Vampires, werewolves and sorcerers… oh my! 🧛🐺🧙‍♂️

I was really excited to give this first book in The Everlands trilogy a try. The premise is based on a poor vs. elite vampire class system with a twist: the wealthy get the best blood. This created a really interesting situation within a city of vampires that are stuck within its walls due to The Grays that hunt them outside its borders.

This series is also made up of a world with no humans, only immortals, which was unique from most stories I’ve read with these characters involved. Add in a murder mystery and it had all the makings of a great fantasy that I thought I’d love, but it just never came together for me.

While I struggled to connect to the story due to extremely slow pacing and constant POV changes, my main issue was actually with the dialogue. It just felt off. And I know that fantasy worlds have their own languages and characters speak differently, but in this case it became too distracting to really understand what they were trying to communicate.

I thought about DNFing a few times, but I liked Sam and Raven’s POVs enough to keep reading. While the last 25% had more action, it was just too little too late to make up for the rest for me.

This book gets points for originality, a bookish FMC I was rooting for and a stronger finale, but overall, it wasn't a win for me. With that said, it might’ve been a case of a great book, wrong reader. It has plenty of 4-5 star reviews on Goodreads, so I’d still encourage you to look into it further if you’re interested before deciding whether you want to try it out!

Lightfall is a story about vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers ... 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑠.

With that alone, 90% of the usual tropes and plot points go out the window. Instead, what we're left with is a bit of a character study on what these powerful groups of beings become without that trodden conflict.

What greater purpose do they seek?
What knowledge do they hold dear?
How do they coexist socially and politically?
How is blood acquired and bartered, and how does that play into classism?

And most important -- what kinds of situations and conflict do us humans know to come from the answers to those particular questions (all to well)?

Through multiple POVs the answers to the above shape the plot of Lightfall; with a murder mystery, and another long-standing mystery of greater societal impact, at its core. However, for me, the characters of Lightfall completely steal the show with razor-sharp wit, deeply droll and sarcastic humor that had me cackling, and truly insightful and, dare I say, human moments.

Overall, the pacing felt very slow for me in terms of story development, but I do concede that while I loved the deeply philosophical notes of this story, I am not the audience for its level of political intrigue. I'm a reader that prefers dashes and dots with that sort of thing, whereas this paints with sweeping strokes (and there are plenty of you who will absolutely love that). Be that as it may, though, do be prepared for the POV establishment and backstory to comprise at least the first third of the book (and bleed into midway without a ton of movement).

This is an impressive debut that will undoubtedly find its audience with such rich, insightful, and hilarious characters. Absolutely worth your consideration.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Ed Crocker for the gifted copy of this exceptional novel.

I couldn’t resist this because it was compared to Richard Swan’s The Justice of Kings, which is the first book in one of my favorite fantasy series. The synopsis in general was pretty irresistible. I mean, it’s set in a world with no humans, only vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers and there are rebel groups, a murder mystery, and vampire politics! It’s a fantasy burrito with all my favorite fillings.

Lightfall follows several different POV characters that we are slowly introduced to over the first little bit of the book. Actually, it’s a surprising number of POV characters (at least six), though the main group consists of Sam, a Worn vampire housemaid in service to the lord of First Light, Sage Bailey, a magickless sorcerer who journeys with a compatriot to First Light to investigate a murder, and Raven Ansbach, a former werewolf assassin who now hunts down the criminals of her own kind. The characters are slowly drawn together when the youngest son of the Lord Azzuri is murdered outside of the city by Grays, a mysterious group that drove the immortals out of their city at the center of the continent decades ago. There are so many unanswered questions - why was the young noble outside the city? What was he doing spending time with the common vampires? What could the mysterious note in his room mean?

