While there was a lot if interesting things happening in this book and a lot of great characters.... I hate to say it.. there was also just too much going on and too many different characters. I usually enjoy multiple POV, and don't mind jumping around a bit, but this was too much even for me. By the time I would return to, I was struggling to recall the story line....
Rounding up to three stars, just because when I did get involved with a character (Mati the pirate princess!) we'd skip off elsewhere. Maybe this would have been better as a few books, broken down more.
About half way through I realized Sons of Darkness just wasn't grabbing my attention, and while I managed to power through, this just wasn't the one for me, and I don't think I'll be continuing the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for an E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a retelling of the Mahabharata. I confess that the characters in the Mahabharata are very intriguing which why I was interested in this book. I have to say that this book is very well-written! I love the author’s writing! It is gorgeous and lyrical! The only thing I did not like about this book that it was hard to connect with the characters. This is probably because the story is told from many characters’ perspectives. Nevertheless, I found it to be very enjoyable, and I look forward to the sequel!

3.5/5 stars! This a classic example of an author wanting to show off their intelligence and doing more telling than showing. The world-building was exhilarating but I didn't agree with the pacing of the story or the characterization of the female characters. Not a bad book by any means, but not one I would want to revisit.

Gaurav Mohanty’s Sons of Darkness is an absolutely gripping read that takes the Mahabharata and turns it into a dark, intense, and deeply layered fantasy. From the very first page, the book pulls you into a world of power struggles, shifting loyalties, and morally complex characters who feel incredibly real. Instead of the usual hero-versus-villain narrative, Mohanty presents a story where everyone has their own motivations, flaws, and ambitions, making the plot all the more unpredictable and exciting.

One of the best things about this book is how it challenges expectations. There’s a real sense of depth to the characters—no one is purely good or evil, and their actions have weight and consequences. The tension is constant, whether through razor-sharp dialogue, strategic mind games, or intense battle sequences. It’s the kind of storytelling that keeps you hooked, eager to see what happens next.

The world-building is another highlight. Mohanty doesn’t just create a fantasy setting; he crafts a world that feels raw, brutal, and lived-in. The mix of historical realism and mythology is seamless, making everything feel grounded despite the presence of fantastical elements. His writing style is immersive without being overwhelming, striking the perfect balance between rich detail and fast-paced storytelling.

Perhaps what makes Sons of Darkness so powerful is how it takes familiar myths and breathes new life into them. Even if you know the Mahabharath, this story still manages to surprise you. The twists and turns, the way relationships evolve, and the sheer unpredictability of it all make for an unforgettable reading experience.

This book is bold, thrilling, and brilliantly written. It’s dark fantasy at its finest, with the kind of depth that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Five stars, without a doubt.

Wow, this was a very politically-heavy and dark grimdark fantasy. It took a little bit of time to actually get into it and become invested, but once I was I really tore through it. Definitely recommend to grimdark fans. I loved seeing a grimdark Indian-inspired fantasy world, I'd never experienced that before.

Ah, it only took me... more than a full year to finally finish this. (Yes, I did go back and reread the beginning this time, or I would have been totally lost.)

Something I found a little wild with a debut novel of this length was seeing the author's writing ability get better as the book progressed. One of the reasons I struggled so hard with this was that it took almost a third of the book for me to start caring about the characters. There is so little description and so much backfill and dialogue that even when I could keep track of who was who, I wasn't particularly invested in them as people. I recognize that it's wild to complain that a ~700 page book needed to be more fleshed out for me to have fully gotten into it, but here we are.

The plot and character interplay and all of that is really well thought out, IMO. I'm familiar enough with the Mahabharata to appreciate a fair number of the references and liberties taken by the author, but at times I had to rely on my understanding of the original story to help keep track of characters and relationships. I'm not saying that the characters needed to be likeable, I just needed to care more in places, and there were times when the writing felt clunky and sparse. Characters in this epic fantasy would use modern phrases, which knocked me out of the story every time.

Comparing those more narrowly focused chapters with the epic montage chapters is like reading two different books. All of a sudden there was a ton of visual and sensory detail, the short sections and increased number of narrators allowed for a more complete picture of large-scale events, and the tension was through the roof. There were a couple of places where I'd be like, "Ah, everything you said about this topic has lead us to this moment, that's a bit cliche..." and then NOPE, I FELL FOR THE TRAP! Those moments were quite satisfying when they landed well.

For me, though, too much of this book felt like watching someone else play chess. As a reader, I prefer character development over a well-considered plot (I mean, both is ideal), and I didn't feel personally invested in most of these characters for too much of the story.

Even so, the end went HARD. The battle sequence was long and chaotic and things would happen that felt like plausible but horrible twists, and people who should have survived didn't, and vice versa. Very nice, very nice. If you're the kind of reader who loves action and political intrigue above all else, you'll lose your mind with this book.

My last big thing, though, and the reason I gave this three stars rather than four: the use of r*pe in this book makes it hard for me to know who I would recommend this to. Yes, it's grimdark, there's a tone of violence, I know I signed up for that. I did not realize I would be signing up to read an on-page scene of a 16 (17?) year old getting SAed. Partly, I just didn't need it, and partly it's the way that this and several of the other SA-related scenes were written. It is possible to write dark epic fantasy without including on-page SA. In multiple cases, I had to take a break from the book. For me, between some writing choices and the prevalence of SA, it will probably be a dealbreaker on continuing the series.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC.

