Where do I start with my praise of this prequel to the awesome Priory of the Orange Tree? Well, it's just as awesome. We go back a few generations to the same world, covering East and the West and seeing how each individual story of each character comes together to make a whole picture. We meet Sabran and Ead's ancestors, seeing how a young and weak princess Glorian is forged through bereavement and hardship to become a valiant battle queen who saves her kingdom and her newborn baby from a vicious dragon. In the East we see how a hidden princess Dumai is forced to take her place in the court of her father's Imperial court and become a political animal as well as discovering her own power that is somehow the antithesis of fire magic and her ability to call and ride a water dragon. And in the North we meet Wulf, a lost boy , found in the woods alone and raised by two kindly knights but who finds out he is very much more than that. We visit the Priory's sisters, learning more about the truth of Cleolind and Galian's story and the secret of the power in the tree. This is a story that reaches out and grabs you and yanks you in, holding you spellbound until the very last page. You race through it, trying to savour it and make it go slowly, but you just can't help yourself! It definitely leaves you wanting more!

Wow. This book had high standards to reach (priory was phenomonal) but oh boy did it. Officially a prequel to priory, but more politically complex so i'd recommend reading priory first, as that way you have a sense of whats unfolded in the world.
The multiple POVS are so seemlessly woven together it flows despite its very long length. It doesnt feel longer than priory as the story just immerses you in the world. Stronger love, sapphic and more political intrigue, i;m sold. There wasnt a single pov i didnt like, which is unusual for me, and somehow it clawed even deeper at my emotion. a definete 'add to cart' immediately.

Centuries ago the Nameless One was defeated, pushed back to the Dreadmount and trapped beneath the earth by a fearless warrior. Now, as the warriors of the priory begin to question their purpose and Galian Berethnet comes into her rule in the north, the Dreadmount begins to wake.

A Day of Fallen Night is every inch the sweeping epic of Priory of the Orange Tree. It weaves political intrigue with a real tension and sense of growing dread as the threads of fate around the world begin to bind together. I found it very difficult to put this book down.

As with Priory, the characters have complicated motives and views of their world, revealed slowly in time with the world-building. I was desperately excited to see all their storylines unfold. I also appreciated just how many queer characters there were in this one. Just made me happy in a fundamental way.

An easy five stars for me, and definitely my favourite book of the month.

A Day of Fallen Night is a complex, epic fantasy.

It centres around politics, balance & relationships, primarily those of parents and children.

If you've already read The Priory of the Orange Tree, know that ADOFN is much more political, whilst Priory is more religious.

We also deal with morals, and selflessness, with many more women putting what is good for their people and their children ahead of what is good for them - even if their lives depend on it.

It is no secret that Loth & Kit were two of my favourite characters from TPOTOT, however Wulfert Glenn is now my favourite man within this world, and quite possibly ever written. The representation in this book is glowing, Sapphic characters, bisexuals, Achillean relationships, transgender & nonbinary characters, too!

This book gives us an almost entirely new cast of characters, yet weaves upon many threads initially presented in TPOTOT, with eight points of view ADOFN is more complex,, however their stories entwine in ways I didn't invision necessarily possible.

At the centre of this book are themes we first met in Priory; of regency, court, marriage, land - who owns it, and who rules it, where it came from and how it comes to be now, however at its heart, it is about Love; for people, for children, for parents, for land, for creatures.

Love - Above, below, between & within.

Thank you, Bloomsbury, Netgalley & Samantha Shannon for this true Epic. I do not know how I will wait several years for the next instalment in the Roots of Chaos, but I know it will certainly be worth the wait.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is one of my favourite books of all time, and really the book that began my love of the Adult Fantasy genre. Because of this my expectations and anticipation for A Day of Fallen Night were extremely high. Somehow it did not disappoint, this novel is an incredible standalone that perfectly expands on the world established in its sequel.

A Day of Fallen Night is a vast and complex story told over 4 years and through the eyes of 4 characters. Samantha Shannon made me love all of these characters, their stories were engrossing and I love Shannon’s ability to write characters which are forced into poor decisions yet still make sense for their place in the narrative and the setting of the novel. I cried for these characters as I saw them struggle through the unforgiving situations they found themselves in and longed for them to find their resolutions.

