Firstly I wanted to thank Bloomsbury and NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book! Priory is one of my favourite books of all time and I never dreamed I’d be able to review A Day of Fallen Night and I’m so thrilled and thankful! This book came to me during a difficult time in my life and helped me get through it. So thank you! I’ve taken a while to post this review and sat on at least five different versions of it (one being several pages long and full of spoilers) because words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this book. And honestly I went into it not expecting to enjoy it as much as Priory because I connected so hard with Ead as a character. But gosh. ADOFN really proved that lightning can strike twice. Samantha Shannon has done it again and destroyed me heart and soul.

I’m in awe of Shannon’s ability to create the most beautiful feminist fantasy universe I’ve ever experienced. I’ve searched high and low for others that could compare and nothing lands quite as beautifully as the Roots of Chaos cycle. I’ve never felt so seen by a book series than I have with this one and I literally cannot stop gushing about it to anyone who will listen to me. The relationships between multiple female characters fill me with so much joy and hope for media going forward, I wish everything could treat women and our relationships the way this series does. From romance and friendships to the way Shannon casually describes periods and female desire, it’s honestly groundbreaking. There are other things I could mention regarding pregnancy and the reclaiming of women’s bodies after such, but I fear that’s venturing far too much into spoiler territory. But Shannon handles these things carefully, beautifully, in a way that hurts but makes you feel validated at the same time.

There are eight different narrators in ADOFN and each of them was a blessing. Sometimes with split narratives in books I often find myself desperate to get to one specific part of the book and frustrated with the in between, but this is never the case in A Day of Fallen Night. Each narrative is so rich and complex with varied characters each with a unique story themselves. While I personally found Tunuva to be my favourite of the narrators in the same way Ead was in Priory, I adored the others equally as much. When I say I wept for every single character in this book I mean it. Tunuva, Glorian, Wulf and Dumai all made my heart ache in the best possible way and I could read 2000 more pages about their journeys right now.

Each different narrative perspective explored a new taste of the world and built upon the lore previously established in Priory and made the world feel so huge and beautiful I often found myself referring to the maps in Priory so I could map out the travels of each character in my brain and fill in the blanks. Some of the descriptive writing Shannon uses to describe new countries and cities is just mind bogglingly beautiful. She really paints so many gorgeous pictures of wildly different cities in this book that it blows my mind. Also shout out to the food descriptions for making me want to try food my brain can’t even fathom.

I loved learning about the North with Wulf and Glorian and both of their different relationships with Hróth. I loved the chieftains and Bardholt and Einlek and (most of) Wulf’s lith. Bardholt’s relationship with his daughter made me tear up several times purely in regards to how soft and gentle and kind he was with her. It’s so refreshing to see such a battle hardened warrior be so gentle and full of love. I loved learning more about the East with Dumai; I loved her travels and the conflict within her. I could read a book based on every different setting in the East on how beautiful the descriptions are and how interesting the minor characters in said settings were alone. I loved the intricacies of the Eastern court and the will they won’t they painful slow burn enemies to lovers relationship between Dumai and Nikeya. But god I loved it. Inys. Which I felt I knew so well from Priory was also further expanded upon with Glorian’s story. Her travels throughout Inys along with her desperation to save her people and the inner conflict she faced from carrying the entire Berethnet line really was an emotional journey. And lastly the South. Perhaps I am a little biased with my love of Ead and Tunuva but gosh the Priory itself was expanded upon in the best way. It was just nice to hang out there with different characters and learn more about how it works. I was surprised I actually forgot quite a bit of the Priory lore regarding a Certain Character that pops up in Tunuva’s story and gosh I’m actually glad I did because it made some of the reveals where I pieced things back together and remembered Priory even more shocking. I loved it. Sometimes I felt like screaming at the pages but I loved it.

There are revelations in this book that have my mind racing thinking of what Shannon could do next and I could not be more excited if I tried. This book made me feel things I hadn’t felt since Priory and I’m so utterly thrilled by it. I could not recommend this book more. If you loved Priory you are going to love A Day of Fallen Night. It truly is wonderful and I’m going to reread Priory with a new perspective immediately!

It would take a miracle for a Samantha Shannon book to not impress me - her characters and world building are always so deftly drawn that I am consistently impressed and in awe of her work. A Day of Fallen Night was no different - I was completely and utterly spellbound. It had everything I could ever have wanted in a book. I think I'm still in shock.

Priory of the Orange Tree is one of my all time favourite fantasies, and this prequel recaptured so much of the magic of it - fantastic world building and characters you just fall in love with. Incredible battle scenes, wonderful romances and intriguing political machinations, the author has done it again and I cannot wait for the next Roots of Chaos story!

"Mother, we are your daughters. We remember. We remain."

A Day of Fallen Night is a standalone prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree set 500 years before, during the Grief of Ages.

Samantha Shannon has once again produced an absolutely masterful piece of political, feminist fantasy. I adored being back in the world I fell in love with 2 years earlier. The worldbuilding in this book is top tier and the descriptions of the different realms are so expansive and beautifully crafted.

