I loved the premise of this book but the one thing that got me was the multiple POV. I had somewhat of a difficult time following the story because of everything that was going on. Overall, I will say the story was great, reminded me a lot of Bardugo's writing. It's a solid 4 stars in my opinion.

This book was a pretty early DNF for me. It started immediately with 5 separate POVs right after another. People were comparing it to Six of Crows and I got excited. However, to be a good book, whether multiple POVs or not, the reader should be able to read a passage of prose and know, without being told, that this is said character. There Will Come a Darkness failed at that. I never knew who was speaking as the characters were indistinguishable. They had very distinctly different backgrounds but their voices were identical. This didn't help the whiplash of 5 POVs right out of the gate and I could never get a grip on the story. Nothing held my attention or really grabbed me. The world and its problems were unique and interesting but the characters didn't come close to holding their own. It was a struggle to read any chapter and I found myself having to go back and look for specific details to remember who I was reading about. I had to link defining characteristics to names as I couldn't tell the voices apart. A book shouldn't require that much effort on the reader's end.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Henry Holt and Co. through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool is a great novel, love the plot super original and interesting

YA fantasy told from multiple points of view. The kingdom of Nazirah has fallen to the Hierophant and the Graced (those gifted with special powers) are now refugees on the run. Ephyra steals life from others to keep her sister Beru alive. Anton is hiding from a mysterious past. Hassan is the most prince of Nazirah. And Jude is part of an Order dedicated to searching for the last Prophet to save the world from the Age of Darkness. The multiple narratives were confusing at first but the author did a great job of connecting them over time. There were also some narrative twists I didn’t see coming. First book in a series with a slight cliffhanger of an ending. Curious what comes next!

At the start of this book, I did not think I would like it. I felt that there were too many viewpoints that didn't last long enough for me to become invested in the characters. I was so happily wrong! This story has an excellent plot that is both intricate and easy to follow. The characters feel real. They make mistakes and have flaws that give them depth. The setting is clear as it moves from place to place. Each character was easily placed in their setting, so that I never had to go back and remind myself of who I was reading, where they were, and why they were important. I really want the next book to be available today.

If you are a habitual fantasy reader, there is a lot in this book you've read before. Magic ("Graces") which can only be wielded by certain people and in certain ways; prophecies that people are trying to make come true or prevent from happening; "the chosen one," who is supposed to save the world; mystical warriors who are out to help the chosen one; and a couple of unsuspecting kids trying to survive who inadvertently bring about the end of the world.

It also was not unpredictable, in that I knew that the person who was supposed to be "chosen" wasn't actually the person people thought. And I also figured out that there would be a betrayal (and was not surprised in the least by who it was). There were a few surprises which I did appreciate (what Beru actually was, Mrs. Tappan's interest in the girls).

The story-telling was good, not great. I felt like there was way too much teenage angst going on in these characters (a lot of whom are actual teenagers, but who read as older people acting like teenagers). At times we veered into purple prose territory. The whole thing with Hassan and Khepri threw me because he's only 16, and I'm pretty sure she's older - early 20s? Anton is also only 16, but when his age was revealed late in the book I was a bit startled because he read like someone in his early 20s as well. I did not connect with any of the characters - I couldn't picture any of them, their ages were confusing, and they didn't jump off the page as "real."

Overall an interesting enough story to keep me reading, but I was not interested enough to pick up the next book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the e-copy to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian publishing for the eARC of THERE WILL COME A DARKNESS.

This is an amazing debut for Katy Rose Pool and everything I look for in a new favorite series: diversity in not only race, but in sexuality as well. What I look for in fantasy worlds now are ones that aren't solely white or heterosexual, because worlds are diverse places, so to see an amazingly diverse cast of main characters, it automatically puts this book higher on my list.

I found Katy's world building in regards to the powers and how they are used unique, as well as the incorporation of religious zealotry and immigrants seeking asylum in times of crises.

I loved all of the different interpersonal relationships between all of the characters, especially as the plot progressed! I can't wait to read the second one, it will automatically be added to my TBR pile and I'll be watching out for the release date!

Five individuals whose fates are intertwined with each other because of a single prophecy. Five individuals who don’t fully realize their roles until for some, it might be too late. A fantasy novel with a new concept and an adventure that is told through five perspectives, but lines up beautifully. I loved that the different viewpoints continued off of one another rather than simply repeat information differently. It allowed for a greater understanding of the plot and a seamless continuation.

