There Will Come a Darkness was such a standout read for me last year, and I was so excited for the sequel. Thank you again to the author for sending me an eARC! This book certainly lived up to the wait. As the Shadow Rises delves into a world on the precipice of an age of darkness and the characters who are trying to stop it.

After the events of the last book, the characters are yet again separated. We follow the same five as they go along their respective paths: Anton and Jude are back at Kerameikos Fort, where Jude is facing a tribunal and Anton is coming to terms with his destiny as the Prophet. Meanwhile, Ephyra continues to search for Eleazar’s chalice to save Beru; she eventually teams up with a group of legendary thieves. However, Beru has run from Ephyra, instead trying to make a life for herself while she can. Hassan is trying to regain his throne but is unsure about the costs he’s willing to pay to do so.

As before, I adored how well all of the narratives were intertwined. I usually find multiple points of view to be unbalanced, but Pool masters the switch between each character’s head space masterfully. I enjoyed every single character’s chapters (albeit some more than others at times). It was also really interesting following the characters and their journeys, especially how they manage to end up all together again despite being separated for a second time. Their fates are intertwined whether they like it or not.

As for the plot, there are four different plot lines since Anton and Jude follow the same one. All four different plots are fast-paced, and I was invested in every single one. There’s still the threat of the Hierophant hanging over their heads as well as new obstacles popping up all over the place. I can’t really say much more because of spoilers, but this book was much more action-packed than the first book.

Let’s talk about our protagonists! I absolutely loved seeing them again. All of the character arcs were so good too. Anton is only just now starting to come around to his destiny; unfortunately, at the same time, Jude begins to doubt himself, especially in his position as Keeper. I loved Beru and Ephyra’s sister dynamic as well. Even though Beru has cut her off, Ephyra is still so willing to do anything for her, maybe to the point of her own destruction. Hassan wants his throne back, but how far exactly is he willing to go? We also get to meet some new characters as well as see some characters we thought we had left behind already.

The world is expanded; more secrets are unveiled, particularly surrounding the seven Prophets and the graces they bestowed. I found the mythology incredibly engrossing, and I was shocked by one reveal in particular. The Age of Darkness may be coming sooner than we think…

I’ll admit, I found most of the romances to be superfluous but Jude and Anton…the yearning of it all honestly. I really liked how LGB relationships are normalized in this world. Jude is agonizing over his feelings for Anton, not because he has feelings for another boy, but rather because he’s duty bound to protect him.

Anyways, the last 10% was amazing, and I’m still not over it. And book three is so far away!

As the Shadow Rises was an amazing sequel. The characters all had such great arcs, and their separate journeys tied into each other so well. If you haven’t picked this series up yet, now’s the time! I definitely recommend it if you like prophetic fantasies or ensemble casts.

I think this book had promise, but I felt that the author undermined a sustained connection with the characters by switching the POV at the beginning with three different characters before the story had developed. It strives for characters with depth, but I would have liked the different POVs to be integrated more slowly. These felt like abrupt and unnecessary shifts.

There Will Come a Darkness was one of the best YA fantasy novels I've read in the past few years, and the sequel does not disappoint. It keeps up the non-stop action and gut-wrenching emotion of the first book, and readers get to know the characters even more intimately. Pool is one of very few authors who does multiple perspectives extremely well, and each character comes across as a complete and complex person. The interactions and relationships between the main characters continue to grow and develop in this book, and everything that happens in the story truly feels right and important. It's hard to describe the plot without giving anything away, so I'll simply say that if you like stories with prophecies, gods, action, and a bit of romance, this book is definitely for you. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for sending me an Advanced Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When Jude decided to go after Hector, he understood he broke the Paladin’s oath. Now he’s been questioned about whether he broke it or not, possibly losing his title of Keeper of the Word and his life.

Meanwhile, Anton is trying to keep up with the expectations and responsibilities of being The Last Prophet. He needs to remember the prophecy he dreamt years ago, but he’s still struggling with nightmares when he tries to use his Grace.

Not to mention; Hassan has found a Rebel faction, Scarab’s Wing, who takes in the Graced before the Witnesses can capture them and hides them in their safehouse.

