I just love Samantha Shannon’s writing and this one did not disappoint. It took a while for me to get into but I’m glad I stuck with it!

Thank you for the digital ARC.

I have had to take my time formulating my thoughts on this book, because oh. my. goodness. Even though I have not read much fantasy lately, this book was an utterly phenomenal read. Samantha Shannon is an absolute master at world-building, and with this prequel has created an epic story that matches the magnificence of Priory of the Orange Tree in every way. The characters, the story, all of it was action-packed and engrossing, and it was one that I could not stop thinking about days after finishing.

Perhaps it was the nature of this story being a prequel, or the fact that I have not read fantasy in a long time, but I seemed to struggle to get into reading this book. HOWEVER, this is not indicative of my feelings towards this book as a whole. Although I felt that the plot of Priory was engaging from the start this book, which starts as more of a slow-burn, picks up in a massive way about a third of the way in. What I'm saying is- when the sh*t starts to go down, it REALLY goes down and does not stop until you reach the end.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is one of my favorite fantasy books EVER, and a big reason of that is because of the characters. One of my major concerns before reading this book was that the characters and interactions would not live up to Priory, however, I ended up feeling more invested in all of the characters as a whole throughout A Day of Fallen Night. While there were times I preferred some perspectives to others, there were no characters that I actively disliked when it came to reading their point of view. This book featured four different perspectives: Wulf, Glorian, Dumai, and Tunuva.

Wulf ended up being my favorite perspective by a lot. I enjoyed watching him wrestle with his past and the rumors that have followed him since childhood, and there were so many twists and turns involved that I was not expecting. He went through so much throughout the course of the story, and I never wanted his chapters to end. I loved his friendship with Glorian, they were most definitely platonic soulmates and I loved how he was there for her no matter what. His relationship with Thrit was to. die. for. I loved every single one of their interactions, not to mention that Thrit was a marvelous supporting character who was there for Wulf without fail.

Glorian was a wonderfully complex character. Watching her wrestle with her duties as the future queen of Inys was equal parts fascinating and heartbreaking. Her entire being surrounds the importance of her marrying and having an heir so that the Nameless One will not return. This is completely at odds with her nature, as she has no interest in marrying or having children. She was such a badass main character, and even though she remained relatively separate from most of the other perspectives, I would not even be upset when the story switched back to her point of view because she stands so well on her own. Over the course of the book she becomes such a powerful figure, and I was living for every moment of it.

Dumai's story was so fascinating, especially with her unexpected lineage and her connection to the dragons, but was stood out to me was her interactions with Nikeya. The pair had the classic rivals to lovers, forbidden love kind of story that you can't help but root for, and I was absolutely living for the push and pull between the pair as Dumai learns to trust the Lady of Faces.

Tunuva was an unexpected main character for me. A lesser story would have focused instead on Siyu, as she learns to mature and become a more true member of the Priory. I feel like it is not often, especially in fantasy, that an older woman is placed in the spotlight, especially in such a powerful role, and I appreciated this perspective. Tunuva is quietly powerful as a main character. Not only is she a warrior of the Priory (meaning she is a total badass), she is so reserved and level-headed, a perfect contrast to how fiery Esbar is. I loved Tunuva's dedication to protecting Siyu, as well as her journey in relation to her own past and the child she lost.

As with any fantasy book that has a prequel, I know reading order is going to become a hot topic for debate, and I am not sure where I stand. Reading this book having read Priory is a really interesting experience. It is so complicated being so invested in the characters from Virtuedom knowing what I know from Priory, even though their belief system is not their fault because they do not know the truth. Knowing the specifics of the story from Priory, some of the twists did not come as a surprise to me, however I still think I would suggest reading Priory first. It will be really interesting to see how different the reading experience is between those who have read Priory and those that are going in blind. When it comes to the conflicting beliefs between the Priory and Virtuedom, there was one plot line that I absolutely loved, because I go to see how one of the characters reacted when faced with the fact that what they grew up believing was all a lie.

Overall this book surpassed every single one of my expectations. The world and story were massive in scope, and each of the characters stood on their own in unique ways. As with Priory, this book was filled with LGBTQ+ representation that felt wholly natural, with multiple queer main and supporting characters. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you love epic fantasy books with characters that you will fall in love with and an intense story that will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC of one of my most anticipated reads of 2023!

