ABSOLUTELY PERFECTTTTT. The plot. Political intrigue. Diversity. Lovely and fully fleshed-out characters. Tension. Beautiful writing. Amazing world-building. Slow-paced but every single step is worth it.
3 women of different ages from different part of the world facing their own problems but they're somehow connected, one to another. I enjoyed this better because I've read Priory and it's fun to recognize the future references, how Samantha managed to seam between those books despite separated hundreds of years apart.

I am in shambles. This made me miss Priory so much. Need to reread ASAP.

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Publication date - 28th Feb 23
Publishers - Bloomsbury
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley for the arc

Is there ever been a book that you were so excited to read that you put it off in case it really disappointed you? That was this book for me, I loved the Priory wholeheartedly and I didn’t want to spoil its magic. I shouldn’t have worried though as this book was FANTASTIC! It’s everything a reader wants in a fantasy world and Shannon’s magical writing was out of this stratosphere! I haven’t been feeling great health wise and this book got me through the new year period and I can honestly say that I already know that this book will be in my top ten of the year for sure!

This is a breathtaking and sweeping prequel to the Priory and is a complex and deep novel that looks at the role of faith, politics, love, relationships and more set upon a background of magic and dragons! What more could you want? It is set 500 years before the events in the Priory and I was hooked from the beginning. This is a chunky book and spent a solid two days reading it - totally ignoring my family during a holiday and I don’t regret it. The narrative, the characters, the dragons, the standard and style of writing were first class and I devoured all of it!

This is one of those books which will forever hold a place in my heart!

The setting is 500 years before the event in The Priory and the Orange Tree but don't let this put you off. It can be read as a stand alone. I thought the Priory was fantastic but this book just blew me away. Beautifully written and richly descriptive, masterful story telling and wonderful characters. Another big book but time just flew and I was completely immersed in the story that was unfolding. The lives and loves of this land, and I really can't wait to read more from this very talented author. Loved,loved it!!!!

The first few chapters felt disjointed and confusing, switching regularly between four different realms and casts of multiple characters. Around 10% in, some interesting plot points began to materialise which piqued my interest.
At times, it did feel like the LGBTQ aspects (so deftly played in Priory) were a touch heavy-handed, but I’m an ally, so my only critique is that I noticed it, rather than it feeling woven neatly into the threads of the story, which I would have preferred.
It did take a while to get my head around all of the characters as well as the realms they inhabited. I should say that it’s been a couple of years since I read Priory, and reading the two closer together would probably have made this one less confusing to begin with. The multiple religions also didn’t help.
I enjoyed the story, especially Dumai’s journey and her relationship with Nikeya. Some of the story concerning Canthe was a little more opaque to me, but maybe that’s to do with reading a huge book late at night!
Having finished the book, I felt it was less cohesive overall and lacked the flow of Priory, which I loved.
Most of the main characters in are either in same-sex relationships, are ace or bi, which (whilst the rep is great) felt disproportionate, especially as their societies were so different and widely spread.
As the plague broke out, there were also a lot of references to face coverings and other aspects of COVID and lockdown (like hand washing), that didn’t really add to the story but did firmly mark this as a lockdown book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC.

THE GREATEST PREQUEL EVER WRITTEN.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is easily my favourite fantasy novel ever written so when I found out Samantha Shannon was writing a prequel my excitement was through the roof and let me tell you Shannon has delivered and then some.

This prequel is the only contender for dethroning Priory as my favourite fantasy novel and only time and rereads will tell.

The scope of ADOFN is much greater than Priory and deals with a lot more characters than Priory and we see a lot more dragons in ADOFN.

CHAPTER 43. That’s a chapter that has haunted me since I read it. Absolutely chilling.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book and will recommend the roots of chaos series to everyone I ever talk to about books.

Priory fans buckle up - you’re in for a treat.

Many people have asked what should you read first? Priory or Fallen Night - I would say ADOFN first if you haven’t read Priory, however reading Priory first will make this an easier read as you’ll have world-context.

Congrats Samantha on another stellar fantasy novel.

Thank you a million times over to Bloomsbury for the chance to read early.

A further review upon publication will be published.

