Day of Fallen Night

 3.5 Stars

A Day of Fallen Night was a huge, sweeping read, and honestly, I loved that about it. The sheer length gave me time to settle into the world and really get to know each of the characters, and the multiple POVs kept things fresh. I enjoyed bouncing between Tunuva, Dumai, and Glorian—each perspective offered something unique, and together they built a really layered picture of the world and its struggles.

What stood out most for me was how well Samantha Shannon blends epic scale with personal stakes. The politics, the dragons, the sense of history all felt massive, but then you’d get these intimate moments of faith, family, love, and sacrifice that grounded everything. It gave the story both weight and heart.

That said, even though I appreciated the length, there were still parts that dragged for me. Sometimes the detail felt overwhelming, and I didn’t always feel as emotionally pulled in as I wanted to be. I admired the book a lot, but it didn’t fully grip me the way I hoped it would.

Overall, though, I think Shannon delivered an ambitious and powerful prequel to Priory. It’s dense and demanding but rewarding if you’re willing to sink into it. For me, it’s a 3.5/5—a book I appreciated for its scale, themes, and characters, even if it didn’t quite hit the emotional highs I was expecting.