First of all I’d like to thank Netgalley and Orbit books for allowing me to read an ARC of The City of Dusk in exchange for an honest review.

The City of Dusk follows the four heirs to the noble houses of Vaega, a magical realm that was long ago sealed off from the remaining ones. You meet Taesia and Dante Lastrider, Angelica Mardova, Risha Vakara, and Nikolas Cyr, as they try to fix their dying kingdom and save themselves from an inevitable fate.

The multiple POVs in this book do a good job of conveying the chaotic and contradictory views and plans each of the characters have. In some cases I’ve seen multiple POVs muddle the story until it’s hard to tell one character from another, but this is not the case in The City of Dusk. Each of the characters have very distinguished and fleshed-out voices that come through clearly in their respective chapters. From desperation to stubbornness, to a slow spiraling descent, each of the characters have clear motivations and objectives. This makes it even more interesting when they clash or begrudgingly align to face the bigger enemy. I could feel the pain and betrayal when they turned their backs on each other, but I could also feel the love and dedication when they were most needed. Even the chapters that are narrated by side characters are very distinct and it helps give backgrounds to these characters, and shows the reader just how they are handling the events of the main story.

There are also a few plot twists in the book that I thought were really well done and the execution was so good I physically stopped reading and kind of just sat there re-reading the last paragraph to fully grasp it. The big pot twist that comes towards the climax of the book was one that I sort of started to guess at a chapter or two before the actual reveal but that didn’t detract from the impact that had on the story.

Another thing I really enjoyed in the story was the queer representation that was tied in so casually that it didn’t feel like a main component to any one character. It was nice to see characters that were queer without that being their entire storyline, and that part of them didn’t make them less powerful than any non queer counter parts. There is also a fair amount of cultural representation in the book as well, which again was really nice to see. It was important to include these characters and to again give them stories that didn’t directly revolve around who they were.

The magic and world building was another really interesting faucet of the book, and unlike a lot of fantasy it didn’t feel difficult to understand. It was nice to have the world building steeped in the story rather than dropped on you in the first few chapters. To me this lends to a more authentic and interesting story because you can fully immerse yourself in it without being overwhelmed. The magic system itself was a lot of fun exploring alongside the characters, and it leaves me yearning for the next book. I liked the idea of each of the heirs having access to their own sorts of magic, which made them both revered and feared. I look forward to seeing what Angelica and Nikolas can do in the coming books!

I always enjoy a good book with interesting magic elements and well placed corruption arcs, and this book delivered on both of those fronts. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can not wait for it to come out in stores because I know I will be going to pick a copy up and desperately wait for the sequel!

"The City of Dusk" is Tara Sim's first adult fantasy book, and it takes its cue from many other common adult fantasy works: multiple POVs, a thorough pantheon system, magic, and a diverse cast all initially interested me greatly as I began this work. Unfortunately, while this was a lot of fun, I'd hesitate to call it "adult" - it reads YA, from the simplicity of the sentence structure to the depth of nuance as characters grow and change throughout the book. I couldn't really pinpoint *exactly* what it was that read so YA, but I forgot it wasn't YA several times until there was a sex scene or a particularly juicy swear thrown in.

So with that in mind - this book is loooong, and the POVs change up quite a bit. While the central characters are easily identifiable, some additional POVs were just unnecessary to the action and served as padding to me. The pacing initially throws you directly into the middle of it - which was wonderful! But the pacing slowed down again until around the 30% mark.

All in all... this was fun, but too much like other things I've read for it to really stand on its own as unique. I think people seeking a New Adult fantasy might really love it! It just wasn't really for me.

This book was everything that I didn’t expect it to be. It starts off wonderfully with an intro of the 4 houses and the characters who’s POV’s we mainly follow. The interactions between the 4 heirs were great- it gave a greater insight into their personalities and histories; this was an important part of the role these characters would play later in the plot. Taesia was by far my favourite character- her sass and passion to do right by her brother was refreshing. The magic system was very well explained and was very easy to understand.

There was wider range of representation; I particularly enjoyed the references to south Asian culture with the clothes and food specifically- it was an accurate depiction that wasn’t diluted down to play up more western culture. There was also a brief mention of LGBT+ representation but it would’ve been wonderful to have a bit more in depth descriptions and plot for this.

