The magic system in this book is incredible and the writing style blew me away. The pacing could be improved, but I am confident that the next installment will hit the ground running. I cannot wait for the rest of the series! Will be recommending it for purchase at my library system.

Story—★★★☆☆
Characters—★★★☆☆ (2.5 Stars)
Writing Style—★★★☆☆ (2.5 Stars)
Themes and Representation—★★★★☆ (3.5 Stars)
Enjoyment—★★☆☆☆ (1.5 Stars)

(Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!)

The City of Dusk is a great example of how execution–namely good storytelling–is the crucial difference between an engaging story and an AGONIZING SLOG THROUGH NEARLY 200K WORDS. AHHHH.

The City of Dusk comes in strong with world and concept. Four realms, four gods. Formerly free to travel between, but sealed off from each other for the past 500 years. In the realm of Vitae, there are four houses, each descending from the union of a previous monarch and one of the four gods.

Taesia is the edgy middle child of the shadow-centric Lastrider family. She longs to have no responsibilities so she can fuck off and do whatever. Angelica is the daughter of the elemental Mardova family. She can’t utilize her magic without playing music. Nikolas is the magically inadequate son of the light-centric Cyr family. His magic has weakened since his younger brother’s death, and he'd be sympathetic if he wasn’t lawful-good. Risha is the dutiful daughter of the necromantic Vakara family. Her only desire is to unseal the realms so the 500-years' worth of agitated spirits can move on to the realm of the dead.

Welp. This is a character-driven book, and I didn’t care about them. Their various relationships with each other and their families are integral to the story, but their introductions are graceless and full of telling-over-showing. They wind up feeling clunky and flat. Nikolas, Julian, Risha, and Dante are all bland. Angelica’s arc is chaotic and confusing. Taesia’s character arc was the most interesting, but it means she’s unbearable for 80% of the book.

The City of Dusk is told in third person, past tense from SEVEN different points of view: Taesia, Dante, Angelica, Nikolas, Risha, Julian, and a seventh unnamed character.

The City of Dusk’s problem is STRAIGHT-UP mediocre storytelling. Sorry, not sorry. Good storytelling is efficient and invisible: you’re so caught up you forget reading. The City of Dusk is the opposite: the writing is sloppy, forceful, and overlong. Events feel random and scenes feel sloppy. Sim commits the two key sins of good storytelling. One: almost everything is done through telling over showing, distancing us from the characters and therefore the emotional heart of the story. Two: it’s all awfully inefficient. Sim uses eight words to do the work of one and the story is FULL of useless details. Two characters will meet and have breakfast to contribute a SINGLE USEFUL LINE to the narrative. Sim also has a bad habit of focusing on a character’s every emotion at every second instead of letting a scene speak for itself. It turned a book that should be a dark delight into a dull, dense slog. (Seriously, this book could lose 50k and still function perfectly fine.)

HOWEVER: the last 15% - 20% was pretty cool. Things get dark and twisty, and Sim isn’t afraid to follow through with the repercussions from the character’s actions. This part was really fun to read. (If I liked the characters it would probably be even better.) It was also really cool most of the main cast were queer (Taesia and Nikolas are bi/pan, Risha is ace, and Angelica is sapphic) and characters of colour. Sim also has some really lovely individual lines and paragraphs–it’s just the storytelling at large that I found fell flat.

Overall—★★★☆☆ (2.5 Stars)

Recommended...
If you want a really cool world and take on gods/magic or a queer ensemble cast, and don’t mind a bit of slog. I’m definitely interested in what happens next, but hope the sequels are a little tidier.

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim follows four heirs to four noble houses: Angelica, an environmentalist, Risha, a necromancer, Nikolas, a light-wielding soldier, and Taesia, a shadow-wielding rebel. When the heirs realize there is a possibility they can save their dying realms, they go against their houses to figure out a way to stop the destruction.

This book was a fun, accessible fantasy. I think it is great for those who are looking to get into the genre since Sim does a great job describing the world, and it has a intense focus on the characters.

I thought that each character was sufficiently individual to be able to tell them apart, and I enjoyed the perspectives from all of them. Taesia certainly had the most flare, but I liked that each character felt like they had their own personalities, ideas, and conflicts. That being said, there were a lot of characters and perspectives, and at times it was difficult to remember which character had which magic and belonged to which house. The good thing is there is a guide at the beginning of the book to help with that, and I think that having the physical copy would make for easy reference back to this guide.

