Scan barcode
whatyoutolkienabout's review
5.0
I will start by saying the premises of this book had me hooked. Thankfully the book did hold me throughout although there were a few bumps in the road.
Equinox follows the lives of Christophor Morden and his brother Alexsander but these aren’t the normal kind of brothers. Christophor lives by night and Alexsander lives by day. They are two souls in a single body. In a world where identities change with the rising and setting of the sun. Night brothers and sisters never see the sun and day brothers and sisters know nothing of the night but that is how it has always been.
Generally Christophor and Alexsander live in relative harmony or at least as much as can be expected. Until one evening Christophor is roused to attend a summons to the city prison. A prisoner has torn his eyes out and cannot say why. But there is more to this than an atypical type of guilt, the sockets that once held the eyes now have teeth growing. The police suspect the supernatural, and honestly we could blame, so it falls to Christophor, a member of the king’s special inspectorate (a witch finder of sorts), to find the witch or being responsible.
Night by night Christophor’s investigation leads him and his day brother further from home eventually finding them in a backwards village at the edge of the kingdom. But it begins to seem that the closer Christophor gets to the truth his day brother’s actions become frustrating and even an hinderance. Who is Alexsander protecting and what does he not want Christophor to discover? And all the while in the shadows an ancient and apocalyptic ritual creeps ever closer to completion.
I will start by saying that I had a love and hate relationship with the protagonists of this book. I am, unfortunately, predisposed to dislike witch-hunter types since they generally cling religiously to their self-righteous belief. Unfortunately Christophor does fall into this category but he has a few redeeming features. Alexsander by contrast is, I found, a lot more likeable. In the idea of the novel though I found this rather enjoyable – the idea of the night brother being jaded and focused he lives in the night of course while the day brother is more optimistic and likable. That is not to say this falls into tropes. David Towsey makes this story his own, a wonderful blend of fantasy and horror with a sprinkling of the eldritch demonic as well.
The story itself is well paced for what it is. I didn’t find myself losing interest and I enjoyed the world building and characters we met along the way. I particularly liked that Christophor and Alexsander of an older age; it added more character to the novel than the usual younger protagonists. The world building on top of this is brilliant. I particularly loved and was initially drawn to the two souls in one body and the way Towsey builds this into his narrative and sets up the premises is wonderful. It also creates some good conflict throughout the novel with Day brother against night brother.
As usual I won’t spoil the book too much but I honestly really enjoyed this. It blends several genres together perfectly crime, fantasy and horror to make a memorable and unique tale with some good twists along the way. Towsey also made me end up liking Christophor by the end or at least understanding him. I would definitely recommend it to those who love a good dark fantasy with elements of horror.
Equinox follows the lives of Christophor Morden and his brother Alexsander but these aren’t the normal kind of brothers. Christophor lives by night and Alexsander lives by day. They are two souls in a single body. In a world where identities change with the rising and setting of the sun. Night brothers and sisters never see the sun and day brothers and sisters know nothing of the night but that is how it has always been.
Generally Christophor and Alexsander live in relative harmony or at least as much as can be expected. Until one evening Christophor is roused to attend a summons to the city prison. A prisoner has torn his eyes out and cannot say why. But there is more to this than an atypical type of guilt, the sockets that once held the eyes now have teeth growing. The police suspect the supernatural, and honestly we could blame, so it falls to Christophor, a member of the king’s special inspectorate (a witch finder of sorts), to find the witch or being responsible.
Night by night Christophor’s investigation leads him and his day brother further from home eventually finding them in a backwards village at the edge of the kingdom. But it begins to seem that the closer Christophor gets to the truth his day brother’s actions become frustrating and even an hinderance. Who is Alexsander protecting and what does he not want Christophor to discover? And all the while in the shadows an ancient and apocalyptic ritual creeps ever closer to completion.
I will start by saying that I had a love and hate relationship with the protagonists of this book. I am, unfortunately, predisposed to dislike witch-hunter types since they generally cling religiously to their self-righteous belief. Unfortunately Christophor does fall into this category but he has a few redeeming features. Alexsander by contrast is, I found, a lot more likeable. In the idea of the novel though I found this rather enjoyable – the idea of the night brother being jaded and focused he lives in the night of course while the day brother is more optimistic and likable. That is not to say this falls into tropes. David Towsey makes this story his own, a wonderful blend of fantasy and horror with a sprinkling of the eldritch demonic as well.
