Reviews

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐3 stars⭐

This book seemed right up my alley when I first read the synopsis and though I enjoyed it overall, it’s unfortunately not a series that I will continue right now. Would I revisit it int he future? I might, but it’s not a priority right now.
The premise and the characters were interesting and intrigued me at first; around the 50-75% marks I found the story really intriguing and was reading quickly. However, at the 80% mark I start to lose interest and investment in the story and it was a bit tough to finish off the novel. The story itself, was set up to give us surprises and tie loose ends, but it sometimes felt like filler vs feeling genuinely surprised.
At first the atmosphere and world were tricky to become immersed in, we have four houses with differing issues and powers. The atmosphere was definitely mysterious, all four gods were intriguing since we didn’t have too much information about them, and the sealing felt mysterious but also strange that all the characters in the world had just accepted this as is?
I really enjoyed that we had the different sets of magic and added to my intrigue even more. The four different POVs (really 5) were more than I expected!
As I stated before, the characters were interesting and controversial, I did enjoy how they each came with their own very distinct personalities and challenges. They all each had their dark sides and their dark secrets as well. I personally enjoy complex characters, and so I really loved the way these characters were constructed.
The writing style felt more like a YA/NA novel than an adult novel, and so it was certainly very accessible. I think the adult parts of the book were the darker and more complex parts vs the writing style. I enjoy a more accessible writing style, and I think it’s easier for readers of all ages.
Finally, I always rate books on my own enjoyability as the fifth criteria. I did enjoy this book, as I said before though I started to lose interest at the 80% mark and started to be very intrigued at the 50% mark, so this book wasn’t as enjoyable as other books I’ve read recently but I still did enjoy it enough to read it and be curious about the end.

Overall, this was a good book, but not one that I am very excited for, and I’m not sure that I would continue in this series.

peanutvue's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

jesslynn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mweir710's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5/4
Although there are quite a few characters to differentiate between, I felt like I was able to do so within the first quarter of the book (unlike some other books I've read with more than 2-3 characters). I liked The City of Dusk, but I can't quite put my finger on what made me feel like I was trudging through it. I think the main piece of why I didn't rate it higher was that this book is a MARATHON in length and, although I've seen books that begin a series range between 400 and 500 pages, I felt like a lot of the details in this one moved slowly and maybe weren't as important to the main storyline. Overall, it wasn't until the last 20% of the book that I found myself truly enjoying the action and the plot. Would I read the second in the series? Yes. Will this be a book prominently displayed on my shelves? Probably not.

lauradv's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I loved the characters, but the pacing of the story didn't flow right for some reason. It took me a very long time to get into the book, and even when I was fully invested, it took a lot of me to stay focused and keep reading. But the last 30% or so was so good and fast paced! I'm very excited for book 2.

books_tea_and_fantasy's review against another edition

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❌ Soft DNF at 7% (p. 38)

Will try later

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