This book fell totally flat for me. It felt like a shallow combo of everything marketable in current YA fantasy. It's a cheap attempt at combining trends, and it shows in the flat, boring writing and one-dimensional characters. Really disappointed.

Oh my goodness. THIS. BOOK. WAS. AMAZING. EXCEPTIONAL. EXTRAORDINARY. I don’t say that about a lot of books. I also don’t give a lot of books five stars. But this one most definitely deserves it. It might be the best YA Fantasy I’ve ever read. I flew through it more rapidly than any other book I’ve read this year, and that’s saying A LOT because I haven’t been in a fantasy mood for a long time (I definitely am now, though). It was so beautifully crafted, and it managed to bring something new to the table of fantasy books based on prophecies, which I was not expecting. It had so many twists and turns, and although the five POVs were quite intimidating at first, they were spectacularly interwoven to simultaneously pave way for the exhilaration of the building suspense and the shocking plot twists. I would honestly recommend this book to anyone reading this, because I, who would not say fantasy is one of my favorite YA genres, absolutely LOVED it and wouldn’t hesitate to call it the best book of 2019 so far. Without further ado, let’s get into the synopsis and a more detailed (but spoiler-free!) review:

What I liked:
Um…everything? Sorry, here it goes:

The world building – I kind of didn’t notice it was happening but at the same time I wasn’t confused about what was going on…I have no idea how Katy managed to pull that one off, but she did. Little bits and pieces were interwoven throughout the book, and I never felt like there was a whole section of facts and descriptions about the fantasy universe being thrown at me, which is something I really appreciate in a fantasy novel.

The multiple POV storytelling style: To be honest, I didn’t think this was something I was going to appreciate at the beginning because five different characters and their own story lines seemed a lot to keep track of alongside learning about a different universe, but like I said earlier, it was beautifully done and now I can’t imagine the story being told in a similar level of intricacy any other way.

The characters – even though I got quite annoyed at a few of them throughout the course of the novel, I loved that all of their back-stories were explored and each of their hopes, dreams, and insecurities revealed. They all had flaws, and I’m not even sure all of them are going to end up being on Team Good, but Katy gave me enough to feel for each of them and understand their motives.

The plot twists – this book definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. It lulled me into a false sense of security, and then BAM, hit me with a huge plot twist (even though I should’ve seen that false sense of victory coming!!!). There were quite a few of them too, and each of the revelations was just perfect.

What I didn’t like:
I actually have nothing. That’s the only way you get a five star rating out of me. 😀

Overall:
You will NOT regret reading this book. Just do it. Even if you don’t like fantasy. This book might convince you otherwise. I would say it kind of gave me An Ember in the Ashes vibes (the last fantasy I really enjoyed), but it was also completely unique and exciting, and simply wonderful. I help teach a class on Young Adult literature at the university I attend, and Katy’s come in to talk to us a couple times–she’s honestly so inspiring and sweet, and deserves all the success that I’m sure is going to come her way after this book drops. Once again, There Will Come A Darkness comes out on September 3rd of this year (2019), and it’s a book you won’t want to miss!

~~ I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~

I can't wait to see where this series goes from here. An engaging start, There will Come a Darkness presents a world where a portion of the population have special skills, called graces that provide them with things like super strength and other abilities. I was definitely invested in the progress of the characters and can't wait to see what's next.

I dnfed There Will Come a Darkness early on in the book. It had an interesting summary/plot and a strong first chapter but the book was really long and the plot took too long to get me 'hooked'. I may try to reread at a later date. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review it.

*eARC provided by NetGalley, print ARC won through Goodreads giveaway, in exchange for an honest review*

There Will Come a Darkness has a lot going on, as it should with five POVs, so let’s start by introducing them.
-Ephyra, Grace of blood. She kills people to save her sister’s life.
-Beru, Ephyra’s sister. She’s dying.
-Anton, Grace of sight. He’s great at cards, and he’s got a dark past.
-Jude, Grace of heart. Captain of the Order of the Last Light. He’s got conflicting priorities, so maybe don’t trust him with anything major.
-Hasson, (deposed) prince of Nazirah. He’s Graceless, and he’s the prince of a country overrun with anti-Grace zealots (literally overrun).
They will save the world, or end it, or some combination of the two (or neither?). They’re a strange cast, definitely not all on the same team, and sometimes are actively working against each other. Katy Rose Pool does an excellent job of crossing their storylines and pairing them up with each other (and switching up the pairings) as the story progresses. They are all (somewhat) connected, and the author keeps that connection in her story even while she keeps them apart. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story with five POVs that is this well-crafted with their goals. Five characters with five different goals, but somehow all their stories are entwined. Much love for that. On the bad side, however, while she does an excellent job with her plot, the characters themselves are somewhat hard for me to get attached to. And it definitely shows in my character summary above. I don’t really adore any of them. No one really stands out, no one does anything that endears themselves to me. Which is disappointing, but I will choose plot over characters if I have to.

While I have definitely raved about this above, the plot is fantastic! I’m still not over the fact that Pool has woven five stories into one book, and it works so very well. There are POV characters that don’t even meet, characters that hate each other, love each other, and each one has a different priority! I’m in love with this way of storytelling.

The book summary gives the tagline of “One of them- or all of them- could break the world. Will they be the savior or destroyer?” and a bit into the book you get the Age of Darkness prophecy. So, throughout the novel, as these characters are striving towards their goals (and plots are twisting) one must keep in mind that the fate of the world is at stake, and any one of them could be the end. I think this book embodies the age-old statement “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions”.

TL;DR, I adored this story. I am a big fan of enigmatic last prophecies surrounding the end of days, and the author definitely delivers on that. The five POVs are a lot, but they are not repeating the same information back to us, so it feels necessary. Fans of Furyborn, this is the book for you.

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!

I was completely sucked into this book! The world building is fantastic and the characters are flawed and real. I am excited to see where this goes because it might be my new Six of Crows! I will be pre-ordering this and recommending it to everyone!

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.