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.

There Will Come A Darkness is a really freaking good book.

TWCAD tells the tale of a precarious moment in time: the powerful Prophets have all disappeared, leaving behind one final secret prophecy foretelling of an Age of Darkness that will descend upon the land, destroying major cities and their inhabitants. Also foretold in this final prophecy is the birth of one last prophet with the power to influence the impending Darkness.

We follow five separate POVs in this book, which at first I thought may be a little too much. However, as time went on, I very much enjoyed being able to jump around and follow these individuals. The POVs are well written and all of the characters have different voices which makes it easy to remember and jump back into the view of each without coming out of the wider story. Because of where we are in time, it’s important to pay close attention to any mention of past historical events to develop a better sense of world building and how the reader is supposed to see and connect with this world. If I had any critiques about this world, I would have liked a little bit more information sprinkled in about the Prophets and what the world was like with these powerful figures in charge.

One of the most engaging pieces of this story is that the reader is never sure which of the five main characters are going to put a stop of the Age of Darkness and which could be the actual catalyst to the destruction. There are plenty of satisfying plot twists and the plot is nicely paced. The ending is set up for another book in a smart way that leaves the reader wanting more. I will definitely be recommending There Will Come A Darkness to lovers of dark and epic fantasy while eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of the novel. This was a fantasy that reminded me a bit of the Mary e Pearson kiss of deception series in a way with the prophecy part and Cashore with the Graceling series. There is a lot of amazing world building and plenty of characters--that was tough to keep straight. Excellent work and will read more by this author.

I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into when I started Katy Rose Pool's <i>There will Come a Darkness</i>, but I ultimately really enjoyed this book. I was given the opportunity by the publisher to evaluate this book before publication, but my evaluation of the contents of the book are entirely my own and not influenced by the publisher.

The story is told from the perspective of four different characters: Ephyra, Beru, Hassan, Anton, and Jude. Some of the characters are marked by one of the four graces: heart, blood, mind, and sight, which help propel and drive the story forward.

The general plot is based on the outcome of seven prophets disappearing 100 years before the beginning of the story. These prophets had created vast cities and a complex society based on the four graces. Unfortunately, since the prophets disappeared 100 years prior, a lot has changed in this world. However, the prophets did leave one prophecy unfinished, and no one but a select few people even knows the prophecy exists. The prophecy is cryptic and has five distinct elements:

1) The deceiver ensnares the world with lies
2) Death’s pale hand the wicked fall.
3) That which sleeps in the dust shall rise.
4) And in their wake will come a darkness.
5) A new prophet will arise, and the final prophecy will be revealed.

All of the five central characters will be entangled by the prophecy before the end of the story. Ultimately, can these five people figure out their own lives in time to prevent the coming darkness?

The book itself is very well written. The characters are interesting and distinct, which is hard to do when writing from five different voices. As a whole, I found the book to move along very quickly. Admittedly, I wasn't sure what I was going to think after the first couple of chapters because of the shifting in points-of-view. But once all of the central characters are introduced, the book flowed very well and kept a good pace.

I enjoyed the world that Pool has created within the book. I'm a fan of world building and was glad to see something distinctly different in the world Pool created. Sure there are four graces (authors often like four characteristics), but the graces are different than what I've seen in other fantasy novels. I also liked the fact that there was a clear differentiation between the haves and the have nots with regards to the graces. Just because someone's parents were graced did not mean that he or she would be. I do wish that there had been a bit more discussion of the issue of classes that this differentiation causes. For the most part, the antagonist has a group of followers who believe that the graced should be eliminated. I wish there had been a bit more sympathy put on those without graces to help establish why some people may not like the graced. Although the story goes into some detail here, I didn't believe that the author provided enough detail to help the reader question whether the graces were that good. It would have been nice to see cases of graced individuals hurting non-graced individuals to add some of this balance.

