Rui is an exorcist in training, who has a goal of avenging her mothers untimely death

Yiran is part of a illustrious family, but he isn't really accepted as he has no magic to speak of

Through a strange accident, the powers are transferred between the two leaving them both feeling a lot of things. Rui cannot exact her revenge without her magic and Yiran finally feels like he could belong... but at what cost

At the same time the city is under attack and Rui must work to get her powers back for this aswell, but again... at what cost

I really enjoyed this book. I love the vibe of the reapers, exorcists and god/godlike figures, but at the heart of it all the relationships between the characters and also their own personal motives and struggles

Can't wait to see where this goes in the sequel

Darker by four is an urban fantasy with strong Chinese influences. For instance, there's the Chinese underworld and a few other myths. I absolutely loved the premise of the story and the Chinese mythology tie-ins. It stared really strong and while i felt there were some ideas being tossed randomly, i really enjoyed the story.

However, the end was a bit rushed and confusing. But I'm hoping to read book 2 because this was a fun reading.

Sadly ,I've had to do a soft dnf for now and come back to the book in the future. I think the writing was very good. Based on what I've read so far I would still recommend this to people I know would love this type of story.,

It was quite alright. The book wasn't exactly there but I could deduce what the author was trying to say. Like I said, alright.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ALC of this book

I listened to this audiobook and I got to 60% of the book before I called it quits, I didn't care about the story nor did I care about the characters and this upsets me because I wanted to like this book but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

I did enjoy the narrator's voice and thought they did a good job of voicing the characters

A very vibrant premise, but unfortunately, it didn't hit the mark for me. Still, I can see it appealing to many readers!

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to this one, I loved the premise of the story and the whole Chinese mythology tie-ins, but unfortunately, it just fell a little bit flat. It started out really strong but as the book progressed it felt more and more rushed, like there were too many ideas trying to be rammed into one book. The ending was super rushed and ended up being a little confusing. I also felt like I couldn’t really connect with the characters.
I just struggled to find the motivation to keep picking this up and therefore it took me ages to get to the end.

Over all - 2.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
4 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the storytelling in Darker By Four and relatable, likable characters,. Loved every single second reading it.

The first two thirds of this book are wonderful. I love the characters and the world that Tan has created and I believe that we all need a person like Zizi in our lives.

The reason I’m giving this a four star review is because of the last third of the book. It had its moments but there were a few things that came out of nowhere which really took me out of the story. And the ending felt a little anticlimactic.

But despite that I am very much looking forward to book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance reader copy.

I found this a little hard to get into initially- I was very interested in the mythology aspect and its influence on the story but feel like that could have been fleshed out more.

I think the book had a few areas that felt like filler which could have been dedicated to world building.

Overall this is a half way book for me, I’m happy I finished it but not sure if I’d pick up any sequels.

Although I had difficulty reading the ARC at first due to formatting issues, I managed to read it with a combination of the ARC and a finished copy for clarification and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were incredibly interesting and I found the storyline to be a very compelling one. I think this is a really fun and unique book and I can’t wait for more by this author, especially if it is in this series. I would definitely recommend it to others!

Unfortunately, I couldn't finish this one. It's boring, and I had a hard time getting into it. The characters had very little depth. Furthermore, the plot isn't interesting. Maybe this book just wasn't for me. Later on, I might give it another try.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-arc.

Sadly, I adored this book right up until the end. I loved the relationship between 'RooRoo' and Zizi and was expecting a reverse Hades and Persephone(where he visited her every so often because of love but also duty) but it ended up being an abrupt cut off. I also feel like the origins of Exorcism was dangled like a carrot and then never followed through.

Firstly I want to point out that the cover is a bit misleading. It gives off middle grade vibes, but I found the book to be more upper YA, which was a pleasant surprise. I can really see the potential for an animated adaptation. It gives me similar vibes to this donghua I like.

Darker by Four is an urban fantasy with Chinese influences. For example, we have the classic red string of fate, and the Chinese underworld, which is new to me. It was a refreshing palate cleanser, as I don't usually read much urban and contemporary, although I've been enjoying more of it lately.

I know I say this a lot, but imperfect and slightly selfish characters really do it for me. Yiran was a broody rich boy with grandpa issues. Rui was also a bit prickly, and combined with a slightly unhinged Zizi, who is my favourite btw, they make an interesting team. There are a few other character POVs, but I'd say these are more the focus in this book. We'll see what the sequel brings.

<spoiler> I enjoyed Rui's and Zizi's dynamic, so it also has my stamp of approval, as far as romance goes. </spoiler>

I really do hope the author gets the support to put out the second book, as I heard they could not do that with their previous one. There is definitely more to the story about revenants. Yiran might be treading dangerous waters, and I'd like to find out what exactly caused Four to leave the underworld.

This was pitched to me as Shadowhunters meets Chinese mythology and yep, this is sure that! I really enjoyed that all the main characters were selfish and had their own motives, and that you sort of liked but also rolled your eyes at them all. I really enjoyed the world building around the Chinese hells too, the mix of traditional and modern, the Easter eggs like Lady Meng, and so on. Looking forward to seeing how it all ties up.

I really loved reading this. It was darker than I was expecting but that only drew me in and kept me fascinated. I loved the characters and how they kept getting drawn together despite their determination to stay unattached. I was surprised by almost all the twists and was hooked on the story the entire time. I loved the darkness and the anime vibes and the mythology, and I especially loved the BTS references. Anytime an author includes kpop references, but especially anytime it's BTS, it just makes me happy.

