Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All of the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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I was super excited to request this!

I have not read Tara Sim's previous work so I was not sure what to expect going into this in terms of writing style. There were some great aspects in this story but there were a few negatives as well.

The world is expansive and definitely has distinct characteristics for various regions which should be commended.

Just as expansive is the cast which is a little difficult to keep track of and, more importantly, to distinguish from each other.

This also doesn't read like an adult fantasy and has characterization akin to YA.

Lastly, I felt that the pacing could be improved and that a lot of the mostly predictable plot twists could have been condensed into a shorter length.

Overall rating: 3/5 stars

2.5 ⭐️

~spoiler free~

I was SO excited to receive a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I've had it preordered for a while and had pretty high hopes based on the overall hype the release has had.

Sadly, I was incredibly disappointed overall and considered DNF'ing multiple times throughout the story, but pushed to the end so I could give an honest review.

I'll start with the positives - the overall premise of rival heirs of four prestigious families, who not only have some pretty cool magical abilities but are descended from gods?? Sign me up.

There were glimmers of really strong character dynamics, and I did grow to like quite a few of the main characters (Julian >>>>>).

That's it. The magic system and character background was cool, the characters were reasonably likeable and engaging, but now begins my list of negatives.

- This is being marketed as adult fantasy when it's very much YA (and not great YA at that).
- The plot was SO predictable - I saw every 'twist' coming a mile off and I didn't find myself really caring what happened at the end.
- World building was honestly confusing AF - I mean I'm no stranger to fantasy worlds and I'm okay with taking the first 25-30% of a book to get familiar with what the author's created for us, and even accept the occasional info dump, but even at the end of this I found the development severely lacking.
- The pacing seemed very off - I don't know if it's just me, but if the book had been 100-150 pages shorter and more fast paced I think it would flow much better.

I'm not pushed about continuing with this series, I'll need to see how I'm feeling in June 2023, but overall this was a major letdown for me as I think it had so much potential to be a 4-5 ⭐️ read.

Four realms meet in the City of Dusk: Darkness and Light, Life and Death. But the gods that founded each noble house have all but forsaken their heirs. Without their power, locked behind a barrier, every realm is slowly dying.

Even as the city slowly fades, the Holy King pits the four houses against each other, daring them to prove themselves worthy to be his successor. But the children of all four houses are tired of being pushed into subservient perfection, appalled to spend their powers on shallow displays rather than more important endeavours. But when the secret to saving it all looks to require forbidden magics, will they risk it all?

I’ve never read anything by Tara Sim before, but I believe this is being touted as her first novel for adults. However, my main ‘hmm’ about it all is that it doesn’t really escape a very YA feeling. Sure, there’s death and blood and sex, but the characters are so teenage – in behaviour, if supposedly a little older – that I found it ever so slightly offputting. Like too much of YA, we have these brave, powerful, disobedient youngsters out to save the world, while the parents are stupid, shallow, distant – all of that. Hmm.

Aside from that, though, there’s a lot to like about this and I enjoyed the read. The worldbuilding is impressive in scale: four realms, each with a god, each very different. Centuries ago the paths between failed, leaving refugees stranded in the City of Dusk, alongside the literal descendants of the gods. Each wields power: Risha is a necromancer, Taesia controls shadows, Angelica the elements, while Nik struggles to master the light-based power of his family.

It took me a while to separate these characters properly, and it doesn’t help that the cast is huge. Siblings, parents, enemies, and then more and more other characters – some with powers, too – start to join the cast. I did find the ending incredibly ‘busy’ with names and jumping viewpoints, which I thought distracted somewhat from the immensity of the events being described. It doesn’t quite help that there are several big reveals leading up to it, and I’m not sure quite enough space to process it all.

And then, of course, it ends on a cliff hanger – argh!

All of which is quite critical but along the way I enjoyed myself enough. The writing is strong, characters are fun, the powers cool – and backstories all suitably tragic. I have a suspicion that I need to read the whole trilogy to really appreciate the story, however, as even at 500+ pages I didn’t feel we had enough of the various worlds, cultures, or even the characters. So, not quite hitting the full mark for me – but heck yes, bring on the sequels!