If you haven’t read the first book it doesn’t really matter as you will pick up all the characters really easily, plus the author does a great job of explaining the past events.
The blurb is this:
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.

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.

The whole story is really based around strong women. What’s not to like. A real book of passion and adventure. Throughly enjoyable and a real page turner.

The idea of summing up my thoughts on this truly mammoth book into something not only coherent but also spoiler free is a challenge I am not sure my January brain is capable of doing but I will try!
I was one of many people who enjoyed The Priory of the Orange Tree back in 2019 and so was excited to see what this companion/prequel would be like when it was announced.
A Day of Fallen Night reads very similarly to Priory in a lot of ways and I think that is to it's benefit, these truly do feel like two books that come from the same world. Knowing Samantha Shannon's penchant for worldbuilding and lore building that didn't surprise me at all but I was pleased to end the book not feeling as though one was better than another rather that the two were different and that was ok!
I enjoyed flitting about the world following stories that only on occasion intersect, it was an interesting way of doing a multiple POV story where typically the goal of the storyteller is to bring the disparate perspectives together A Day of Fallen Night truly feels like a history of various characters who purely because they are at the forefront of the chaos going on around them happen to have elements of their stories meet. That leads to the story feeling particularly organic and bizarrely true - for a book with dragons.
I also enjoyed the way that these drastically different settings and perspectives kept an 880 page book from feeling like a drag, truly while the ending got a little lost for me I was solidly engaged the entire rest of the time.
I definitely think this is a book worth reading, however long it may take you, like Priory it captures all the amazing wonder of a fantasy world while bringing humanity to the forefront.
My rating: 4.5 stars
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

First of all, I would like to thank Netgalley and Bloomsbury for providing me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! I still cannot believe it!

I loved The Priory of the Orange Tree! The vibes, the aesthetic, the worldbuilding, the characters, the representation… everything was perfect! A Day of Fallen Night is all of that but even more perfect! 880 pages of pure High fantasy prequel to TPOTOT which starts off very slow and gets more and more epic and action packed towards the middle! Every adventure, every journey, every story in the book starts very slowly for you to enjoy the new characters, atmospheres, writing; and I must admit that I was literally enraptured by these beginnings but at the same time it took me a long time to read, but fortunately the Christmas holidays have given me a lot of time to read everything calmly and without haste!

As in the priory, even in ADOFN (from now on we will call the book this way) the story is divided into various POVs which are initially completely separate but which in the course of the story will intertwine to give birth to something unique! Each story is characterized by a geographical place within the huge world created by Shannon, we find some main characters in the North, others in the South, others in the West and others in the East and I appreciated them all very much, unlike the priory in which I had hated some characters (Niclays I'm talking about you)! In this prequel we find 4 protagonists: Tunava, a middle-aged woman sister of the priory. Glorian, the young princess of Inys obscured by the shadow of her parents, the king and queen of Inys. Wulf, a nobleman with a mysterious past. And Dumai, a young woman raised in a temple on a mountain where she has been trying all her life to wake the ancient dragons of the east from their long sleep. And when the Dreadmount explodes, bringing with it an era of terror and violence, these 4 protagonists will have to find the strength to protect humanity from a devastating threat.

LGBTQ+ representation isn't lacking either, actually, the thing I loved about this book is that representation is so present and well-integrated into the story that it blew my mind with joy! If in the priory Ead and Sabran were the only main characters actually belonging to the LGBT community, in ADOFN there are as many as two lesbian main characters with their separate relationships, an aro-ace main character and a bisexual character, not to mention secondary characters in same sex relationship, transsexual and asexual characters! It was really amazing to find so much representation!

As prequel ADOFN still manages to be very interesting, epic and exciting! The various plots and subplots are all very well developed and the ending is something epic and perfectly in line with what happens at the beginning of the priory!

I highly recommend it! It's definitely a complex read, but Samantha Shannon knows how to write these stories, and she does it in the best way! I can't wait to read more books in the Roots of Chaos series! The author mentioned that she is starting work on another book set in this world and I can't wait!!

Ok, confession first- I may have squealed when I was approved for this book! The second novel in the Roots of Chaos series this is a prequel to Priory of the Orange Tree set well before the events in the first novel and showing a course of events that shaped the world for years to come.