At the same time, Beru is trying to atone. To make things right and undo the harm her sister has done trying to keep her alive.

After Beru walks away from her, Ephyra will do everything to find Eleazar’s Chalice, the only thing capable of saving her sister. But who can save Ephyra from becoming a monster now that Beru is not with her to prevent it?

THOUGHTS

Usually, a lot of authors have this problem called “the second book syndrome”. We all know it, and we all have read a book that has it. Fortunately this isn’t the case with As the Shadow Rises.

I need to be honest, I liked There Will Come a Darkness but it didn’t wow me. It felt like a long introduction of the story, world and characters.

But As the Shadow Rises is a worthy sequel filled with adventure, plot twists, character development and romance.

The final reveal was EPIC.

Each chapter leaves you hanging because it ends after an emotional scene or a plot reveal.

While reading There Will Come a Darkness, I didn’t like that I needed to wait four more chapters to know what happened with a certain character.

I didn’t have the same issue while reading As the Shadow Rises.

I loved how each character had their individual stories and how all of their lives are interconnected with each other.

It was a good thing that Beru had more chapters and we got to know her better. Sadly Hassan was the one with less chapters, although it’s understandable because he had more chapters than the others in the first book.

Overall, I’m excited to see what will happen in the final installment with our main characters after that ending. As the Shadow Rises feels darker but it was an excellent second installment where we learn what caused The Age of Darkness and it leaves you hanging, thinking what could happen to our beloved characters.

As the Shadow Rises is a very solid second book for the There Will Come a Darkness series. It is fast paced and keeps the reader moving through the story at a rate that is engaging, entertaining, and has us wanting to know what is going to be happening next to our favorite characters.
The overall storyline is solid, continuing the plot of the first as if there had been no break for Katy Rose Pool during her drafting phase, and holds up well in terms of setting up for the third installment.

While the storyline is riveting and the characters tug at a reader's heartstrings there were a few problematic pieces throughout the narrative. One relationship in particular is confusing with the narrative providing no real clarification as to how one went from pure hatred to a romantic interest, and this confusing back and forth happens part-way through the book without any transition or realistic motive. Sadly, this character is one that lacks a lot of realism in her reaction to a lot of the plot up until the very end. Her actions more seem to be rooted more in "Plot Armor", rather than feel genuine.

There were also several scenes within the book that lacked consistency with the overall narrative or were just down right confusing without any explanation as to why the characters (good, bad, or in between) would react the way they do, and several characters that seemed to be introduced to have larger parts are swept to the wayside or had an "off screen" death later on without any real consequence to the main characters or plot.

But overall, it was a fun read and I look forward to the next installment.

As book one of this series was, book two follows in its path of intricacy, uniqueness and sheer magic. It's an interesting series and it's definitely full of so many things. I loved that it's representative of all types of love between persons. I highly recommend it to and Teen/ YA collection because it's a fun addition to have at any library that wants to promote the reading of good stories.

Everything I could want in a sequel - exciting, twisty and impossible to put down. Most characters are given interesting arcs (save Ephyra who chases the same beats she did last time around, really) and an ending that made me gasp and immediately want the next book. (Longer review will be published - and links added - closer to publication time.)

4.5 stars

Just like TWCAD, Pool writes As the Shadow Rises purposefully, leading the reader to the final reveal.

As someone who is driven by characters and character relationships, reading As the Shadow Rises reminded me why I loved the first book.

Pool writes her characters and their interactions with one another in such an impactful way. It’s what I feel are the most successful components of her books.

Each chapter leaves off with either an emotional punch or an action to further the plot.

Jude and Anton are two people dealing with trauma and guilt, people who have found each other through fate. Watching them struggle with themselves and trying to be better people for each other... PHEW. I’m weak. I love these boys.

I also love Beru and Ephyra. Their sibling relationship is wrought with love, grief, and guilt. Ephyra’s desperation to hold onto Beru after everything that happens in TWCAD reads as foolish at times, because it is. Ephyra knows that she’s taking herself on a bad path and she doesn’t care, because her way of dealing with the loss of her family is to not let go.

