Welcome to the world of Nexus, an original fantasy world that has some magic parallels to the D&D Forgotten Realms universe. In addition, the author wrote this amazing Tweet that sums up the main characters’ D&D equivalent classes. Essentially the kingdom in The City of Dusk by Tara Sim has an overarching king, but four major political houses that have different deities as patrons and those elements impact the various decisions that are made throughout the story.
This book is rather long, but in the best way possible. I loved learning about how this world works and how the characters navigate throughout. The plot itself moves along at a steady pace and there are many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, while others I was able to guess. However, that didn’t detract from my favorite element of this story: the characters. For this fantasy realm, the characters are what drove up my enjoyment so high in this story. I loved their interactions, their histories, their rivalries, and their chemistries. Here’s a quick rundown of each of the main heirs of the kingdom:
Risha Vakara- from the house of Death, her deity is Thana who rules the underworld. Risha has necromantic abilities, and she wants to ensure the safety of her friends and family around her.
Angelica Mardova- from the house of Life, her deity is Deia. Angelica’s supposed to master all of the four elements, but currently fire seems to be the only one she can use without the assistance of an instrument. She wants power, and lots of it.
Nikolas Cyr- from the house of Light, his deity is Phos. Nikolas has light & sun based powers, and a small light familiar as well. He feels compelled to his duty to the kingdom.
Dante & Taesia Lastrider- from the house of Night, their deity is Nyx. Both are proficient in stealth and rogue-like activities, and while Taesia is a bit unsure of what she wants in life, Dante is very passionate about the rights and welfare of the common people.
Ultimately this book is an excellent start to what I hope will be a solid fantasy trilogy. I love the dark aesthetic and the agency that each character has to make their choices and face their consequences that don’t feel overly plot-driven.
A big thank you to Orbit for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review!
Final Rating:
Be sure to check out The City of Dusk. It is out March 22nd, 2022!
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