Four shut off realms, four devious gods and four magic-wielding heirs, and one city struggling under the strain of trapped souls and magic. Can the four heirs put aside their power struggle for long enough to save the city, even if doing so means breaking the law, risking their lives and possibly going up against the gods themselves?
Life and death, light and darkness, The City of Dusk is a story of balance and contrasts. Each of the four heirs gets an equal share in the story, their actions and growth all carrying equal weight in the plot. It has multiple narrative stands with complex characters and explores the grey areas between hero and villain, questioning who holds power and whether they deserve it.
Taesia was my favourite character as I was never quite sure what was going to happen next whenever she appeared on the page. But Nik, Risha and Angelica were all complex, interesting characters and there were definitely no weak links.
Sim has created a complex and immersive fantasy world. I love fantasy realms with well thought out religious systems, which The City of Dusk definitely has, and especially when the gods are as complicated and messy as the human characters.
The plot contained some brilliant twists and the ending was unexpected, leaving me very intrigued to find out what's going to happen next.
I was provided with an advanced copy for review on Netgalley.