Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway is a fantasy novel inspired by World War II era Europe. It’s bittersweet, and dramatic with a beautiful star-crossed lovers romance.
This is Joanna Hathaway’s debut novel and it is so unique. Though it is pitched as Code Name Verity meets The Winner’s Curse, it is very much its own story, though it may borrow elements from other sources.
While Dark of the West is set in a fantasy world, it feels like a World War II or 1940s type setting with war planes, guns, cars, and other technology items you’d see in that time period. The world was very complex and takes a little time to get used to and learn about.
The story is told in dual POV with one perspective being Athan, who is a soldier, and Aurelia, the daughter of a queen. Athan’s father is the General who is a big deal and views Aurelia’s mother as an enemy which leaves Athan and Aurelia in a sort of Romeo and Juliet-like situation. Aurelia lives a life of privilege however she is much more than what her title suggests. Athan is her opposite as he has grown up surrounded by war and being pressured to become a fighter pilot by his father. Both characters are so interesting and strong and I enjoyed each of their voices.
Aurelia and Athan fall in love despite being on the brink of war which leads them to be in a stressful situation as their lives could fall apart at any moment. People have compared it to Atonement and that’s a love story that’s doomed practically from the start. Both Aurelia and Athan have to hide their affections and create deceptions in order to see each other and confront their world’s problem’s head-on.
Dark of the West was a debut that despite the slow start, it really packed in the action in the second half. The characters are complex and the romance is intriguing. It’s a story that is about the desperation of war and love and a story that should always be written. Also, prepare yourselves for the ending and the next book because in a world on the brink of war, dark things are sure to come.
Dark of the West is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
He was raised in revolution. She was raised in a palace. Can their love stop a war? Code Name Verity meets The Winner’s Curse in Joanna Hathaway’s Dark of the West, a breathtaking YA fantasy debut.
Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around the world, Athan Dakar, the youngest son of a ruthless general, is a fighter pilot longing for a life away from the front lines. When Athan’s mother is shot and killed, his father is convinced it’s the work of his old rival, the Queen of Etania—Aurelia’s mother. Determined to avenge his wife’s murder, he devises a plot to overthrow the Queen, a plot which sends Athan undercover to Etania to gain intel from her children.
Athan’s mission becomes complicated when he finds himself falling for the girl he’s been tasked with spying upon. Aurelia feels the same attraction, all the while desperately seeking to stop the war threatening to break between the Southern territory and the old Northern kingdoms that control it—a war in which Athan’s father is determined to play a role. As diplomatic ties manage to just barely hold, the two teens struggle to remain loyal to their families and each other as they learn that war is not as black and white as they’ve been raised to believe.
