed. joss has yet to miss her mark, and even though she spends her free time as a healer, the town views her only as a deathsman. so, when she and her assistant, henrik, stumble upon a beaten man on the way home, both are hesitant to reveal who they really are. the only problem is, so is he.”
this is categorised as “romantasy” but take that lightly… i would probably push the mediaeval side of it rather than romance. If you enjoy history and authors who do their research- sign up for your copy of this book. If you prefer worldbuilding fantasy, maybe look elsewhere. this is a short book, which i can appreciate, and i think a lot of it was setting up the characters for the trilogy to come… and that maybe the plot will thicken in the rest of the books?
although the book was generally enjoyable, i had HIGH expectations based off the cover… now, mind you, this is a terrible bookish habit i have. I tend to over hype a book due to it’s cover appeal. I went into this book thinking it would be hard hitting, executions, almost dwarf-style (looking at you markus heitz!). Instead i was bombarded with a flood of lack luster relationships and characters that didn’t really go anywhere. I think the marketing side could have been better?
I honestly didn’t love or hate the characters. I was annoyed by them, but only because i felt like i wasn’t getting anything from them. They weren’t very believable- but that may have to do with the length of the book. This also goes back to my “need” of thorough backstories due to my d&d obsession so maybe i’m just too harsh with character development…
the writing style was consistent and i got to know dunnewin’s manner- which i love. As a writer, i think it’s important to have a consistent style and not jump all over the place. mind you, the book was 202 pages, so we’ll see how book 2 goes before i jump into the deep end of that pool.
I think my overall enjoyment was just par. was i disappointed because of the cover and the category? Yes. but, was it a well thought out story with a target demographic and an excellent entry level story that could make a satisfying trilogy. Also yes.
I give this 3.5 stars because, although i think it deserves a 3, i am intrigued and added .5 because i would actually read book two upon release.

I love this so much! It was so good and held my attention. I was unsure of this book going into it but now it's in my top ten. Moved along steadily, world building was great, and the character development was phenomenal!

Thank you Netgalley and the author for the advanced copy for review.

Spice: 🌶️
Plot: ⭐
World-Building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Character Development: ⭐⭐

A woman executioner? As soon as I read that I was instantly interested. In this fantasy, Joss Brevyn a small-town executioner, lives in what seems to be a medieval-like town except they have electricity and guns. She and her brother's simple, yet satisfying life is deterred when they find and save Aric. Together they try to help him rectify his mistakingly botched assassin job.

Pros:
This book took a minute to get into, which I don't blame that on the story, this usually happens if I read anything back to back. This cast of characters is all skilled, each able to handle their own and I found that to be utterly refreshing. I found it easy to get behind their cause. You could tell the author really put time and effort into their stories.

Cons:
This is a short book, and the pacing felt rushed in some areas and stagnant in others. Personally, I love world-building, but I love interactions and conversations between the characters more. Here, I found the world-building to override most of the plot and some of the characters' interactions.

With « All the Dark Souls » by A. M. Dunnewin, you get a glimpse at the life of an executioner, what it was like for them. The burden of it all and how they were marginalized by society even though they were part of the law.
All in all, I’ve really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward for the next part of this story. What will happen to Joss and Henrik, and Aric?

Loved it has plenty of action and adventure with a hint of romance. The author keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering if the MMC and FMC end up together or will they go their seperate ways..

Thank you NETGALLEY for the opportunity to receive the advance copy of this read.

I found myself really bored and having to skip through so much because I just couldn’t find any liking. I went into this read really excited and expecting more I mean there was a women Executioner and that was enough to grab my attention. I really do think there is potential for the next books if they focus more on the world building, fantasy and action. I do think this book is so well written that I hated that it lacked for my personal taste.

Joss Brevyn is an executioner in a small country town, and spends her time outside of the beheadings occasionally saving wayward strays from ill fate. After she and her adoptive brother Henrik save Aric after he botched his last assassin job, things start to fall apart in her relatively unpleasant but still stable life, and Aric is given the opportunity to either rectify his mistake and try again to kill his mark, of the cloaked figures who hired him will kill him and his hosts.

This book took me a bit to get into. It’s set in a fictional place (as far as I can tell) and everyone seems to be riding horses but there’s mention of water powered electricity as well as guns. Aside from that we just get small tidbits of information here and there about the main three characters and it doesn’t make a ton of sense until later if you’re going in blind without reading the synopsis. I would’ve liked to have seen Dunnewin dove deeper into what goes on in Joss’s life as an executioner, and why Aric decided to be an assassin. It was a little predictable and a little brief.

A great start to the series - POVs were distinctive so I didn't have to spend an age figuring out what narrative I was following, and has left lots of questions to be answered in the next book.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed the exploration of the characters within such a stripped-back fantasy setting - while I personally would have liked a bit more of a dive into Aric and his past, it made sense that he didn't reveal is to Joss, and although their romance was somewhat limited by the length and structure of the story, it was still cute. I know that this is the first in a trilogy, but I felt that it was cut off a bit too soon; there wasn't much of a denouement for all the characters to process their feelings for my personal taste. I also felt that some of the descriptions of character actions could be a bit excessive - I think the characters and story stood strongly enough by themselves to not need prose for every tiny action they did.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Dark Hour Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A woman executioner? SIGN ME UP!

