Les Terres éternelles - Tome 01 Vespéral (poche)

The Everlands Trilogy #1

by Ed Crocker, Claude Mamier (Translator)

An epic fantasy of vampires, werewolves and sorcerers, Lightfall is the debut novel of Ed Crocker, for fans of Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire and Richard Swan’s The Justice of Kings.

No humans here. Just immortals: their politics, their feuds—and their long buried secrets.

For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the population in a night. The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you’re poor, you drink weak blood. If you’re nobility, you get the good stuff. And you can never, ever leave.

Palace maid Sam has had enough of these rules, and she’s definitely had enough of cleaning the bedpans of the lords who enforce them. When the son of the city’s ruler is murdered and she finds the only clue to his death, she seizes the chance to blackmail her way into a better class and better blood. She falls in with the Leeches, a group of rebel maids who rein in the worst of the Lords. Soon she’s in league with a sorcerer whose deductive skills make up for his lack of magic, a deadly werewolf assassin and a countess who knows a city’s worth of secrets.

There’s just one problem. What began as a murder investigation has uncovered a vast conspiracy by the ruling elite, and now Sam must find the truth before she becomes another victim. If she can avoid getting murdered, she might just live forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Vampires, Horror, Paranormal, Adult, Mystery, Fiction

512 pages

First published January 14, 2025

About the author

Ed was born in Manchester, UK and has managed to stay there ever since.

By day he edits books—his clients include Sunday Times Bestselling authors, award-winning indie authors, and acclaimed small presses.

By night, or sometimes also by day (freelancer rules), he reviews SFF and horror books and interviews authors for FanFiAddict.com, watches horror films, and plays video games. My god, what a nerd.

He is the author of the epic fantasy trilogy The Everlands - featuring vampires, werewolves and sorcerers but no humans - Book 1 Lightfall hitting shelves in January 2025.

You can find him on most socials as @edcrockerbooks and at ed-crocker.com.

Reviews

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m surprised I didn’t enjoy this, because it started off so promising. I found the cast of characters to be extremely flat, the mystery at the heart of the story to be uninteresting, and overall, I was just bored.

This is a first person narrative from several perspectives, and I really think this could have benefited from being in 3rd person, as it would have added stronger distinction between characters’ voices and added depth to the world building. This is so nitpicky, but I wasn’t immersed in the world after a while, because I found many of the names - “Worns”, “Worntown”, “Vermillion”, “Sunburst”- to be hollow, at best. Corny at worst. And why were Sam and her best friend repeatedly referring to each other by name while having a conversation?? 😩

This was just not for me, and I was fully expecting to enjoy it, because I love Empire of the Vampire and Justice of Kings. I understand those 2 books were used as comparisons to bring intrigue to Lightfall, but unfortunately they’re not doing it any favors.

I don’t see myself continuing this series.

[Mike's Book Reviews]

Full video thoughts here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5BaE...

The extremely rare DNF from me at 40% in.

This one was a case of not getting what I had hoped for. While the writing talents of Ed Crocker are on point, the direction of the story was a miss for me. When you have vampires and werewolves and magicians, I felt like I was getting one thing but this story delivered another. Choosing to follow a maid using the details of a conspiracy to murder to better her station in life was a surprise direction.

If you're looking for a commentary on class warfare and anti-capitalism this book will have what you're looking for. If you're wanting an Underworld Vamps vs Lycans story, you'll leave disappointed.

[Ryan Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

For years, I saw agents and publishers say that they'd only look at books with vampires and werewolves if they did something completely different with them. LIGHTFALL is definitely that book. Just look at the main conceit on page one: "No humans here."

Without humans, a story about vampires and werewolves has to be told and explored in unique ways. It becomes less about how they prey on weak mortals and more about how they prey on themselves. Crocker develops this ouroboros of blood and mischief with a deep and intriguing world, full of curious historical anomalies--ripe for exploration by two MCs with a love for history--and characters that come alive through brilliant dialogue. Centered around the death of a young (in vampire standards) noble, LIGHTFALL unravels mysteries at a knife-edge pace that had me slamming my fists into the wall wanting to know all its secrets while enjoying the chase for answers.

With tons of queer rep, including a bi male MC and two fantastic ships, I really couldn't have asked for more. Can't wait for the follow up.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured this - bloody brilliant debut! 😉🩸
Expect vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, and a mystery!

