I wanted to like this. Vampires, werewolves and sorcerers. The only things missing are the dragons. Well that and whatever it is that makes me want to turn the page and stay in this world. Tbh- I didn’t make it very far - but the oppression was a little front heavy for me. I just didn’t care- maybe because I didn’t know the characters or maybe because there wasn’t an immediate sense of hope or possibility. Just a kid being reckless. I think I would have liked to get to know the character a bit more, see the world a bit more before seeing them do something reckless to escape it. It didn’t help that his escape only benefitted him. ( and I use he lightly bc I’m not even sure if the character was m/f)

As I sit to write this review, I’m still rather awestruck by this epic new fantasy from Ed Crocker. Crocker expertly navigates the complexities of classism, political dynamics, rebel undercurrents, and coming of age while breaking free of societal constraints. Crocker’s descriptive yet believable world-building set this novel up for immediate success. I loved the multiple POV’s of our deeply enigmatic, funny, and at times flawed main characters. Crocker employs a novel take on vampire hierarchy via the different qualities of blood consumed, after all, “you are what you drink.” This action-packed and blood-soaked debut will surely become a cult-favorite among fantasy readers, and in my mind is within the same vein of must-read epic fantasy series as Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire series. I thoroughly loved the twists (and the twists upon twists) and the blooming relationships between the characters. Even though I’m still reeling from the ending, I am already frothing at the mouth to read the continuation of this epic new story. “Welcome to the club. Leave your morals at the door, the drinks are free in here.”
As always, thank you so much to Netgalley and Steve from St. Martins for access to this eARC for review; my thoughts are my own.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Lightfall was an interesting take on a vampire/werewolf story, but unfortunately ran a little too slow to keep my attention for the long run. I just wish the pacing had been cleaned up a bit. I loved the world, the characters were unique (though the multi-POVs got a little confusing). A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

Lightfall
by Ed Crocker
The Everlands #1
Fantasy Supernatural
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Jan 14, 2025
St. Martin's Press
Ages: 16+

The Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half of the vampires with bullets that kill with even just a graze. The survivors ran to the city of First Light and there the poor drank weak blood (cow) and the more noble you were the better the blood, wolf's blood being the best, thus giving them powers including wings.

Sam, a palace maid, sneaks into the library at night, an action that would get her killed if caught, but she wanted and believed she and others deserved more, to be true immortals living for centuries without aging. When the city's ruler's son is murdered, Sam is ordered to clean his room, and she finds a clue to his death. Finding the Leeches, a group of rebel maids who use blackmail against the Lords they clean up after, soon they are partnering up with a sorcerer and a werewolf assassin.

But in the search for the answer to who killed the ruler's son, they also uncover the reason why.


This book is told from multiple characters' first-person POV. Sam is the MC and there are others just as important to the story, but even some of the minor characters get at least a chapter to themselves. The first chapter was a hook, but it never set and I was quickly bored. Sure there were some interesting aspects, like the 'myth' of the mortals and who were the Grays, but it was still the typical peasant vs royalty/poor vs rich along with their backstabbing, but with vampires instead of humans.

The twist was nice, but not that surprising because of the foreshadowing. If that foreshadowing had taken place in the much needed detailed history of this world and its people at the beginning of the book, then it would have had more of an impact. And I still guessed the overall who and why.

Even though it was an ok of a story and some of the characters were interesting, overall this book was a boring and slow read due to the lack of depth in the history, characters, and the weird dialogue along with the bare minimum descriptions. I don't think I'll be looking for the next book in this series, as I'm pretty sure I know where it's going.

2 Stars

DNF at 30%. Vampires and werewolves and sorcerers without humans? I thought I would love this. Unfortunately, there was just too much background noise for me to get into it. The constant switching POVs were all in first person, which was rather confusing. There was also a ton of infodumping, which I have a higher tolerance for than most but still couldn't get over. Least importantly, a lot of the names felt downright silly to me. There's a lot of hints of exciting things to come (fun friendships, haunting the narrative, historical research), but not enough to force me to finish.

There's really so much to love here. You've got vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, and an unknown quantity, the Grays. You'll notice the one big thing missing here is the humans, because there aren't any. This is an actual unique take on this genre, which I had a lot of fun exploring. It's told from multiple points of view, so you get a look at things from a variety of sides. You've got your upper class of citizens vs. lower classes, your vampires vs. werewolves, and your sorcerers vs just about everyone. Then there's the cult whose whole purpose is to prove that mortals aren't just a myth, they were actually real. Genius! The characters are varied (obviously) and fleshed out very well. The world building is phenomenal, and the plot is one of a kind. My only criticism would be that information is sometimes dumped on you when giving the backstory, but that's only a minimal complaint when compared to all that is good about this story.