For those who enjoyed the first book I think this second one isn’t likely to disappoint. For those who loved the characters, As the Shadow Rises will be worth it for the character interactions alone.

"In this sequel to the critically-acclaimed There Will Come a Darkness, kingdoms have begun to fall to a doomsday cult, the magical Graced are being persecuted, and an ancient power threatens to break free. But with the world hurtling toward its prophesied end, Anton’s haunting vision reveals the dangerous beginnings of a plan to stop the Age of Darkness."

I am so excited this is a trilogy because book 2 was great and I need more! Plot twists, fabulous characters, and the writing to handle all characters equally makes this a standout for me.

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As the Shadow Rises is the second entry in the planned Age of Darkness trilogy and a worthy sequel to the first book, There Will Come a Darkness. We find Ephyra once again doing everything she can to save her sister—this time trying to save her permanently. At the same time, Beru is trying to make things right and undo the harm that her sister has done by trying to save her. Meanwhile, Jude is faced with having to confront the consequences of his actions in the first book and accepting the motivations behind his decisions. We find Anton coming to grips with the responsibilities and expectations that come with his destined path and trying to put the puzzles pieces together of how to prevent the impending end of their world. We find Hassan trying to take back his kingdom from his treacherous aunt at all costs. Ilya once again schemes to take by force what he believes the world has robbed him. The theme of controlling our own destinies is explored even further in this second novel. We find the protagonists pushing the limits of their moral code to save everything they hold dear. We find our protagonists bound to oaths taken and promises made. But what if breaking an oath is the ethically correct thing to do? It delves deeper into the prophecy of the Age of Darkness and we get answers to many of the questions laid out in the first book in the series. What does the Hierophant want? How can the looming Age of Darkness be stopped? These questions are explored throughout this novel in meticulous and compelling detail. I found this follow-up worked on so many levels. The author’s prose and plot development were even stronger in this second book. There are several enjoyable subplots and numerous new characters, yet the focus is squarely on the five characters we fell in love with in the first novel. As the Shadow Rises is everything I loved about the first book, turned up a notch. This is a must read.

I'm often disappointed by sequels, but As the Shadow Rises is one of the best sequels I've read. I honestly think I like this book more than the first in the series. Pool has mastered the art of character development and world-building. I was a little apprehensive when I saw there were 5 points of view in this series because I was afraid there wouldn't be enough time to develop each character fully. Boy, was I wrong. The character arcs in this novel are more complex than most young adult novels I read. I loved the direction that she took each character in their individual journeys, and how all of their lives are interconnected. Even the supporting characters without POV's were so well-written that I found a connection for them as well. Although Pool's character development is one of my favorite parts of this tale, I would be remiss if I didn't give a head nod to her knack for world-building as well. Pool has created a unique world full of sophistication and mystique, and I thoroughly enjoyed unearthing new revelations with the characters. This book is different from your typical princess, knight, and castle fantasy. Don't get me wrong, I love that style of fiction, but this book reads so much differently. It does have a darker, more substantial tone, but I found that the it made the characters' choices all the more meaningful and powerful. Fantasy books are often filled with tropes that create predictability when reading. This book kept me guessing until the end!

First. That cover. I love the cover design for this series so far and I can’t wait to see what book three’s cover will be.

I really loved this second installment of the Age of Darkness series. We pick up where we left off not to soon after the events of There Will Come a Darkness with our main characters each struggling to deal with individual massive losses experiences by the end of book one. As with most middle children of trilogies, characters are split apart due to the events at the conclusion of book one. It’s no different here, but I was not disappointed. I loved the new companions we meet in this book. I also loved that we got to see some of the minor characters from book one featured more prominently as some were paired up with our protagonists.

Ephyra for instance joins a group of treasure hunters after she parts ways with her sister to effort to find the chalice. I loved this little band and one of my few annoyances with this book is simply that we didn’t get to know this group a little better. I hope we’ll see some of them return in book 3. She’s also forced to ally herself with one of our antagonists from book one which was the only new coupling I didn’t necessarily love. Her partners motivation didn’t come through particularly clear which made it hard to understand his actions.

