I read the first book and it was good. This one was so much more action pack, and so many things happen. I really enjoyed diving back into this world, characters and the gods. This one has some pretty intense moments and some pretty creepy moments that are really well written. Congratulations on book 2 looking forward to your next book.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Orbit for letting me get this ARC for review.

I was so excited for this sequel. After the way the first book ended, I didn't even really care to read the description before knowing I had to get this book. For the first 120ish pages I flew through this with a giddy feeling. Now let's get into what happened with this book.

In the sequel novel, we are still following the same cast of characters. This go around I feel for the most part Nikolas's chapters were shorter due to his condition. While Dante might have gotten a bit more time than the first book. If you wanted character growth out of this book then you will be somewhat disappointed. Angelica is the only one that I believe actually started to change for the better. She was still somewhat annoying and self-important at the end but actually thinking about helping others.

This book follows the heirs each in their own parts of the realms. Taesia, Nik, and Julian are in Noctas trying to survive against Phos who is determined to turn that realm into his own. They are able to find allies in the royal family there. Their storyline helps to grow Julian's powers and blood connection to the lost god. While the other two I was not as okay with how their storylines progressed. Angelica and Dante are forced to agree on a matter of how to best get the other heirs back. Dante is looking for his aunt and the conjuror who could help get the portals open again. Angelic accepts a mission to Azuna to look for an item of Diea. I did like that Angelica was able to expand her abilities into more of an ethereal element with her singing. Risha traveling through Mortri actually felt normal compared to the others.

That might have been a really confusing breakdown of character info. The plot of this book is kind of either finding a way home or how to get back at the gods. In the first book, the heirs were trying to get in touch with the gods and try to get them to help save the realms as surely they couldn't know it was dying. This book is we have to stay away from the gods or ignore them as much as possible. I feel like the conversations that were had between heirs and gods were a bit repetitive. The majority of this book is slow plot. Then we will have big action events but back to a slow story from another character. The ending of this book was a fight scene but it didn't feel as impactful huge as the conclusion of the first novel.

After finishing the book and thinking about it for a few days, I'm still mad at the ending. It had felt that this character, while not having much real growth, had gotten past the particular way of acting. However, the end was horrible for her. There were some "twists" that were a little too predictable. Also, the realms are still dying, no time spent thinking about that yet. Even with all of this, I'm going to read the next one.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit, for the free digital book in exchange for a review.

The Midnight Kingdom elevates The Dark God's series to new heights, immersing readers in an epic fantasy that embarks on a thrilling journey across multiple realms. The author skillfully presents a detailed backdrop of these realms and their respective deities in this book. With four distinct settings within the story, the inclusion of character names in the title serves as an informative guide for readers, ensuring clarity regarding both point-of-view and realm to prevent any confusion.

The world-building is vividly portrayed, with the writing flawlessly capturing the desired mood and atmosphere while staying true to each character's essence. While all characters in this book leave a lasting impression, my favorite is Taesia—the rebel. Throughout this novel, marked by significant character development for everyone involved, Taesia captivates me most due to her intriguing nature filled with conflicting thoughts.

What I find particularly compelling about this book is how its characters fiercely fight against predetermined destinies while asserting their own free will—a testament to their unwavering belief in shaping their paths. Moreover, it becomes evident that these characters rely on one another; they forge unbreakable bonds born out of necessity.

This enchanting tale revolves around themes of gods and beliefs intertwined with concepts such as free will and friendship—an exploration that leaves readers contemplating profound ideas long after finishing its final chapter.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This is the second book of the series, it continues off right away from The City of Dusk! There’s a lot of world building going on in this book, the author demonstrated a fantastic ability to describe countries and realms and the diversity in each and every one. The details were great! It felt like I could see it in front of me, like I was experiencing the story. There are also many new characters that come into the story in this second book, which I liked, and the old group of characters are still in the book and just as important.

The plot remained coherent, and while it did not blow me away like the first book did, there were many instances where I could see the multiple storylines and elements combine in a beautiful way, and it made me satisfied as a reader to see this! The development of different relationships in our cast of characters was fantastically written, the romance especially was portrayed beautifully. There’s poetic and emotionally quality to the language used to describe these emotional and romantic moments between the characters and I loved reading these passages especially.