As a prequel to Priory I was surprised by how different these novels felt, both are masterful in their execution, exploring similar themes of love, grief, motherhood, religion, and family; however A Day of Fallen Night fittingly contrasts the others with what feels like a much more bleak and harsh read that is tough to get through purely based on the strife we see placed on the characters.

It amazes me how much is packed into a single novel here, with the first 20% being a slow introduction but beyond that point the plot is non-stop full of twists and emotional moments.
I wish I could spend forever with these characters, but I am so glad that we get to spend more time in this world. It will always mean so much to me!

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and Samantha for letting me read this ebook early as an ARC.

Another stunning story, amazing world building, likeable characters.

I enjoyed this a little more than priory! I found it a little easier to follow. Her writing style is unique and many people don't pull me in like she does.

My only complaint is how big it is, like Priory, it's a BIG book and I feel it could have been broken down into 2 books.

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury Publishing for accepting my request and letting my read an e-arc of this amazing book. There are no words to describe how much I love this book and the world that Samantha Shannon has created. The world building is so incredible and intense, but you don’t lose any of the exceptional character building either. Shannon paints such a extraordinary world that you cannot help but lose oneself in this epic fantasy of dragons and wyrms, destiny and romance, legends and magic. But yet while the book centres around their world being threatened, you cannot help but fall in love with the characters and their own individual fights to save all that they love. It was all to easy to lose myself in this book, even though the page size was daunting! This book had so much to live up to, in comparison to its predecessor, and yet it lived up to it and more. I can’t wait to read anything else that Shannon writes!!!

I squealed when my NetGalley request for this title was approved and after reading I am insanely grateful that I was. Like most of Samantha Shannon’s readers I have been anxiously awaiting a return to the world of the Priory!
The work and care that Samantha Shannon put into the book shines through on each and every page. Throughout the book I felt emotionally attached to all of the characters to the point that I laughed and cried alongside them. I must have looked ridiculous in public audibly gasping whilst reading this, or nearly crying on the train home. I haven’t felt so emotionally tangled by a book in such a long time.
I cannot wait until the physical edition is published so that I can follow along the character’s travels using the map. It was quite hard to keep up with where they were going and where they’d been with the text alone. But who doesn’t love a map in the front of the book?
As long as this book is, I wish it had been longer. When I finished I had a serious book hangover and had to take a break from reading for a few days just to mourn the narrative being over and the character stories done. As always, if Samantha Shannon writes a sequel or even another prequel I will be excited to delve back into the world of dragons.

Samantha Shannon is such an amazing writer, so I had high hopes for this book. It did not disappoint. Such an incredible story and so we'll written. Highly recommended

"I will make you proud. I am afraid. I love you, even if I do not think you love me half as much. I will never treat my daughter the way you have treated me."

This masterpiece had me crying tears of joy and sorrow, I don't think I've ever struggled so much to collect my thoughts after finishing a book. Since there's so many things I loved about it, I'll divide this review into sections in an effort to create some semblance of coherence.

First of all, the characters!! Words cannot describe how much I loved the protagonists of this book, but numbers can. Infinite out of ten. It was so refreshing to see mature women be given a main role instead of being relegated to "mother of the protagonist" or "town baker" (which are perfectly respectable things to be, but they shouldn't be a character's single defining characteristic). The dynamic between Esbar and Tunuva, two people who love each other and have had more than enough time to figure out the workings of a healthy relationship in which there is still room for disagreement, is probably one of my new favorite romances of all time. Glorian owned my heart from the moment she was presented (and what a mother-daughter relationship hers was!), and so did Dumai. Their ability to handle the terrible hardships the world expects them to go through with a straight face is honestly heartbreaking but at the same time it made me want to better myself and make my own contribution to humanity. And Wulf, poor Wulf, always trying to figure out why he is the way he is, and why it's so hard to just be normal. Even the characters I didn't like as people were amazing characters. Canthe gave me terrible vibes from the beginning (I was pretty sure I knew who she was, having read Priory) and yet I still managed to sympathise with her at times. And the way Shannon manages to drag out the tension with Canthe's backstory and motivations throughout such a long story, without losing the reader's attention? Absolutely masterful.

