For those who have read Samantha Shannon’s THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE, there is nothing I will say in this review that you haven’t already discovered for yourself. This long-awaited prequel is a dynamic, lilting, heartstopper of a fantasy story with compelling worldbuilding and enough love and drama to satisfy even the pickiest readers. Her ability to gently pull you into this massive volume is second to none. A DAY OF FALLEN NIGHT is a rousing success that is going to cement Shannon in the Fantasy Hall of Fame right alongside her feminist friends, including Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia E. Butler.

"A beautiful testament to the strength of women, community and finding commonalities in places where they seem almost prohibited, A DAY OF FALLEN NIGHT is a giant book that has something for everyone --- and an adventure that will last throughout the ages."

Four generations of the Queendom of Inys are given swift coverage as the book opens. Soon we find that a reluctant queen, Sabran the Ambitious, has married the newly crowned King of Hróth, bringing an important foundation to both of their failing kingdoms. As they reign together, their daughter Glorian (one of a long line of women who will keep the throne feminist-forward) is happy to just be and not at all interested in the spotlight that is to be hers. Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory who for 50 years has trained to slay wyrms. But the younger generation has lost interest in fighting these opponents, who have not made any fuss since the appearance of the Nameless One.

There is quiet in each kingdom. Until Dumai, a recluse who has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, is forced to deal with something from her mother’s past. All of these women find themselves in a fight against a horrific threat to their world at large. They must become warriors and work together to bring peace back to the only world they know. But do they have what it takes to defeat their common enemy?

Shannon, a wordsmith and fantasist who reminds me of Virgil (yes, THAT Virgil), creates a fascinating, hard-to-put-down tale of female warriors and a world that will rival that of THE HOBBIT and THE AENEID (yes, I’m going there!). The characters are human to a fault, vacillating between accepting their fates and refusing to do so, putting their talents to play and sometimes shrinking from the spotlight. Her storytelling is serious, whimsical, inviting and challenging all at the same time

I know Shannon is a popular author, but her tales of sapphic love arrive at just the right moment when the literary world is being challenged on every front. A beautiful testament to the strength of women, community and finding commonalities in places where they seem almost prohibited, A DAY OF FALLEN NIGHT is a giant book that has something for everyone --- and an adventure that will last throughout the ages.