I am not sure of what didn’t work between me and this book. I think the main problem was that I felt as if there were too many points of view and that made me unable to connect with the characters. The one that I found the most interesting (Angelica) is also the one who has less stage and that frustrated me a bit.

At the beginning the story vaguely reminded me of All of us villains and I really wanted to see the characters fight to win a title. In reality this does not happen and they try to work together to save the world. All of them have very dark sides that they cannot suppress and this is really what makes them interesting.

The worldbuilding is really impressive, very interesting and very well described. Though, I think that this made the story too slow.

At first glance, it seemed a little too complicated. I kept getting confused with all the names. However, after 10% I was hooked and couldn’t wait to finish. It was written incredibly well and I can’t wait to see it on the shelves in stores!

3.5 stars

I enjoyed reading this, however, this still feels a lot like older YA as opposed to the marketed Adult category. I do think this book will be a good starting point for YA readers meaning to get into more adult sff books.

The things that I enjoyed most about this book were the world-building and the magic system. This world is very dark and atmospheric with an immersive quality to it. There are 4 magical houses - each with their own unique powers, constant inter-house politics and power struggles, a possible rebel insurgence group and vengeful gods who have their own motivations & grudges. There are also at least 5 types of magic into play and while its a lot to take in, it never gets overwhelming. The author put in a lot of effort into building this world with so many complex components and it shows in the narrative.

The writing too is quite easy and accessible. The pacing has its ups and down but I was never bored. It has some truly exhilarating moments, especially towards the end when all hell break loose.

I think what truly needed work were the characters and their dynamics. The story is told through at least 7 povs. Each character has their own motivations and struggles but somehow their journeys didn't hit me as hard as it should have. These characters were suppose to work together towards a common goal but the chemistry just wasn't there. There were ofcourse a lot of secrets, betrayals and shocking revelations but what I needed was for them to communicate more and not wait to share information until it was too late. I also just needed some good banter and those cozy character moments which noticeably felt lacking.

Among the characters, I liked Taesia best even when she makes some really questionable choices. She is just smart, resourceful and willing to sacrifice so much for her brothers cause. I loved how much she grew and changed throughout the book. Risha was my least favourite, Nikolas was cute and I did enjoy reading his pov. Angelica was okay. Some of the side characters especially Julian truly shines throughout the story and I am so excited for him to fully take on his new role.

The books ends on one hell of a note and there's still so much about this world, its history and the conflict between gods that is unknown to our characters and to us so I am looking forward to reading those further in the series.

Wow wow wow - I don’t even know where to begin with this. This is a very layered , multi-dimensional tome of a book. There is a lot to take in - lots of characters, lots of world building, lots of abilities, and a heck of a lot of plot.

It is very heavy on the plot but also on the character building, which is what I love most. Our 4 main characters have different abilities, are aligned to different gods and are heirs to their houses. They are also all vying in various degrees to be the sole heirs to the kingdom, which just happens to be dying. There is a lot of politics and machinations at play. Just when you think you’ve figured out where the storyline is going we are thrown in a whole other direction. This could have been 2 books with the level of complexity and action and plot twists.

Character wise I love Taesia. She goes from being devil may care, I’m the spare - so nobody bother me, to accepting responsibility for her actions and other people. I love the point of her self realisation where she fully owns her strengths and flaws. She’s the epitome of morally grey as she does some bad things but doesn’t flinch from her actions or deny them - I can’t help but love her. I also think she’s the strongest, most badass, of the lot. I can’t wait to see how her storyline develops further in the next book.

All the main characters have an arc and show character development (the book is certainly long and detailed enough to give them that). The pacing was a little slow in the beginning but once it got into its stride I couldn’t put it down and read it all in one go. My heart was pounding at the end with all the action scenes. It was a little convoluted as soo much was happening at the same time. I almost feel like I need to read the end again to fully grasp everything that happened.

All in I really enjoyed this and i’m going to go up from my original 4.25 to 4.5 because I literally couldn’t put it down.

Four shut off realms, four devious gods and four magic-wielding heirs, and one city struggling under the strain of trapped souls and magic. Can the four heirs put aside their power struggle for long enough to save the city, even if doing so means breaking the law, risking their lives and possibly going up against the gods themselves?