All in all, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to seeing where the next book takes me.

5/5 stars

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Ed Crocker for the opportunity to read and review Lightfall.

Title: Lightfall by Ed Crocker
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Pub Date: January 14, 2025

✨️ Vampires, Werewolves + Sorcerers
✨️ Unique Magic System
✨️ Multiple POV
✨️ Dark Academia
✨️ Found Family
✨️ Political Intrigue + Corruption
✨️ Forbidden Romance

💭 Lightfall by Ed Crocker is a world where blood is currency and vampires are divided based on the quality of blood they can obtain. I really enjoyed the concept of a corrupt blood market (and its parallels to underground dr*g dealing), and the author's world-building is extensive.

The multiple POVs were a bit confusing at first, but once the characters found their "voice," the story really picked up. Raven's POV is one of my favorites, and Alanna's sassy and outspoken nature adds a much needed touch of humor.

The cult aspect was interesting and definitely could've been explored further. The magic system, also tied to vampire class and blood quality, was very cool!

The pacing, especially in the beginning, is slow (mainly due to world building, but also a little due to confusing POV). It takes a while to pick up, and I felt the transition from YA to NA "tones" to be a bit jarring.

Overall, Lightfall is an enjoyable read with a unique premise and well-developed characters. If you're patient enough to weather the slower start, you'll be rewarded with a fun vampire story filled with political intrigue and forbidden romance.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the digital review copy ❣️

3.5/5

PG-16: Some foul language (multiple uses of "F" and a 4 letter male part) and implied "brothel activities." Some descriptive gore w/ bl00d and violence.

Lightfall is a fantastical tale of vampires, werewolves, sorcerers and a mysterious creature plaguing the lands. It features a curious palace maid, who finds power in words, to learn the way of living prior to the war that drove her kind to this place.

An unfortunate series of events, including the murder of the King's son, upturns this young girls life. She finds herself embroiled in blackmail, involved with a rebels, a sorcerer from a far away land and betrayal within the King's inner court.

What an array of characters within this book. Each had wit, elements of intrigue and brought action. The ending sets up for book #2 in this debut series.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press

I don’t know what to talk about first. The amazing characters, the incredible storyline, or the aspects of fantasy that blew my mind in this book.

It’s unusual to encounter a new take on vampires, but Lightfall manages to do it. In this world, humans are an ancient myth. Instead, the land is populated with vampires, sorcerers, and werewolves. Hundreds of years ago, the mysterious Greys attacked and the vampires retreated to their last remaining city. No one leaves because the threat of Greys continues, and social hierarchy is strictly enforced by the source of blood the vampires consume (cow for the weakest and stag, bird of prey, and even werewolf for the strongest). In this setting, a prodigal vampire prince is killed just outside the city, and his death kicks off an investigation from an unlikely assemblage, including a vampire maid, a sorcerer with no magic, and a werewolf enforcer.

This was quite a bit of fun– interesting world-building, a mystery to be solved, and even a fairly complete story in the first book of what I assume is a trilogy. The latter is so welcome– I’m sick of cliffhangers that leave everything up in the air. To be clear, there are lots of loose threads to lead to sequels, but there’s a lot of satisfaction here.

It’s a very fun read, and I’m looking forward to the next one. My only qualm is that the party came together too quickly. It reminded me of a D&D session in which all of the player characters form a party quickly without being realistically suspicious of one another. There are some pains to address this though, especially with the countess. Highly recommended for other fans of vampire fiction!

4.5 stars total
This is the first book for a horror/ fantasy series that is told from multiple povs. Set in a world with only immortals in it, vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers. Sam is one of our main FMCS she’s a low ranking vampire as a servant in a high lord’s palace.
She is wanting to escape her fate as well as take revenge on the lords for the atrocities they have committed. There are three classes of vampire and they all drink different quality levels of blood.
The different blood give vampires different abilities like wings or strength. A people called the Grays appear out of nowhere one day, they have advanced technology and attacked the immortals causing them to flee their main city and escape to little ones. I think the whole concept of the different blood causing different abilities is super unique. The action scenes really sucked me in to this book and during them I couldn’t put it down. You learn a lot about the lore of this world as well as lots of info on the sorcerers magic. I really enjoyed how in depth each factions lore gets. Sam ends up helping to solve a murder along the way. There is also a heist that takes place as well. Honestly if you enjoy horror and fantasy books I would look into this one 🖤
Maybe look up triggers/ warnings before reading 📖

I don't read many vampire books, but this one was so good!