All this is to say, this book is full of deeply human characters. It's an epic fantasy story, yes, but the characters are not perfect, unreachable heroes. They're "regular" people, with responsibilities they don't always feel like handling, and complicated, conflicting feelings, making hard choices because their world pushes them to do so. They live through unspeakable pain (unwanted pregnancies, miscarriages, loss of loved ones) and yet they choose to pick themselves up every day, because there is no other way than forward. However, unlike many people nowadays, they know you cannot do it all alone, they let themselves be vulnerable and they let others help them, and I think that's beautiful. The way love and relationships with other humans are handled in this book, with a focus on family (which isn't always blood), is incredibly wholesome.

The worldbuilding! The world of Priory becomes, if possible, even more complicated in this book. We're introduced to countries with different cultures, religions, climates, and forms of government. And every one of them feels incredibly real, the increase in quantity does not at all imply a decrease in quality. At some points I felt I could just pack my bags and go visit certain places, I suspect it might even be possible to figure out the appropriate clothing to blend in. However, my absolutely favorite aspect of this world is the magic. I love it when magic has limits for the users (both on the "good" and "evil" side), and the system here is incredibly satisfying. I'd be content just reading an in-world encyclopaedia on how the characters think their own powers work (Samantha, if you're reading this I beg you, please get us Canthe explaining all her mysterious abilities).

Of course, the story itself is nothing to scoff at. All the little threads that fit together, the pieces that suddenly fall into place when you get a new bit of information. How the author manages to keep it all straight is a mystery to me. Books like this make me incredibly thankful to whoever came up with the idea to put little glossaries or character lists at the end of books.

And I cannot end this review without mentioning Shannon's writing. It's so lyrical and full of both heartwarming and heartbreaking quotes that hit so hard. I felt really connected to this world and its characters and a big part of why is the writing. Almost like reading an epic poem, especially in the beginning when we're still being introduced to everything.

All in all, in case it wasn't clear yet, I absolutely recommend this book. It's the fresh take on fantasy we didn't know we wanted but we deserved all this time, it's gorgeous, it's got the found family, it's got the horrifying harshness of life, it's got the hope in humanity. What more could I ask? The only correct answer is more of this world. Run, don't walk, to get this book. Even if you haven't read The Priory of the Orange Tree, this works as a standalone, so take your pick at whichever one you'd like to tackle first.

Infinite thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The most amazing prequel. Samantha Shannon is such a talented author. Truly addictive I couldn’t put it down, I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

A Day of Fallen Night is set 500 years before The Priory of the Orange Tree, covering four years, through four different countries. While there was only four principle narrators, the book contains a whole host of characters that can feel a little overwhelming in the beginning. However, seeing how all these characters connect together, as well as connect to the characters we have grown to love from A Priory of the Orange Tree is incredible.

The events from this novel really helps to shape the future we read about in The Priory of the Orange Tree, which was really fascinating to read and connects the two books together wonderfully, despite the big time gap.

The power given to women within this world is so refreshing and heartwarming. They are all strong and courageous, even when faced with great adversity and many trials.

Samantha Shannon is a masterful writer, with soaring words and cliffhanger chapter endings which just made it unable to stop reading. She is a storytelling genius, and I cannot wait to see where she takes us next within this world shes created.

"So be it, Shieldheart. Treasure your darkness, for the fire comes. Until then, a taste of our flame, to light your city through the winter. Heed my words."

This book. I was already hooked since POTOT, but this one... wow. Where do I even begin?

A Day of Fallen Night is everything you've been waiting for, and everything you haven't, since Priory of the Orange Tree. We see the story through the eyes of our four main characters: Glorian, Wulf, Tuva and Dumai. Each of them has an incredibly captivating story to tell - and seeing their perspective of the Grief of Ages in the various spots of the world takes my breath away. It's one thing to hear about the Grief of Ages in POTOT but to be there for it in ADOFN? Be prepared.