Life and death, light and darkness, The City of Dusk is a story of balance and contrasts. Each of the four heirs gets an equal share in the story, their actions and growth all carrying equal weight in the plot. It has multiple narrative stands with complex characters and explores the grey areas between hero and villain, questioning who holds power and whether they deserve it.

Taesia was my favourite character as I was never quite sure what was going to happen next whenever she appeared on the page. But Nik, Risha and Angelica were all complex, interesting characters and there were definitely no weak links.

Sim has created a complex and immersive fantasy world. I love fantasy realms with well thought out religious systems, which The City of Dusk definitely has, and especially when the gods are as complicated and messy as the human characters.

The plot contained some brilliant twists and the ending was unexpected, leaving me very intrigued to find out what's going to happen next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

The City of Dusk is one of my most anticipated reads and for the most part, I really enjoyed reading it. The world-building was impeccable and the writing was incredible. That sucked me into the story. The magic system was pretty cool and I loved how Tara Sim incorporated elements into this story. Unfortunately, the first couple of pages felt like an info-dump. There was so much information being provided in them that I had a hard time keeping track of it. The first half almost made me want to DNF the book but eventually in the latter half, things changed and I absolutely adored it.

I liked all the characters, though there were some perspectives that I didn't enjoy reading from. Overall, I think this is a pretty well-written adult fantasy and it has made me want to pick up other books by Tara Sim.

Thanks to Netgalley and HodderStoughton for the e-arc!

The City of Dusk is Tara Sim's first foray into Adult Fantasy and I quite enjoyed this darker take on houses.

In The City of Dusk there are 4 houses. Each house received the power of one of the gods of the 4 realms. There is necromancy, shadow magic, elemental magic and light. While other citizens might have some magic the 4 houses are meant to have been specifically chosen by their Gods. As such each generation there is an heir that comes forward. While they might have the most power, the city and realm is ruled by the king who takes advantage of the willingness of the houses to become his follow-up.

What I appreciated about this book is that the characters from the houses we follow aren't necessarily the most amazing from their houses. One struggles to bring forth all the elemental magic without a musical instrument to help her and the other was shunned by their God during a ritual. All this heir and legacy thing isn't quite as easy or as straight forward as it is foretold.

I also enjoyed seeing how the characters still had, reasonable, good contact with each other. Being of the same age and being in the same boat does create a bond with one another. It was also interesting getting an insight in the houses and lives of each. Taesia as the not heir, her brother being that, has approached a lot of things very differently. Yet she has more of a shadow in her heart than her brother. And yet she was always taking care of the poor of her own choice. It was also interesting to see how the necromancy was being used throughout the city with Risha. What place Nik and his light took up in the city and what happened with his mother. And what was expected from Angelica.

I have seen a lot of others claim that this is a young adult because the characters are young. They are youngish with 18-20 from what I can guess. But that doesn't make it a young adult. The tone is still different from the authors other work that is YA. And even if just the ages had something to do with that it would make this a new adult rather than young adult.

Having said that I do think that it took a while for the book to get going and that some elements certainly took too long to be placed. The pace could have been a bit quicker.

DNF @ 40%

I'm really sad this didn't end up being for me. When a slow paced, character driven story works it really works, and I was hoping that this would turn out to be one of the ones that work. Unfortunately, it was too slow. If you like stories that are straight up no plot just vibes then this might be for you! I did like (most of) the characters, and was interested in seeing how the relationships developed, but it was feeling like a drag to me and I wasn't enjoying my time reading it so it wasn't worth it anymore. If I'd pushed through the whole thing then I probably would've given it 2 stars, maybe 3 if the last quarter was as good as other reviewers are saying it is.

The specific thing that made me decide to stop reading was when the POVs started changing mid chapter, and even multiple times mid scene, with no indication of what had happened, leaving me confused and scrambling to catch up. The first quarter of the book established that the POV changed with each chapter, and then suddenly we're head-hopping in the middle of a fight scene? And then this isn't an isolated incident and the head-hopping keeps happening? No.

For now, I am choosing to DNF this book. I might pick it up again at a later point but I'm simply not connecting with the story or the characters, generally speaking, I am very confused with a lot of things and that's not how I like my fantasy books. The pacing of the book is also so slow, the chapters are enormous, it feels like I read read read and nothing happens.