All the Dark Souls by A. M. Dunnewin is a fantasy novel that follows the dual perspectives of Joss Brevyn and Aric Kayden. Joss is an executioner, bound to her duty to kill in three tries or be tortured and killed. In her free time, she is a healer to a town that will only see her for the blood staining her hands. Then one day, her and her apprentice find a mysterious man beaten within an inch of his life. And they're all hesitant to reveal their true selves. Aric is said beaten man, left for dead after failing to assassinate his last target. But as he starts to fall for Joss, their lives become embedded with serest neither of them wish to reveal. Even if it means the death of one of them.

I was all here for this book! With the amazing cast of bad-ass characters, and the romance between an executioner and assassin. I was ready to be wowed by this book! But it fell kinda flat.

The worldbuilding was amazing, you can tell Dunnewin put in some time and effort into their research. But at times, it felt like that worldbuilding was just endless info-dumps. And there was little to no actual plot. Instead it just felt like a really long prologue, that had me waiting for the actual story to start. But it didn't. Overall the pacing was a little weird, the plot was almost invisible, and the characters were the only thing keeping this book together.

I was drawn to this book by the idea of a woman inheriting the position of executioner. In fact, Joss is one of the most sympathetic and relateable character as is her "brother" Henrik.

The book was short, serving as an introduction to a trilogy.. It ends on a cliff hanger hinting of the court intrigue to come.

I would like to see what happens in book 2.

I received an ARC from Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This was a lovely quick read.

The book follows Joss, a female executioner, and Aric, a man she finds by the side of the road and nurses back to health.

Joss doesn't tell him her profession as executioners aren't well loved. Aric himself has a secret and both Joss and Aric find themselves navigating their feelings for the other while hoping neither finds out their secrets.

I loved Joss' character. She's a strong woman, having to be strong in her profession, but she's soft at heart. I understood her not telling Aric about what she does for a living, wanting to be treated as decent human being.

Aric I feel fell hard and fast for Joss and I wonder if that stems from him having to isolate himself from people in his own profession. He's never had anyone to care for him and so when a beautiful woman helps nurse him back to health its no surprise he grows to have strong feelings for her.

Aric's past catches up to him, however, and it puts him, Joss, Joss' assistant Henrik and everyone else involved in a very precarious and dangerous situation.

You can find my review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5515871596

I'd probably actually rate this as a strong 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up because we don't do half star ratings.

The writing was ridiculously easy to read, and while the story was somewhat light on, for a first book in a series it set the scene, introduced the characters and gave the reader the hook needed to want to read book 2. If you enjoy fantasy, particularly with royal intruige and plots, I feel book 2 will unravel the set up book 1 has set nicely.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of a female executioner, and the look into what that role actually means for the families that get tied to it. The stigma, the whispered names and for Joss, the personal heartache and even some of the perks that go with it.

Aric was a meh character for me. A lot of this book he's just kind of there. I can't say I love him, or hate him. I feel that he'll become more of an interesting character in book 2, but that remains to be seen as book 2 isn't even released yet!

Henrik was a delightful supporting cast member, who had his own history and character arc which I thoroughly enjoyed. I do hope we learn more about him.

A touch on the short side, at only just over 200 pages, this one shouldn't take you too long to devour.

*I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley*

***4.5 Stars***

What an amazing book! My only complaint about this book is that it wasn't longer! The author sucked me in faster than a book has in a long time. There is something about the writing and just really how well written it is that keeps you glued to the story.

Joss is a legacy executioner and it seems she is one of the only women to hold this position. If she does not properly execute or refuses she will be tortured or killed. She also is a healer in the town and she and her assistant, Henrik, take in a man they find on the side of the road. Because of the way executioners are looked at, they don't tell anyone that they take in what it is Joss does. Aric is an assassin who has been punished for not killing his target. Aric is taken in and also keeps his occupation a secret. Joss and Aric begin to form a relationship, but they both know it cannot possibly continue because of who they are. Aric's target is actually a prisoner about to be executed and all he needs to do is make sure everything goes as planned and eliminate anyone who tries to stop it.

I think the only thing this book was really lacking for me really was the length. Everything felt very rushed and I didn't feel that the story developed as completely as it could. This is especially disappointing because the writing was so well done. Everything flowed very well and A.M. Dunnewin does such an awesome job of keeping you immersed in the world. I am greatly anticipating the next book in the trilogy!

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

Joss is a female executioner that has been passed down by family. She meets Aric, who has been beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. Joss brings him back to fix him up and let him recover. There are twists in the story that I kinda did see coming at times. There are other important side characters and the story is very plot driven with some romance tension. I’m interested in reading book two when it comes out!

Jos inherited the role of executioner from her father. A role she must hold with respect and dignity otherwise she is to be put to death herself. She finds Aric, battered, bruised and bloody by the side of the road and vows to heal him back to health, to balance the universe in which she takes death. However, he is not as he seems and she finds herself in more danger and uncertainty than she ever imagined.

- I found this book to have a lot of promise and although i enjoyed it i wanted more from it than it gave me. I appreciated that it is a short story however i felt that it would have been better if it was longer, the last few chapters in particular i found to be rushed and wanted more from. i am
hoping there will be a sequel and then i can get the missing pieces that i felt were needed in the first one.