While I enjoyed the characters and was invested in the story, I feel like the book could've been about 100 pages shorter. The middle felt like it started to drag, and there were several instances of one character finding out something in one chapter and then the next chapter being that character telling the other heirs about what they discovered. It felt a little bit repetitive and boring at times. I also understand that this is the first book in a series so there was a lot of set-up and introduction to characters that needed to be outlined for the remainder of the series.

I found the magic in this book to be very interesting. While most of the types of magic (like necromancy or elements-based magic) are not new, I loved that each house had a different type and how that played out in their roles in society. I also like that within each house, different people could have different specialties within the overarching category of their magic. The worldbuilding was simplistic and borrowed from descriptions of objects in our real world, but overall I felt like it was adequate. It was difficult to picture how the cities and realms were laid out, but I assume the final version of the book would have a map to help with that.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable fantasy read with well-developed characters and interesting magic. My main issue was one of pacing. I think it is great for those looking to get into the fantasy genre with a politics focus or for those who already love the genre and want something entertaining with a great cast of characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Orbit Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I started reading Tara Sim's novels when she wrote the Timekeeper series. It was a Steampunk delight, full of an alternate London universe. Her latest series, which begins with the novel, City of Dusk, is even more impressive. Knowing that there will be three books, the author takes her time weaving an impressive web of gods, religions, families, and political intrigue. It' a little slow going at first, as there are many characters, each with a complex backstory. But, at about one-third into the story, the action starts to ramp up, and then never stops. I really loved the characters and their relationships, the story, and the underlying exploration of free-will. Weighing in at 579 pages, this is an epic novel. One that will be worth it for the patient reader.

What I Liked:

World-Building:

There are so many layers to this world. Four "Houses" (families) form the aristocracy of this world. Each family is tied to four gods, and wields power derived from that God. When they go to the church dedicated to their god, they can actually talk to them! This is because, long ago, each of the gods had a child with someone from each of the four families. So they literally are descendants of gods. Learning about what each of the character's powers were was just one of the cool parts of the book.

There is also lots of political intrigue between the Houses, and the King. The King doesn't have an heir, so he plays each House against each other, teasing them that one of the four houses will become the next ruler. This was mostly to keep the Houses from forming any alliances that would challenge the King, directly. But this constant possibility of gaining even more power, each family puts intense pressure on the younger first-borns to be perfect, and to not form any friendships with young people of the other Houses. Of course, the four main characters follow no such advice.

Themes:

One of the main themes of this book is about free-will. Do the young people have any choice in how they live? Or are they ultimately pawns in a larger game between gods (or families)? If you knew your life (and death) was predetermined, would you fight it, or accept it? As this is a YA Fantasy novel... of course they fight to maintain who each of them are. This also goes for all the obligations that each family loads onto the first-born children. Their parents have an expectation that the main characters, Angelica, Taesia, Nik, and Risha will unquestionably want to grab power from the other Houses. It's a classic case of parents living vicariously through their kids. All of the parent's unrealized ambitions are thrown onto their children. It's a heavy load for them to bear.

Characters:

Each of the four main characters have very complex relationships with their parents, their siblings, and their gods. Both Angelica and Nik have parents who are more concerned with amassing power than on being good parents. Nik's father, in particular, is quite abusive. He blames Nik for the death of Rain (Nik's older brother), never letting him forget that he wishes Nik would have died, instead. Angelica can't seem to access her powers, so her mother tries all sorts of punishments to induce her to tap into her powers. It doesn't work. It just makes Angelica more and more desperate to find ways to get more power.

Taesia and Risha have plenty of godlike abilities. But they are both constrained by their strong love for their siblings. Motivated to protect them, they are willing to do anything. This is more of a problem for Risha, who has a strong sense of responsibility. Taesia, on the other hand, is selfish and resorts to violence more often than not. It's disturbing how much she enjoys the power of her abilities, and how little remorse she feels about it afterwards.

Julian, a supporting character, gives us the point of view of the more everyday man. He is a soldier who's supporting his ailing mother. He takes on increasingly dangerous missions if it will mean he can afford his mother's medicines. He and his friends have no time for the aristocracy and their entitlement. Having lots of preconceived ideas about Nik, and Taesia, he is confused when he has to interact with them, and they turn out to not lead the easy life he had believed.