I might come back and pick this up again, but for now, I'm going to put it down. Also, this book has a feel of YA fantasy for me much more than adult fantasy, but then again I haven't finished it to say it fully.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-arc of The City of Dusk by Tara Sim in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I was very excited to be granted an arc for The City if Dusk, it had been on my anticipated New Adult fantasy list for a while, but I was a little disappointed as it felt more YA than NA.

Despite this, the world building is perfect, it’s dark, it’s magical and it’s got that perfect touch to pull you right in.

However, I really struggled to get into the book, the pacing was weird to pin down, it doesn’t gradually increase, but pitched up and down, which fir me was off-putting.

Overall, the characters like the world are built well, each has a relevant back story, plots within plots, but it became very hard to keep track and I found myself becoming frustrated with gsbing to backtrack to understand…perhaps this is the NA element that my bear of very little brain head didn’t handle well. I will fe honest I struggled with 7 POVs - trying to trace each voice was it’s own challenge.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it required effort and after a long day working, etc I was t really up to the challenge - this says more about me than it does the book. I will definitely be going for a vacation re-read of this one. I suspect a more rested head will process the world, plot and protagonists better.

“You won’t look at me the same,” she whispered.
“I’ve never looked at you the same way twice.”

thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

i really liked the concept of this book: four rival houses who all have different magic powers. the house heirs all have different dynamics. they are friends, lovers and enemies. unfortunately this book has a lot of povs. i believe it’s 7 in total, which resulted in a lot of on-the-surface content when relationships between the characters and also their personalities could’ve been explored deeper.

what i really liked about this book was the casual lgbt representation. some main characters aren’t straight but it doesn’t take away from the plot at all — it’s just part of who they are and not at all their main characteristic, as some lgbt books tend to do. i thought that was really nice and i wish authors did it more instead of making a character’s sexuality their defining point.

there’s also a character who uses they/them pronouns. granted, it was just a character in passing and we don’t really hear from them again, but it was a fresh of breath air nonetheless.

overall, i think this book could’ve been a lot better if it had focused on one or a few characters and really explored their person. instead, you have to really work to see the characters through their own eyes and also through everyone else’s.

i also thought the plot was a bit hazy? i understand the gist of things, but that’s about it.

to end things on a good note, here’s a quote that will make me single-handedly read the second book because i need more of them:

“Kill me,” she whispered in the space between their mouths, “or get out.”

So when I saw this marketed as a queer, gothic, god-filled fantasy I HAD to pick it up because it just sounds so awesome and I was definitely impressed!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
4 Stars

Synopsis: Four Heirs, Four Gods, Four Realms. The Realms are dying, the Gods have withdrawn their favour, and the Heirs are the only ones who could fix it- but at what cost?

CW/TW: Blood/Gore/Hanging mentioned/Death/Murder/Violence/Grief/Self-harm/cannibalism/parental abuse/others may be present.

The City Of Dusk, by Tara Sim is a Queer, Gothic, and Dark fantasy that is rich and imaginative.

Now, The City Of Dusk is a big book – it is a long read with multiple POV’s and a very rich world. I love a good chonky read, and I definitely think this one is worth sticking with and here is why.

The Prose/Writing. Sim’s writing is simply gorgeous – it is complex and rich but not confusing. Sim creates vivid and gripping settings that are detailed and immersive, truly bringing this world to life. From the beautiful to the deadly, every description, every setting, perfectly fit the tone of the story. The book’s pacing fits the story being told well- it is a very character focused story so overall it is quite slow paced book but the twists, turns and action keep you engaged.

The pace is also managed through the multiple POV’s. The main POV’s used are that of Taesia, Risha, Angelica, and Nik – but we also get Julian, Dante and a final mysterious narrator. I really enjoyed all the POV’s in this story, all the voices were distinct, their different perspectives gave us insight into the different Gods/magic and they all worked well to explore the different elements of the story. It also allowed us a lot of insight into this amazing and large cast of characters which meant we really get to connect with them and, therefore, the story.

The Worldbuilding/Magic. The world and magic in this book are so intricately crafted – it is very well done. The world has Four Gods that represent Life, Death, Light, and Dark. The each govern their own Realm. But, the Realms are dying and locked away – people can no longer travel between them. Within the Realm the characters currently occupy the Four noble Houses (Each of which have one of the Gods blood in their family line) are governed by the King. The King has no heirs and so the Houses compete for his favour hoping to be chosen.