This was a story that had me hooked almost right away thanks to the likable and varied characters. Sam in particular was a good starting point - this maid is sneaking about in the hidden sections of the library with her stolen vial of wolf blood to unlock secret doors. It made me immediately curious about both her and her motives for getting this forbidden knowledge. Sage Bailey and his fellow Quantas mage, Jacob give almost a Sherlock and Watson vibe with how they operate. Sage is obviously brilliant and it’s less obvious how Jacob is helpful, though it becomes apparent that he’s the more social of the pair and doesn’t mind doing some investigation in a bar. The two are lead members of a sorcerer cult called the Cult of Humanis and they believe the humans are still around and they also search out human relics. Raven is… brutal. The first few POV chapters of her follow her as she hunts down rogue wolves and tears them to shreds, definitely making her seem more beast than anything. The other POVs are equally interesting, though pop up less than these three - we have Alanna and Lady Hocquard (rebels) and Lord Azzuri, all of which give the reader insight into spaces that would be sorely missed without them.

Lightfall was fabulously entertaining and I think the comparison to The Justice of Kings was apt, with the investigative element and the overarching political nature of the plot. I don’t think it’s all that similar to Jay Kristoff’s writing, which this was also comp’d to as his writing (especially in Empire of the Vampire) is mostly just violent and overly packed with crass humor. If you want somewhat of a different take on the classic vampires and werewolves, with sorcerers thrown in for added fun, definitely check out Lightfall. I will be keeping my eye out for news of the sequel especially after that absolutely jaw-dropping conclusion, which went in a direction I entirely did not expect.

Perfect entry into 2025 with this phenomenal 5 star read.

Remarkable world and character building. The magic in Lightfall is in Ed Crocker's extraordinary gift of storytelling. I just loved every moment of my reading journey. Ed Crocker really knows how to take me away from the real world.

A clean ending to the story. Not what I would call a cliff hanger, but definitely leaves me wanting book 2 ASAP.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Ed Crocker's supernatural world, mortals are mythological and their tools are used to oppress the lower classes. Sam, a palace maid, is tired of being lower class and the corruption of the upper classes. She's on a mission to change her life and those of others at her level. But can she do that without ruining others' lives?

I expected more out of this book it was ok. It is full of mages vampires and werewolves starts out with. Major death and then there’s a ton of world building and the world building drags for way too long without much story or plot happening in between the character building in this is really well done though.

This is the first book in The Everlands Trilogy. It is a story surrounding the city of First Light, where vampires have exiled themselves. They can never leave. The nobility drink the finest animal blood to be had, and the rest survive on whatever they can scrounge up. Sam, one of the palace maids, hates the nobility and wants out. She throws her lot in with the Leeches, a group of rebel maids, and soon they have added a sorcerer whose deductive skills make up for his lack of magic, a deadly werewolf assassin and a countess who knows a city’s worth of secrets to their ranks. What began as a murder investigation has uncovered a vast conspiracy by the ruling elite, and now Sam must find the truth before she becomes another victim.

I am torn about this book. I like that this is a vampire book with nary a human in sight. This is completely different from any other vampire novel I have ever read. Also, I like that the vampires drink the blood of animals, and depending on the type of animal, the magicked blood gives them a certain extra power like night vision, flight, etc. The main drawback I found, at least for me was the vast number of people, sections & groups to try to keep up with. I began feeling like I needed some sort of flow chart or index to keep in front of me to keep it all straight. Granted, that could be old age talking, so there you go. Also, the book jumped around a lot, which also didn't help with keeping things straight. Will I continue to read the rest of the series as it is released? The jury is still out on that............

It’s a little political intrigue, a little action-adventure, a little epic, a little class war, a little clash of beliefs, a little international incident, a little supernatural war, a little conspiracy, a little feminine power… Lightfall has its fingers in a whole lot of little pies but ultimately it left me wondering, “When is this book going to end?”

I was enjoying this book for most of the first act: I liked the plot set-up, was enjoying the character introductions, and felt invested enough in the story that I could connect with it and engage. That feeling didn’t last long though, because by just shy of 50% I was amazed I hadn’t even reached the halfway point because it felt like I had been reading forever. The rest of the book felt like that to me, with the third act feeling like an ill-kept cobblestone path of pacing leading to a rough ending that sealed the deal on whether or not I’ll be continuing on with the series.