Story:

The story follows the approaching Cosmic Alignment of the four gods and their powers, something that only happens every one hundred years. When it does, the barriers between realms will be at their thinnest, providing an opportunity for the "Sealing" to be broken. From Angelica, Nik, Taesia, and Risha's viewpoint, this would help souls cross over to their final resting place, and also bring more prosperity to the kingdom. But there are risks that they are not even aware of. There are plots, on top of plots, on top of plots here. But the author takes the time to lay them all out, so it isn't confusion to the reader. But, oh man, it's like three dimensional chess going on, here!

What I was Mixed About:

Pacing:

As much as I loved the story, it is very slow going in the first third of the book. There's a lot for the author to line up for the reader. But I can see that some people may not stick around for the payoff. I did like that it wasn't just one giant action scene after another. There are many moments of character development sprinkled throughout that make the ending much more satisfying.

Gore:

I know this is a book with lots of battle sequences, but this book is extremely gory, at times. It nearly gave me nightmares! I'm just glad I didn't listen to this as an audiobook, as I think listening to some of the descriptions would make me ill. In reading this, I was able to skim some of the creepiest details.

Did you enjoy the lush, dark imagery of A Dowry of Blood? Were you hooked on all the twists in The Bone Shard Daughter? Then you are going to have a blast with The City of Dusk! We follow several heirs from four noble houses, all the mortal descendants of gods to be graced or denied their gifts based on the wim of their god patron and when a new magic begins to arrive, waking up the dead… their world as they knew will shatter to pieces.

I was a little nervous about the scale of the cast when I started the book - it was several chapters before we had met everyone, but Sim closed out the group right as I was beginning to worry about how big she was aiming for.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the Queer rep in this book, we have a trans younger sibling and a sapphic main character in the group - who is possibly a little aromanticly coded? (seriously, if I discover her being aromantic is canon, I will go absolutely bonkers over this series for the rest of time!)

Back to the review, The City of Dusk is a massive start for this series but it has the plot and worldbuilding and characters so well fleshed out. However, I will say that even when I was tracking info in my notes, I still got lost a few times, so this might be a little tougher to get absorbed in for ones looking for a lighter fantasy.

Finally, if there is one thing this book makes me excited for, it is the fan art! The imagery Sim has provided is so, so delicious and there is so much to explore and draw on - the images in my brain were just so happy and I know the fan art is going to be so good! I really hope this series gets all the love it deserves!

*I received an eARC from NetGalley & Orbit in exchange for my honest review*

4.5 stars

This is a multi-POV story set in a magical world with sealed off realms, silent gods and many types of magic that each have their own set of rules.

The book starts off strong with a very interesting first chapter that teases some of the types of magic. I did find it to be a bit slow after this but the tension and action slowly ramped up throughout the book, making the entire last quarter super intense and hard to put down. I will say that even though it was a bit slow, I was never truly bored. A major reason for that was because of the characters and the lore/history of the worlds that were gradually revealed to us as the story progressed.

Sometimes authors seem to struggle with the delicate balancing act of making all the perspectives of a multi-POV story interesting but that wasn’t seen here at all. Each character was so interesting and flawed in their own unique way. They all had their own struggles, personalities and motivations. The interactions were also great due to their dynamic of being both friends and rivals.

As mentioned, there are multiple magic systems that are each able to do different things (manipulation of light, shadow, the elements and necromancy). I would have liked to have known more about these. Even though these are shown multiple times throughout the book, I’m still not fully clear on what each are able to do or their limitations. I’m sure this will be cleared up in sequels.

I usually don’t like romance that much in books but I didn’t mind it in this one. I actually found myself cheering some of them on which is very uncommon for me.

I am very excited to read the next instalment in this series and check out the author’s other books.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Orbit in exchange for an honest review.

Source: DRC via NetGalley (Orbit, Orbit Books)
Pub. Date: March 22, 2022
Synopsis: Goodreads

Why did I choose to read this book?

There has been a flurry of YA authors trying their hand at adult novels this year, and since I loved Tara Sims’ Timekeeper (although regrettably didn’t read the rest of the trilogy) her announcement of a dark adult debut got my attention. Thanks to Orbit Books for sending me the advanced copy.

What is notable about the story?

This is a story of powers granted to great houses from the gods: death, elemental, shadows, light. These gods all controlled their own realms, and the keepers of the houses assisted them in maintaining the realms. But one day the gods slammed the doors to their realms closed, preventing the houses from accessing them, changing how their powers manifested (if at all), and causing life to slowly leech away from the city and its respective districts. The fact that the gods actively worked against the world to further their own objectives made this story unique for me, and I enjoyed seeing how the set of main characters tried to fight against the will of the gods.

