We could not wait to get our hands of this marvelous debut YA fantasy, and once we did we could not put this incredible book down.
From the blurb;
'Only she can face the storm...
'Vesper Vale is the daughter of revolutionaries. Failed revolutionaries. Since the Queen sentenced her mother to death by a deadly Storm that curses everyone it touches, Vespeer and her father have been on the run.
'So when the queens soldiers - led by paranoid Prince Dalca - catch up to them, Vesper will do whatever it takes to keep her father safe.
'Even arm herself with her father's book of dangerous experimental magic. Even infiltrate the prince's elite squad of soldier-sorcerers. Even cheat her way into his cold heart.
'But when Vesper learns that there's more to the story of her mother's death, and that her home is in dire peril, she has little choice: trust the devious prince with family's secrets, of follow her mother's footsteps into the Storm...'
Vesper is an intelligent, kind-hearted, character who it is easy to get behind. We follow her as her world view is opened, filling in the fantasy elements of the story for the reader, as she fights to save her father and learns the truth of her world in the process.
If, like us, you were drawn to The Darkening by the captivating and fantastic Instagram posts of author Sunya Mara, we can assure you that her writing talent is as strong as her videography.
The fantasy elements of this world, and the marvelous character building, are what make this novel impossible to put down. With the devastating power of the storm surrounding the city, and pressing ever further into the capital, we feel the pressure and the drive of our characters as they fight against this impossible and all consuming threat.
The Darkening is a fantasy whirlwind that will leave readers aching for more and enthralled by the talent of Sunya Mara.
We give The Darkening five stars
ISBN - 978-1-529-35490-4 Cover Price - £8.99 First published in Great Britain in 2022 by Hodderscape and imprint of Hodder & Stoughton