This was just as engaging as the first book. Samantha Shannon writes characters beautifully. I love how strong her female characters are and I love the queer representation.

You should read this book!

I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish it before the release date, therefore writing my review now. What I've read so far I found absolutely amazing. The amount of detail put into the creation of a whole new world, the characters that seem to step right off the page, Samantha Shannon has done an incredible job (something I always say about her books, so no surprise here). ADOFN is the kind of book that you want to take your time reading. It is huge! also, which makes the experience even more enjoyable by providing an opportunity to spend extra time in this fantastical world. I'm really glad I have been given a chance to read an early copy! Can't recommend it enough!

A Day of Fallen Night is set 500-years before the events of The Priory of the Orange Tree, but it is not necessary to read TPOTOT before ADOFN. (However, I do think you will get more out of ADOFN if you read TPOTOT first).

The story is told by 4 POV characters:

Glorian, the Crown Princess of Inys, is in the shadow of her mother, Queen Sabran the Ambitious, but finds herself being pushed to step-up.

Dumai is happy in her role as a godsinger on the mountain of Ipyeda in Seiiki, but her life is disturbed by the arrival of a visitor to the mountain.

Wulf is a housecarl in the retinue of the King of Hroth, but is haunted by his mysterious past.

Tunuva, a senior sister of the Priory of the Orange Tree, is content to spend her days in the service of the Mother, however when she witnesses the eruption of the Dreadmount, she realises that she will need to use all her skills to defeat the chaos that is unleashed.

Like TPOTOT, ADOFN is an expansive high-fantasy, with a diverse cast, intricate world building and beautiful writing. The characters are well rounded and interesting and the plot is intriguing and well paced. A number of themes, such as mothers, faith, dreams and duty are threaded throughout the book, and it is interesting to see how they are interwoven between the POVs. At nearly 900 pages it is an intimidating read, but I assure you it is well worth it.

I had one of the best reading experiences with this book. I loved Priory of the Orange Tree, but I loved this even more.

Set roughly 500 years before the events of Priory of the Orange Tree, this story follows a similar format: four narrators navigate different cultures and communities in Shannon's sprawling world.

Glorian, a young princess, struggles with her destiny as Queen of Inys - a role which requires her to govern a queendom, marry and have children. Wulfert Glenn, a young man with mysterious origins, dreams of rising in the ranks from housecarl to knight. Dumai, a mountain-dweller, comes face-to-face with a fate she does not expect and Tunnuva, a grieving mother, must protect the Priory which she serves as tombkeeper.

All of the narrators are rich and layered and Shannon's worldbuilding is top notch. An unexpected theme of this book which I enjoyed - to the point of tears! - was family and parenthood. Against a backdrop of battles and high-stakes political manoeuvres this book manages to hold up the role of a parent for examination from all angles. What makes a good parent? Do we repeat the mistakes our families did? It goes beyond the usual queer found family trope into a wider look at how humans make and care for other humans. I came for the dragons, queens and swords, but I stayed for the really touching examinations of life and heritage itself.

Many have likened Shannon to Tolkein and I'm drawn to the same comparison in Tolkein's desire to create a new mythology. Shannon's ability to take ideas from different cultures, heritages, stories and mythologies and use them to create a whole new world is incredibly elegant. I adore how cultures change and clash against each other. Again, despite it's fantasy leanings, it feels like a very real look at how history moves, and is moved by, people.

I love the fact these are two standalone books so whether you want to read them in publishing order or chronologically in the worlds of the book, both work. Doubtless, you'll find good company in a world of rich setting, intimate characterisation and broader questions about life, history, love and legacy.

Endless thank yous to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the eARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the Earc.

A Day of Fallen Night is an amazing piece of high fantasy with good queer representation.

With 800+ pages, I found myself totally emersed in its world, learning the characters, geography, and politics.

As a reader who wasn't amazed by The Priory of the Orange Tree, I was very pleased to have read its prequel, which I connected more with the characters and plot.

The book itself follows four major characters; Glorian, Tuva, Dumai, and Wulf. Each character grew on me throughout, as i didn't immediately like any of them. Glorian became my favorite, partly because the closeness of my own age to the characters, but mostly the development she undergoes, the choices she makes, and the way her story is spun. Dumai comes in next, a fierce dragon-rider and godsinger who has the mobility to travel the whole world and defend the weak. Overall, I think Dumai has the most interesting ending.

