The City of Dusk by Tara SimThe City of Dusk by Tara Sim is a riveting New Adult, dark fantasy novel set in a dying world where power hungry gods, royals, and noble houses battle for supremacy while their defiant, magic-wielding heirs struggle to restore the balance of the universe and keep their world from being torn apart.

There are four worlds, four realms, and four gods, that comprise the Cosmic Scale. Vitae, Mortri, Solara, and Noctus; representing the gods of Life, Death, Light, and Darkness are also each represented by a noble house ruled by the descendants of the mighty deities. The latest heirs in the long line of divine descendants (Taesia Lastrider, mistress of shadows and descendant of Nyx, Nikolas Cyr, lord of light and descendant of Phos, Angelica Mardova, elementalist and descendant of Deia, and Risha Vakara, necromancer and descendant of Thana), are no longer satisfied with being the pawns of the gods, nor of their families.

Their world has been slowly wasting away since The Sealing, when all roads between the four realms were closed off and the people were left abandoned by their gods. However, every hundred years Godsnight occurs and the barriers between the gods and their world are weakened. Fearing their world will not survive another hundred years, the young heirs of the noble houses concoct a plan for the fast approaching Godsnight to undo the sealing and heal their world.

But their’s is not the only scheme underway and as the fateful night approaches and the culmination of several plots loom, will the young heirs be able to save their dying world without losing everything, including their own lives in the process?

Pros And My Favourite Parts

I am a huge fan of dark fantasy, and this one has some gloriously gritty horror elements along with a gloomy tenor that drew me in immediately. I really am powerless to resist any story that has necromancers (although a certain shadow wielding rogue may have overtaken this affinity). The unique combination of magic and divinity, the political machinations and multifaceted iterations of and struggles for power, kept me transfixed throughout the story.

However, the characters are the true nexus of the book. The story provides us with their alternating points of view which adds a luscious depth and richness to them all. The different pressures they face, how they were molded, the complexity of their relationships with one another, their families, their world, were completely enthralling. And speaking of enthralling…the last quarter of the book is so intense I was afraid my heart was going to explode from the excitement and tension.

Cons And Heads Up

Dark fantasy means that there are more reanimated corpses than unicorns and faeries, so if you prefer your dead remain underground, this might not be the kind of book for you.

Also, I should point out that there isn’t a lot of focus on physical relationships in the story however, there is a wonderful amount of queer content as the main characters are: a bisexual woman, an ace woman, a lesbian woman, two bisexual men, and one pan man. These identities play into the story, but are not the focus of it.

The Conclusion

Michelle's Favourite BooksMy favourite drink is a dark and stormy and that is exactly how I prefer my books. If you are also drawn to the darker side of the fantasy realm, love tons of action and unique world building, politics and plotting, and compelling characters, you will enjoy this book. Oh and twisty! There are so many delicious twists you’ll feel like you spent the day at an amusement park. A haunted one, of course.

Excerpt from The City of Dusk by Tara Sim

He gave her a loaded Dante smile, silent secrets hidden under an ocean of charm. “What we call Conjuration today is a bastardization of an ancient ritual to commune with the gods. Back in the day, priests would draw a circle to replicate the shape of the universe, add offerings unique to the god they wanted to chat with, and there you have it.”

Taesia felt cold as she watched Dante draw two circles with the laced chalk, one nested within the other. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. “So you want to talk to the gods, is that what you are saying? Why?”

He paused, staring at the diamond he’d just drawn within the inner circle. Quietly he said, “To understand why the Sealing happened.”

Taesia’s fingers tightened on her arms. “And you’re certain it’ll work? That we won’t end up with some unsavory visitor?

His laugh was tinged with apprehension. “Not at all.” He poured the powdered lodestone around the diamond, then opened a jar and sniffed its contents. “I wish we had the hellebore root, but this should be a good enough substitute.”

He sprinkled something that smelled like tobacco. When he looked back up, a lock of dark hair fell across his forehead.

“I figured trying is better than sitting around feeling helpless,” he said, his voice gone soft again.

A wave of fondness washed over her despite the fact she was staring at her brother across a very illegal, very pungent Conjuration circle. Dante had more willpower than she did, but they both shared the desire to act

“Even if you manage to summon one of the gods, what good would it do?”

Dante worked his jaw, the tension fading gradually from his face. “It’s not just about talking to them, or asking why they sealed the realms from one another. I want…”. He ran a hand through his hair with a bitter laugh. “You’re going to think I’m mad.”

“I already do. Tell me.”

He sat back on his heels. “I want to convince them to undo it.”

Taesia waited a beat. Then another. Her mouth twisted to keep from laughing.

“It’s not impossible!” He argued. “If we undo the Sealing, we reopen the realms and the natural flow of the universe will be restored. We can use our godsblood for good, to prevent our realm from dying.” He lowered his voice. “It’ll also give the Houses leverage over the king. We can gain support from the people to take away the Holy King’s authority….We can actually use our privilege for a change,” Dante said.

They sat in the possibility a moment, familiars drifting between them, a couple more shadows in a room that smelled of forbidden magic.

It sounded stupidly heroic: going against the will of the gods, wresting control of their country from a man who believed himself untouchable. Again she thought of the Noctan refugee who had been seized in the market. Under Dante’s watch, those scenes could disappear completely.

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Series

The Dark Gods

The City of Dusk

 

Bits and Bobs

ISBN number: 9780316458894

Publisher: Orbit

Tara Sim Online

 

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A Flight in the Heavens by Gabrielle Gagne-Cyr

 

 

 

 

 

 

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