There Will Come a Darkness is an ambitious epic fantasy debut that features:
✨creepy cultsIf this sounds interesting to you, then I encourage you add this one to your TBRs immediately!
✨ruthless girls
✨boys with a LOT of feelings
✨siblings
✨doomsday prophecies
I'm a simple reader: put doomsday prophecies, loveable characters doing their best, and morally grey characters in a book and I'm summoned! This book is epic fantasy at its best, building the world up around the reader through the characters and their experiences. The world is rich and vast, but the worldbuilding is doled out slowly so it never feels like an info-dump.
I often struggle with books that have multiple points of view, and There Will Come a Darkness has five of them. But the way that Pool crafted this story is nothing short of masterful: the exposition is doled out slowly and each character has information that the others don't. They each have a different perspective on the world and offer more information about society at large through their place within it.
"'All of these things are connected. All of them mean that the last prophecy is unfolding. One of them, or perhaps all of them together, will bring about the Age of Darkness.'"Each character has a distinct voice and I found myself getting more and more attached as I progressed in the plot. It's rare that I love a large cast of characters as much as I did here. Their conversations feel real and authentic, and Pool did a great job building out each of their backstories.
I especially found myself heavily invested in Jude's POV because his journey explores the notion of duty and personal desires, sacrifice, and how often when achieving a goal we feel "now what?" His arc is the literal interpretation of free will versus predetermination. Everything he wants in life is in direct opposition to his role and position in the Order, so his struggle is duty versus the personal attachments he has (but shouldn't). It is worth noting that Jude offers the LGBTQIAP+ representation and his romantic interest is forbidden: not for orientation but rather because of his position in the Order (like priests or monks being celibate).
As the narrative continues, I found myself anticipating when the character's paths would cross and how their journeys would dovetail. It was like watching a puzzle be completed in story form. There is so much backstabbing and twists, too. I gasped on more than one occasion while reading! More than anything, I loved the murkiness of the 100-year old prophecy and in trying to interpret it. Each of our five main characters plays a part, and while each of them is good (aka not wanting to bring about the Age of Darkness), their actions could still be bringing forth what they fear. It does bring an interesting discussion of determinism and free will.
The one downside to the multiple perspectives is that sometimes it took a minute for my goldfish brain to connect some of the dots. I take really good notes out of necessity for reviewing though, and that really helped with jogging my memory. It did take me ten days to read this book, but I think that is in large part due to a slump because whenever I read the book I was fully immersed and devoured the pages.
Overall, I really enjoyed this debut fantasy novel and can't wait to continue the series! I recommend this to readers who like large casts of characters, doomsday prophecy, and tightly plotted narratives.
Thank you Henry Holt for Young Readers for providing me an eARC of this book for my honest review. (I have since purchased a final copy.) Quotations are taken from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change upon final publication.
Representation: lgbtqiap (gay main character), racially diverse (4 of 5 MCs are characters of color)
Content warnings: inferred sexual abuse, imprisonment, murder, PTSD symptoms, racism, refugee camps, religious war, torture, toxic and abusive relationships, violence, xenophobia
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