Kat doesn’t care about any of that. A talented thief, she’s pursuing one big score that will settle the debt that destroyed her family. No easy feat in a realm where indentured spirits hold vigil over every vault and treasure room. However, Kat has a unique gift: she can speak to those spirits, and even command them. She’ll need every advantage she can get.
Kat’s not a hero. She just wants to be free. To have her old life back. But as rebellion rekindles and the war for Khalad’s future begins, everyone – Kat included – will have to pick a side.
I think about Matthew Ward’s THE LEGACY TRILOGY pretty much every day. When push comes to shove, it’s my favorite fantasy trilogy. Ever.
Like if I suddenly found myself on the run (I dunno, who can say?) and could only pack one fantasy trilogy into my bag (I’m sure this happens all the time), it would be THE LEGACY TRILOGY. All three of those books just carved their way into my heart & the experience of reading them was so fucking special to me.
So obviously I am going into THE DARKNESS BEFORE THEM, the first book in Ward’s new series, THE SOULFIRE SAGA, with some pretty high expectations! And wow, I absolutely LOVED this!
This one drops you right into the middle of a breathtaking action sequence. The world in this book comes at you fast & there’s not a lot of hand-holding with regards to the magic system. There is a very helpful glossary in the back of the book, as well as a dramatis personae at the front…we love to see it!!
Our main character is Katija Arvish, better known as Kat. Kat’s a talented thief, and when we meet her, she and her girlfriend Azra are trying for that “one big score” kind of deal. Kat has a family debt that needs to be paid, and this is her one shot. Of course, these things rarely go well, and that’s the case here.
Kat has a magical tattoo that allows her to communicate with or sometimes control spirits. Spirits that are used in this world for protection. Things like locks are imbued with spirits, and Kat knows just how to manipulate them into doing what she wants. But also, wow…there are bigger, creepier, and way more violent spirits in this world, too.
Which is how Kat finds herself on the wrong side of the law, and then ultimately joining a rebellion that is not what it seems on the surface. Kat’s path keeps leading her closer & closer to the Veil, a mysterious and ominous mist that kills everything it touches.
I’m desperately trying to curb my habit of recapping books in my reviews, more than is absolutely necessary. Especially with something like this…while this book feels slim (at around 550 pages) compared the LEGACY books, this is a big, complex fantasy novel. I’m only going to be able to scratch the surface, no matter what.
But like with the LEGACY books, Matthew Ward gives so much attention to the characters in this world. I felt instantly drawn to Kat & knew she would be a great protagonist to follow through this twisty, dangerous world. She goes on several emotional rollercoasters over the course of this book and oof…shit gets heavy.
We initially see Kat as someone who is always trying to do the right thing, or to do right by the people she lets get close to her. But what “the right thing” is keeps changing, and Kat ultimately has to confront some things about herself she would much rather not. She’s clever & funny & brave & emotionally intelligent, and I just loved her a lot.
There’s a phenomenal supporting cast of characters in this book…there’s the always sarcastic master of disguises, Tatterlain. There’s the unrelenting & badass Rîma…oof, she’s gotta be one of the all-time greats, just a ferocious whirlwind with a sword. Zephyr is a veilkin…she’s not entirely human & has this almost hypnotic presence every time she’s in a scene.
Yali was probably the secondary character that stood out most to me, and I wanted to highlight her a little bit here. I’ve found the representation in Matthew Ward’s books to be extremely thoughtful, with particular regard to queer and/or disabled characters. And same goes for THE DARKNESS BEFORE THEM. There’s a form of sign language used in this world, by a great many characters. But it comes in especially handy when Kat meets Yali, who is deaf. They form a really incredible bond over the course of the story, and I just loved the inclusivity here. Yali is big part of the story, too, so there are significant portions of the dialogue that are signed..the signed dialogue is noted with double lines, ||like this||
This was fantastic…just a completely captivating start to a new series! Life stuff meant I was reading this one a bit slower than I would have liked, but it almost added to my enjoyment of the book. I felt like I really got to know the characters & got a great feel for the world. This book is also a ton of fun! For sure, it gets heavy & bleak, but there’s such a great sense of adventure and there’s tons of big surprises/reveals/double-crosses!
Gah! I loved this so much! This was for sure my most anticipated read of 2023, and it’s one of my favorite books of the year so far!
Huge thanks to Orbit for sending a copy my way!! THE DARKNESS BEFORE THEM releases today, November 7th!
Grimdark Dad 