I think I was able to enjoy this book more since I already had the basic knowledge of the world (and some spoilers as to what happens in the future). It also helped me predict some things that wouldn't have been obvious if I hadn't read POTOT. Nonetheless, this books holds its ground as a standalone and if you read POTOT afterwards (which I will be doing) you'll be able to point to make some of the same predictions I did for this one.

As per usual, Samantha Shannon's writing is astonishingly beautiful and the story flows naturally - I wasn't bored for one second of it. Shannon weaves the story in a queernorm world, ruled by feminism, and no matter how wrong they've got the story, I will accept any Queendom I see. The most relevant aspect of the writing for me in ADOFN was the way Shannon described the places we have not yet seen in the priory-world - I could imagine myself there, in the scene, with those dragons, or in that snow, or in that fire...

As for the characters... I loved all of them differently. I loved seeing Tuva's story develop and I loved how she told us little things about her past, especially things regarding Esbar. I loved seeing an old sapphic couple in a established and stable relationship. They were so happy. It made me happy. Most of all, I love how their love doesn't get between them when they're fighting. And there was a lot of fighting in this book - which was one of my main 'complains' in POTOT, that we didn't have enough fighting with wyrms, which we now have plenty of in ADOFN. And every single one of those fight scenes is worth it and epic.

I loved all the intrigue surrounding Wulf (even though I could guess how it would unveil) and I loved seeing his journey throughout the world and with his lith... I loved seeing him reuniting with his families and I absolutely loved to see one of his friendships bloom at the end of the book. I also liked the mention to his and Glorian's friendship, though I would have liked to see more moments with them (even though I understand why that's not possible). I also adored watching his love story unfold. I see some similarities between him and Ead.

Dumai was exciting to read every second of the book. She was always doing something, something exciting was always happening to her, she was always happening and she has a dragon? How could she possibly be boring? Her friendship with Kanifa and the way they stuck together warmed my heart... Oh and, of course, can't miss the enemies-to-lovers storyline. I'll admit, it wasn't my favourite storyline starting out (and for a moment I kind of wished they didn't end up together) but as the story went on, I found myself really rooting for them. Some moments between them are my favourite out of the entire book.

Now, Glorian. Glorian was by far my favourite character. I could see the aroace representation from a mile away and I am incredibly lacking those in the fantasy genre - Glorian expressing her feelings towards romance and sex really were a joy to read on the page. Other than that, I think she has the most character development - she starts out as a teenager afraid of doing the duties she knows are expected of her and she relies on her father so much. Throughout the book, she doesn't really "gets over it", but she comes to terms with it and she performs her duty (while giving us some of the most powerful scenes in the whole book - the hair scene had me speechless, I reread that about five times) and then shines as a brilliant warrior. In POTOT, she's known as the best Queen of Inys - the one who drove into battle with her newborn... which she did. And it was epic.

Overall, ADOFN lived up to my expectations. It was a bit more political, but it also had more wyrm fighting and traveling. It showed us a bit more of the priory world and gave us a bit more insight to its history - like the Mulberry Queen. There are also quite a few easter eggs and familiar names for those who've read POTOT beforehand.

I recommend this book immensely - I think it's one of the best fantasy books out in recent years, and I can't have enough of it. I can now only think of how long I'll have to wait for the third book, which hopefully brings us the story of three other women...

"Mother, be still. We are your daughters. We remember. We remain."

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is a prequel to the wildly popular The Priory of the Orange Tree. This, naturally, will lead to comparisons. I loved Priory and felt it deserved the five stars I gave it, but that doesn’t mean I thought it was a perfect book. There were pacing issues, especially in the final third, and it suffered from a lack of complexity. With regards to both of these issues, A Day of Fallen Night represents a marked improvement in Samantha Shannon’s writing.

The events of this book cover the period of fictional history known as The Grief of Ages, taking place approximately 500 years before the events of The Priory of the Orange Tree. Naturally, the characters we know from that book have yet to be born, but we spend time with their ancestors, and other characters who were mentioned in the text of Priory and the appendix.

