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A Day of Fallen Night

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A Day of Fallen Night

Written by: Samantha Shannon
Narrated by: Ellie Kendrick, Sheila Atim, Thoren Ferguson, Hanako Footman, Samantha Shannon, Saara El-Arifi
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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon, read by Hanako Footman, Thoren Ferguson, Sheila Atim, Ellie Kendrick, Samantha Shannon and Saara El-Arifi.

The New York Times bestselling stunning, standalone prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree.

“A magnificent, sweeping epic. Shannon has created a world rich in intricate mythology, beautifully realized and complex.” Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne

In A Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the universe of Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come.

Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.

To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.

The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate.

When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Samantha Shannon (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Coming of Age Epic Epic Fantasy Fiction Fantasy Heartfelt Dragons
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What the critics say

"Shannon is simply a master of the genre." (C. S. Pacat, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Rise)

"A tremendous triumph." (London Shah, award-winning author of the Light of the Abyss series)

What listeners say about A Day of Fallen Night

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A Sweeping Epic

Unquestionably an epic story for fans of THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE, or of high fantasy in general. Having such a large and complex cast makes for an engaging reading experience in this deep, action filled world of politics and gods.

There are plenty of characters to get attached to, including the powerful Tunuva Melim, Princess Glorian and her friend Wulf, and Dumai, a young woman raised on a temple who must confront the world and its increasing dangers. They are all allowed complicated plotlines that allow them to expand and grow in refreshing ways until their inevitable collision. I enjoyed Wulf and Tunuva's plotlines the most, especially when the revelations began. They are all vulnerable and strong, and one does not outshine the other in my opinion.

As with PRIORY, this is a complicated world with a dense political plot and rules. It took a little bit for me to recall everything from PRIORY to remember some of the teases to the initial book, yet I deeply never felt that it was too much for any reader who enjoys high fantasy. This is helped by the clear and elegant prose.

The story is long, with each subplot taking the readers on an adventure with characters and the overarching threat. This takes place over a span of years, but I never felt anything was left out for the sake of time. Sure there were moments I would have liked to see grow, but given how big this book is, I can understand why certain things needed to be sacrificed for the sake of time.

There are plenty of action scenes to keep the flow of the pace, all leading to a powerful ending that is filled with emotion and raw power from the main characters. It was an excellent ending to a book that asks for time and dedication to be thoroughly enjoyed.

And I did enjoy it. A DAY OF FALLEN NIGHT is perfect for anyone who is looking to scratch that high fantasy, political itch. It's a stunning tale filled with everything from conspiracy to romance to sacrifice, and is not to be missed!

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I loved it!!

I would absolutely love to spend more time in this beautiful world. I have it, and the other on my TBR forever because the size of them, but now I'm excited I still have to read Priory of The Orange Tree. I guess I read them in the wrong order, but I'm glad I did the prequel first

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Wow... Spectacular

I loved The Priory of the Orange and was delighted to see a prequal, but hesitant because I wasn't sure if it would match up. A friend told me it was better than Priory so I dug in. I loved this book. Samantha builds her characters slowly, layer upon layer. You come to feel their joys and torments, which is rare for me with books these days. I loved that Priory and This book are both stand alone yet compliment each other. I now need to reread Priory. Samantha is at the top of her game with this series. Prioty and Fallen Night way surpasses her Bone Season series on all levels and I can't wait to read more from this universe.

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Wow!

Wow! Intricate world! Compelling story! Amazing queer representation!! POV characters of different ages and life stages! I am way too invested! This one easily falls in my top 10 favourite books. Just Wow!

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Excellent narration

Narrators brought the story to life - all of them are fantastic and easy to listen to.

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Worth every minute!

I know this is almost 40 hours long, but just do it! I paced myself by listening 1.5hrs a day during my commute (and occasionally during chores and mundane tasks at work) and it took me about 3 months to get through and I am honest to goodness contemplating starting it all over again because I enjoyed it that much! The 4 narrators absolutely SLAY their roles. I wish all narrators put this much love and effort into their readings. And this beautiful, sapphic, slow-burn epic is worth every minute.

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Hard to Listen to Priory after this

I LOVED this book! Unfortunately, I listened to this before Priory - which might have actually been better for me because if I had started with Priory, I may not have even bothered with this.

im sure reading Priory will be better.

A Day Of Fallen Night was excellent! Easy to follow. performances on point! Story was beautifully written and I was absolutely HOOKED. I listened at hone which is not something I usually do. I start books in the vehicle and since I drive for a living often am able to get through the whole thing on one trio. this was long enough that I wasn't able to and instead of waiting for the next trip, I listened on my phone laying on my couch. haha

honestly such a great listen.

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Excellent read

I am satisfied with this read I had a hard time putting it down. I highly recommend the rwad

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An overall fantastic listen

The narrators were brilliant and made it so easy to know who we were with. I'm not usually drawn to prequels, but I loved the other so much that I had to try. Despite knowing how everything turns out, at the end of the other book, this story still had me intrigued and interested! A beautiful tale with ups and downs and love and loss... just perfect!

I think that recognising names and places and things, and knowing what the results of their decisions would be, just made it all the better, like I was in on a secret that the characters don't know.

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a vast world and an epic story

I really enjoyed this prequel, the narration being split in 3 was a great idea and helped quite a bit in this sprawling story.

Each narrator really embodied the characters.
the only gripe would be that the switch can sometimes be jarring when it happens within the same chapter.

The story starts slow and steady but honestly I never felt bored and the ending is sweet and heart wrenching.

I am fascinated by this world and the women who inhabit it

Just like Priory, the story left me wanting more.

This is definitely a story i will be listening to again and again.

Be warned that the prononciation of multiple words is different from Priory. Samantha said the first narrator, having no guide, winged it and did a great job, but for this book they had a prononciation guide and that being set 500 before Priory the language has evolved and changed since

happy listening

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