The story itself is well paced for what it is. I didn’t find myself losing interest and I enjoyed the world building and characters we met along the way. I particularly liked that Christophor and Alexsander of an older age; it added more character to the novel than the usual younger protagonists. The world building on top of this is brilliant. I particularly loved and was initially drawn to the two souls in one body and the way Towsey builds this into his narrative and sets up the premises is wonderful. It also creates some good conflict throughout the novel with Day brother against night brother.
As usual I won’t spoil the book too much but I honestly really enjoyed this. It blends several genres together perfectly crime, fantasy and horror to make a memorable and unique tale with some good twists along the way. Towsey also made me end up liking Christophor by the end or at least understanding him. I would definitely recommend it to those who love a good dark fantasy with elements of horror.
willrefuge's review against another edition
3.0
6.5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/05/08/equinox-by-david-towsey-review/
In a world where identity changes with the rising and setting of the sun, you can never know who to to trust, or just what anyone is hiding. With two beings within the same body, relationships between night and day have been stretched to such an extreme that they might be different worlds altogether. But when one personality changes to another—the world remains the same.
Christophor Morden is a special investigator of the King of Reikova. Awoken early one night, he is called to the city prison where he’s confronted by a grisly sight. A young man has ripped their eyes out in a fit of madness—though the madness might be justified. Why? Well, because behind their eyeballs, teeth were growing.
What Christophor hopes is an aberration turns out to be more common than any would like to admit. Rumors and strange tales out of the south—of witches and magic, of demons and unfaithful, of a war brewing on the kingdom’s borders. But the only thing he can substantiate are the teeth. The teeth are very much real. And they didn’t come into the boy’s eye sockets naturally.
And so he is dispatched to Drekenford—a village on the southern border—to hunt down whatever’s responsible for this dark magic. But what he finds there will cost Christophor—in more ways than one.
Alexander understands his night-brother’s call as a special investigator, but that doesn’t mean he likes it. A musician himself, Christophor’s day-brother often haunts the common houses, theaters, and taverns of Esteberg, where he plies his trade. Yet when Christophor is sent south, Alexander has no choice but to follow. Though what he finds there may cost Alexander more than his trade. For when his night-brother unearths the witch, Alexander will end up doing everything in his power to save her, the King’s justice be damned.
—
The unfaithful lose sight of themselves
The sword shrivels to flakes of snow
The law devours its history
The stone moves on water
The broken heart bleeds gold
—
The more time I spent in the world of Equinox, the more it grew on me. Starting out as a fairly generic city in a generic world, it instantly loses points with the recycling of various real-world subjects to cover where its own world-building breaks down. I’m really torn on this—it’s very much a love/hate relationship; there’s a really good story within and what it does well is done really well, but… well, you’ll see.
Catholicism is the dominant religion of the kingdom, a fact that isn’t remotely explained despite all the questions it brings to mind. Did Christ have a night-brother? Is the whole night/day cycle mentioned in scripture? Is this actually Earth rather than a different world? None of these are answered. In fact, the author seems to go out of his way to avoid these questions, as any debate that comes to center on religion at all gets shut down quickly. The whole night/day cycle suffers the same fate—and so we never get more than the barest glimpse into why or how this system works. While it’s a fascinating concept, the lack of literally any explanation surrounding it ruin what could’ve been an innovative and unique twist.
Honestly, with the amount of questions the system alone raises that are completely ignored, I feel like I could write a whole new book. While I’m assuming that’s the reason the author doesn’t address the subject at all, it just comes off as lazy. He should’ve addressed one or two of the more important points, rather than completely ignoring them all.
For example: how does the body function on zero sleep? Is the day/night thing recent, or eternal? How does an unchanged Earth religion account for literally any of this?
Throughout the text, the various day/night personalities complain about their counterparts. Like it’s a new thing. Like it’s not written into religion (which, if it had been around very long at all, it must’ve been). Grrrraaahhh—writing the review for this is making me rage at the dozens of unanswered questions I have about the concept. Which I’ll try not to address any further.