This starts off with the murder of the Lords son which sets off a series of events. Palace made Samantha is desperate for a life better than what he has now. She wants to be free of the lord who controls the blood. She is definitely a strong character and uses her whit and knowledge to stay ahead. I like that everyone is not entire immortal in this story. Your mortality seems to vary by class and what blood you get. This book involves vampires, werewolves and sorcerers. There is quite a bit of world building in the beginning of the book, but I think that it helped me envision this story so much better.

This series has so much more growth ahead I cant wait to see what is next!

A truly original spin on a vampire tale. There is plenty here to keep fantasy fans turning pages from start to finish. The story features a strong and capable female lead. I enjoyed every minute and am looking forward to more from Ed Crocker.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a scary and satisfying tale.

Hello! I dnfed this book at 60% unfortunately I have tried for months to pick this book back up but for some reason I just cannot. Something about the plot doesn’t vibe with me, it is very slow going and I just did not like the characters.

I apologize but I will not be posting or reviewing this book as I do not believe there is anything that is wrong with it I just believe I am not the right or intended audience.

I cannot emphasize how much I dislike the characters I found that they had almost 0 redeeming qualities, and I was not rooting for any of them

Personally I find the writing clunky and confusing. The pauses were very odd “….correct” and some very odd descriptive “dripped of his breeding”. Also, the characters aren’t very likable, which is why it was so hard for me to pick this book back up. Furthermore, I do believe this book is right for someone, but that someone is not me, which is why I will not be posting about it on my socials thank you very much for allowing me to have access to this review copy.

Lightfall by Ed Crocker is an exciting and captivating epic fantasy that weaves together classic supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers in a world teeming with danger, mystery, and intrigue. From the very first page, I was drawn into the complex relationships between these diverse characters, each with their own hidden motives and personal struggles.

The heart of Lightfall lies in its gripping mystery, which keeps you hooked throughout the novel. Crocker does an excellent job of blending suspense with the rich, fantastical elements of his world, creating a plot that’s both unpredictable and deeply engaging. I found myself constantly wondering what secrets would be revealed next, and by the time the final chapters arrived, I was left eagerly awaiting what the future would hold for these characters.

The characters themselves are another standout feature of the book. There are individuals you’ll quickly grow to love—characters whose moral complexity adds depth to the story. And, of course, there are those you’ll love to hate, which only serves to heighten the emotional stakes. The dynamic between the characters is full of tension, betrayal, and unexpected alliances, making each interaction feel charged with energy.

One of the things I particularly appreciated was the twists and turns that Crocker throws into the story. There were several moments that completely blindsided me, proving that this is not a book you can easily predict. It’s a reminder of just how much depth the author has packed into this world, and it leaves me excited to see where the story will go in the sequels.

The mysteries hinted at throughout the book are bound to become even more complex as the series progresses. With such a strong foundation set in Lightfall, I can’t help but look forward to the next installment to see how the story continues to unfold. If you’re a fan of epic fantasy filled with supernatural creatures, suspense, and unexpected twists, this book is definitely worth the read.

Okay…so…WOW. I have to admit it took me a little longer than i would have liked to get into this book, but once I did it was amazing. I love the world and character building! Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this and I hope to see the series continued! “Libraries save lives.”

The premise of this book sounded really interesting but I really was bored while reading it, unfortunately.

I found "Lightfall" by Ed Crocker to be a captivating entry into the realm of epic fantasy, weaving a rich tapestry of mystery, supernatural politics, and personal vendettas. This novel introduced me to a meticulously crafted world where vampires, werewolves, and mages vie for dominance, their alliances and conflicts driving a complex narrative of power and survival.

I was impressed by Crocker's storytelling, which shines through multiple points of view, offering me a multifaceted perspective on the unfolding drama. Among these, Sam stood out as a compelling protagonist. Her journey from a bookish, indentured vampire servant to a key player in the story's twists was surprising and satisfying. Sam's burning desire for vengeance and freedom added a personal stake to the larger conflict, making her story particularly engaging for me.

The antagonist of "Lightfall" is, in my opinion, refreshingly and unabashedly evil, presenting a formidable challenge that left other characters feeling genuinely helpless. I felt this clear-cut villainy provided a stark contrast to the bonds formed among the diverse cast of characters, highlighting themes of found family and unity in the face of oppression.