I loved the Anton and Jude chapters, there were so many times my heart just sighed, and I enjoyed where their story lead. I also really enjoyed who Beru’s travel companion turned out to be. I thought their interactions were wonderful to read and it was interesting to see how discovered consequences from actions at the end of book one are used during the big showdown at the end of this book. (I don’t want to spoil too much, so apologies for being overly vague).

This book has a ton of action that was delightfully exciting. It’s very well paced and it kept me engrossed in the book. We get to dive further into the lore of Prophets and get several wonderful twists. The climatic showdown did not disappoint either. Poole both gives a satisfying conclusion to the events in book two while also fantastically evolving the story to set up for book three. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what will happen in the final installment.



I will post a review and photo on Instagram in August, closer to the publication date.

As the Shadow Rises is the sequel to There Will Come a Darkness, which was one of my favorite books last year. The sequel is solid, and doesn’t suffer from the middle book syndrome a lot of trilogies have where the second book is just set up for the finale. There is set up of course, but it is rounded out with an intriguing plot and character growth. It picks up shortly after the end of the first book (which should definitely be read first!) after things went mostly very poorly. The Age of Darkness is still approaching but maybe with Jude’s help Anton will be able to see and prevent it. Beru, Ephyra and Hassan are all on separate and desperate quests and in this book I came to love Beru as I didn’t in the first one. She gets the chance to grow and develop as a character and I was surprised to find her become one of my favorites! Ephyra meets some new characters and some old in her search for the chalice and her character develops too but not necessarily in a positive direction. And Hassan, the Deceiver, tries to use his deceiving qualities to do some good, with very mixed results. The story went in directions I was not anticipating in the best way, and I want to read the final book so bad!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc.
Hard to say anything different from the first book. My chief and really only major complaint is, again, the villain group that is so clearly a knock-off from Legend of Korra.
The same group of diverse characters, serial killer, revenant sister, crown prince, trained warrior, reluctant new Prophet, prophet’s brother, are trying to prevent the Age of Darkness.
It was a quick read and I hadn’t forgotten too much about the previous book. Lots of things were revealed in this, especially in regards to the previous prophets.

I always worry about the second book in a series. They're either the best or the worst. Have no fear with this one! The plot twists, the action, the romance all tie together beautifully. Book three is a must and the sooner the better.

Spoiler warnings!

So, I was very very excited about this book. The first book in the series was different and enjoyable and imaginative. The second book was okay. I wish Goodreads had a 3.5 option, ultimately though, I decided to give it a four because it is part of a greater whole. I am hopeful that the series overall will be satisfying.

First some good parts-
1) Jude and Anton: They are why I am here. It was good.
2) Beru's character development: I am rather interested in her side of things. I'm not sure about the HectorxBeru ship but it's not unbelievable so I was able to role with it.
3) The new conflict introduced at the end of the book: EPIC.

The weaker points of the story:
1) Hassan- For whatever reason he seemed to be a different character in this book, and it was confusing. Honestly, I feel like he could have been more of a side character in this book, but maybe he'll come back and do more.
2) Illya/Ephyra ship: I just don't know how I feel about this. Illya in general seemed to go 180 too quickly.
3) The Necromancer King: His role seemed anticlimactic, I wanted more.
4) Trains: I may have missed something in the first book, but they mentioned trains and all of a sudden I thought "wait, am i in a fantasy world or not, what's going on?" I like the idea of it being a more industrial fantasy world vs medieval fantasy world but for whatever reason I didn't realize that was what it was until the book was almost over.
5) The new characters were cool, but the didn't all feel very necessary.

So, in conclusion, As the Shadow Rises felt like the awkward second book of a good trilogy. It's setting the grounds for the real conflict that will be coming in the third book. It was necessary information for the reader to know, but not necessarily the most entertaining stuff (except for the jude and anton parts). That being said, all epic adventures/journeys have awkward down time, so I can role with it.

I'm looking forward to the third installment :)

Excellent series! It was a fast and furious read! Katy Rose Pool keeps you on the edge of your seat. No slowing down with this series.

This series is so good! I flew through this book because I was so excited and it was so good! I really recommend this book if you love action, adventure, and dark characters. I will be purchasing this book for my libraries YA collection.