I also enjoyed the idea of a flawed group of “heirs” trying to bring down the walls of their respective realms and do away with the current monarchy in their society. None of these people are truly good, although I would say that Risha (the necromancer) comes close. All of the heirs (Risha, Nik, Taesia, and Angelica) are vying for the throne while simultaneously trying to bring it down and restore power to the gods and their own houses. These aren’t superheroes, these are normal people blessed with power that they don’t necessarily want or use in responsible ways. I gasped more than once at the cruelty and lack of control that exists in the hands of these characters.

Was anything not so great?

I have to be honest and say that while I really enjoyed this book from cover to cover, it read like YA. The main characters could have easily been teenagers instead of in their 20s and 30s and the story would have worked. I wouldn’t call this a full transition to adult for Sim, which was disappointing, but because her storytelling skills are so adept I’m willing to give the second installment of this one a go to see if she steps it up a notch.

What’s the verdict?

This one gets 4 stars on Goodreads and a hearty recommendation from me. It’s definitely a contender for the Angry Angel Books best books of 2022 list. If you like dark fantasy with reluctant heroes, violence, and a little bit of sexy time, this book should be in your hands asap.

4⭐️ this was a fun romp with cool elemental magic and interesting characters. Note, I was provided and ARC by Orbjt Books in exchange for an honest review.

If you like political fantasy with gods who are directly involved and elemental magic this one is for you. It feels a little slow at times, with 4 different POV’s but is digestible enough it would make a good transition from YA to adult fantasy. While being marketed as adult fantasy, it more along the lines of older YA/new adult in my opinion. That ending was also just rude, cliff hanger much? Can’t wait for book two. Full video review to come on release day https://www.YouTube.com/RodgersReads

The writing of this book, in a word - incredible. Sim is a powerhouse when it comes to storytelling and I cannot wait to see what they write next. This had me on the edge of my seat at every moment. I cannot stress how beautifully the wordbuilding flowed, how perfectly paced everything was, how the characters had me rooting and loathing them in equal measure. Fantastic.

The City of Dusk is a fantastic first installment of a series. Tara Sim has managed to intrigue and fascinate me within the pages of this masterful tale.

I was drawn in immediately by the immersive world building and fantastic character development. While some people may not enjoy a longer first installment in a series, I personally find them to be the perfect start, our author has the time to map out the world and give us true complete characters all while giving us a glimpse of what will no doubt become one of my favorite fantasy series.

The story arc is one that seems new and interesting, the way magic is treated is a new twist and one I find fascinating. The magic system introduced in this series is innovative and unique. I haven't read anything along these lines but the way it's laid out is brilliant. The entire story line had so many ranges of emotions for me, from awe at the elemental magic to empathy when certain ceremonies didn't go the way they were expected to.

Having a large cast of characters can get a little confusing at times but having the houses and different types of magic to differentiate them helps a lot in the beginning. Within the first quarter of the book their voices were unique enough that everything made sense and you could really understand who was from which house and which magic they controlled, who needed instruments to control their magic, and who needed help in other forms.

The imagery and world building are some of the best I've read in a very long time. I could see and almost feel what was being described and that's an amazing feat considering the world we're looking at. The magic seemed natural, not forced, the relationships while complex felt genuine and the setup for book two was in my opinion perfection.

I cannot wait for book this book to release, I know this is one that I'll be buying for myself to have on my bookshelves, I am so invested in our characters at this point that I just can't stop thinking about them.

There's so much more I could say but it would include way to many spoilers so I'll just leave it at if you love fantasy, mystery, intrigue, and magic then this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this first installment in a new trilogy, albeit with some reservations. I have to agree with some of my fellow reviewers in that this book does read YA at times (just with more swearing). In addition the pacing seems a bit off. With the different magic systems there is a lot going on, and yet the book does drag in parts and I think it’s a little too long. But the magic systems really are quite interesting and I think well done. I’m interested to see how the rest of the series develops now that the world has been set up.

Thank you to NetGalley & Orbit Books for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

4.5/5. Excellent for fans of The Locked Tomb series or Mistborn! Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book. Can't wait to crack open the physical copy I picked up and check out the art and maps inside!

I've heard about Tara Sim before, her books have always been in my radar since the Timekeeper Trilogy.

In this new novel, Tara Sim introduces us to a complex world full of interesting characters and a wonderful magic system. I personally loved the four Noble Houses and how they interact with each other (My favorite was Cyr). The Heir system in which they operate and how they are trying to compete with each other to become the next royal family gives this story the intrigue the reader is looking for to start the book.

