Stories with multiple points of view can often be disorienting and hard to get through because the storytelling can feel choppy and skewed to a specific character. That is not the case in There Will Come A Darkness by Katy Rose Pool. She cultivates this stunning world with an impending age of darkness, and characters who will collide in all sorts of ways to save it, or bring about the destruction. I’ve never felt such an impending doom, or been so excited for the conflict that is to come as I have been in this book. I felt like the story played out like an intricate game of chess, and as each character moved, you could see the resulting consequences of their actions. There’s plenty more I will say later, but for now let’s get into what this story is about. A quick warning before we continue, this story does have some traumatic events, so if you are easily triggered by themes of assault, death, or torture, this might be a story to approach with caution.
In There Will Come a Darkness, seven Prophets guided and united humanity, leaving it free from wars until 100 years ago, when they disappeared. At the time of their disappearance they left one last prophecy, one that tells of an Age of Darkness to come, and a new Prophet who could save it, or bring the world to ruin. With chaos taking hold, five people are destined to cross paths in potentially disastrous ways: a prince exiled from his kingdom, an assassin known as the Pale Hand, a faithful leader torn between duty to the people versus his heart, a gambler with the power to find anyone or anything, and finally, a dying girl who’s ready to give up. One or all of them could bring about the destruction to their world, the question is, what will they choose?
The five main characters in this story are Ephyra, Hassan, Jude, Anton, and Beru. We begin in Ephyra’s point of view, and for me was both a brutal and satisfying first scene (as someone who is not easily triggered by assault, death, or torture…at least in books). I’m not sure if I can disclose who exactly these characters are, so in fear of spoiling it, I won’t. What I can tell you is that most of these characters have gone through, or are currently going through some sort of trauma. It’s terrifying, and you get to see how these traumas and happenings are shaping these characters in good or potentially bad ways. It makes the clashes between characters all the more complex and dramatic. The further you go into the story, the more layers you’ll have to unpack, and you may not have all of the pieces of the puzzle.
All of these characters display in incredible amount of growth, but this felt especially true for Hassan and Beru. I’ll admit that my favourite character was Anton though. Of all the characters, he put up this strong facade, but was ultimately the most vulnerable. Jude and Ephyra were the ones that frustrated me the most, if only because some of the choices they made were questionable, but definitely had or will have consequences in the future. On the other side of it, that’s what I loved so much about it. It’s all about the choices here. The characters are making moves that may not have an effect upon the current storyline, but somewhere down the line, there is a consequence for their actions.
Some characters that you’ll certainly love to hate in this story are the antagonists. They are just as complex as the characters that I had almost missed them…until I wound up with a knife in the ribs. They’re masters of deception, and will break your heart in all kinds of ways, leaving you with a monster of a grudge. There was one particular character I loathed, and it’s because of the psychological trauma they put another character through.
You’ll find some romance in this book, a slow ember that will eventually become a roaring blaze. I felt that it was well cultivated and diverse, and I can’t wait to see it continue to grow in the next book. The magic system was so cool, I liked the idea of being graced and of esha. It was interesting, and I felt it was adequately described. The pacing was moderate, and I think it was perfect for the book. If it was any faster, readers might miss something that could be incredibly important to the story.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this story is a 10/10. The world building is spectacular and it’s a perfect stormy night or fall time read. It’s a harrowing journey of a cast of characters that may or may not survive until the end, but they’re damn sure going to try. I cannot wait for the sequel, because we’re building up to some epic conflict! Please check it out if you have the opportunity!
There Will Come A Darkness is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers on September 3rd 2019.
Have you read There Will Come A Darkness? Or will you be checking it out? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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? Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Children of Blood and Bone, and An Ember in the Ashes.
