Title: There Will Come a Darkness (Age of Darkness #1)
Author: Katy Rose Pool
Publication Date: September 3, 2019
Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Pages: 496
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//I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review//
The Age of Darkness approaches.
Five lives stand in its way.
Who will stop it… or unleash it?For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity. Using their visions of the future, they ended wars and united nations―until the day, one hundred years ago, when the Prophets disappeared.
All they left behind was one final, secret prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation . . . or the cause of its destruction. As chaos takes hold, five souls are set on a collision course:
A prince exiled from his kingdom.
A ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand.
A once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart.
A reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone.
And a dying girl on the verge of giving up.One of them―or all of them―could break the world. Will they be savior or destroyer?
What. A. Ride. I requested a copy of There Will Come a Darkness without knowing much about it, but I had a gut feeling that I was going to love it. It actually took me a couple tries to get into this book, but once I did, I was all in!
There Will Come a Darkness is told from five points of view. Hassan is a prince living in another city after his is taken hostage. Ephyra is the Pale Hand, a healer who has the power to take lives. Beru is Ephyra’s sister, sick and in constant need of healing. Anton has the gift of sight and is on the run from his past. Jude is the leader of a faithful army that hasn’t been seen in a hundred years. They’re all affected in some way by the Witnesses, a radicalized group looking to wipe the Graced off the planet.
I’m usually not one for multiple POV stories, but this one was a perfect balance. I’m not quite sure how Katy Rose Pool won me over, honestly, but she made me care deeply about each of these characters and their stories. I loved that this wasn’t one of those books where every single thread comes together into a perfect little bow. Each character wasn’t important to the story, but as individuals also. I did really enjoy that no romantic plot overshadowed the story, although there was a little romance sprinkled throughout.
In addition to five incredible characters, the world is also wonderfully crafted. There are several distinct cultures and each one is clearly defined. There seem to be inspirations from multiple real cultures although I can’t put my finger on them and I don’t want to try in case I end up saying something dumb. The mythology of the Prophets was really interesting and the magical system of the Graced was definitely unique.
As I mentioned, this book took a little bit to get up to speed, but once it did I was fully invested. The story isn’t non-stop action, but switching between POVs made it feel like there was always something important happening and I never felt bored. The ending was certainly a bit of cliffhanger, but it was wrapped up nicely enough that it didn’t absolutely kill me.
If you are a fan of interesting magical systems, well built worlds, and dark fantasy, you’re definitely going to want to pick this up! I’m not sure how I’m going to wait a whole year because I’m already dying to see what happens in book two!