There's a total of 8 narrative voices in A Day of Fallen Night with the majority of the book being narrated by 4 of them. We have Dumai in the East, a godsinger at the High Temple of Kwiriki in Seiiki and raised on Mount Ipyeda. We have Glorian in the West, heir to the Queendom of Inys and daughter of Sabran VI of Inys and Bardholt I of Hróth. We have Wulf in the North, housecarl to Bardholt, raised by his adoptive parents in the West, the Barons Glenn of Langarth. Last but not least we have Tunuva in the South, an initiate of the Priory of the Orange Tree and tomb keeper, guardian of the remains of Cleolind.

I loved being in all of these characters heads and they all have such intricate, complex backstories and relationships. Shannon is brilliant at telling multigenerational stories, including characters with so many different life experiences.

Within this book, there are also incredibly real and hard hitting conversations around motherhood and the value it holds, as well as the inner conflict that can come with it. Whilst this theme is most prominent in the West because of the importance of the Berethnet line, we see this in other parts of the world too, like with Tunuva and Dumai. Ultimately this is a story rooted in mothers and daughters, a story which is exceptionally told.

Samantha Shannon always does casual queer representation best and it's so lovely to see. With the amount of times I've been reading a book and just thought "let the gays be happy damn it!", A Day of Fallen Night was exactly what I needed.

What made A Day of Fallen Night so compelling to me was how the running themes of religion shaped the history and politics of the world and how it can be used as a tool for power. This was also present in The Priory of the Orange Tree and I'm glad this book expanded on it further. This additionally highlighted how the fear of the unknown and a closed off mind can impact and mold political decisions and individuals' behaviour towards others.

A Day of Fallen Night made me laugh, sob, punch the sofa, and silently scream. This is a wonderful addition to The Roots of Chaos series and I am SO excited for future books set in this world.

The ichneumons are adorable, the dragon battles are everything, there's enemies to lovers, two kinds of magic, beautiful settings, whispers of a witch, queendoms and so much more.

I highly, HIGHLY, recommend this book.

I feel as if I never quite have the words to describe Samantha Shannon's novels. The way she toys with your heart on every page, drawing you into the fantastic world she creates. Despite the huge cast of characters you are never lost, as Shannon expertly leads you in this epic.
Shannon also has a habit of creating some beautiful antagonists, some you love to hate, and some you find yourselves wrapped in love for before you even knew it.
I wish every book I read was a Samantha Shannon, and I definitely hope there will be more books from this world, because I would do anything to back again!

First and foremost, I want to thank Bloomsburry and NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book. A Day of Fallen Night was my most anticipated release of 2023, and to read it months before its release was such a surreal experience and I´ll forever be grateful for it.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 & 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬: High fantasy, standalone prequel, incredibly diverse characters, LGBTG+ representation, established sapphic relationships, sapphic enemies to lovers, bisexual friends to lovers, wyrms & dragons, giant mongooses, two kinds of magic

𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
My first initial thought after finishing this ARC was that Samantha Shannon is truly a blessing to the fantasy genre and we should be in awe of her work.
For me, A Day of Fallen Night was carried by three fundamental pillars: The Worldbuilding, The Inweaving of the plotlines and The Women & Diversity.
Samamtha Shannon has such an incredible talent when it comes to creating a world with so much depth, detail and variety in landscapes, culture, aesthetic, and history, that made reading A Day of Fallen Night as well as The Priory of the Orange Tree like spending night after night in an ancient library, studying old, dusty texts of the world we get to enter in these books.
And to see even more of this world in A Day of Fallen Night was a treasure to be granted. Once again, whenever I opened this book, I just got swept away into this incredibly vivid world. No matter if it was by the smells and sounds of the different places or kingdoms, the burning heat of the deserts in the South or unbearable cold of the different cities in the North or on top of Mount Ipyeda, the texture and style of the garments worn by Glorian, Wulf, Tunuva, Esbar, Dumai and Nikeya or the feel of the dragon scales or the fur of the ichneumons.
The intricacy and beauty of how Samantha Shannon, wove together the multiple plotlines and point of views of this book once again just left me in awe and at a loss for words. Not only do Glorian, Wulf, Tunuva and Dumai have their own individual story arches full of emotions, suspense as well as rich and vivid details, but they all eventually meet at one defining point which simply makes this book impossible to put down, because with every page you turn you are desperately wanting to know how the story continues.
Lastly, this book in particular illustrated so beautifully, that women are simply be the most fearless and forceful beings in this world and our world. In addition to that, A Day of Fallen Night is one of the most inclusive and diverse books I´ve read in a long time and it made me realise how desperately I needed a sapphic enemies to lover’s arch in my life right now.

𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭:
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.
To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.
The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate.
When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.