Overall, it was an amazing book and a confirmed purchase when it comes out. Can’t wait to read further books in this series!

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the novel. I am rating this book with my own opinion and have not received anything in return.

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher, Orbit Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lush world building, dynamic characters and a setting that encapsulates me with the same awe and fanatic as Avatar the Last Airbender, Castlevania and The Dragon Prince.

This is a perfect read for anyone looking for diverse characters in a fantasy setting, fast paced writing, great world building, the exploration of religion, aristocratic politics and finnicky, mischievous gods.

A full review will be posted to my Goodreads after the publishing date!

Unfortunatley not for me, I had a very difficult time understanding what was happening from the get-go and found it extremely confusing to be constantly jumping around different characters who had very similar internal voices. None of the characters really stood out to be, they all quickly blended into one, and their motivations weren't strong enough for me to latch on to any of them (I'm a character reader). I didn't really feel like there was a plot happening at all until about 20% of the book passed, and by then I had already completely lost interest. I did really enjoy the worldbuilding, but I quickly got confused with all the houses and names, and I couldn't really keep track of where we were at any given time because the environments all felt the same. I hate to say this because I was really looking forward to the book, but this one was just... underwhelming.

The City of Dusk
by Tara Sim
Fantasy
#ARC #NetGalley

Four young people born from the bloodlines of gods, they each are gifted with powers from their 'birth' gods: a necromancer, an elementalist, a shadow, and a soldier of light. These heirs, while each in line for the throne of the city that connects the four realms, (but is now cut off from them due to their gods' wrath and war between each other,) they forge an alliance to save their city from a destructive magic and to reopen the gateways to the four different Realms so to stop their city's slow death caused by the closure of the gates.

My description matches the writing, a circular smorgasbord of words that circle around and around and doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Each chapter is about one of the four MCs, along with introducing other characters that may or may not be really important to the story, but sadly with all of the words, all of the characters blend in with each other, and there was only a couple of these characters that stood out enough for me to recognize, but the writing was so circular that I fell asleep countless times while reading this story. There wasn't enough action or 'life' in the story or the characters to keep me awake.

But the storyline, once I finished reading the book, was good, but it was too much work to get to the end so it wasn't enjoyable at all to get to the end. It was interesting but poorly presented. There were too many extras, but not enough details or life in the characters, setting, or tone for it to live up to how good the story could have been.

And sadly, this is the first book of a series.

I was given an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

This is my first time reading anything by Tara Sim and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!!

The City of Dusk follows four main houses, each having their own respective powers. There are conjurations occurring and nobody seems to know why when conjuring has been outlawed for many years. The houses vie over who is to become heir for King Ferdinand - who's without an heir to the throne. Those same houses try to deal with conjurations, being heirs, and their own power in this fantasy.

~I thought the beginning build up of information took a long time, especially with it taking up 20% of the book, but it paid off well for the ending. I thought I knew what was going to happen and sometimes it rang true, but then something else would pop up and flip it on its head. There is heavy amounts of detail according to each house and power, so if you're not one to like that sort of writing or fantasy then - be warned.

~My god I was on the edge of my seat the last half of the book. Things kept coming and never stopped coming. Once I thought I had something figured out, it turned into something completely else. The fight scenes oh my god. I wish I could see it animated or on television cause oh my god. It gets pretty gruesome in this book and I loved it!!

I'd definitely recommend this if you like:
~ political intrigue
~ plot twists
~ heavy detail oriented writing
~ wrathful women and cinnamon roll men
~ lgbtq+ representation and south asian representation
~ multi pov
~ powers of the gods granted to mortals
~ grim/gruesome scenes with elements of body horror

I'll be waiting for the next one, it will be most anticipated cause I need to know what's going to happen after that ending man.

Disclaimer: I received The City of Dusk as an ARC through NetGalley and I'm voluntarily leaving this review.

I absolutely loved the character development and interactions between the main characters. The plot twists added much to the overall story, making this a fun, well balanced book. This book had me hooked from the first couple of chapters and I have not put it down since then.