Samantha Shannon is a master wordsmith and storyteller, providing epic tales and stunning world-building, rich characters and heart-and-gut-wrenching twists and turns. A Day of Fallen Night is an incredible addition to the already spectacular Roots of Chaos universe.

How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time. That’s how it feels to consume and further describe this book - it’s large in size and content, following several characters across the world whose stories intertwine in expected and shocking ways. For those of us that read Priory first, we know in general how things turn out but it never takes away from wondering how it happens or what fate will befall these specific characters. The characters are rich and real, evoking deep emotions; hatred, joy, hope, confusion - they feelings are real because the characters feel real.

As she describes the mountains, the sea, the snow….you can almost feel and see them; the tapestries and stonework, the gnarled trees and magical beings - they all seem so lifelike as if you’ll see them outside your window if you only knew where to look.

And the plot - romance, betrayal, heart break, political intrigue, grief, heroism, the power of discovering who you are….Samantha Shannon weaves it all together beautifully to where there is something for everyone, from lovers of magic and battle to those that crave intimacy and politics.

There are few authors that can accomplish what Shannon does - few can write sweeping epic tales that approach 900 pages and keep people’s attention. It speaks to her intelligence, planning, practice, and ability that she’s been able to do it not once, but twice with the Roots of Chaos books (I’ve yet to read Bone Season but they’re on my shelf).

Highly recommend, though readers should make sure they have a wrist support if reading a physical copy!

I can't stop screaming!! I loved this so much! I might have loved this more than Priory!

This was a Big Book. It was intimidating and I put it off for a while. When I got to ~65% I finished it really quickly because I couldn't put it down... I'm considering rereading it right now to go back and catch all the things I missed my first time around!

Parts of this were heartbreaking, parts of this were joyful, parts of this were beautiful and awful and ugly and just amazing. I felt an entire range of emotions throughout this book. I enjoyed all of the perspectives but in different ways (not the case in Priory if I'm entirely honest).

I loved the characters and the world so much. I didn't want this to end! The relationships between characters, the magic, the world, the politics... all amazing and wonderful and beautiful. The complex emotions shown here!!! AHHHH!!! I could scream about this all day. I'm going to let it simmer overnight before I write my goodreads review because I feel like I have so much to say but I don't know how to word it properly and I'm going to explode.

Whoever approved me for this ARC... I love you. I hope you sleep so well every night. This was such a beautiful book. I've already preordered my physical copy and my broken binding special edition. Samantha Shannon is amazing. Please I want 50 more books in this world.

Samantha Shannon does it again! I will never get over how gorgeous her writing is. I grew up reading books full of dragons and it's hard to find a good one these days so the series has a special place in my heart. I cannot wait to see what other stories she has for us

ADOFN was incredible— I love being back in this world I missed so much from Priory

There was political intrigue was immaculate and adjusting the world to be so similar to priory yet different enough with subtle changes to spellings and such, it definitely felt like attention was rightfully paid to the little things!

Each characters POV was so wonderful, I really enjoyed each one and didn’t try to skip to my favorites 😂

There was so much casual queerness, and I love love love a queer normative world. I loved this book and highly recommend

I am still reeling from that absolutely wild ending. I CAN’T BELIEVE it’s done, and that book is closed. I felt like I was hallucinating a movie the whole time—the writing and descriptions were THAT GOOD. Immersive and compelling with character dialogue you can’t stop reading.

My main gripe with Priory was that the ending felt rushed, like everything had to be resolved before the book got too long. (and at nearly 700 pages, the Priory could afford to take a couple more pages for a resolution!) but THIS BOOK. It DID IT. The resolution was amazing, heart-wrenching, beautiful, everything I ever wanted.

The 4 interwoven storylines are not for the faint of heart. Instead of just 3, we have North, South, East, and West, and all of them overlap at different points. The worldbuilding was easier for me to digest (having read Priory) but this cast of characters was extensive! The “Persons of the Tale” was my best friend as I plodded through the first couple of chapters.

The diversity in characters was amazing. There wasn’t a moment where I felt like the women were blurring together, or that all the stories sounded the same. I just LOVE these WOMEN!! Esbar and Tunuva of the Priory, with their steadfast love and admiration for each other. Glorian, young princess of Inys, courageous even in the worst circumstances imaginable, such a badass with a character arc to squeeze my soul. Dumai and Nikeya, on their snowy mountain quests and questionable loyalties. And who could forget Wulfert Glenn?! What a guy.

