I am quite confused that a) folks are calling this YA (there is a sex scene) and b) there are complaints that is it 'too long'. There are tons of fantasy series with installments over 500 pages, some with double the page count so I can only surmise that the current crop of reviewers don't do general fantasy epics and/or mainly stay in the YA lane.

I enjoyed the slow build up, complete world building and the story in general. I eagerly look forward to the next installment. ( )

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Much like a few other first-of-the-series fantasy books I have picked up recently this book took awhile (for me) to get going and grab my attention but once it did I really liked it and the end was quite a ride! I will also say that when I started this I was having a hard time focusing on...much of anything really...so it may have been more me than anything else. But fantasy world-building does take some time so just be patient! It switches between multiple character POV which I really enjoy. I am excited to see where this series continues! I also hope (and assume) there are some maps in full release which I will need to look up ASAP.

Also isn't the cover just beautiful! ( )

Set in a gorgeous world of bone and shadow magic, of vengeful gods and defiant chosen ones, The City of Dusk is the first in a dark epic fantasy trilogy that follows the four heirs of four noble houses—each gifted with a divine power—as they form a tenuous alliance to keep their kingdom from descending into a realm-shattering war.

The Four Realms—Life, Death, Light, and Darkness—all converge on the city of dusk. For each realm there is a god, and for each god there is an heir.

But the gods have withdrawn their favor from the once vibrant and thriving city. And without it, all the realms are dying.

Unwilling to stand by and watch the destruction, the four heirs—Risha, a necromancer struggling to keep the peace; Angelica, an elementalist with her eyes set on the throne; Taesia, a shadow-wielding rogue with rebellion in her heart; and Nik, a soldier who struggles to see the light— will sacrifice everything to save the city.

But their defiance will cost them dearly.

Tara Sim’s The City of Dusk starts slowly, but once it does, watch out. I get the need for an intense amount of world-building. Most fantasies require it, after all, because the author needs to explain the world to readers. In the case of The City of Dusk, we also have to meet the characters and families and understand their powers and their histories. That part took just a bit too long for me, and I did consider not finishing it. I’m glad I didn’t, especially given what we learn about one of the characters, but know that even I struggled with how slowly the story builds. ( )

Tara Sim’s The City of Dusk is a broad, dark tale set in a fanciful realm with an energetic, youthful cast.

The City of Dusk lends itself well as an allegory for the decline of modern civilization. Sims does this by setting the story at the tail end of a decadent city’s long fall from grace. This theme permeates the story. The world is dying, and no one seems interested in doing more than maintaining their grasp of whatever power and influence remain. Resources are disappearing. Long-held traditions are a sham, continued only for tradition’s sake. The useless king doesn’t seem interested or even capable of ruling. It was hard not to read this and think of our world in comparison.

Sims dresses this world with many things that seem or sound familiar. Doing so creates several anachronisms and some head-scratching moments. But it also gives the world a lived-in feel. I’d guess that Sims saved the most effort for an intriguing and well-developed magic system and the legacies supporting it.

Despite being pitched as a new adult fantasy, Sim’s young adult writing experience is evident. A reader should be forgiven for thinking the characters were all in their teens. And there are many characters, with the POV spread evenly throughout a half-dozen or more perspectives.

The City of Dusk clearly aspires to be more than it is. Its length alone could qualify the tale as epic. But readers looking for a repeat of Shadow and Bone would enjoy it.

This book contains mentions of physical and mental abuse, loss of family members, addiction, cannibalism, state violence, racism and xenophobia, and detailed descriptions of war, violence, and death. ( )