Let me just start by saying that I feel extremely lucky to have been able to read an ARC of The city of Dusk.

This was a strong, beautifully written fantasy novel that feels mature and developed. The world building alone was truly a masterpiece.

The characters were so diversified and the different point of views were truly loveable and flowed seamlessly with the plot development.

And what a plot! the synopsis doesn't even give out half of it, monumental, The hurricane of feelings that this story made me feel is truly remarquable, there was fear, stress, laughter and even romance! This book really had it all

I love a good epic/high fantasy, and the description of this book sounded so good. And like something that I would really enjoy. As anyone knows, adult fantasy often comes with a lot of worldbuilding. It's got the time for it, and the need for it. From the first moment we are thrown into a vibrant world, wherein not too much is explained. In this you sort of must figure things out for yourself.

Compared to other fantasy books the beginning of this was quite intense, and it was the setup of the characters and their future. We dove right on it. However, once we get past the beginning the pace of the book slows down. And I felt a lot of it wasn’t necessary to be honest.

We have multiple POV characters (which I thought overall was done well), and I felt that the characters were all individualistic which is nice. They all had personalities even if I didn’t always like them. Characters don’t have to be likeable after all. I enjoyed the family relationships some of the characters had as well, such as Dante and Taesia.

The one thing I wished is that she had stuck with the same POVs throughout the entire book, and not added or dropped any at random parts. It was a lot of POVs and it did work; because it was bringing together what was to happen at the end.

We get to about 35% and the pace does pick up a little bit. We start to see more of the plot come together (and then some of the plot fall apart...and not be picked up at all the rest of the book). But the overall plot was solid, and it was quite epic.

I found certain aspects of the book frustrating. (The parts with Dante, because he and Taesia are pretty much my favorite characters).

I think this is a good start to the series, I’m still not totally sure what to make of it. Like, I liked it. I did! But at the same time I didn’t love it, and I cannot put my finger on what that dividing line is.

Yes, the ending was epic. But some of the buildup just wasn’t there for me the way I wanted it to.

I really enjoyed the writing in this book; I think it was superb, and I think Sim is a great storyteller. I just don’t know if I just wasn’t vibing with this book...or something else. Either way, I think this is a great start to a series that I think I will pick up more of as they come out.

I am torn with this one. The balance scale of my review is solidly in balance here–neither loved it or hated it–I merely liked it. On one hand, this book has some great world building, charismatic and likable characters, and the way it grabbed my interest right out the gate was perfectly done. Yet, on the other hand...mid-book it was as if someone put on the brakes. Or to use another comparison, reading this book was like running a mile. You start out strong, only to struggle mid-way through before seeing the end and plow towards the finish line. That said, I still liked the overall plot, imagery, and characters in this book. I may be giving it a 3 star, BUT its more like a 3.75 star. I will most definitely be reading the next. A BIG thank you to Orbit publishing and NetGalley for the eARC copy.

Besides the fact that I think Tara Sim has a fantastically unique story here and she has a fabulous writing style, I just enjoyed the journey. Even at the moments that I became frustrated with Dante, I was pulled in by the family ties between he and Taesia. I wasn't a fan of the absurd number of POV's this book accumulates. I am a minimum of 4 kind of reader and this one had like seven, I think. It was, at times, hard to overcome the feeling of being pulled in too many direction.

A great start to an epic story.

It's stories like "The City of Dusk" that truly make me re-fall in love with fantasy as a genre.

You ever read the synopsis of a book and immediately know you’re going to love everything about it? Yeah, that was me when I first heard of City of Dusk by Tara Sim - and I was freaking right! This was exactly the sort of adult fantasy book I’ve been craving for a while now with characters that I instantly fell in love with. I’m talking I loved every single POV which is a rarity for me. Of course, I had some I loved more than others (charming Dante, terrifying Taesia, and sweet boy Nik being my top 3) but I was never bored with any character and each one played an equal role in the story.

And the story! The world-building! I honestly cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy just to look at the map of this massive world the author created. Let me just sing the praises for the different sections corresponding with each god; the Houses and their political squabbling for power; the Heirs and their desires, their fears, their dreams. I didn’t see certain twists coming, leaving me gasping in shock, and giving me a healthy dose of fear for certain characters (PLEASE DON’T BREAK MY HEART TARA SIM PLEASE). I loved the diversity with the characters so so so much. Like I said, this was exactly the fantasy novel I had been dying for for a while now and I’m so so glad it delivered everything I wanted and more.