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this ARC. I chose to not finish this one after the fourth chapter. The world building was too detailed and confusing and there were too many point of views with background stories stemming from each person. The only character I cared about was Anton the bounty hunter who was on the run, but once I started the chapter of the monk in training (I can't remember what they are called in this fictitious world), I just didn't care anymore and was fatigued from trying to understand what was happening regarding each character.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I am not usually one for high fantasy, and I've seen books struggle with multiple main characters and multiple points of view, but There Will Come a Darkness does NOT disappoint. Each character felt like their own person driven by their own story, and the immediate world building sucked me right in, I couldn't put it down. Absolutely one of my top picks for YA in 2019.

This book was sooo good! I love books like this one so i devoured it once i started reading. It was never slow and constantly made you think. Awesome plot! I would tell all my friends to read this!

Holy heartbreak, damn. This was a very imaginative and action-packed read. The author did a great job balancing the POVs and developing the large cast of characters into strong independent people. I never confused one character for another which really let me get lost in the world and the story. I loved the twists and mystery that was integrated with the fantasy world and fast-paced plot.

I am a bit worried that the future books might drag... I can easily see this being a duology, but unless some really crazy things happen in book 2 I'm worried it will feel too stretched-out. But who knows? Book one was really great and shows a lot of promise for even more heartbreak and action. I'd definitely recommend!

A interesting debut novel that has a lot of character development and world building. A fantasy novel that brings mythology of different historical areas to life. The author does have a lot of characters and POV's which causes some confusion further into the novel. I do think young adults will devour this book up. It reminds me of a blend of Rick Riordan and Sarah J. Maas. Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and the Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.

Received an ARC that was a blessing and a curse....because now the wait for book 2 will be too long! Ensemble cast, excellent world-building, prophecies, betrayals, religious zealots, and more make this a must read this Fall!

I am so grateful to have been able to preview this book! This world grabbed me and sucked me in! This is an epic fantasy with corruption, greed and heartache. The character development seemed effortless and I cannot wait to read more in this series. I will be purchasing this for my library!

I was excited to receive an ARC from NetGalley for There Will Come a Darkness (TWCD). The book emerged on my radar after the Entertainment Weekly article about its major deal. I had high hopes especially because I enjoy books with prophecy elements. Of the things I enjoyed in TWCD, I thought Pool did a great job showing how difficult it is to interpret prophecy and I thought the magic system or "graces" was cool.
Overall though, I had a really hard time with this book. Because I read fantasy as a historian, I am drawn to how authors construct their worlds, whether fantastical or grounded in reality. Unfortunately, the world of TWCD feels like a cherry-picking of historical civilizations that do not fit organically. The major epicenter of action is in Pallos Athos which has an Ancient Greek vibe, cool. We do get some characters who have Italianate names (Cosima, Armando Curio), which fine. It then gets confusing when we are then introduced to a major POV character named Hassan, the crown prince of Herat. Herat and its people are coded as Egyptian: one of their most important symbols/structures is a lighthouse; children play a game invoking animals like ibis, heron, and crocodile. However, names like Hassan or Reza come from the Islamicate world and feel disjointed with a place seemingly with ancient inspiration. Add this further to mention of people from steppes, characters given Russian patronymics, and the most egregious, a character named Hector Navarro who feels like a token addition. Then there are Anglo-centric names like Jude Weatherbourne and Mrs. Tappan? I want books to have diversity but the cherry-picking is not the way to do it. I think TWCD tried to do too much with its world-building and for me it failed.

In addition to frustrations with the world-building, the pacing was a bit slow but it did get better during the last-quarter of the book. Pool does create interesting tensions between characters, particularly between Ephyra and Beru. Overall, TWCD read as overly trope-y and disappointing.

Right off the bat, this book sounded really interesting and I’m a complete sucker for that cover and title. Opening up the first chapter, the first couple of lines completely grabbed my attention and made my eyes widened and I smiled this crazy smile because something extreme just happened and oh my god! What and opening…. And then the confusion set it. The book itself was interesting and the writing was well done. It's definitely going to grab a lot of attention.