If you have read The Priory of the Orange Tree and enjoyed it, this book will probably already be on your radar. If you haven’t read it, I’m going to make the perhaps controversial recommendation to not pick it up yet. Read this book first. The events described in this book are important to the history and mythology of the world, and casual references to them in Priory will actually reveal the bones of the story to you in advance. Obviously there is more to any story than the broad strokes, but I feel you will enjoy this book more if you either haven’t read or have forgotten the finer details revealed in Priory.

Much like Priory, this story is structured with shifting POVs spanning the whole world (including North this time.) The characters give us a range of perspectives: Eastern and Western royalty, Southern mage, and Northern knight. As with Priory, the connections between these POV characters are gradually revealed, and they all intertwine to a greater or lesser extent as the story progresses.

The plot is more complex this time around, with more focus on the politics of each nation, including commentary on the way women have historically been treated in dynastic marriages (I’m sure the real world parallels about forced birth and women’s control over their own bodies will not be lost on anyone reading this when it comes out in 2023.) There is also some commentary on those who try to cling on to power at any cost while the world is literally on fire.

With regards to pacing, Shannon has crafted a longer, more complex, and yet tighter story this time around. Some time is glossed over in the final quarter, but overall I think she got the balance right.

“But what about the romance?” I hear you cry. If you’re anything like me, the slow burn sapphic love story in Priory was your favourite thing about it. I think it’s a testament to the strength of the rest of the story that the two (count ‘em) sapphic romances in this book weren’t my favourite part of the story, but I still loved them. I won’t spoil which characters are involved, it’ll be more fun for you to find out for yourself, but both romances have an arc and are extremely satisfying. And let me say, the sheer amount of queer representation in this book is absolutely epic.

Overall, I enjoyed this book hugely. I even gave up sleep to keep reading it, which is a big deal for me. It’s a chonky beast (even longer than Priory) but very much worth it.

A Day of Fallen Night will release on February 28th 2023.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This book is masterful. It starts with an almost folktale/myth style, you almost feel like you are learning about people in history. It slowly evolves into the more personal POV chapters like in the Priory, I found it a really unique way of being introduced to characters, lending to a closer understanding of them as the book progresses.

This book has a slow, but glorious set up. Showing history and world building that runs incredibly deep. From Democracies to Empires to Queendoms. Samantha Shannon sews us a vast tapestry, one so wide that as its forming before your eyes you struggle to see how it really is all connected. Slowly we see clues and connections. Lineages and loyalties. When action comes, it comes fast. Each POV covers so many aspects, each character is so unique. There's so much representation, representation that we have needed for so long. It shows pregnancy and miscarriage. Menopause and endometriosis. A Broad range of personalities with an even broader range of identities. There’s grimness and battles as well as love and friendship.

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon.

Thank you Netgallery and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for an e-book arc for an unbiased review.

Where to even begin!
Anyone who knows me will say The Priory of the Orange Tree is firmly in my top 5 books of all time. And that has The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in 1st & 2nd spot respectively.

So ADOFN had a lot to live up to. Did it succeed?

Absolutely. In fact, I would say some of the minor niggles I had with Priory weren't in ADOFN. Not only was I blown away by the scope of the book, but also, despite its size, how I suddenly realised I was completely immersed in that world. That I didn't even realise how quickly those pages were flying past until I was nearly at the end.

This felt like a book that was smoother, more solid as a whole than Priory. It obviously was a different era, a different dynamic overall, and while it brought elements of Priory, it very much stands on its own.
Like Priory, we have political intrigue, we have religious factions, we have family dynamics, and of course dragons, and they all interplay into a gorgeous story.
We have three women at the heart of it all, with side characters that don't detract from them, but actually help further their stories.
We have queer characters, and the thing I loved the most was, it was just there. It wasn't something that was heavily announced or used to titillate. It was simply a part of who people were. It felt absolutely right for the story as a whole, as while it isn't necessarily needed for the overall plotline, it is still core to parts of the story.
This book has storytelling that is masterful. Despite a quite intricate plotline, I never felt I was losing threads - which for a book this size is a testament to how well this is written. Samantha skillfully navigates what could become laborious for the reader.
This tome of a book truly is deserving of all the praise I've seen for it so far. What Priory brought, ADOFN has elevated it. You need tissues because you will cry. And possibly scream. But you'll also laugh, and have joyous moments.
The Roots of Chaos series has a worthy second book.
It is infinitely gorgeous, has a book cover that is delicious, and left me feeling breathless as I read the final word.