This was a good fantasy read. The problem with multiple views is that there’s so much different information and at times it got to be a little much in the middle of the book. The other main issue that I’m not a fan of is comparing it to other book series, it’s not something I like. I get why it’s there, if you liked this, you’ll like that, but I want to feel a fresh story, and not loving or hating it because of another comparison. Alas, it was a good read for the most part, I didn’t fall in love it like I had hoped. I had high hopes and maybe it’s just the summer reading that I expected different or better. I don’t mean that harsh, but this book has gotten such high reviews which is awesome, yet it didn’t reach its mark with me. Good book for fantasy lovers.

Thanks to netgalley for the arc!

3.5 - There Will Come a Darkness promises prophesies, an impending darkness, a quest to find a magical artifact, and complicated and endearing characters. However, it falls short of delivering on its lofty promises in this first installment, but seems to be setting up for more action-focused questing and prophesy-fulfilling in the next book. The novel falls prey to a pitfall many first books in fantasy series do: the first third-to-half of the novel is slow, prioritizing heavy (and often info-dumpy) world building and character introductions to plot progression. The high number of POV characters from various backgrounds also slows down the pace - you aren't just being introduced to one place and one fantasy culture, but many all at once. One gets the sense that this book was focused more on coincidental run-ins and forming alliances ("Avengers, assemble!") to get "the gang" together so that they can do important and interesting things in future installments, to the detriment of making this book's plot interesting in its own right. However, once the plot starts moving in the back half, shorter chapters and multiple characters on page together increase the pacing and make it effortless to keep turning the page. There is so much going on by the end that you can't help but be excited watching characters crash together and discover unexpected connections. The end is full of the high stakes action and character development that the first half was lacking and leaves readers with questions that will have them eagerly anticipating the next book.

Overall, There Will Come a Darkness is a solid fantasy debut, with lots of room for the next installments to explore the large world and cast characters presented. While it does flounder in world building - arguably the most difficult aspect of a fantasy world to get right, especially for freshman authors - the writing is solid and accessible and the plot seems to have found its way by the end of the book. Katy Rose Pool is certainly an author to watch. Perfect for fans of Six of Crows and An Ember in the Ashes.

An entertaining read, but, unfortunately, one I'm unlikely to think of again. There was just nothing to stand out. It ran a little long and the ending was just shy of unsatisfying.

I've been trying to read more fantasy books. I always hear from other reviewers how great some of the fantasy books are and I never could get into them. Lately though, I have found several books that have opened my eyes (in a whole new way) to the fantasy genre. I am so glad that I received a copy of this book. I'm in no way a fantasy guru, but I really, really enjoyed the premise of this book and felt the characters had depth, the world-building was good and the magic/fantasy of the book was well-thought out. I would definitely continue to read this series.

The story had a slow start as a great deal of information was given and there were many POVs. This is an epic fantasy which I am sure will be very popular. I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would but I would still like to read the next in the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Good start to a series? trilogy? - the world building did need work, ditto the belief systems that ruled this world, but there's a lot of promise there. The Pale Hand was a great creation, and the way Hassan deals with his role in the Last Prophecy felt very real. Too many POVs became confusing, though. Why authors feel the need to do that is beyond me: choose one, possibly two, and move on. It will be interesting to see where this goes next: whose story will be told? will we continue to have this fracturing of the plot between the main characters or will there be more focus? what will happen with the Graced? will we go to the other cities?

eARC provided by publisher.

This ensemble fantasy is told from a half-dozen voices of several key figures -- all teens -- in a prophecy that foretells the end of a kingdom. It's a well-built world with lore that is revealed in a natural fashion throughout lots of action and intrigue. Gender, race, and orientation equality are demonstrated throughout the book, but similarities to today's discrimination are drawn through the world's preferential treatment of the powered class, or the "Graced". Despite the fact that they are a minority, they control both the religion and ruling of the kingdom, and eventually the majority pushes back. The rebellion are cast in a negative light, with all the main characters being Graced and appear to be good people who sometimes make bad choices. Obviously the beginning of the series, the first book started a little slowly and ends on a pregnant pause that didn't feel satisfying like a complete story, but did leave me wanting to read what happens next. Recommended for fans of the Grishaverse, Sarah J. Maas, and any of the dystopian series of the past 5 years.