The audiobook was excellent and the narrator really brought the characters to life for me. I've been avoiding her narrations because I took a dislike to one, but listening at an increased speed apparantly solves whatever issue I had with her so I'll stop avoiding her narrations in future.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Hodderscape for providing an early copy for review.

After a long, long time of on-and-off reading slumps, I read a YA Fantasy book that gripped me. That made me turn page after page in anticipation. The pacing was propulsive and packed with action and tension.

As I start to tell you my thoughts about the book, I want to start talking about the characters first, since that element of the book left the most lasting impression on me.

We follow the story through the POVs of our two main characters, Rui and Yiran.

**Rui**

I was apprehensive at first because “MC who loves to avenge their parents/take revenge from someone” has become so common of a trope and I thought I’d be bored by it. But unexpectedly there were more dimensions to her character than purely revenge. That had to take a back seat due to certain events that happened in the book.

I ended up rooting for her quite quickly in the book, along with another character who is her love interest, But I won’t name him as it would be a spoiler.

**Yiran** initially seems like a spoiled and aimless rich boy. But as we get to know him throughout the story, his character gains more depth who we empathize with. He hungers for approval from his grandfather, the only living authority figure in his life apart from his half-brother.

**SPOILERS-**

As mentioned in the synopsis itself, through some strange circumstances Yiran comes into possession of Rui’s powers, and the way he dealt with the situation took me aback a bit.

Normally I would expect some character who would feel bad about it, would feel uncomfortable with that power, and would be earnest in wanting to give it back, but Yuvraj is just a teenage boy who has been passed over all his life, be it affection or power. He only has superficial things to keep him company.

So when he gets a taste of Rui’s immensely strong magic, he is ready to do anything to hold on to it, even if it means lying through his teeth and trying to get close to Rui.

Even as he is seeming to build a true friendship with Rui and come to find a true friend in her, he can’t help but want to keep that power for himself. That, despite seeming selfish, seemed so right for his character. Because of course, a person who has gone through what he has would act this way. Why would he want to give up something that has finally put him in the spotlight, and gotten him the life and the friends he wanted?

> Rui sank her head into her hands. “All this time I was so sure that Hybrids existed. But now that I know it’s true, why do I feel worse?” Seurin had crouched beside her. Her warm brown eyes were frank and kind. “Because this is how it feels when your elders turn their backs, when institutions fall from grace, when the world moves on even as you’re standing still, when something you believe in turns out to be a lie. Because you’re no longer a child, and you’re realizing the world you live in operates in shades of gray. Sometimes, there isn’t a right or a wrong—there’s only doing the best you can in spite of the odds stacked up against you and forgiving yourself when you fall short.
>

**Ash** was another side character that I didn’t expect to become pivotal to the plot of the story. If you haven’t read the book, Ash Song is the elder brother of Yiran and the grandson of the owner of a very powerful individual. Despite not getting any chapters from his perspective, he’s an incredibly well-fleshed-out character. He’s not just the perfect “golden boy” character that Yiran’s POV makes it seem. The author makes his every appearance of matter.

> “It’s been a difficult day,” Ash finally said.
Both of his hands were gripping the steering wheel, knuckles white. He sighed, the sigh of someone who had seen too much but who was forced to keep his eyes open. How many people had died in front of him? How many people had he failed to save? Yiran didn’t know the ghosts that haunted his half brother.
>

OVERALL TONE AND ATMOSPHERE

Most importantly, the high stakes and life-and-death moments of the plot match the writing style. It’s an immaculate balance. The writing is taut, compulsively readable, and tense.

One of the things that stood out to me the most is, as I mentioned previously, the elements of slightly older kinds of YA books.

It is pretty dark and gruesome, with a lingering sense of dread and urgency with the writing conveyed through the tone of the writing and violent fight scenes. The descriptions of the Underworld, the role of the reapers, and the magic and fantasy events inspired by Chinese mythology were fascinating and quite well done.

I think fans of Fourth Wing who are okay with no explicit smut or central romance in their books will like this story a lot because of the similarities it has with it. There’s a magic school in both of them (but the one in Darker by Four is a lot more believable and sensible in my opinion, while still keeping the high stakes).

I probably am not sounding as excited as I wanted to, because I loved this book. However, I couldn’t review it immediately afterward like I prefer to, so just know that I highly recommend trying this out, as well as other books by June CL. Tan.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This is kind of everything I expect from an YA fantasy. Sure, there were some predictable things but it was fun! Fun writing, fun plot and I LOVED the cast of characters! The only thing that was a bit meh for me was the romance, but im not mad, i just didnt feel anything (as always, lately)
Cant wait for the next one!

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book in ebook format in return for an honest review.

I was drawn in by the cover art and stayed for the story. It was amazing. Exorcists, hungry ghosts known as Revants along side Reapers and Gods count me in!

It took awhile to ger going but once i started it was incrediblely hard to put down.

Rui, Yerian and Zizi are wonderful characters and each have flaws and strengths that bring them to life and give the reader something to identify with.
An amazing read i cant wait to see what happens next!

I absolutely LOVED this book! I was so captivated and I could not put it down. I love pretty much any hodderscape book, so I may be a little biased but OH MY GOD, they sure do know how to pick the best books!