Spoiler Free Review: There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

Title: There Will Come a Darkness (The Age of Darkness #1)

Author:Katy Rose Pool

Pub. Date: September 3rd 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Henry Holt

Pages: 496

Format: eGalley

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLES | AMAZON

🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review 🖤

For many generations 7 prophets united humanity by ending wars & using their visions of the future to better guide them. 100 years ago the prophets disappeared leaving behind 1 last prophecy foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation or the cause of its destruction.

“A prince exiled from his kingdom.
A ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand.
A once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart.
A reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone.
And a dying girl on the verge of giving up.”

Fear is steeped deep in the pages as the people are divided in this world between the Graced who have magical abilities & those who do not. Our villain, the Hierophant is good with words & winning over the public by instilling fear in their hearts. He’s gathered a loyal following known as the Witnesses who also believe the Graced must be eradicated. Our five MC’s set out walking very different paths that are destined to cross in the fight against the impending Age of Darkness.

This was one of those books I found hard to put down, seamless story telling in a multiple POV format? it’s not always executed well but that is not the case here. I found all of the POV’s interesting & each contributed to the anticipation/climax towards the main plot line, The Age Of Darkness. Plot twists that kept dishing out WTF moments kept me hooked & hungry for answers. There were no heroines or plainly good/bad characters, they are all morally gray & self aware. You get to see their inner monologue as they make decisions with a ends may very well justify the means type of approach. I found myself often putting myself in their shoes, unsure on what route I would’ve taken with all the pressure they faced. The world building, history and characters are well fleshed out which I thoroughly enjoyed. Some may see this first book leaning towards the more denser fantasy books but I personally flew through it & loved every minute of my time in it. The LBTQIAP+ representation only bumped up my rating seeing as it felt like an organic part of this world. I found myself hardcore shipping two characters that truly gave slow burn romance a whole other level haha! If I had to choose a POV I enjoyed most, it would come down to Jude & Anton. These two characters went through the MOST and have A+ character building. With all of the twists & turns this story took, I can easily see myself re-reading this book before the sequel is released. I’m sure it will be just as a fun of a ride a second go around, Katy Rose Pool has one new loyal reader 🙂