Palace maid Sam is a bookworm, desperate for something better than the order which sees her under vicious Lords who control the blood. They get the best type which empowers them whilst the Worms (her class) gets the worst kind, not even granting them immortality.
The murder of the city Lord’s son sets off a series of events that turns an attempt at seeking blackmail material into involvement with rebels, sorcerers from a faraway land, and a conspiracy greater than anyone could imagine.

This had such great characters.
I will always root for a clever protagonist, a bookworm who isn’t strong or powerful, but who uses her ingenuity and knowledge to stay ahead.
We have a feisty, scary wolf. Vicious vampires. Sorcerers with questionable motives and backgrounds.

Whatever grit I had is slipping out of me. I'm not a heroine who goes around saving the day. I'm a palace maid with a book obsession and an uncurable ambition. The wolfblood took me over for a while. The person who's left now it's gone is having an identity crisis. It's a harsh comedown.

It is interesting that there are no mortal characters. The mortals are all dead and so all we have are supernatural creatures with a rich history trying to stake (wink wink) a claim.

There were some instances where I thought things were wrapped up too easily or neatly, or I saw emotional moments coming so didn’t feel their full impact; however I never felt dissatisfied.

There is wit. There is intrigue. There is action.
This is an incredible debut!
Rounded up to 4 stars!🌟

Arc gifted by St Martin’s Press.

Bookstagram

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally published on Grimdark Magazine

If you thought vampires and werewolves in epic fantasy were dead, then Ed Crocker is here to prove you wrong in Lightfall. Bleeding with intrigue, emotion, and snarky dark humour, this fangtastically fun yet bloody brutal dark fantasy will ensorcell you with its mystery and have you howling from laughter and heartache the entire way through.

In a world where mortals are myth, a rebellious vampire maid, a magicless sorcerer and his rakish companion, a pompous and grieving vampire Lord, a secretive vampire countess and her enigmatic lady friend, and a deadly werewolf assassin cross paths as they stumble into a seemingly simple murder mystery investigation that unearths a dark conspiracy which turns their entire world on its head; it’s not the start of a bad joke, it’s the batshit crazy premise of Lightfall.

Now, it might have taken me a few chapters to really sink into the narrative because of the frequent mid-chapter POV switches, but once I was in, I was IN. Crocker’s bold storytelling and whip-smart authorial voice just worked for me in every single way, and I personally think he pulled off the tricky multi-POV first person present tense narration with effortless grace. The way that the prose subtly shifted in tone and diction to fit with the race, cultural background and class of each character was so masterfully done and made them all so distinct and uniquely compelling, even if some of them were maybe a bit overwhelmingly wordy or had a flair for the dramatic that probably even Gabriel de Léon and Jean-François from Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire would roll their eyes at.

Honestly though, for a book that Crocker promotes as ‘anti-human propaganda’, it is filled with suspiciously lively and inexplicably loveable weirdos whose raw and relatable (in?)human emotions get you emotionally invested to a point that is honestly not safe for your own sanity. I loved seeing unexpected bonds of loyalty and friendship (and maybe even more? CUTE) tentatively start to develop between them, despite their best efforts to pretend they truly absolutely didn’t care for each other (nice try). And don’t get me started on how much I adored all the fierce, feisty and fearsome ladies, they just truly stole the show for me in Lightfall. From the rebellious Sam and her quietly endearing friend Beth, to the deviously clever and enigmatic Lady Hocquard and Alanna, and can’t forget the snarky and deadly werewolf assassin Raven Ansbach; I want to be them all when I grow up.

And when I tell you that this story just gets better and better with each chapter, I mean that it got so good that I couldn’t hold myself back from devouring the last half of the book in one afternoon. Lightfall isn’t just a fantasy mystery, but instead it’s also got a truly addictive air of mystery and intrigue that permeates every aspect of the story. Crocker just knows how to strike the perfect balance between giving enough information to feel deeply immersed and follow along with all the mystifying clues of the mystery investigation, while also keeping his cards deviously close to his chest and dangling just the most tantalising teases about the rich history/lore of the world and the obscure backstories of the enigmatic characters in front of your nose.

Moreover, for all that Lightfall is a wildly entertaining and exciting romp (we’ve even got a suicide mission of a blood bank heist, for goodness’ sake), at its core it’s still a dark fantasy with good horror flavours which unflinchingly explores some heavier topics and knows how to deliver emotional gutpunches that just hurt oh so good. When you’re dealing with a world ruled by immortal beings, the themes of mortality, the fallibility of memory and historical accounts, and the weight of grief and grudges naturally sneak their way into the narrative in the most unexpectedly hard-hitting and profound ways. Not to mention the commentary on classism and elitism through the set-up of the vampire society, where the nobility thrive on the most nurturing and powerful blood while the poor are left to wither away on the weak blood; even in a society of vampires, you can count on the rich to be the true suckers.

