ARC Review: The City of Dusk

Today’s post is a review of a book we know you all must be chomping at the bit for. The City of Dusk is out in just over a week, and you don’t want to miss it. But if, for whatever reason, you’re still on the fence about things, check out our review for why you shouldn’t be!

And we’re running a giveaway of the book over on twitter, so head on over for a chance to win!

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But the gods have withdrawn their favor from the once vibrant and thriving city.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.

The City of Dusk

Tara Sim

Goodreads

Rep: lesbian mc, bi mcs
Release: 22nd March 2022

Five Reasons to Read This Book

One. Normally, you might think that alternative realities and multiple realms are the remit of science fiction, but Tara Sim drags them straight out of that and into fantasy here. The whole premise—that the gods are real, you can speak with them, and they’ve closed off access to other realms—is the most creative part of this worldbuilding. It gives similar vibes to A Darker Shade of Magic (which, honestly, if you liked that you’ll probably also enjoy this).

Two. I can’t not have one of these points be my favourite character, now, can I? Nik is absolutely a reason you should be reading this book. I’m not going to say anything more on that front (spoilers!). Just. Do it for him.

Three. If you like your fantasy to be slowburning, with a gradual unfolding of plot and answers to the mystery presented to you, then this is a book you’ll enjoy. You, the reader, have as many questions as the protagonists and the twists and turns will keep you guessing all of the way through. Really, the best kind of book.

Four. Straight people? What are those? This is a book where basically no one is straight. And also, it’s a world where not being straight is never batted an eyelid at. None of this fantasy worlds where somehow modern homophobia has been dragged into it: this book says, gays exist, they can get married, and you can sit on it and swivel.

Five. This is a book I would say is “adult but with YA crossover appeal”. It’s not as dense a fantasy world as some other adult books, and the characters are on the younger side of things (I might actually call this one new adult, as opposed to straight up adult), so it’s a great gateway book. The kind that will get you wanting to dip your toes further into adult fantasy, if you haven’t before, but also the kind that feels fresh and new, if you’re a regular reader.