At its heart, Equinox is a story of witchcraft and witch hunting. Chistophor lives in the shadow, but walks with the light—having arrested 34 witches over his lifetime. And yet this might be the most dangerous of the lot, as it puts he and his day-brother at odds. Despite my issues with the world, the unanswered questions, the characters, the development, the unanswered questions—I know that there is a good story somewhere in here. Even with all the issues I had bouncing around in my head, I never once thought of abandoning this. I was able to buckle down and focus on the story, and let it drink me in.
And so brings the third book in as many days that I’m on the fence about. I had some issues with this book (okay, LOTS AND LOTS of issues), but I legitimately enjoyed it too. There were some parts that were a bit cringeworthy, but they were few and far between. The day/night cycle was fascinating, despite being unformed and unfounded. The world was interesting as well, despite being a bad copy of Earth. The end was good, despite the ending being a bit confusing and hectic. I love the cover, but I’m not sure it’s worth the price. If you were going to rip it off and stick it on the wall—…maybe? But as a book to display… I’d really prefer if it were better.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/05/08/equinox-by-david-towsey-review/
In a world where identity changes with the rising and setting of the sun, you can never know who to to trust, or just what anyone is hiding. With two beings within the same body, relationships between night and day have been stretched to such an extreme that they might be different worlds altogether. But when one personality changes to another—the world remains the same.
Christophor Morden is a special investigator of the King of Reikova. Awoken early one night, he is called to the city prison where he’s confronted by a grisly sight. A young man has ripped their eyes out in a fit of madness—though the madness might be justified. Why? Well, because behind their eyeballs, teeth were growing.
What Christophor hopes is an aberration turns out to be more common than any would like to admit. Rumors and strange tales out of the south—of witches and magic, of demons and unfaithful, of a war brewing on the kingdom’s borders. But the only thing he can substantiate are the teeth. The teeth are very much real. And they didn’t come into the boy’s eye sockets naturally.
And so he is dispatched to Drekenford—a village on the southern border—to hunt down whatever’s responsible for this dark magic. But what he finds there will cost Christophor—in more ways than one.
Alexander understands his night-brother’s call as a special investigator, but that doesn’t mean he likes it. A musician himself, Christophor’s day-brother often haunts the common houses, theaters, and taverns of Esteberg, where he plies his trade. Yet when Christophor is sent south, Alexander has no choice but to follow. Though what he finds there may cost Alexander more than his trade. For when his night-brother unearths the witch, Alexander will end up doing everything in his power to save her, the King’s justice be damned.
—
The unfaithful lose sight of themselves
The sword shrivels to flakes of snow
The law devours its history
The stone moves on water
The broken heart bleeds gold
—
The more time I spent in the world of Equinox, the more it grew on me. Starting out as a fairly generic city in a generic world, it instantly loses points with the recycling of various real-world subjects to cover where its own world-building breaks down. I’m really torn on this—it’s very much a love/hate relationship; there’s a really good story within and what it does well is done really well, but… well, you’ll see.
Catholicism is the dominant religion of the kingdom, a fact that isn’t remotely explained despite all the questions it brings to mind. Did Christ have a night-brother? Is the whole night/day cycle mentioned in scripture? Is this actually Earth rather than a different world? None of these are answered. In fact, the author seems to go out of his way to avoid these questions, as any debate that comes to center on religion at all gets shut down quickly. The whole night/day cycle suffers the same fate—and so we never get more than the barest glimpse into why or how this system works. While it’s a fascinating concept, the lack of literally any explanation surrounding it ruin what could’ve been an innovative and unique twist.
Honestly, with the amount of questions the system alone raises that are completely ignored, I feel like I could write a whole new book. While I’m assuming that’s the reason the author doesn’t address the subject at all, it just comes off as lazy. He should’ve addressed one or two of the more important points, rather than completely ignoring them all.
For example: how does the body function on zero sleep? Is the day/night thing recent, or eternal? How does an unchanged Earth religion account for literally any of this?
Throughout the text, the various day/night personalities complain about their counterparts. Like it’s a new thing. Like it’s not written into religion (which, if it had been around very long at all, it must’ve been). Grrrraaahhh—writing the review for this is making me rage at the dozens of unanswered questions I have about the concept. Which I’ll try not to address any further.