The dialogue was so well-balanced: carrying exposition when it needed to, and lighthearted when the heavy plot required. The book doesn’t feel long when the plot and dialogue moves along so organically.

I received an EARC Copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was amazing to be back in this fantasy world and get even more information about it and it's history. I loved how we had multiple points of views from each are of the different kingdoms. It really enhanced the story and created such an complex and beautiful story. I also just loved the dragons. Dragons are cool, even when they're evil, they're still cool. I had such a fun time reading this story. Samantha Shannon writes such amazing high fantasy worlds and I highly recommend this book.

I loved this just as much as I loved Priory of the Orange Tree!
It was a perfect prequel.

I really enjoyed that it was set far enough in the past, that I never found myself really comparing it to Priory.
It stands well on it's own even though it's a "prequel".

If you love fantasy, this book is a definite need!

Samantha Shannon has done it again, and I can't say I'm surprised. Priory was and still remains one of my favorite books, so when Shannon announced that she'd be publishing a prequel, I was ecstatic.

I can't tell you how refreshing it is to read an epic, legendary fantasy novel that A. includes women as vital elements of the story and B. doesn't reduce the women to fantastical stereotypes and secondary characters to further the male character's story along. A Day of Fallen Night, along with Priory, is like a breath of fresh air compared to the popular fantasy stories we're being fed by (more often than not) male authors.

At it's core, A Day of Fallen Night is a love story. Shannon takes you on a journey over generations, capturing the magic of 'Priory' while also crafting a breathtakingly beautiful story.

Successfully writing and publishing a unique, epic fantasy in an oversaturated, male dominated genre? Check.
Doing it again a few years later? Check. Check. Check.

Samantha Shannon does it again. I’m so glad she returned to the world of the Priory and gave more insight into The Priory itself, especially before the events we already know from Ead and Sabran. Full of political intrigue and phenomenal worldbuilding.

Complex and epic, stretching across so much geography and individual experiences, this is a worthy follow-up to <i>The Priory of the Orange Tree</i>. It manages to feel familiar to fans of the series without feeling like it's relying on the success of the first one to succeed itself. It stands on its own feet and feels independent but welcoming to returning fans.

This is more politically intricate than the previous tome from Samantha Shannon. I didn't personally prefer this much politics in my fantasy, but I know lots of people who enjoy political machinations and intrigue in their high fantasy so I'm sure it'll be popular for that reason. There's a lot more time spent discussing various kingdoms' relationships with one another and marriage features a lot more in this (at least to my memory of what <i>Priory</i> was like). But don't fret, there's also plenty of action and darkness.

The dragon content doesn't disappoint. It feels like it's scraped from the depths of a volcano with how intimidating and ancient they feel. We get lots of conflict with dragons in this which is satisfying because <i>Priory</i> never felt like quite enough. Samantha Shannon is generous with the drama in this book.

Women and women's love are at the core of this novel. Romantic love, parental love, sisterly love. This puts a spotlight on these kinds of relationships and over the course of the novel, they grow and change. They betray one another, they uplift one another, they love each other, they defend each other. It's great. There were some characters I felt more attached to and whose plotlines entertained me more while others were lesser favoured. Glorian was my favourite but I liked aspects of all them.

All in all, I don't think this will disappoint fans. Depending on your personal preferences, you may like this a little more or a little less than the previous, but most importantly, it's its own story with a fresh take on the world. It doesn't live in the shadow of the predecessor but right alongside that legend.

A Day of Fallen Night is a 3/5 for me. Not for lack of a wonderful story.

If you like spawling high fantasy books, OH BOY are you in for a ride!!! 😍 I really wish I could stick it out and see how these storylines end!

BUT I shouldn't have to say: stick it out. I swore to myself I would only read books I enjoy, and I wouldn't create a reading slump by forcing myself through a book anymore.

This book suffered from the same phenomenon as Priory did for me: it isn't the longest book I've ever read.. but it sure did feel like it.

As sprawling, and luscious, and brilliant as the story is. The writing/pacing just isn't for me. Which is so sad.

Let's discuss it's strengthens: once we finally discovered who the main characters were, all of them were so interesting! Each storyline stood well on its own, and I didn't favour one over the other.

It also features strong secondary/supporting characters throughout each POV, which I really enjoyed. I don't know if Wulf would have become a MC but I really loved his POV!

And let's hear it for the kick ass women in this book! 🥳🥳

I do hope to return to, and finish, this book one day. Perhaps as audio!