The world building was complex, but definitely worth the time to learn, acting as a major device for the plot, war, and politics.

I really liked the inclusion of dragons, wyverns, and wyrms, each with their own alliances and consciousness, and connections to the humans of the story. The other fantastical animals also added to the story, acting as side characters.

Overall I really enjoyed A Day of Fallen Night with its prophecies and history. Despite its length being intimidating, it is worth the time it takes to read, and with its huge cast, there is a character for anyone.

A Day of Fallen Night is a complex high fantasy and a prequel to The Priory Of The Orange Tree. Don’t worry If you’ve not read The Priory Of The Orange Tree as this one is set roughly 500 years earlier and you don’t need to know what has happened previously, to follow this new adventure.

I must confess I was rather confused throughout most of this book as I struggled to keep the multiple characters straight in my head but once I managed to work out who was who I fell in love with them and the storyline.

Yes, this is a big book and rather slow paced but it’s definitely worth, especially when you get to the last the last 100 pages or so. This is when everything comes together to form this great high fantasy.

There is so much more that I want to say but that would involve spoilers. But, I will say that if you loved The Priory Of The Orange Tree. Then you will love this one too!!!

I will be picking this up again once my finished copy arrives as I have pre-ordered it!!

A massive thank you to Bloomsbury for granting my very first wish on NetGalley!!

My rating: 4.5 stars

Amazon Review
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.

My Review

I spent a while deciding wether to read this first or the Priory of the Orange Tree and decided to start with this book. It was really great complex story with multiple POVs which i loved, a 5 star review from me.

Wow firstly the world-building is brilliant, it has Political intrigue, Court Drama, Religion and DRAGONS!!! (I love dragons in any story). I really loved the characters and each of their points of view, i'm not sure i could pick a favourite they were all that good. The writing and plot is great and kept my adhd brain invested through out. I'm looking forward to starting the Priory of the Orange Tree next.

Samantha Shannon is a master of her craft, and the absolute GOAT when it comes to epic fantasy. I cannot believe the publisher granted my wish for this incredible novel. What a gift!

Priory of the orange tree is my favourite fantasy read ever and I was so excited when word of this prequel got to me and even more excited I got the chance of reading an advanced copy. I’m so pleased to say that this is just as engrossing as Priory, which I’m rereading so I can refresh myself on all the little Easter eggs in ADOFN. The joy of these is they could easily be read in any order. ADOFN has equally lovable characters and beautiful world building as Shannon’s first instalment of the Roots of Chaos world. I hope this second book bring even more fans to this world and Shannon’s books because wow I’m fully on the bandwagon. A must preorder!

Shannon is truly a master of the genre! Atmospheric, engrossing and detailed, with four well-drawn main characters and a deep and meaningful plot. I loved it!

When I first heard this book was in the works, I predicted that it would be THE book of 2023.

Having read it, I know my prediction was accurate. This is a phenomenal book. It is epic fantasy at its finest.

Captivating. Magical. Thrilling. Magnificent. Breathtaking.

If you have read Priory, you will love this prequel. It's fascinating seeing the history from Priory playing out, and you will love these characters as much as Sabran, Ead, and Tané.

If you haven't read Priory (please go do so), you will still love this epic fantasy, and you can read this before Priory.

Samantha Shannon has done it again. Another masterpiece chonk of a book. It's currently my second favourite book of all time, the first being Priory.

This cover?? SO PRETTY.

The book is not one to be read in one go, it took me quite a long time to go through it, practically all of december! Is more than 800 pages, I think I can be forgiven for taking it slowly.

It is a standalone that happens like 500 years before The Priory of the Orange Tree so if you haven't read that one before going into this one.

I was so immersed on the story that the more I read the more I wanted to see these books made into a good tv show. I need to see these people in human form on a screen.

It is a intergenerational story told from different points of views, and queerness is normalised there without making it the core of the story. The writing is sublime and the world building, wow.

In summary, I LOVE IT and I need to get a physical copy on my shelf when it comes out in paperback!