The characters were enjoyable. The worldbuilding was fine (if overly descriptive). I like how there was little to no romance. I felt like the cast of characters was well-rounded and that made the dialogue enjoyable. I also liked the chapter length and the multi-POV. But when a book feels like it’s taking forever to end and has become a chore to read then you know it’s not a good book for you.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews rated three stars or under will not appear on my social media. Thank you.

File Under: Action Adventure/Adult Fantasy/Book Series/Dark Fantasy/Fantasy/Fantasy Series

I was very intrigued by the premise of Lightfall, and although I thought there were some pacing issues, a lot of characters, and at times things did come a bit too easily I found myself enjoying the story. The further we got into the story the more I liked the characters, with Sam and Sage becoming fast favorites, and the more the mystery and intrigue pulled me in. Certain parts were a bit slower and I did find myself starting to get a bit bored during those moments, but as the story progressed and new things were being revealed I had to keep reading to see how this would end.
I thought there were some great fight scenes, and now that we've established the world-building, and gotten to know the characters better, I am definitely intrigued and invested enough to pick up the second book and see what's going to happen next.

Ive been looking for a new vampire, werewolf story since Twilight so I had high hopes for this one. Sadly, this story didn't do it for me. I thought the dialogue was unnatural a lot of the time and there wasn't a character that drew me in through the multiple POVs.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the chance to read this early in exchange of an honest review.

I wanted to love Lightfall, I really did. The concept sounded like it would be right up my alley, but a few chapters in I found myself so bored.

I have not finished this book - but I want to. I am caught in a curious space of both thinking that what I'm reading is good stuff that will probably have a good pay off and feeling impatient and having a hard time focusing enough to get caught up in it. This may be a personal failing, or it may be that the pacing is lacking. I will be revisiting the title, and that is rare. Usually a DNF is a DNF.

A tale of immortals - vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers - in a fantasy world where mortals have long ago disappeared and the immortals face the continuous threat of the Grays, an interloper to this world that ran the vampires from the city of Lightfall 200 years ago. The vampire kingdom is run by the nobility of the city of First Light, the last vampire city and the place where they fled after Lightfall was overrun. We meet some wonderful characters - Sam, Daphne, Alanna, Sage, Jacob, and Raven - vampires, mages, and werewolf coming together to solve the murder of a Prince of the city. The magic in this world is unique and wonderfully developed. An excellent story that I highly recommend and have greatly enjoyed reading!

If you like paranormal mysteries with vampires and werewolves and sorcerers oh my this is your book!

I had a bit of a time getting into it but once I did it was a book that was comply different than anything I’ve read. I cannot wait till the next one as the ending was a jaw dropping moment.

Thank you NetGalley, St.Martins press and Ed Crocker for the ARC of Lightfall

I took a bit of time starting off the book because of the holidays but I didn’t want to put this book down!! I was hooked into the store and I now can’t wait for the next book.

I love the story and the writing.

I do highly recommend Lightfall.

Thank you netgalley for my ebook arc

After reading the description, I was excited to receive the ebook arc. However, I DNF this book around 20%. The first chapter definitely hooked me in but I quickly became bored. There are interesting and one of a kind ideas being told in this story, it just fell through.

How long do I have to wait for book 2?

I want it now!

LIGHTFALL is the first book in The Everlands Trilogy, and I loved it!

This is a story of vampires, but it's absolutely not just another vampire story. The social classes, world building, and plot are completely original. We have magic, murder, mystery, and memorable characters.

I was fully invested every step of the way.

Side Note: LIGHTFALL is also Ed Crocker’s debut novel. I’ll be politely stalking him for all future books.

*I received a free eARC from St. Martin’s Press, provided via NetGalley.*

7 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2025/01/10/lightfall-by-ed-crocker-review/

No humans, only immortals.