I always appreciate the lore that the author creates in order to write their books. This is something you can't ignore when reading "The City of Dusk". The backstory and everything that happened in the past is as important as what Tara Sim is telling us in the present. It enriches the plot and makes the story more interesting and dynamic.

I highly recommend The City of Dusk to fantasy readers that are looking for a warming reading and enjoy magic systems and strong family plots.

There are 4 heirs to the major houses in the city of dusk, and while we spend a bit of time with all of them we spend the most with Taesia, who can manipulate the shadows.
This story is basically one big long political power move for the throne, between all the houses including the heirs who used to all be friends and are now struggling with their decisions and how they affect their childhood friends, all except Taesia, who has always picked fights just to see what happens because she has never wanted to serve her family she just wants to be free to do what she wants and go wherever the whim takes her. She goes bad with very little effort but a bit of remorse when she realizes how her decisions change how her friends see her.
This is a complex story but it's still fairly easy to follow, the characters are all interesting individuals, I did go into this thinking it was a standalone(based on the info I could find at the time I requested it) but it's at least a duology, so I wasn't expecting the cliffhanger ending, but I will continue with the series as it comes out.

After reading another book by this author that hooked me from page one, I was thrilled to see this first book in her dark epic fantasy trilogy on NetGalley.

Four realms, each with a god, each with an heir possessing a divine power – and one king without an heir. The world-building is immersive, complex, and well-explained. The cultures, magic system, politics, dynamics between realms – I was never confused. What I missed was a map, which would have been very helpful, but I had an ARC, although it looks like a map will be included in the final copy.

The story is told from several different POVs, but primarily the four heirs who are all well-crafted and distinctive. Taesha is morally gray (my favorite kind of character) and rebellious, but cares deeply for people. Risha is analytical, family-oriented, and agrees to meet a potential husband for an arranged marriage. Nikolas is kind, still grieving the death of his brother, and constantly trying to prove his worth to his father. Angelica is ambitious and powerful, but lacks control. The relationships between these characters is complicated. Sometimes they’re friends or occasionally more, but they’ve been raised to compete against each other, their parents believing one of them will be chosen as a successor to the crown since the king is without an heir.

At over five hundred pages, this is a hefty read, but that’s something to be expected in the fantasy genre, especially the first in a series. There’s plenty of action with vivid fight scenes, but also lots of downtime, and I felt the pacing was a little inconsistent.

Make no mistake – this is a very dark fantasy, and scenes can be graphic and gory. Some characters want what’s best for their people. Others desire power. But that’s part of the reason it’s such a compelling read, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim
4/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

•••Spoiler free review below•••

Taesia Lastrider had never considered herself a good person, nor did she have any intention of becoming one.

Risha Vakara asked for death to take her, and once again death declined.

Angelica Mardova, stuck in a meeting she'd long tuned out of, wanted badly to play her violin.

Nikolas Cyr tested the weight of the sword in his hand and briefly fantasized about plunging it into his father's neck.

Dante Lastrider woke up thinking about demons.
.
.
.
The first thing I do upon receiving a new book is read the opening line. I am constantly looking for the next 'first sentence' that will draw me in. Tara Sim not only nailed her opening line once, but five times as we see our five main characters different POVs in the first five chapters of this high fantasy debut.

Five POVs sounds daunting, I know, but I promise the magical world of this story and the captivating details will keep you enthralled from start to finish. The characters are intertwined perfectly and I was never confused about which POV I was reading or who each character was.

The magic system is unique and fascinating. The world building is immersive. And the characters are wonderfully developed and diverse. If you are looking for your next high fantasy series, I cannot recommend this enough.

The City of Dusk will be out March 22nd, and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
.
.
.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for sharing an arc with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Final rating: 4.5

This is my first book from this author, and I was really surprised with how much I enjoyed it! There are a ton of trigger warnings for this book though, including blood, gore, murder, grief, self harm, parental abuse, and probably a few that I’m forgetting about.

This is a fairly long book, coming it at 512 pages. However, it didn’t feel like a long book because the writing was great, the setting was immersive and the characters were all really interesting. It’s definitely character focused, and we get multiple POV’s including the four main POVs: Taesia (my favorite), Risha, Angelica, and Nik. We also get a few side character POVs including Julian (also a favorite), Dante, and we also get the POV of someone unknown as well. All of the characters are also queer!