I thought this was going to have more romance but it is much more a thriller and adventure then I expected. It is well though written and will find an audience.

A promising start to an epic fantasy series! This very much gave me game of thrones and falling kingdom vibes. While slower paced at times, that felt standard for this type of fantasy book, especially considering it is book 1 in the series. I’ll be curious to see the direction of future installments.

As a huge enjoyer of The Mahabharata, this epic fantasy wove a captivating tale with a solid set of characters. At times it was a bit slow, but overall I really liked this and I hope to reread this on audio sometime soon.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was really, really well written and even though I spent a fair amount of time confused by the sheer number of characters and places and relationships and motivations....I had a really good time. This is a rich, beautiful, brutal, political, complex adult high fantasy that I think will grip lovers of the genre and not let go. I really can't think of much to say in the way of review because so much happens but I can tell you that the confusion is worth it and while you may want to DNF early, power through because the confusion and foundation building is worth it.

I'm a big fan of complex political fantasies and that's exactly what this is, mixed in with amazing battles and fights and a fair smattering of romances as well. There are elements of found family along with betrayal and espionage, prophecy and empowerment and revelations galore. It's gritty and dark and holds no punches and will leave you feeling breathless with the punch after punch in the last 10-15% where battle and war reigns.

It's a great start to a promising dark adult high fantasy series and I'm excited to continue!

I had trouble really connecting with the characters in this one by about halfway through, and that continued right to the end. There were too many instances of characters doing awful things and then just never reflecting on them again, and like these things were thrown in for the shock value. The female characters were pretty underwhelming and had potential to be so much more than they were written as.

There was a great story and worldbuilding, but the book felt like it really bit of more than it could chew.

Unfortunately, I was unable to read this book prior to it's archive date. I am very regretful, however I have bought the physical copy and I cannot wait to read it. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this, though I was unable to.

A++ for ambition and vision.
Not so much for the execution.
Attempting to turn THE epic poem of the Great War of The ( Hindu) Gods into High Fantasy is a grand idea and praise worthy .
I just found the story less than compelling.

I don’t know anything about the story of The Mahabharata, and I haven’t read A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), but I did watch the show for the latter. I enjoyed this book more than I expected to, and I think that’s in part due to the inspiration from Game of Thrones. I was wary because of my limited knowledge of the original stories this was inspired by, and I saw at least one review about the switching of characters and groups (when you start to get invested). In that aspect, it does feel like Game of Thrones. With that being said, the various groups and characters had to be set up in order for certain main events to hold more weight. And man, when those main events happened, it felt like I was witnessing the big moments of Game of Thrones again. There were characters I was rooting for, stories I got invested in, and I plan on reading the sequel(s) to see what happens next.

The only thing I can think of at the moment that I would like is some type of glossary/way to pronounce the names and things. I kind of stumbled with some of the names of the people and had to use context clues or the internet to find out more. The book version does have a list of names and the groups they belong to at the beginning, though.

Listen, I tried. For almost 6 months, I picked this book up only to put it back down again. I wanted to read this so bad, maybe my comprehension is too poor or my attention span is not long enough, but I really struggled with connecting to the world/characters. I think I need to be in a different mindset, or maybe I need to be 10 years older. Regardless, I'll be back for this.

DNF @ 16%

Thank you to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for the ARC.

I’m not at all familiar with the source material and I haven’t read a lot of Indian inspired fantasy. The learning curve was steep, and it was exhausting to read. I’m not sure if it was my unfamiliarity or the way the story was written.

There are many long paragraphs full of info dumping especially in the first half of the story. Modern anachronisms such as “pixie haircut” “yanking my chain” “diss” “resting bitch face” come up which breaks the flow of the story. The characters aren’t particularly likable in fact some are downright detestable. This book is brutal and graphic and emotionally draining at times.

All of that being said: I love the way this book was structured. There are larger parts, broken into sections, further broken down by character, then by Roman numerals. Once you reach a certain familiarity with the characters and their political machinations, it flows.

The action sequences are cinematic! And the payoff sets the hook for the next book without a doubt. It was almost worth the slog, but I can’t decide if I’m going to continue! This book was a lot.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book! Better late than never, right? Sons of Darkness is an exciting entry into an epic fantasy world inspired by Indian myths. The story was gripping and the characters so well written. Looking forward to the sequel!

I’ve been trying to read this book for the last 5 months and I sadly can’t do it. The main characters have so much past info dumping that it’s hard to care and stay current with them. I think it feels a little disjointed for me and I’ll have to DNF it at 32%.

Wow, this was an epic new fantasy to dive into! I was really impressed by this book and everything Gourav Mohanty created with this book and I am so eager to read more from him! This was phenomenal and I was immediately hooked by this amazing world and premise. This book is so epic and is full of gorgeous writing, well-developed and complex characters, plenty of actions and world-building, and so much more. This is definitely on the denser/more complex side so it does require some focus and time to really connect with the story and become immersed, but it's absolutely worth it. Highly recommended for fans of darker fantasy and are looking for something new and epic and amazing to sink into.

Unfortunately, I have to DNF this book due to sexual violence. I'm alright with there being some for the plot but this was... a lot more than I was comfortable with.