The City of Dusk by Tara Sim

“Taesia Lastrider had never considered herself a good person, nor did she have any intention of becoming one.
She was fine with that. Beyond the confines of her House’s villa, she was freer to do whatever she wanted. Be whoever she wanted.
The last breath of summer’s heat coiled around her as she shifted in the shadow of a market awning. Shoppers were buying melon juice and sarab, a clear Parithvian alcohol served with a pinch of orange-colored spice that cooled the body down. Jewelry on a nearby cart glittered in the sunlight, cuffs of hammered silver and brass sending spangles into her vision. Taesia blinked and retreated even father into the shade.”

-The City of Dusk by Tara Sim

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim is the first book in the Dark Gods trilogy. This was a really great read, I honestly haven’t read a ton of fantasy over the summer, so it was nice to get back into it with such an addicting book. Tara Sim does an amazing job of hooking you right from the beginning, and with shifting points of view and incredible world-building, it is a wonderful book to get lost in.

This story follows four heirs, each representing a different realm, each one blessed with special powers from the gods they and their families serve. Angelica wields the power of the elements. Nik uses the power of light. Risha has the powers of a necromancer and Taesia uses shadow. The heirs will eventually be inhabited by their gods, and they begin to plot for a chance to save their world and reunite the realms, something that hasn’t happened in a long time.

The book opens with these characters facing different hardships. They don’t seem get along very well either, sort of living their own lives and dealing with their issues on their own. Angelica can only use and control her powers by playing an instrument. Yet using instruments as a tool for casting magic is looked down upon, and her family scorns her for this, encouraging her to use her powers by themselves. Nik’s god won’t commune with him or speak to him. The god is silent and he can’t help but connect it back to his brother’s death, which he still blames himself for. Taesia’s brother was just arrested for using Conjuration magic as well as for the suspicion of murder. Taesia is unwillingly thrown into the role of heir, trying to navigate what is really going on in the city. 

It’s impossible to do this book’s world-building and magic justice in a short review, simply because there’s so much to it! At times in the beginning, I did get a little confused with this, but I think it does even out and start to make more sense as the story goes on. And the ending was fantastic! I wish I’d had book two on hand to start right away!

My favorite characters of the heirs were Taesia and Angelica. Taesia is ready to do whatever it takes to do what she feels is right to save the world, no matter who may get hurt in the process (though she cares a lot about the people affected). Angelica’s struggle with her powers consumed her, she acted like a ticking time bomb. The more time passed without control over her powers, the angrier and more destructive she became. Taesia and Angelica were also the most at odds at each other, and their relationship was really intriguing to me. It’s always a good character dynamic when two characters push against each other, even if their end goals are ultimately the same.

This book has a lot going on. Its dark, gritty and the city and world itself is awesome. I absolutely adored some of the side characters who I really hope are going to get more page time in book two because I am excited to read the next one. 

If you’re looking for a book with dark magic, meddling gods and a cracked, nearly shattered world, then this is the book for you!