Overall I highly recommend reading this series, I can’t wait for the next book! It’s such a dark and brutally complex world and the group of characters are just wonderful, it’s such a rich story. The only thing to comment on is the beginning of this second book is slower in comparison to book 1; therefore you need to read a little bit before things start happening and the turns and twists come into focus.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC! I was very exited for this ARC, with so many exiting premises. A fight against the heavens, found family, powers!!!! Sadly though, I struggled with the numerous POVs and information from all those POVs on top of the gods and their world. The pacing feels a bit slow at times and then will feel too fast in others, it just doesn’t feel consistent. To be honest, the amount of information isn’t the killer, it’s just the execution in my opinion. And while I enjoyed the premise, I don’t think the book as an end result was for me.

I have been DYING for this book. It was everything and more since the last one. I CANNOT wait to have the physical copy in my hand. If you enjoyed the first one, this sequel will blow you away.

The writing is phenomenal and mysterious. But. Is. This. THE end????

review on goodreads and tiktok will be posted in august two weeks before the sale date!!


the midnight kingdom review

"eat shit and die" i absolutely love taesia

The Midnight Kingdom is the sequel to The City of Dusk and boy oh boy it has lived up to the expectations and been amazing. i LOVE multiple pov high fantasy books. i love them. i think that they are the peak writing style and more authors should do it.

we follow to stories of the main characters from book one as they duel the earring gods and fight their way to try and get back to each other and save the world, literally. they all face gruesome and heartbreaking challenges that test them to their limits throughout the book. there are plot twists, tragedies, mysteries, and more throughout the second installment of this story.

this book is good. it kept me hooked the entire story which is rare for me these days. i really do love the multiple povs we get throughout this book, it's nice knowing what's happening everywhere and to everyone.

the ending of this book is so perfect? this book is perfectly executed. the sort of cliffhanger was amazing, i'm going to need book 3 immediately.

this was a 5 star read for me, i loved it. tara sim is an incredible author. thank you to the author, publisher (orbit), and netgalley for the chance to review this arc!

"The Midnight Kingdom" by Tara Sim, the second book in the series, offers a refreshing queer element that adds depth to the story. While the multiple viewpoints and character challenges are engaging, the world-building feels somewhat lacking, making the narrative occasionally drag on. Nonetheless, it remains a worthwhile read, providing inclusive and diverse representation in the fantasy genre. Looking forward to any and all this author writes.

To no one's surprise, there's still a LOT going on. And as their paths converge, it becomes more and more chaotic which is just my speed. I loved the ensemble cast and being able to explore more of the world, but it felt like it dragged for the first 70% of the book. (For any other book, I would've DNFed tbh) I'd forgotten so much of the lore that some of the elements didn't quite make sense, but I think that's a personal problem. Much of the political intrigue is bogged down by violence, but I'm still strangely excited for Book 3....

*Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I first read The City of Dusk in preparation for The Midnight Kingdom, and I thoroughly enjoyed the continuation of the story in TMK. Tara Sim's second book in the Dark Gods series picks up with the fallout of Godsnight, and the four heirs are scattered- literally- across the different realms with Angelica the only one to remain in Vitae. It's a daunting task to take on multiple POVs as well as switching realms, and it certainly kept me on my toes as a reader.

In The City of Dusk, I was mainly focused on getting to know the heirs, and in TMK I found myself really rooting for Dante, Taesia, Risha, and Brailee, but especially Julian and Angelica. Her development over the course of the book was so interesting to see, and I can't wait to see what's in store for her in the next installment. As for Julian, I'm such a sucker for the "more than meets the eye" trope, and I loved learning more about him in book 2.

Honestly, it didn't feel as high-stakes as it should have been with all the characters split up in different places. I didn't sense the urgency and that made it difficult to get into the book. Especially after the first one ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this eARC!

DNF @ 20%.
I did struggle with the first book. The amount of POVs, different personalities, powers, Gods, it all was difficult to wrap my brain around. But I was interested to find out what happens next and was excited to receive an ARC of The Midnight Kingdom. The second book starts off right were the first left off. With the same issues the first one had. There is zero recapping, so if you have not read the first recently, you may want to. The pacing is so off. I like reading the action, but there is so much slog in between. The long pages of inner dialogue and trying to remember what was going on with who made me just not want to continue. Every time I thought about continuing I would dread it. The premise of the series sounds so good but the execution is just not there for me.

Loved the first book so I was so excited for this one. I loved it just as much. The characters and story are so entrancing and well wrote. I would highly recommend this book to anyone

3.5 stars.

I reread The City of Dusk right before I read The Midnight Kingdom, and I do think this is a stronger novel over all. There's definite improvements to pacing and plot balance. Angelica continues to be my fav and I loved her character growth.