I was particularly impressed by Crocker's world-building, which I consider a standout feature, rich with history and unique interpretations of familiar supernatural creatures. The political intrigue and power struggles added depth to the setting, creating a vivid backdrop for the murder mystery at the heart of the plot.

In my view, "Lightfall" marks a strong start to what promises to be an epic fantasy series. Its blend of mystery, supernatural elements, and character-driven narratives left me eagerly anticipating the next installment and the further unfolding of this expansive, magical world.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for my free book for review.

Lightfall is different from the usual novel about supernatural immortal beings - werewolves, vampires, and sorcerers - there are no humans in the world of Lightfall, although there are rumors of mortals existing at some point in the past, before the Great Awakening, a never-explained occurrence that seems to have been the onset of intelligence in the various supernatural beings. Vampires in Lightfall drink blood from a variety of animals, but there is no mention, at any point, of drinking the blood of other vampires. In this caste-driven society, the rarer and more difficult to obtain types of blood are reserved for the wealthy and upper class, which provide a variety of abilities, while the lower classes must subsist on the blood of common animals such as cows. They do drink the blood of werewolves, which give them greater capabilities than any other type of blood available; werewolves are the only self-aware blood source mentioned.

The novel centers around Sam, a young female vampire who serves as a maid in the palace of the First Lord, the ruler of the city where all vampires live. Sam is a lively and intelligent young vampire, limited by her circumstances as the only survivor of a poor family of low caste, who is trying to raise her station - or at least her prospects - by reading every book she can access in the palace library, which she sneaks into clandestinely. This has been her life for a decade - hard, monotonous, unfulfilling, but still better than most Worn vampires (the lowest caste) can hope for. Then one day, she is sent to clean the room of the First Lord's recently deceased son, and with what she discovers, everything changes. Over the course of the story, Sam is thrown into existing plots to both maintain and change the status quo of her society. This is book one of a trilogy, and I look forward to book 2.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Magicless and Genre-Confused Story

“A novel of vampires, werewolves and sorcerers… debut epic fantasy by Ed Crocker…” a UK-based freelance editor, who has worked for the Sunday Times, and sci-fi publications. “For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the population in a night.” The mystery of what this sentence is trying to say is solved in the opening page (thankfully). It explains that these categories of supernatural beings formed cities of their own, after the Great Intelligence gave them “self-awareness”. Only at Lightfall were the species mixing. The “Grays” are seemingly not immortals, like the others, and their name comes from their “gray cloaks that hide their features”. These Grays stage a war that near-exterminates all other species, forcing them to flee into smaller enclaves. This intro at least orients readers, instead of confusing them, so that’s a good start.
“The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you’re poor, you drink weak blood. If you’re nobility, you get the good stuff.” This is the trope of setting the poor and rich as enemies in a struggle with a clear “villain”. “And you can never, ever leave.” Setting the no-leaving rule is necessary in many fantasy narratives because it clarifies why somebody might stay at a school, or city where they are in extreme danger of death: the characters must stay for there to be a story, and they have to keep facing more and more dangerous challenges, while refusing to just leave to immediately solve all their problems.
“Palace maid Sam has had enough of these rules, and she’s definitely had enough of cleaning the bedpans of the lords who enforce them. When the son of the city’s ruler is murdered and she finds the only clue to his death, she seizes the chance to blackmail her way into a better class and better blood. She falls in with the Leeches, a group of rebel maids who rein in the worst of the Lords.” It is a pretty ridiculous idea that all the rebels in this society are specifically “maids”. “…Soon she’s in league with 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.” It’s confusing why this vampire city has the other (sorcerer and werewolf) species…
“There’s just one problem. 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.” This switches the narrative from being a rebellion story, to being a murder-mystery. These genres do not easily overlap, as a rebel would be actively trying to kill their enemies, while a detective would be trying to solve whodunnit on somebody else’s murder… Early mentions of the murder note that because an aristocrat has been killed, his brother is considering reacting by launching a premature war on the Grays in retaliation. This kind of ties the threat of war to this murder-mystery, but not the rebellion. “…If she can avoid getting murdered, she might just live forever.”
The big problem with this novel is the relative emptiness in its descriptions. There is a lot of sighing and wailing, but few reasons given about deeper causes, beyond somebody being killed being sad. If there are descriptions they are of wealth. Most scenes that involve magic are too mundane, like when a bunch of vampires drink different types of animal blood casually. An average empty sentence here is: “Well, it seems that we might have a common cause.” They go back-and-forth in a discussion without moving the narrative forward. This is not an enjoyable read.
—Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Fall 2024: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-fall-2024