
Member Reviews

I really loved the different take and approach to the job of an executioner. They have been portrayed vastly as cold blooded people who enjoy death. This story brought their humanity forward and it was a woman as well. I can't wait to read the sequel, if there's a sequel lol. Really enjoyable read that I was sad to see it end.

I was instantly drawn to this one by the cover and I was not disappointed!! Such a fun fantasy read for the winter & I just know the physical copy is gonna be GORGEOUS. Cannot wait for more people to dive into this one!!

If you are looking for an easy read that will also entertain you, then this is the book for you. Light and refreshing it tells the story of a empathetical executioner, which seems like an oxymoron, but will make sense when you read this book. Following the casual cliches of a love story between enemies, this will leave you in a constant state of "when will they finally admit their feelings", however this author does not disappoint.

I have to start by saying that I really love that this books opens in a way that throws us right into the story without making things confusing. We meet our three main characters in the first few pages and get a glimpse of who Joss, Henrik, and Aric are as people. Of course each of their stories turn out to be much more and much darker than that peek, which you'd think would be hard when the first time we meet them it's finding a badly beaten Aric on the side of the road. But they've all been dealt a bad and the things that Joss in particular has gone through and continues to go through are just... wow.
In the first few chapters I had questions about how Joss, Aric, the man on the missing poster, and the dark eyed man Joss sees at the jail would tie together. And with this being a trilogy I worried we would only get some of the answers to those questions. I'm beyond happy that my wondering was put to rest and that I was right in my guesses. For some catching what could be considered a plot twist isn't good, but for me I love when I'm right because it shows that twists and turns aren't thrown in there just to shock. That they matter to the story and they most definitely did. And Joss finding everything out in the last few chapters was still as painful as it would have been if I didn't think up where the story could be going.
All in all I look forward to the next book. To how the journey to finding and saving the prince goes. To how Aric will make up for his betrayal. I also hope to get a few more answers. Will we find Joss' brother Oliver along the way? Will everyone survive? Will we see how the people in Joss and Henrik's town be punished for their part in such a treasonous attempt? And most importantly, will I be right about who the Mask it or at the very least about who he works for?

2.5 stars (rounded down)
"Not everyone who leaves comes back. Sometimes the silence is goodbye."
I was drawn in by the synopsis, but after the first few chapters I realized this wasn't the type of book I'd normally read. I did still enjoy it even though some of the pictures in my head made me shudder.
It did feel short. I guess now I have to read the sequel.
This was a free copy via NetGalley.

I've definitely never read a book with this premise before! I enjoyed Joss' character and how, despite her history, she was trying to do good in the world. It was a short book, but still managed to describe the world and its characters. I'm interested in where this story will go.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC on exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Joss, the last executioner I the long line of her family. Each time she is called to carry out her job she has three tries to get the job done or she will face being executed herself.
One day while on the way home, Joss and Henrik find a badly beaten man at the side of the road. They take him in and help him to recover. As Joss gets closer to this stranger though - is he really who she thinks he is?
I really enjoyed this book. I like that it switched seamlessly between different perspectives. It’s quite a short book and I wish it had been a little longer. The majority of the action is in the last few pages and I felt it’s finish was a little abrupt - but this is probably in preparation for the next book.

Really great short novel. Great Dark fantasy, both Max characters are interesting and the book is very fast pasted , strong women trope, lots of actions and very little romance but still very enjoyable.

all the dark souls by a.m. dunnewin
☆☆☆.5 /5
“joss brevyn is the last heir in a long line of executioners. although a woman, the same rules still apply: kill the condemned within three tries, or be tortured and killed. joss has yet to miss her mark, and even though she spends her free time as a healer, the town views her only as a deathsman. so, when she and her assistant, henrik, stumble upon a beaten man on the way home, both are hesitant to reveal who they really are. the only problem is, so is he.”
this is categorised as “romantasy” but take that lightly… i would probably push the mediaeval side of it rather than romance. If you enjoy history and authors who do their research- sign up for your copy of this book. If you prefer worldbuilding fantasy, maybe look elsewhere. this is a short book, which i can appreciate, and i think a lot of it was setting up the characters for the trilogy to come… and that maybe the plot will thicken in the rest of the books?
although the book was generally enjoyable, i had HIGH expectations based off the cover… now, mind you, this is a terrible bookish habit i have. I tend to over hype a book due to it’s cover appeal. I went into this book thinking it would be hard hitting, executions, almost dwarf-style (looking at you markus heitz!). Instead i was bombarded with a flood of lack luster relationships and characters that didn’t really go anywhere. I think the marketing side could have been better?
I honestly didn’t love or hate the characters. I was annoyed by them, but only because i felt like i wasn’t getting anything from them. They weren’t very believable- but that may have to do with the length of the book. This also goes back to my “need” of thorough backstories due to my d&d obsession so maybe i’m just too harsh with character development…
the writing style was consistent and i got to know dunnewin’s manner- which i love. As a writer, i think it’s important to have a consistent style and not jump all over the place. mind you, the book was 202 pages, so we’ll see how book 2 goes before i jump into the deep end of that pool.
I think my overall enjoyment was just par. was i disappointed because of the cover and the category? Yes. but, was it a well thought out story with a target demographic and an excellent entry level story that could make a satisfying trilogy. Also yes.
I give this 3.5 stars because, although i think it deserves a 3, i am intrigued and added .5 because i would actually read book two upon release.

I love this so much! It was so good and held my attention. I was unsure of this book going into it but now it's in my top ten. Moved along steadily, world building was great, and the character development was phenomenal!

