I did DNF this book the synopsis sounded really good and caught my attention, but the writing style was just not my favorite. It felt very clinical and too straight to the point.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book early and review.

I debated between 3 or 4 stars, but I decided to round down for the fact that the dialogue kept throwing me off. It's a story with a lot of potential and a strong plot and characters, but the dialogue was a little too wordy or forced and just didn't seem to fit.

Also....I don't know if it was the copy I had or if the finished product will still have it, but there...were....so...many... unnecessary...ellipses...in...the...most...random...places.

I will continue with the story when the next book comes out, waiting to see how the story progresses.

Lightfall is a book about vampires, werewolves and sorcerers. In fact, it might be the most innovated novel about vampires, werewolves and sorcerers that I’ve read in decades, and I do not say that lightly.

Mr. Crocker has managed to create a world of immortals and make the reader worry about their humanity. This book really tilts everything with its politics and hierarchy plays. That this is Mr. Crocker’s first novel is even more amazing. Some authors just have the gift right out the gate.

The city of Lightfall is a fallback haven for the vampires who were basically chased out of their primary city of First Light by the very mysterious Grays. Blood determines the rules, and if you are nobility, you have access to the powerful blood, and if you are a worn, you get basic stuff that causes you to show age over time. Nobody leaves Lightfall in fear of being killed by the Grays.

One problem, though. The city’s ruler’s youngest son is murdered, and by some ingenuity, and a lot of luck, palace maid Sam finds the only substantial clue. What entails pulls in a magic-less sorcerer cult, an apex predator werewolf, and a whole lot of mystery and intrigue.

This book is super high on my best books of the year list, and it doesn’t even come out until January 2025! The way Mr. Crocker has written each character’s point of view is masterful, and the worldbuilding is absolutely top notch. It’s been a very long time since someone brought something this dynamic to the genre without it falling back on cliche. This is a novel that came to me out of left field and I could not be happier.

Let me just tell you that the last quarter of Lightfall is an insane roller coaster that had me guffawing and gasping with each turn of the page. I absolutely cannot wait for book number two, and I will be giving many friends “raincheck” Christmas presents so I can get this in their hands come January.

This book was fantastic!
Vampires, Werewolves and Sorcerers...yes please.
The author does a brilliant job of creating a unique world with compelling complex characters, vivid world building, intense fight scenes, political and social conflicts. With plot twists that left me a tad speechless.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc.

Sam is vampire stuck working as a palace maid for the first lord of Lightfall. She was forced to work there after losing her father, mother, and sister to this man and she is dying to get out. This book is a multiple POV novel that follows Sam as she meets an underground organization that is trying to take down the higher ups in society. This book is fantasy, political intrigue, and a whole lot of fun. This book is fast paced and action packed.

Thank you for the e-arc. I thoroughly enjoyed this. I've been a fantasy reader for many years but somehow always turned off by vampires and wolves. This was not a turn off at all. It was so much fun to read, ends in a cliff hangers and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next! Please keep us posted!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ed Crocker for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Lightfall: Everlands coming out January 14, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. Like most girls, I really love vampire and werewolf stories so I was excited to check this out. I really love the murder mystery aspect of the book. I also love the royalty aspect of the book. I think I got lost in the world. It was a little hard to picture some things that were going on. It was hard to relate to some of the characters. It felt slightly long. I just don’t read books that are long because I don’t have as much time. I would check out other books by this author!

This book was a very unique take on immortal beings, I loved it all. The world building was complex but understandable and Crocker managed to not just leave it with a one time explanation. You get to explore all the world building aspect throughout the book and immerse yourself deeper with each page.

Lightfall by Ed Crocker is an exciting and refreshing take on the world of vampires and werewolves, The vivid world-building and the fresh perspective on these iconic creatures make Lightfall a must-read for fans of dark fantasy and supernatural fiction.

Lightfall by Ed Crocker is an exciting and refreshing take on the world of vampires and werewolves, unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Crocker introduces a unique mythology, bringing these classic supernatural beings to life in a way that feels entirely new and unpredictable. The storyline is filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and a cast of characters that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The vivid world-building and the fresh perspective on these iconic creatures make Lightfall a must-read for fans of dark fantasy and supernatural fiction. It’s an exhilarating ride that will leave you eager for more!

Lightfall is an absolutely mesmerizing debut! Ed Crocker weaves together a world of vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers in a way that feels fresh and exhilarating. With its high-stakes intrigue, rebellious characters, and unexpected alliances, this epic fantasy will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Fans of Jay Kristoff and Richard Swan will be enthralled by the vivid world-building and Sam's fearless journey through power, conspiracy, and survival.

