The Darkening (The Darkening Duology Book 1)

Product Information

Merley House itself is an imposing 18th century mansion which has a history of ghost activity, and the first half of the day was spent exploring different parts of the house. We used traditional techniques such as pendulums and Ouija boards to reach out to Ghosts as well as more modern techniques such as the Ghost hunt app (samples of which can be seen in the video below.) One note I kept constantly writing down as I read was that the world felt so alive. The places lived and breathed and when the characters danced you could see them, you could feel their spirit, you could feel the city as it wept and as it laughed. The entire story was so alive. Because I understand him, do I need to forgive him? Because he repented in those last moments, because he fought the Great King so I could end the Storm, because I couldn’t have done it without him—does that mean I shouldn’t hate him?

Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for The Darkening by Sunya Mara from the beginning to Chapter 7. Please only read on if you have finished this section! –!SPOILERS!- There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed and while there were even more bad, the good parts made it worth it.This story is full of secrets and mysteries to unravel, but what I loved most was the inevitable heartbreaks and betrayals. I'm so interested in how the next book will cover more of this. But Vesper is such a powerful character! She has such an iron will, can be a bit prideful, is loving but keeps boundaries and I love it. She was so independent but I really appreciate how in the end, she still needed others help because at the end of the day, none of us are infallible. Vesper's also always like "oh yes my role. I'm going to infiltrate the palace and save the kingdom" and proceeds to not do it.

I liked the characters (except for Dalca, he can literally die and I would cheer). I'm a big fan of Izamal. There were times when the characters flip-flopped a few too many times (mostly Dalca) but they were still fairly believable. I loved the supporting cast as well, especially Iz who definitely has a rogueish charm. surprisingly I also really liked Casvian to I initially disliked but he grew on me in the second half of the book. I did also like Prince Dalca and the slow burn, enemies to lovers romance that blossoms between him and Vesper was really well done. Though, I have to admit, I was sorta rooting for Vesper and Iz. Give me the sequel now! This book was one of the biggest surprises of this year, I absolutely loved it more than I ever imagined I would. While this book was really entertaining and a good book for what I assume will be a series, it needed a bit more world building. I enjoyed the story and it made me think of some of my other YA favorite series. The characters were introduced well and came across as rich and full of life. If there will be a romance twist in the next book, it will need some work as the romance was very low in this first book. The writing was detailed and I could easily follow the descriptions of the rings and the magic around it. The narration was really good for this type of book.

Contents

This was an enticing debut from Sunya Mara! I enjoyed this high-stakes fantasy mixed with political intrigue, alluring magic, and romance. The South Asian influences, although not as prominent as other South Asian fantasies, were also super cool to follow along with. I liked following Vesper on her mission to rescue her father from the clutches of the Wardana by posing as a third-year apprentice. This trope of the MC sneaking into the castle undercover to learn of the courts' secrets is not new in YA Fantasy, but it was still interesting to read about. I also really liked each of Vesper's dynamics with Dalca, Iz, and Cas and how some bonds grew (while others didn't) as the story progressed. The action sequences were also written in a very visceral manner and I found myself holding my breath any time Vesper or her father were in danger. I was really excited for this book but sadly for me it was a big let down. The cover is absolutely gorgeous but unfortunately the content didn't live up to it. Before we go into the detail of this review, we feel it is important to state a few home truths about the review team - a) we have never believed in Paranormal TV programs such as Most Haunted, b) we have always distanced ourselves from paranormal investigations and ghost hunts and c) we are a sceptical bunch about most things (although put us in an allegedly haunted building in the dark, we will still jump at any little sound!) But, what really let this Duology down for me is the main character. I noted in my review of The Darkening that I hoped our main character, Vesper, would get some amazing character growth in book two and to be honest, the growth was more of a little seedling spurt than a blossoming. In the first book, Vesper was incredibly angry because she was poor and her and the other low-ringers were treated poorly. In this book the pendulum swings entirely the other way and she’s fuming that she’s too worshipped. Honestly, I think that if the main character was more likable and stopped trying to invite everybody to her pity party then I would have loved this duology.

Wreak your darkness upon this world. Become a god of wrath. Punish them for what they have done to us. You will become a creature of revenge. A darkening fury. You will see that your pain is reflected in the world, on every face that jeers down from the stands. So when the queen's soldiers - led by Prince Dalca - catch up to Vesper's father, she will do whatever it takes to save him from sharing her mother's cruel fate. When you’ve finished today’s section, catch up with me in the comments down below so we can discuss the beginning of the book. Happy reading!

This also started to really go downhill in the 150 - 200 range, when we read about anything Dalca and Vesper related. Because how did we get to a kiss scene, and Dalca saying "I'd half fallen for you (p. 200)" without any meaningful interaction with the two of them? WHAT CHEMISTRY MY READERS? DOES CHEMISTRY EXIST? IT DOES NOT.