City of Dusk is absolutely a new favorite book for me (not just for 2022 but in general) and I am shaking with excitement (and FEAR) for what comes next in the sequel. This will be the book I spend the rest of the year pushing into the hands of my friends and sisters to read.

Get ready.

This is my first review of an ARC. I really enjoyed this book, although it took me a little while to get acquainted with the characters and places (which is true with any true fantasy novel!)
This reminds me of a grown up version of Tamora Pierce's Emelan series, so if you enjoy that feel it's an excellent choice. A couple of big twists that I did NOT see coming!!

Highly enjoyable read and definitely recommend for fantasy readers!

Revised review. This book had so much potential but the writing style didn’t work for me at all. I found it to be too young adult. This is perfectly fine, but I just felt that the characters were lacking and I didn’t like any of them. Unfortunately not my favourite book, might work for someone else though.

To begin with, before going into the actual review, I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an e-arc copy of this book.

Now, without further due, the review of Tara Sim's The City of Dusk (The Dark Gods book 1).

This epic fantasy series takes place in the Four Realms, a world that was separated into fragments and abandoned by the Gods that created it. In this story, we follow characters that are heirs to the magical Houses: Taesia the shadow mage, Risha the necromancer, Angelica the elementalist, and Nik the light magician.

And, may I say, they have their scenes in the book that shows what kind of characters they are plus how the world works from the politics to the magic. (OMG, the magic scenes are great).

From a series of crimes to trying to stop the world from going to Hell, from both the gods and the people, this first book in the series by the author of Scavage the Stars will give fans the much-needed Game of Thrones fill until the next book comes out...if ever lol.

Before I finish the review, I have seen people comment that this is YA Fantasy and not adult...to be honest with you guys, this feels like New Adult Fantasy which is fine with me, especially with the plot and the cool worldbuilding.

5/5 stars, a 🐉, and a 👑.

Absolutely enjoyed every line in this book! The characters, the world building... Every thing was done so well I couldn’t stop reading!! Taesia was my favorite, I need more of her POV! I also loved the diversity in our characters, so many shades and colours ❤️ it truly made my heart happy! The banter had me laughing out loud, the romance was sweet and the stakes so stressful! All in all, I really enjoyed it 😁

DNF @ 14%

I wanted to give Tara Sim another chance despite my having DNF'd Scavenge the Stars, but Sim's writing style just doesn't seem to work for me. I was also somewhat overwhelmed by the vastness of the worldbuilding and the constant POV changes.

A more accurate synopsis: classic epic fantasy of dying realm with competing magics is reimagined for queer older teenagers who have spent time on tumblr in the past.

The characters:
- Taesia: technically there's no one main character, but it's clear that she's the author's favorite. Disaster bisexual, full of anger, controls shadows.
- Dante: Taesia's brother, really just trying his best. Deserved better.
- Angelica: regal and stuck-up fire elementalist who has all the internal struggles.
- Risha: team mom, very not-dark necromancer
- Nikolas: sadboi with family issues and imposter syndrome. Probably will be popular, although I didn't have a strong opinion on him.
- Julian: outsider POV. The others are all nobles, and he's just a middle-class hunter of beasts. Confused.

What I liked:
- Main characters are all different, but easy to understand. They make sense.
- The characters mostly know each other before the story starts! Like would make sense in a small-ish kingdom.
- There's some romance but it doesn't overshadow the plot.
- Literally nonstop action in the second half.

What I didn't like:
- The synopsis only mentions four main characters, but there are at least six. Really doing Dante and Julian dirty.
- There's not a ton of innovation - I've seen most of these tropes before done in the same way. Some might be bored by this book, but I will gladly read the same thing over and over again, so it was fine with me.
- So much happened. A little too much for my smooth brain. Long book for the first in a series, especially since it feels more YA than adult.
- I don't really feel the need to read the next book :(. Like I liked this, but don't need more.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.