I absolutely did not enjoy this one and ended up DNFing. I was excited about the vampires and werewolves, but they somehow didn’t work for me.

*Lightfall* by Ed Crocker is an exciting and fresh take on vampires, werewolves, and sorcery! The world-building immediately pulled me in, especially with the sharp divide between the vampire nobility and the rest of the city. Sam, the bold and clever palace maid, quickly became a favorite as she took charge of her fate, joining forces with an intriguing cast of rebels to uncover a dangerous conspiracy.

The fast-paced action and mystery kept me hooked from start to finish. Crocker does a great job balancing dark fantasy with moments of cleverness and rebellion. If you’re a fan of stories with epic stakes and unlikely heroes, *Lightfall* is a thrilling and satisfying read!

I like to thank the publisher for a read.

You know those books you feel as if you're missing a huge chunk of plot. Or, you have a race (this being vampires) that you think is gonna act like vampires?

That's this book. I made it 50% into it before abandoning it. A book where there is a murder mystery but it is one big slog and takes ages to get somewhere. Where the characters are boring and doing nothing but allowing their first person narrative thoughts drag you on and on. As of 50% I felt like I learned nothing about the Duke's son, nothing about the group that is rising in rebellion, and werewolves may be involved but the character(s) weren't acting like werewolves.

I'm so sorry, but I could not get through this book. I had to DNF at 25% (about 100 pages in), which is crazy because I really try to push through books. Unfortunately, I could not force myself to finish this.

The concept of Lightfall is immaculate; a society of supernatural creature who were forced to leave a city they all thrived in because a strange army of things called Grays showed up and started to hunt them down. The story mainly follows Sam, a palace maid who is determined to jump ranks of vampire society to have a better life, and access to better blood. When the prince of her city is killed, she finds clues in his room that leads her towards a rebel group that have had their eye on her for a while.
I'm sure later on in the book the reader would figure out exactly what the Grays are, and what happened to the prince that led to his death. I, however, just could not get past how tedious this book is. Crocker's writing style is not my favorite, and the amount of grammatical mistakes and spelling errors is something I'd expect to see in a first draft rather than an ARC that is to be published in about four months. The actions performed by the characters were narrated in first person, but in such a formal way that it almost seemed like the book should have been in third person.

I genuinely wish the execution of this book went a little smoother, because like I said, I was really interested in the idea of this book. Different types of blood causing different effects on a vampire, different levels of vampirism, sorcerers and werewolves?! Sounds like at least 50% of the content I consume. I am super disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC

Lightfall by Ed Crocker is a wonderful fantasy story that takes place in a time where there are no humans, only vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers. The three factions all interact and align to battle with the Greys, a mysterious group of people who they know little about. This battle separates the three clans into three different cities. Lightfall takes place in the vampire city and is mostly about the lives of the vampires within that city. The city itself is greatly detailed but the towns in the city could have been given better names because it was hard to distinguish between Southwestfall and Northwestfall. However, the characters where vast and well described. I loved that Sam was smart and spunky and courageous. I loved that Alanna was such a badass. I love that Sage lived up to his name with his wise and insightful ways. Jacob was a hoot with his humor and sass. The plot was action packed and full of twists that were unexpected. I cannot wait until book two of the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

This was an interesting twist on the supernatural. Starting with a murder mystery and spinning into something so far beyond.

This is not the book for me. I’m generally not a werwolves and vampires type reader, but the description sounded like this would be a fresh new take on the old monsters. Well, new isn’t always good. At least not to me. Beyond these issues were the issues of clunky/inorganic dialogue, a bizarre first-person present tense narration that felt like sexting without the sexuality, and a strange framework changing points of view throughout. I struggled with whether to give this a 3(because to be fair this type of book is just jot my thing) or a 1 because of everything else AND it is not my thing, so I decided to be fair and give it two stars.

Thank you to the author, Ed Crocker, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I hope you find your intended audience.

Ed Crocker has created an intricate world with a unique vision of vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, and the mythical mortals. Although the world building felt complex at the beginning of the novel, Crocker does a wonderful job revisiting these ideas throughout in order to help the reader feel grounded in the world of Everland.

Although our characters aren't mortal and they are caught up in a war of political intrigue, their emotions and life experiences are what draw you in and compel you to care about them. You feel their pain, happiness, fear, and success. And most importantly, you want to be a part of the found family that they build along the way.

As with any first engaging book in a series, Crocker leaves you floored with the plot twist and wanting more with the breadcrumbs that are dropped in the last pages.

This isn't my usual cup of tea, but it was really good! I liked the speed of the story, the worldbuilding, and the characters were all really interesting. I don't think this will be a story I read again, but I'm really glad I read it and enjoyed myself.