Title: A Day of Fallen Night
Author: Samantha Shannon
Publication Date: February 28, 2023
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Female
It was just shy of 4 years ago that I immersed myself in The Priory of the Orange Tree while on vacation in Cuba. It didn't matter that it was a nearly 900-page hardcover that weighed more than everything else in my bag combined. I toted it back and forth to the beach every day, and then literally raced through the last pages as we sat on the tarmac back home, desperately hoping it would take just a little longer to disembark from the plane so I could finish it.
At the same time, I didn’t want it to end. I wanted more of Sabran, Ead, and Tané. I wanted to explore beyond those final chapters and experience just as much of what comes next as what came before.
A Day of Fallen Night is all about the before, taking us back to the story before the story, exploring the history and mythology of the world we've come to love through the eyes of a new group of women. Given the timing, I held off on reading this as soon as it was released because I knew it would be this year's beach read, another massive hardcover to relax with on our long-awaited return to Cuba.
Generally, I'm not a fan of prequels. They're so often devoid of any tension or any drama because we know already how the story ends. Go back far enough, however, and prequel becomes history . . . becomes mythology . . . and how it ends is no longer an issue. Samantha Shannon does just that here, offering us a complete story in the cycle of myth, establishing a saga a story that spans generations. By taking us 5 centuries into the past, with a whole new cast of characters, she has free reign to establish the same kind of dramatic intrigue and family dynamics that made the first book so amazing.
Once again, this is female-fronted epic fantasy, and one that's as much about feminine power, love, friendship, and family as politics, religion, or magic. Make no mistake, those other aspects are here, and they are important, but it's women who make (and save) the world. There's an underpinning to the tale that explores the misogyny of mythology, the ways in which women's contributions are discarded or disguised, and the manner in which it is ultimately subverted, with revelations that set up the conflicts of Priory, is wonderful to behold.
Tunuva's thread was the least interesting to me, perhaps because it overlaps so much with what we've read and seen in the first book. There was a bit too much angst there, too much emotional back-and-forth, and many of her choices were questionable, often bordering on selfish. That said, my edition was an Indigo exclusive, with a bonus chapter at the end that provides a little backstory, and it softened my opinion of her somewhat.
Glorian's thread that started a bit weak, but it grew on me as the story evolved and her personality developed. She is, in many ways, the epitome of the story, and the choices she's forced to make because of bloodlines, history, and ruling expectations are what shift the story from just another epic fantasy to one that's deeply meaningful. Dumai's thread is something of a parallel, but it's how and where the expectations of her differ that give her story power. I loved both of these women deeply, and I would argue their sacrifices are more noble than any warrior, king, or sorcerer in the genre.
With my appreciation for the first book growing over time, making me consider new aspects or elements each time I think back on it, my expectations for A Day of Fallen Night were high - and Shannon delivered on all of them. It starts out a little slower, and it takes time to warm up to the 3 POV characters, but overall I felt the pacing was better, the themes better established, and the emotional aspects more layered and intertwined. Another wonderful read that has me excited for more.
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀
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