At its heart, Equinox is a story of witchcraft and witch hunting. Chistophor lives in the shadow, but walks with the light—having arrested 34 witches over his lifetime. And yet this might be the most dangerous of the lot, as it puts he and his day-brother at odds. Despite my issues with the world, the unanswered questions, the characters, the development, the unanswered questions—I know that there is a good story somewhere in here. Even with all the issues I had bouncing around in my head, I never once thought of abandoning this. I was able to buckle down and focus on the story, and let it drink me in.
And so brings the third book in as many days that I’m on the fence about. I had some issues with this book (okay, LOTS AND LOTS of issues), but I legitimately enjoyed it too. There were some parts that were a bit cringeworthy, but they were few and far between. The day/night cycle was fascinating, despite being unformed and unfounded. The world was interesting as well, despite being a bad copy of Earth. The end was good, despite the ending being a bit confusing and hectic. I love the cover, but I’m not sure it’s worth the price. If you were going to rip it off and stick it on the wall—…maybe? But as a book to display… I’d really prefer if it were better.
sophies_readingcorner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a weird one. The plot idea was really cool, and it felt genuinely creepy, but the final act was super rushed and the plot reveals were deeply obvious. Idk I really liked it but I don't think I can give it 4 stars?
oliver's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
unklekrinkle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
scoads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
God, this was a good book. A perfect standalone with themes about religion, self-awareness, and morality. Worth reading many times over. Incredible characters and an incredible plot hook, and a very, very unique magic system. Brilliant world building.
thewitchykitty's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars for this uniquely written novel!
I have to agree with some other reviewers when they stated that this book and writing are not for everyone. It is slower paced, the story and mystery slowly unfolding, but I enjoyed that. Not everything needs to be fast paced.
The dual perspectives were wonderfully written and executed. I especially appreciated how both Christophor and Alexsander were very different but also the same. The conclusion between the two near the end was a nice touch too.
I do feel that the ending was rushed. I would have liked to have seen it fleshed out more, but I still found it okay. I’m definitely going to keep an eye out for more of Towsey’s work! The cover illustration is beautiful and is what first drew me to the novel. This is one that I’ll keep on my bookshelf for a long time to come.
I have to agree with some other reviewers when they stated that this book and writing are not for everyone. It is slower paced, the story and mystery slowly unfolding, but I enjoyed that. Not everything needs to be fast paced.
The dual perspectives were wonderfully written and executed. I especially appreciated how both Christophor and Alexsander were very different but also the same. The conclusion between the two near the end was a nice touch too.
I do feel that the ending was rushed. I would have liked to have seen it fleshed out more, but I still found it okay. I’m definitely going to keep an eye out for more of Towsey’s work! The cover illustration is beautiful and is what first drew me to the novel. This is one that I’ll keep on my bookshelf for a long time to come.
megily's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
firefox's review against another edition
3.0
(Gifted ARC)
I really didn't understand the plot until like 58% into the book.
I really didn't understand the plot until like 58% into the book.
xavierdebecker's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
I picked this up at a bookstore in Australia on a whim, as the cover seemed pretty and the description on the back sounded interesting. As I mostly read books I have heard at least some people's opinions about, it is refreshing to let a tale unfold without the slightest idea what it is about, or what people think of it.
Now, the book itself is quite good, although it could have been a bit longer to fully delve into all the phylosophical questions it raises. For context, this book is set in a world where each body is inhabitated by two people. Each day-person just carries out their daily activities as normal, but when night falls, they go to sleep and their night-brother or night-sister wakes up in their body. There are a lot of interesting questions raised about how that would impact the relationship between two people who share a body without ever interacting, not to mention the complications of relationships, children, travel for work etc. A really interesting read for people who like to read 5 pages and then think for fifteen minutes about the implications.
Now, the book itself is quite good, although it could have been a bit longer to fully delve into all the phylosophical questions it raises. For context, this book is set in a world where each body is inhabitated by two people. Each day-person just carries out their daily activities as normal, but when night falls, they go to sleep and their night-brother or night-sister wakes up in their body. There are a lot of interesting questions raised about how that would impact the relationship between two people who share a body without ever interacting, not to mention the complications of relationships, children, travel for work etc. A really interesting read for people who like to read 5 pages and then think for fifteen minutes about the implications.