The Fell of Dark

by Caleb Roehrig

[dragononabook]

This review is actually surprisingly hard to write; there are many things I want to write about, but I'm also tempted to just keysmash and hope that conveys my messages well enough. The Fell of Dark is a little bit like one of those rollercoasters in the dark, where you're never quite sure what the next turn will be, but it's also a really enjoyable book in so many ways.

Auggie is a very relatable main character. He's kind of confused for a chunk of the book, but it's a very understandable situation to be confused in. He's got a strong voice and a distinct personality, making him an enjoyable POV to follow, and he definitely felt like the main character of the story. He was also a very interesting combination of Chosen One, reluctant hero, and conduit for the antagonist, which was really cool to read about, and even though he was all these things he was also very much still Auggie. Now, my main point of aggravation with this book is actually Auggie's age, and know that I'm speaking as someone who was a sixteen year old not that long ago. There's a little bit of a disjunction between his age and the things he does, and while this wasn't a huge problem, it did kind of disrupt my reading at times.

There's also a wide range of side characters, from Adriana, Auggie's best friend, and her crush Hope, to Daphne, Auggie's maths tutor, and the various vampires. It never felt like there were too many characters to keep track of, especially since they were all quite different, and while I wish we had seen more of certain characters (Hope, specifically, and also Adriana's grandmother Ximena), that wouldn't have worked out with the plot. They all had roles in the book, not just for the plot but also for themselves. There are some really interesting vampire characters too, highlighting how even though they're separate from humans, they're not all the same, which was a really cool concept.

There are some major players in the game, aside from the Corrupter. From leagues of humans who've been hunting vampires for centuries, to multiple conflicting vampire organisations, there are a lot of sides to be on. Because of this, there's an interesting dynamic of not quite knowing who you think is right, or who is actually out to destroy the world. While not necessarily a plot point, this functions really well as a plot driver, and adds a lot of suspense. It also really helps deepen the storyline, without becoming overly complicated, and overall adds a lot to the book.

Without going into spoiler territory, the main relationship plot involves a love triangle, which I'm not usually a huge fan of, but I felt like it was written really well. Instead of being a love A-shape like they usually are, this was a full-on triangle, which was a nice shake-up. What I especially liked was that liking two different people was never a huge issue for Auggie, aside from the vampire part. The vampire part was also done very well, and I'll be using Jude, one of the love interests, as an example: normally, the immortal character feels very old and worldly, but Jude definitely read like a teenager, albeit one who was perhaps a little fed up of the whole 'living for ages' thing.

The plot is a great balance of straightforward movement from point A to point B and twists. I was on the edge of my seat/bed for a significant portion of the book, because the stakes were kept high enough to be engaging while also not being off-putting, and the plot was unpredictable enough to maintain the suspense. It was also a really interesting take on the 'higher power coming to Earth to rule over all' trope, especially with the origin of the Corrupter and the connection he had with the vampires. I never felt overwhelmed by the levels of detail present, and it read very smoothly, though there were one or two lulls in the pacing that felt odd.

Roehrig also uses flashbacks and cutscenes incredibly well. A lot of the suspense was built up through these flashbacks, which act as both background and foreshadowing to what will begin to happen. The tone of the writing shifting slightly between Auggie's narration and the narration in the flashbacks worked really well, and the addition of these scenes contributed really well to the development of the plot.

Whether you're looking for a new take on vampire fiction or a fun contemporary fantasy read, The Fell of Dark delivers. It's clearly written with love, and I think it's a book that a lot of readers will love too. I had a blast reading it, and especially loved all the little twists and plot points, because they made the story much richer as a whole. A wonderful book, and I look forward to rereading it already.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!