Thank you Netgalley and the author for the advanced copy for review.
Spice: 🌶️
Plot: ⭐
World-Building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Character Development: ⭐⭐
A woman executioner? As soon as I read that I was instantly interested. In this fantasy, Joss Brevyn a small-town executioner, lives in what seems to be a medieval-like town except they have electricity and guns. She and her brother's simple, yet satisfying life is deterred when they find and save Aric. Together they try to help him rectify his mistakingly botched assassin job.
Pros:
This book took a minute to get into, which I don't blame that on the story, this usually happens if I read anything back to back. This cast of characters is all skilled, each able to handle their own and I found that to be utterly refreshing. I found it easy to get behind their cause. You could tell the author really put time and effort into their stories.
Cons:
This is a short book, and the pacing felt rushed in some areas and stagnant in others. Personally, I love world-building, but I love interactions and conversations between the characters more. Here, I found the world-building to override most of the plot and some of the characters' interactions.

With « All the Dark Souls » by A. M. Dunnewin, you get a glimpse at the life of an executioner, what it was like for them. The burden of it all and how they were marginalized by society even though they were part of the law.
All in all, I’ve really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward for the next part of this story. What will happen to Joss and Henrik, and Aric?

Loved it has plenty of action and adventure with a hint of romance. The author keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering if the MMC and FMC end up together or will they go their seperate ways..

Thank you NETGALLEY for the opportunity to receive the advance copy of this read.
I found myself really bored and having to skip through so much because I just couldn’t find any liking. I went into this read really excited and expecting more I mean there was a women Executioner and that was enough to grab my attention. I really do think there is potential for the next books if they focus more on the world building, fantasy and action. I do think this book is so well written that I hated that it lacked for my personal taste.

Joss Brevyn is an executioner in a small country town, and spends her time outside of the beheadings occasionally saving wayward strays from ill fate. After she and her adoptive brother Henrik save Aric after he botched his last assassin job, things start to fall apart in her relatively unpleasant but still stable life, and Aric is given the opportunity to either rectify his mistake and try again to kill his mark, of the cloaked figures who hired him will kill him and his hosts.
This book took me a bit to get into. It’s set in a fictional place (as far as I can tell) and everyone seems to be riding horses but there’s mention of water powered electricity as well as guns. Aside from that we just get small tidbits of information here and there about the main three characters and it doesn’t make a ton of sense until later if you’re going in blind without reading the synopsis. I would’ve liked to have seen Dunnewin dove deeper into what goes on in Joss’s life as an executioner, and why Aric decided to be an assassin. It was a little predictable and a little brief.

A great start to the series - POVs were distinctive so I didn't have to spend an age figuring out what narrative I was following, and has left lots of questions to be answered in the next book.

3.5 stars
I really enjoyed the exploration of the characters within such a stripped-back fantasy setting - while I personally would have liked a bit more of a dive into Aric and his past, it made sense that he didn't reveal is to Joss, and although their romance was somewhat limited by the length and structure of the story, it was still cute. I know that this is the first in a trilogy, but I felt that it was cut off a bit too soon; there wasn't much of a denouement for all the characters to process their feelings for my personal taste. I also felt that some of the descriptions of character actions could be a bit excessive - I think the characters and story stood strongly enough by themselves to not need prose for every tiny action they did.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Dark Hour Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
A woman executioner? SIGN ME UP!
All the Dark Souls by A. M. Dunnewin is a fantasy novel that follows the dual perspectives of Joss Brevyn and Aric Kayden. Joss is an executioner, bound to her duty to kill in three tries or be tortured and killed. In her free time, she is a healer to a town that will only see her for the blood staining her hands. Then one day, her and her apprentice find a mysterious man beaten within an inch of his life. And they're all hesitant to reveal their true selves. Aric is said beaten man, left for dead after failing to assassinate his last target. But as he starts to fall for Joss, their lives become embedded with serest neither of them wish to reveal. Even if it means the death of one of them.
I was all here for this book! With the amazing cast of bad-ass characters, and the romance between an executioner and assassin. I was ready to be wowed by this book! But it fell kinda flat.
The worldbuilding was amazing, you can tell Dunnewin put in some time and effort into their research. But at times, it felt like that worldbuilding was just endless info-dumps. And there was little to no actual plot. Instead it just felt like a really long prologue, that had me waiting for the actual story to start. But it didn't. Overall the pacing was a little weird, the plot was almost invisible, and the characters were the only thing keeping this book together.

I was drawn to this book by the idea of a woman inheriting the position of executioner. In fact, Joss is one of the most sympathetic and relateable character as is her "brother" Henrik.
The book was short, serving as an introduction to a trilogy.. It ends on a cliff hanger hinting of the court intrigue to come.
I would like to see what happens in book 2.
I received an ARC from Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This was a lovely quick read.
The book follows Joss, a female executioner, and Aric, a man she finds by the side of the road and nurses back to health.
Joss doesn't tell him her profession as executioners aren't well loved. Aric himself has a secret and both Joss and Aric find themselves navigating their feelings for the other while hoping neither finds out their secrets.
I loved Joss' character. She's a strong woman, having to be strong in her profession, but she's soft at heart. I understood her not telling Aric about what she does for a living, wanting to be treated as decent human being.
Aric I feel fell hard and fast for Joss and I wonder if that stems from him having to isolate himself from people in his own profession. He's never had anyone to care for him and so when a beautiful woman helps nurse him back to health its no surprise he grows to have strong feelings for her.
Aric's past catches up to him, however, and it puts him, Joss, Joss' assistant Henrik and everyone else involved in a very precarious and dangerous situation.
You can find my review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5515871596