A epic fantasy novel that deserves all the plaudits. I feel my review cannot do it justice. Release day cannot come soon enough.
5/5 stars 🌟 and if I could add more, I would.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for a review!

When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror, plague and unimaginable conflict, three women on different sides of the world struggle to save all they love.

As soon as I saw a prequel to A Priory of the Orange Tree was in the works, I was desperate to get my hands on a copy. The page count on this was just as formidable as previously, but I knew the skill in which Samantha Shanon is able to weave character, plot, culture and love into a wonderfully gripping story, and, like before, I was not disappointed.

I think I would have wanted a bit more adventure as I was used to in A Priory of the Orange Tree, full of questing. But I have to confess, this is a new series with new characters so this is a really minor itch.

This a story of family, friendships, but above all duty. It is raw, heart-breaking and full of feministic discourse which will at times make your blood boil and weep for injustice, but also have you grinning and thinking ‘that’s one powerful woman’.
But there’s also women who are capable and strong and willing to do what is necessary regardless of others views.

“But a warrior possesses her own body. Inys has mine.”

‘They saw her body as another document to
sign.’

‘I need the Virtues Council to stop looking at me as a womb - a jar, created to be filled.
They will not let me fight alongside the people until I yield the fruit. It must be done, else I will not be free. I will not be able to choose my own fate. Can you imagine what that's like - to be seen only for the life you could make, not the life you already possess?'

Full disclosure- I have read the other book in the series but I can remember nothing from it. Other then that I liked it.

This is an epic fantasy. Although it’s got a large page count the plot got me turning the pages quickly. I appreciated the glossaries at the back of the book.

Priory of the Orange Tree was an epic fantasy and once again Samantha Shannon has done it again, the world making and storyline was magical. I could not put this down, it was an excellent story and I cannot express how much I recommend it!

Samantha Shannon has done it again and blown me away with her beautiful, sapphic, queer, high fantasy! Put simply, this prequel highly exceeds the level of its history predecessor, The Priory of The Orange Tree! A must read for any lover of this world.

The prequel is broken into four parts and an epilogue. Whilst reading, I jotted down my thoughts after each part and below I will share some.

Part 1 -

Part one consists of a lot of character/world building, as is expected at the start of a large high fantasy novel. We are introduced to our new (or should I say old) age of protagonists. The pace is fairly slow, however picks up towards the end of the first part, with excitement building throughout and leaves the reader eager for part two by the end.

Part 2 -

The second part of the book is also fairly slow paced. Samantha Shannon has cleverly progressed the story at an almost tiresome pace, only to do a complete 180 and leave the reader with a sense of disarray and astonishment at the end of chapter 40.


Part 3 -

When I got to chapter 54 (a little over halfway), a theory I had at the beginning of the book was proven to be correct, so I was left feeling very accomplished.

This part was an absolute rollercoaster. In contrast to the slower paced world/character building in the first half of this book, part three is where we see everything start to cleverly link together. You can guarantee that this part will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time, with every single chapter jam packed with action! Part three is definitely my favourite section of the book.

Part 4 -

Yet another action packed part of the book. While slower paced than its previous part, Shannon cleverly builds tension, changing point of view just at the right time. This leaves the reader longing for more, making them charge through the chapters to reunite with their favourite POV. I found myself powering through the second half of this book at lightning speed and could not put it down!

Epilogue -

Shannon splendidly wraps up the book, with each character having their own section in the epilogue. These chapters give the reader the closure they crave and left me feeling so fulfilled and warm inside.

Shannon has eloquently woven in the origins of the world as we know it in TPOTOT within ADOFN, leaving the reader feeling fulfilled and wiser. I often found myself audibly ‘ahh’ ing as I connected the two books and was left in amazement at how well planned out Samantha Shannon’s writing is.

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to read this book prior to release and cannot wait for everybody else to get their hands on this masterpiece!

‘A flower in a world of ash is proof that life endures.’