A Day of Fallen Night takes place 500 years before the events of The Priory of the Orange Tree. There are some familiar components if you've read Priory, which you really should before picking this one up. The institutions at the heart of Priory like the eponymous sorcerer-warriors and Berethnet line, female rulers of Inys, are key players. We have multiple POV characters, including Tunova of the Priory, Glorian Berethnet, and Dumai of Seiiki. Day takes place 500 years after the Nameless One was imprisoned, and horrors resembling the Nameless One have begun to appear.

I bet I'm really missing out on some of the nuances of Day given I read Priory back in 2019. Still, I really enjoyed this because it is beautifully put together. The book is a toughing exploration of motherhood and family, including chosen families, and the hard choices we make to protect the ones we love. It's a marvelous take on a queernorm world. Female rulers and nonbinary folks are not remarkable.

And my favorite part! There are several times where we see inside the head of a younger woman talking to an older woman and the young woman thinks, It'll be rad when I have white hair and forehead wrinkles to show how much wisdom I've accumulated. (I'm paraphrasing.) I set the book down in shock when I encountered this— it is such a novelty to encounter not just acceptance of female aging but positivity. It was a startling and delightful example of how SFF can be used to make us think about the world we live in.

Again, since my memories of Priory are pretty hazy, I'm sure I missed lots of fun Easter eggs and other treats. Reason to reread! Perhaps as a result, the ending, while satisfying, also felt too influenced by a deux ex machina. Once I reread Priory, I'll update this review.

This was long. So long. But the way Samantha Shannon makes the story flow makes it go by so fast. While this can be a standalone, I'm glad I read it after having read priory of the orange tree. The world building from priory definitely made this one more enjoyable. Thank you so much Bloomsbury USA for the ARC of this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing an ARC of this title!

What am I even supposed to do now? What do you do after finishing a book like this? I need a minute.

I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did Priory; past experiences have shown me that most books don't surpass the original, even while still being super enjoyable! This is the exception for me--ADOFN blew Priory out of the water and somehow managed to improve upon an already pretty perfect story.

Being high fantasy, it starts off slowly, because it's got so much to introduce. Despite the initial pacing, it's still very easy to fall right in and become invested. Like others, one of the biggest difference in ADOFN compared to Priory is that I was fully interested in all of the POVs provided. I had favorites, of course (I too would lay down my life for Glorian Shieldheart), but each one was equally engaging. In Priory, there was at least one POV that I just did not want. (Niclays Roos you KNOW what you did.)

There's so much I want to say but probably shouldn't because I don't want to spoil any part of this story. It's beautiful and epic and everything I wanted and somehow MORE. I will race to read any expansion of this world. It's so well thought out and developed. I've seen this mentioned in other reviews, but one of the things I most appreciate is how casually ingrained in the entire world LGBTQ+ people are. There's no questions about it. It's normal across the board, from couplings to the way characters are referred to; everything about it is so comforting. There's literally no reason to write casual bigotry into your fantasy world.

This was phenomenal and I spent the last 10% of the book crying on and off. I feel lucky to have gotten to experience this story!

This was as wonderful as I hoped it would be. Tysm for the opportunity to read it earlier than the masses.
I enjoyed the story, the pace of the story, the banter between characters, the world building and the cover is to die for.
I knew this would be a 5 star read for me and it indeed was.
Thanks again for the ARC.

This was a masterpiece! I had enjoyed Priory, but this so far surpasses Priory! Every one of the POVs was compelling. The plot movement was great. The character development and further world building were beautiful. I was so much more emotionally attached and affected by the story. My favorites continued to be the South and the East (I’m a sucker for the ichneuman and dragons). But Glorian so so compelling and I loved Wulf too. Tuva and Dumai had my whole heart.
It’s so unusual for an almost 900 page book NOT to feel bloated, but every page seemed essential. If you loved Priory, you have to pick this up, but even if you felt Priory lacking in some ways, you absolutely need this book because it is fantastic.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested copy for review. All opinions are my own.

"The stunning, standalone prequel to the New York Times bestselling The Priory of the Orange Tree.

In A Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come.

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."

If you're like me and haven't quite gotten around to reading The Priory of the Orange Tree, good news, this is a prequel!

This book was even better than the first one, and that was something I didn’t think I would be saying! I love that this could be a standalone or included with POTOT. I will never not recommend these books!