First thing’s first: I loved the concept. An original take on the classic story of things that go bump in the night. Vampires, werewolves, immortals of untold power—all just dropped on their own continent and left to duke it out.

I loved the aforementioned concept, story, and characters—all of which build on one another to make the read better and better as it goes on. The characters especially brought the world to life! So many distinctive and interesting leads, all told in first-person (which has a tendency to throw the narrative for me, but which didn’t here). Maybe because they worked together so well, or because the plot flowed seamlessly between one narrative and the next. The story itself ran along quite easily, and was never any trouble to read. Just the opposite. The pacing took off early and… at least tried to stay fast throughout, though it stumbled on numerous occasions before the end. Also, a few consistent issues spoiled the ending for me, though not completely. At the end of the day, this was an innovative, interesting, and generally immersive read, with a good story, one that would make a great miniseries one day!

Unfortunately, therein lies the problem.

My main issue with this is that it’s like the author was pressed for time, or just cared nothing for intrigue. Everything came too easily. The was torture within, but it never got anywhere. The way to get your mark to spill their entire story was to just ask them. At multiple instances, a character will just vomit up their entire, shadowy backstory for no reason. There’s an integral part of the plot, maybe halfway through (which I won’t spoil in any detail) which required a few chapters worth of planning, and at some length gains access to their quarry. And the quarry spills what they know when confronted with essentially “you can trust me”. It was here that I noticed everything came too easily. Everything. There’s precious little intrigue in this, and no subtlety. People are collected and killed constantly—unless they’re central to the plot, whereupon they inexplicably escape, right away. No waiting, no worrying. In prison and out in no time. It’s the problem of time, see, a bit like any TV show or movie. We skip from event to event, action sequence to action sequence, as to keep the audience entertained. It’s like an epic fantasy trying to exist jointly as a thriller, which… can work, just in this case doesn’t seem to.

Like most problems, it takes quite a bit of time to explain them compared to the relative ease of detailing just what I loved. Thing is, with Lightfall, the good still outweighs the bad. It gets my overall approval, though my recommendation may be a bit tepid. If I were you, I’d read a few more reviews, then check out a sample of the text before buying. As one typically does with a debut author, regardless.

It may have taken a bit for this book to really sink its teeth into me, but just before the halfway point, *things* started to happen that really grabbed my attention, and lead to a thrilling back half.

This is a world of immortals (Vampires, Wolfkind, and Sorcerers) who have scattered from the Centerlands, to their own corners of the map, after the arrival of the mysterious “Grays” and their deadly bullets.

We primarily spend our time in First Light, home of the Vampires, but worry not, we also spend time with a badass wolf lady, and two sorcerers.

There’s a murder mystery at the heart of the story, but as we learn more about this city of Vampires, we also get class struggles, politics, and a really unique blood system that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.

I really liked the characters, and loved their interactions with each other.

Along with the overarching mystery hanging over the characters’ heads, there was plenty of action and scheming, and I never knew where the plot was going to take us next.

I had a hard time putting this one down and I am definitely looking forward to continuing on with this series!

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for providing me an early copy of this ebook. All opinions are my own.

What this book is giving:
✅ Fantasy
✅ Multi-POV
✅ Vampires
✅ Wolfkind
✅ Sorcerers
✅ Mysterious Enemy
✅ Detectiving
✅ Plotting
✅ Action

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5

It all begins with a murder...Lightfall is a fantastic read. It has vampires, werewolves and sorcery. Ed Crocker did a phenomenal job building this intricate world where there are no humans, which really added to the creativity of the story. I genuinely liked the characters. The characters were well developed and no one seemed to have overly powerful abilities as books sometimes do. The only slightly disappointment with this story is how easily things are resolved and cleanly wrapped up. I'm sure people who love and easy happily ever after will love this aspect. For those who prefer a little more struggle before the characters achieve a happily ever after, there will be a slight disappointment.