Dante and Bea's chapters felt a little rushed. I didn't get quite the feel of time passing from their chapters as I did from the others. Also, some language felt anachronistic and too modern. It wasn't enough for me to DNF-- not like when 'mom' is used in a fantasy novel (hate that, immediate DNF, please don't ask me why, I don't know)-- but it did make my brain reboot when it happened.

Overall, The Midnight Kingdom was enjoyable and I liked it. Definitely excited for The Dawn Court! I can't wait to read the conclusion!

Overall rating: 3 stars

I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series but the author has a very good, very long summary of the first book. I love seeing queer people in a fantasy world so this immediately hooked. Some of the chapters were a bit boring but overall pretty enjoyable.

I enjoyed the Midnight Kingdom. The book starts right off where City of Dusk left off with the heirs all in different yet potentially dangerous situations. I really appreciated getting to explore the different realms and meet a whole lot of different characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tara Sim, and Orbit for giving me an eARC

The midnight kingdom! Second book in the series. Did I like it? Yes! Was I confused? Also yes! The queer representation in the book was amazing! I’m happy that authors are honest and truthful with their works. An author who writes from the heart is one who produces much better works of art!

The Midnight Kingdom is one of my favorite ARCs I have received. This book is the second book in the series. In my opinion, it was even better than the first book.
Each character and their story has so much complexity. Risha and Jas’s story is one of grief and mourning but also of love. As someone who lost a parent at an early age, I appreciated how the author handled this subject. Nik’s story showed how despair and self doubt/loathing can make a person feel like giving up is the best option. His growth throughout this book was so genuine and made me enjoy his character so much more. I also loved the LGBTQ+ representation in the book. The romance that is formed between the characters is done beautifully, with bonds formed that are so strong and loving. I love when fantasy books add in romance.
I loved Taesia and Julian’s storyline the most. They are accompanied by three other characters and their adventures pack the most punch. There’s so much action yet heart warming moments.
An overarching theme of this book is “finding one’s self”. Julien has to decide if he is a monster, a guardian, or both. Angeline has to grow through her privileged upbringing and learn how to survive while caring for others. She has to learn how to go against what was drilled into her and make her own choices. Nik has to overcome his faults and doubts to become a better and braver man. Risha has to learn to not be as selfish and how to let go. Taesia has to learn how to balance standing up for what she believes in versus doing her duty. All of these journeys make the book so intriguing and I couldn’t put it down.
I wasn’t as in love with Dante, Brailee, and Saya’s chapters. However, they were necessary for the story and did show how strong the bond between siblings can be.
Another reason why I loved this book was because of the world building. It felt like I was transported to the different areas described in each chapter. The different mythical creatures involved and lifestyles hit all the marks for a fantasy book. I especially loved the dragon like creatures. I mean who doesn’t love dragons?
I would definitely recommend reading this series, especially for this second book. The ending made me so happy yet so sad. I can’t wait to see what Book 3 of this series has in store for these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free and give my honest feedback and review.

Series Info/Source: This is second book in The Dark Gods series. I got a copy of this on ebook through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: I am reluctant to even write a review for this since I stopped reading it about 15% of the way in. However, I got a copy of this to review and the fact I am struggling with this book says something and I feel like I should let other readers know my struggles. I defaulted to 3 stars.

I remember enjoying the writing style of the first book in this series but being a bit confused by all the POV changes, characters, and their powers. This book is even worse than the first one was. I was completely confused about what was going on here and couldn't remember any of the characters or their powers. Sim does zero recapping and doesn't do a good job (or any job) of putting in subtle reminders for her readers. You are just supposed to remember every intricate detail of the first book and remember exactly where everything left off.

I went back and read the notes I had from the first book and apparently I found that book somewhat confusing as well. My notes were not detailed enough to help me start this book. The expectation seems to be that you are going to re-read the first book in detail before you read this one. Unfortunately, I don't have time to do that with the rather large first book that I didn't love and never planned on re-reading. I might come back to this if I have more time at some point. However, for now I just don't have the time or patience to struggle through figuring out what is going on in this book.

My Summary (3/5): Overall, I stopped this 15% of the way in. I just could not figure out who was who and what was going on. If you loved the first book, I would definitely re-read it before picking up this book. This book dumps you right into the deep end without any reminders of the complex settings, multitudes of characters or intricate magic system. I just don't have time to re-read the rather large first book again right now. I have really enjoyed Sim's other series but this one is going to be a pass for me and I am going to be more cautious about picking up books by Sim in the future. Sim is an excellent writer but I think in this series she's taking on too much at once.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for an eARC of the The Midnight Kingdom!

Full review incoming!