The four different houses represent each of the Gods and have the magic of the God which blesses them. Taesia’s magic is that of Shadows, Nik’s of light, Risha’s of Death, and Angelica’s of life (the elements). I loved how we got such an in-depth view of the different types of magic, as well as the diversity within each type of magic. The magic was well balanced throughout the story, having flaws and weaknesses as well as strengths and development. Also FAMILIARS – we get to see shadow and light familiars and they are the best thing. I really loves all the magic, but Taesia and Risha’s had to be my favourite.

Aside from the magic, we also get to see a lot about each of the Gods which was fantastic. We see more of some than others, but we learn a lot about each of them, we get stories and interactions that keep you learning and guessing.

The world was very well crafted with realistic hierarchies and power structures – we get to learn more about citizens of other Realms too which was excellent.

Finally we get Demonic conjurers! Demonic conjurers start appearing and this opens the window for us as readers to learn about another part of this world, magic, corruption and threats. There is so much to this world and the magic that we learn over the course of the story and it continues to intrigue and fascinate.

The Plot/Story. The actual plot is brilliant, clever and interesting. So as the Houses try to gain the King’s favour (some more so than others) demonic conjurers start causing problems in the realm. This poses a threat to the upcoming Godsnight celebration and the Realm, and as the heirs each try to save the Realm they find that there is much more going on than meets the eye.

Sounds amazing right? But there is so much more to the story than this and I wish I could tell you but spoilers! However, I can tell you that Sim writes an amazing story that is absolutely full of twists, turns, secrets and cleverly crafted plots that all slowly come together to create a fantastic story. From the Demonic Conjurers, to the Gods, to the dying Realm, to to the approaching Godsnight – this is truly an epic story. Each POV tackles a different thread of the wider story but they also each have their own personal stories and issues to work through which added depth to the story and characters.

This really is a fantasy you have to read to truly appreciate just how intricate the plot is. OVerall, I really did enjoy this story, I loved the plot each character’s view of it and each of the character’s own personal arcs.

The Characters. The whole cast is queer and each character has a strong and distinct personality. Now, each character is an archetypal fantasy character but they are still very engaging due to coming across as realistic with their flaws a balancing their strengths.

Taesia – one of my favourite MC’s and a user of Shadow magic. Taesia is chaotic, all swords and sarcasm but very witty and truly has good intentions. Risha – another favourite and a user of Necromancy. Risha has a strong sense of responsibility and loyalty but is headstrong and stubborn. Nik is sweet and kind and a user of light magic. He tries to live up to expectations but is weighed down by guilt and is unsure of himself. Angelica is determined and hot-headed, a user of life/elemental magic. She struggles with her magic but is powerful.

All of the characters, including Julian and Dante, as well as the rest of the extensive cast are all excellently written and have strong, memorable personalities that keep you interested and engaged. There are a lot of characters we get to meet, family of the POV characters, friends, colleagues, and other citizens – I really enjoyed meeting the whole cast.

Overall, this is an intricate and engaging fantasy with an excellent magic system and compelling characters.

*I received an eARC from #Netgalley/#Hodder&Stoughton in exchange for an honest review – thank you!*

A kind thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC.

cw: addiction, family member with illness, suicidal thoughts/survival guilt, one quite gory scene that includes eating something people shouldn't eat

The City of Dusk has been a highly anticipated release of mine for a long time. The idea of realms favored by their gods who have their own descendants intrigued me a lot. Also, I'm a sucker for different Houses and relationship dynamics between them. And it's diverse, so I was looking forward to it with a LOT of enthusiasm.

First of all, The City of Dusk is an adult fantasy with adult main characters that explores adult themes. I don't fully understand why it's said that it's a YA. It could be because a lot of upper YA is, in fact, new adult/college adult that is marketed as YA for publishing reasons. But The City of Dusk is adult, and since it's marketed as a dark epic fantasy book, I have to say that I agree with the description. It's dark and it's definitely epic with that page-length 😂 and those POVs and that worldbuilding.