*Hassan had crouched down to Azizi's level, putting a hand on the boy's bony shoulder. "You are helping. This--getting on this ship with your mother and sister to sail to an unfamiliar land--it's just as important as what I'm doing. Just be brave. To keep out home inside your heart, right beside your hope, even when you're far away--it's one of the bravest things there is. I'm going to make Herat safe for you, Azizi."*

I am LOVING the fact that the newest fad in YA fantasy seems to feature the rag-tag group of characters from all walks of life, destined to come together to *do* something important. In this case, it's stopping the apocalypse. There's a secret prophecy, three harbingers of death, and of course, an evil zealot that wants to wipe all of the Gifted people out.

The cast of characters was super unique and memorable. I can't wait to dig deeper into each of their personalities and I was pleasantly surprised by some of the twists that popped up towards the end. I don't want to get too far into them because a few of them might not be who you expect and it was fun watching all the chaos unfold and destinies change.

I really liked the premise, too, even though I have a few thoughts on how it was presented. I feel like in fantasy series' there is always that one point of impending doom that the books work toward until the end of the series where the hero is successful and good wins. In this book, the secret final prophecy foretold a time of darkness and what sounded like the end of times. A bunch of things unfold towards the end of this book and that is set in motion. To me, it almost seemed like too much happened already in the first book. I loved the world building and I felt like the characters were fleshed out enough, I just would have like a little more preparation I guess? I don't know how many books are planned for this series so maybe Pool wanted to condense more into this to really ratchet up the danger level immediately for book two. Either way, it all unfolded in a very believable, and INCREDIBLY gripping way (!!!) I just would have liked there to be a tiny bit more build up before the start of the apocalypse lol. I was biting my nails the entire last half of this book as more and more unfolded and I cannot wait for the rest of the series! I think a lot of people will love this and will be dying for more.

*Once, as the rest of Jude's world had crashed down around him, his gave had been drawn to the warm, dark eyes of a strange boy, hunched over the side of a scrying pool.
Now, their eyes met again.
And Jude's true north was found.*

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt Books for Young Readers for giving me a change to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Also, since the quotes above came from an unfinished copy, they are subject to change.

What a great read! The cast of characters was diverse and interesting, the world building was descriptive, the story line held my attention the whole time, and the writing was well-done. I figured out one of the plot twists early on, but still enjoyed reading it come about. The other plot twist, I did not anticipate. There were several different character POVs, but I never felt like it was too many or that I was confused about who was narrating. Each character had distinctive characteristics that I could follow and they all displayed some form of character growth throughout the novel. I look forward to reading the next one.

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

I am kind of happy to see that finally, someone is doing a fantasy ya book that is not quite a heist but could potentially be. While I love a good heist book it was refreshing to have one that seemed like it might lead up to that and then take a turn for the better. Though, that doesn't mean this book didn't have any flaws. The first half of the book was very rough for me to get through. It felt like the author was trying to tackle setting up too many POVs at once causing things to get confusing and hectic. By the second half, the book seemed to find its grove since the author dedicated more time to certain characters. I advise to just stick it out and the book will find its feet eventually and man it was a fun ride when it finally did.

I was worried about this story for the first quarter or so of the book. The magical system felt derivative and the character building dragged. Fortunately, I wound up being pleasantly surprised when the story eventually evolved into something unique and compelling.

Ultimately the book turned out to be an exceptional instance of world building, and far more focused on moral conundrums than romance, which is a most welcome thing in YA fantasy.

The book is definitely a slow burn at the outset, but I’d urge you to stick with it. By the time you reach the halfway point, you won’t be able to put it down.

Note: I don’t love the Ember in the Ashes comps for this...feels lazy. Both are good stories in their own right and are populated by very different types of characters who exist in very different universes.

One last thing: This is a good one for readers on the younger end of the YA demographic. The language and violence are pretty tame. I love finding a YA book that’s appropriate for younger readers and still enjoyable for adult fans of the genre. This book delivers for both audiences.

I love the cover and title so much but I just could not get into this story. I actually did like the multiple POVs and the writing but the fantasy aspect I couldn’t connect with either. However, I may try and reread it again in the future.