BOOK REVIEW

A BIG thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the opportunity to read this arc.
This review is spoiler free.
Samantha shannon is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Until this year, I had only read The Priory of the Orange Tree which was almost my book of the year in 2020. I am currently two books into The Bone Season series and am completely hooked. So, it stands to reason that I instantly requested access to an arc copy of A Day of Fallen Night when it appeared on the Netgalley website and I am NOT sorry!
At 875 pages, ADoFN is another epic tale. It has multiple narrators from the East, South, North and West, just as before and obviously features the recurring legends from TPotOT. It is beautifully written and the world building is just as phenomenal. There are dragons, wyverns, wyrms, mighty warriors, epic battles, magic wielders, some romance for the ages and loveable, well-rounded and complex characters who you can’t help but love. What more could you want?
The story is vast and magnificent, spanning generations of history, legend and tradition touching on many important themes including; being true to yourself under familial pressures and those of long standing traditions, relationships, duty,  motherhood and loyalty to friends, family and country. 
If it’s been a while since you read TPotOT, or you decide to read this prequel first, the glossary, early timeline and ‘Persons of the Tale’ sections are very much your friends!
ADoFN in on course to be my book of the year and it hasn’t even been published yet! My copy was pre-ordered before I requested the arc and I can assure you that I have not cancelled it! This is a story that I will treasure and reread again and again. An epic 5/5 ☆

What I loved most about 'The Priory of the Orange Tree' and 'A Day of Fallen Night' was simply falling into the world of 'The Roots of Chaos' series, so in love am I with the mythology that Samantha Shannon has created. Shannon paints such a vivid world that it is simply a joy to lose oneself in this epic fantasy of dragons and wyrms, destiny and romance, legends and magic.

While these books centre around world-threatening invasions of wyrms - bringing chaos, action and that epic-fantasy feeling - these books are really all about the characters. Indeed, there are moments when it is all too easy to forget that the entire world is in peril as one loses oneself in the midst of blossoming romance and friendships. The characters are so loveable and engaging that the endings feel almost abrupt in the fact that you don't get to see all of these characters through to the end of their lives.

In short, '...Fallen Night' had big shoes to fill given the success of its predecessor and it did not disappoint! If anything, I might have ever-so-slightly preferred this follow up, although I would still recommend reading 'The Priory...' first to give the reader a firmer grounding in the world's mythology and history.

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but this book is just as beautiful as the artwork that adorns it!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this before it releases.
This is one of my most anticipated reads of next year! Much like priory it did not disappoint!

Samantha Shannon is the best epic fantasy writer who's currently active. No, she is not a writer who invents or subverts tropes necessarily, she uses the classic fantasy tropes and there's not a lot of surprise or originality there. But her creativity and skill lies in doing exactly what you can expect from a fantasy novel, and doing that extremely well. And that's not easy. Her world building is superb, her characters are great, and it's so great to see that LGBTQIA+ characters exist in this world without the misogyny/homophobia/transphobia that a lot of fantasy novels use as a way of adding 'darkness' to a story. Shannon's world is dark in a much more interesting way, and every author should take note.

All in all, I highly recommend her books to all fantasy fans. It was great to see another (unexpected) book in The Priory of the Orange Tree universe.

A Day of Fallen Night is a true accomplishment of modern epic fantasy, building on the promise shown in Priory. Despite its length and complexity, the short chapters and highly polished prose made it a surprisingly easy read, and, other than the occasional detour here and there, the plot felt focused (if in a very slowburn way). I love all the POV characters, who are distinct, complex, and easy to empathise with, and the relationships they form have a real authenticity to them. The themes of the book are obvious but well-handled in their timeliness: climate change, mass disease, war, intercultural co-operation, and bodily autonomy. Queerness is also embedded in all societies and plotlines, which I love (some particularly affecting ace rep as well as a couple of heartwarming sapphic romances). The only caveat is that this is not an "exciting" book, and my love for it is a quiet and thoughtful respect more than a gushing passion - this book will not be for everyone, and there are still bits which need to sit with me in terms of their execution. But this has to be one of the most mature and meticulous epic fantasy books I've seen, and I can only commend it for that. It elevates its predecessor, and makes me intrigued for a future work which be even better.

A day of fallen night
By Samantha Shannon
Release date 28th February 2023

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @bloomsbury for allowing me to read this book.

Where do I start with this book? The world is built so intricately that it feels like you are immersed in it as you are reading you can see each place, feel it’s heart feel it’s soul. And that is showing how much Samantha Shannon knows her world. We step back into the world of priory to a time before but it does not feel like we are learning again, it feels like we are in the book a lot like I felt with priory.

The characters make you love them sometimes make you want to scream at them but ultimately you want them to be okay, you are rooting for them throughout the book you want them to succeed. You want them to be happy. You need them to be happy.

I adored Wulf in this and his journey is one I felt so compelled to read. He is someone who drew me to him and I was rooting through him the full time.

Sometimes people may see a over 800 page book and go wow that’s too long how will I read it. This book does not feel like that I was eagerly turning the page wanting to know what was going to happen when in two days the book was over and I and I am left with a hole of how much I love this world and I cannot wait to have this book in my hands so that it can be read by me again and again. The world I could dip back into no matter when in the timeline Samantha Shannon feels like doing so because this world is so expansive that the world truly is however much Samantha wants to reveal and if you love political fantasy and you want an expansive world than there is no better than the world of priory because you will struggle to find one.

I cannot wait to hear other peoples thoughts on this book because it was amazing and one that I know many too will love.