The City of Dusk is an extremely ambitious fantasy. It's clear that the author has put a tremendous amount of thought into everything, which is something I admire. I like it when authors pour everything they have, not only in character development but world-building, as well. Having said that, for me, it was sadly a little too much. I found myself overwhelmed by the details. Some elements were explained a few times, and I was little confused each time. I think the reason why I was so often overwhelmed is because the world-building is very intricate and because of the many POVs. If I had one or two POVs, the ride would have been much smoother. After all, what you see depends on the lens you see it through. In other words, I saw too much with too many lenses.

I am not a fan of stories with more than 2 POVs. I tend to favor a main character, and then I just want to follow them. Taesia is my girl. It's her POV that opens the book, and I liked her from the beginning. She's brutal, yes, but she's constant, she doesn't waver, and she doesn't pretend to be something she's not. She doesn't sugarcoat things. She's a blunt person with secrets and murdering tendencies, but for me, she was the most vibrant. I also liked Risha, our desi necromancer, a lot. She's righteous and logical and responsible, and I found myself relating to her. Probably due to the author's shared background, Risha was the most full-fleshed character. Everything about her and her family were more authentic, more detailed, and just more. But I'm sorry to say I didn't like the other main characters much. There was nothing really wrong with them. I simply didn't get invested in them. Like I said, I tend to favor a MC 😂. Angelica has a void inside her that only worsens in the form of magic addiction, if I can call it that. Nik struggles with being the brother who survived while the elder brother and heir died. Nik was the nice one, you could say. Apart from Taesia and Risha, I liked Julian a lot. I always looked forward to his POV. He's also nice but more realistic in the sense that he not only sees his problems but the world around him, too. However, there are additional POVs, bringing the total to 7. Now you wonder why someone who doesn't like many POVs chose to read this book, but I was intrigued by this story and wanted to give it a shot. Suffice to say, I would have preferred if there was one POV per chapter. There were a lot of chapters where we went from one MC to another in the next paragraph, and given my own preferences, it didn't work for me. Again, this is my opinion.

Plot-wise, we never sat idle. There was always something going on, but I did feel like the pacing was lagging. The story didn't need this page-length to be told, in my opinion, but to each their own.

I'm not sure if this review seems a little daunting. It's not my intention. I truly don't want to discourage readers from reading it. It does have one of the most spectacularly immersive world-buildings I've seen. It's inclusive and despite it being a dark epic fantasy, it does reflect society and history. I was surprised by the society hierarchies and how well they portrayed our reality. You will definitely get invested in one main character, at least. They're very different from each other, after all. And the plot does take very interesting turns in the second half of the book. Lastly, the world is queernorm in the sense that there is LGBTQIA+ representation and no discrimination against it.

If you like 3rd person and multiple POVs, if you enjoy dark epic fantasy, if you seek diverse dark epic fantasy, then this is a great choice for you!

This was a highly anticipated read for me and I was really looking forward to getting stuck in.
This book was full of magic in a well written plot line. As the first of a new series, it definitely sets the bar.
The characters are written in a way that makes them easy to connect/relate with, which I find sometimes authors miss.
Definitely recommend this book and I'll be preordering my copy!

Four stars
This book drew my for the cover what kept me was the world and how expansive it was. The author was able to weave a world that is only going to add to the further books, people claiming it to be too long I feel have not always read much world Built fantasy because the first book is always long for us reader to know how things work. I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book so that I am able to read it again. I must say the maps [yes there are maps] were beautifully draw. I always appreciate a map in fantasy.

The magic was well woven and the characters interactions good the bond they had was good and also drove the book forward there are gods to, we always love bad gods right?

Will I be continuing this series- yes. Will I be interested how the world continues to build absolutely. I cannot wait to find out more because any fantasy world I feel that I need all the information so I can visualise it all.

Thank you for @netgalley and @orbitbooks for allowing me to review this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this eARC of The City of Dusk

I must admit I was excited for this one and was looking forward to reading it. It's pegged as a new adult fantasy, however it's far from New Adult, I would definitely put it in the YA category.
The world building is dark and magical, the pacing however is a little off for me. It starts off well, then slows down and then picks up again. I like my pacing to be consistent. The characters are built up well and they all have a sub plot to the main plot which some plots seemed to be lost after a few chapters.
I do feel like the novel did have potential but the delivery for me wasn't there. This novel is long and drawn out, the pov from 7 different characters also made me struggle to keep up.