I adored Taesia the most, she has shadow magic which is one of my favorite types to read about. She’s also very headstrong and chaotic, and extremely sarcastic. She has good intentions, but sometimes takes things a bit too far and ends up leaning into the stereotypical idea that shadow magic is bad, which I highly enjoyed. I also really liked Julian who was a side character that can talk to animals, and I definitely ship him with Taesia, although it remains to be seen if it’ll actually happen.

I loved the world and the magic too, although at times I was a little confused and lost when it came to the world itself and what it looked like, but that may be mostly because I was reading an ARC copy that didn’t have a map, which I think will be helpful to know what these other places mentioned are. The idea of four realms that are ruled by four gods was interesting, and I liked how people could at one point travel between the realms. In the timeline in the book, the realms have all been closed off and the city where all the realms converged is now dying.

The plot was interesting as well, with the four houses vying for the King’s favor so that one of them will be chosen as his successor, but then conjurers start causing problems that poses a threat to the safety of the kingdom. The four heirs must come together to stop the plot and save their Realm, but of course because their houses don’t trust one another it make it really hard for them to work together.

The final 25% of the book was so incredibly fast paced and was action packed! So much happened in such a short period of ti me that I felt like I was holding my breath while I was reading so I wouldn’t miss anything!

I’ve found that since I finished this book, I still think about the characters and the ending, and I can’t wait for the next book to come out so that I can finally find out what happens next!

This book blew me away! I absolutely loved it I received an arc for my honest review and this book was so good I'll definitely be purchasing a copy! I loved the characters and the world building was so good as well definitely worth the read.

The City of Dusk is a well written novel that straddles the line between YA and adult with an interesting premise and storyline. I really enjoyed the magic system, as well as the darker atmosphere. I loved that the Gods weren't just some distant mythological people but actual interactable characters. The visual descriptions in the book are great (Deia is probably my favorite) as well as the overall world building.

What I didn't like, however, was the 7 different POVs we are thrown into almost all at once. There is so much jumping around between the different POVs that its really difficult to become attached to any of the characters. It gives a more comprehensive view of what's going on, but it also offers no real emotional connection. I have no favorite character and no character that I hate. I feel nothing for any of the characters.

This type of story telling also made the pacing feel quite off. Plot development seemed to not happen at all and then all of sudden everything happens. There also seems to be some inconsistencies between characters actions and knowledge.

The ending was great and created enough curiosity that I am intrigued to learn more. Hopefully the next book will either reduce the amount of POVs or execute it in a way that lets us actually feel something for the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC!

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim is an adult fantasy novel that will transport you into new world of magic and gods. The story revolves around Angelica, Risha, Nikolas, and Taesia, the four heirs of powerful houses who each want to gain more power and possibly become the new emperor. The heirs are all friends though, and open to working together. When someone they know is accused of murder, they must join together their disparate gods-given powers and influences in order to find out who the true murderer is.

Here is a magical and ominous excerpt from the Prologue:

"“How many more?” the boy asked. His voice was faint and slurred, the half mumbling of a dreamer.
Do not fret, answered the Voice. It curled around him the way it always did, soothing his thoughts, his rising trepidation. It won’t be much longer. They do not yet know, but they will soon. Then...it will be time.
"Memories of paint faded, until all was calm and hazy again. His gaze traveled east, to the flat, dark land beyond. Where the others were waiting.
Not much longer now, cooed the Voice, a smile in its words.
The boy smiled, too. Turning to the dead body behind him, he grabbed an ankle and continued to drag it east."

Overall, The City of Dusk is a magical novel that will appeal to fans of Crescent City, All of Us Villains, or the Obsidian and Blood series. It reminded me of Crescent City, because the author transports us to a new world where magic is an inherent part of the system, and magic is seen as normal. It reminded of All of Us Villains, because it is an ensemble cast featuring the heirs of several powerful houses. It reminded me of the Obsidian and Blood series, because there it is also part fantasy and part murder mystery. These were some of my favorite books in the past two years, and I am happy to say that I enjoyed The City of Dusk just as much.

One highlight of this book are the four main characters. I'm not usually a fan of books with large casts, but I found the four characters easy to tell apart and each solid in their own right. Each of them have a back-story, motivations, and powers, and I rooted for all of them. I especially liked the chapters from Taesia's and Angelica's points of views. Another highlight of this book is the mystery aspect. When I read the synopsis, I thought this would be a standard fantasy adventure. Adding in a murder mystery definitely elevated this book and made it even more enjoyable for me. If you're intrigued by the excerpt, or if you're a fan of adult fantasy books in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in March!