Just when I thought we had twisted the last twist and turned the last turn, Crocker had another few corkscrews up his sleeve, and the last chapter of Lightfall truly has me dying for book 2 in The Everlands Trilogy already. With its high stakes, riveting mystery, pulse-pounding action, and irresistibly charming humour and heart, this comfortably familiar yet refreshingly inventive dark fantasy mystery adventure is just the perfect treat for all the dark souls who love the tone and vibe of David Wragg, Jay Kristoff, and Joe Abercrombie; I can’t recommend it highly enough!

Thank you to the author and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[nika.ex.libris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It all starts, as always, with the main character seeking adventure and death, almost as if it's her hobby.

Then quickly, we’re thrown into a covert operation, unraveling mysteries and facing dangers.

Time passes, and all the heroes come together as a whole gang.

Somewhere near the end, I found myself sitting there, trying not to cry, saying, "I knew you would do this to me" (I still get ridiculously attached to characters).

My thoughts on the last chapters were: What? How? Oh, that’s why...

I felt the beginning was a bit rushed, especially how Sam jumped into danger without a second thought.

The book is told from multiple perspectives, which I love, allowing us to see the story from different angles and noticing common threads among the characters.

There’s a vampire society mixed with a dash of murder mystery. We also have werewolves and sorcerors, political intrigues, and a game that unfolds over a long time. There are no mortal people, but everyone is thinking about them.

It's a tale of how different beings come together.

The perfect read for cozy autumn evenings!🌑🩸

P.S. Thanks for the chance to read the ARC!

[Billie's Not So Secret Diary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lightfall
by Ed Crocker
The Everlands #1
Fantasy Supernatural
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Jan 14, 2025
St. Martin's Press
Ages: 16+

The Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half of the vampires with bullets that kill with even just a graze. The survivors ran to the city of First Light and there the poor drank weak blood (cow) and the more noble you were the better the blood, wolf's blood being the best, thus giving them powers including wings.

Sam, a palace maid, sneaks into the library at night, an action that would get her killed if caught, but she wanted and believed she and others deserved more, to be true immortals living for centuries without aging. When the city's ruler's son is murdered, Sam is ordered to clean his room, and she finds a clue to his death. Finding the Leeches, a group of rebel maids who use blackmail against the Lords they clean up after, soon they are partnering up with a sorcerer and a werewolf assassin.

But in the search for the answer to who killed the ruler's son, they also uncover the reason why.


This book is told from multiple characters' first-person POV. Sam is the MC and there are others just as important to the story, but even some of the minor characters get at least a chapter to themselves. The first chapter was a hook, but it never set and I was quickly bored. Sure there were some interesting aspects, like the 'myth' of the mortals and who were the Grays, but it was still the typical peasant vs royalty/poor vs rich along with their backstabbing, but with vampires instead of humans.

The twist was nice, but not that surprising because of the foreshadowing. If that foreshadowing had taken place in the much needed detailed history of this world and its people at the beginning of the book, then it would have had more of an impact. And I still guessed the overall who and why.

Even though it was an ok of a story and some of the characters were interesting, overall this book was a boring and slow read due to the lack of depth in the history, characters, and the weird dialogue along with the bare minimum descriptions. I don't think I'll be looking for the next book in this series, as I'm pretty sure I know where it's going.

2 Stars

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not generally enjoy stories about vampires and werewolves. For me to like them, they need to hook me from the start. Storytelling has to be especially strong from beginning to end. This was getting off to too weak a start for me. DNFg at page 12.

[Page_2_Pen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the world-building immensely in this strange, dark world of vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers! The detail put into the creation of this story was so rich that it made it easy to imagine it could exist. The characters were so well developed, flawed and complex alike. I felt the plot was a very interesting take on vampire hierarchy, and it moved at a good pace where the comprehension of the complexities in the world didn’t get lost. I’m excited to see where this story goes next! Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark fantasy murder mystery that turned out much better than I anticipated. It's a dark, dark world in the Everlands, as vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, and the mysterious Grays co-exist in a tenuous balance of power on a war-devastated land. Mortals are mythical beings that only a few people believe are real. No one seems to remember where they came from, especially the sorcerers, among whom there are no children.

Into this strange land emerges a young vampire scullery maid, among a class of vampire commoners known as the Worns, who struggle to live in a single-city vampire society of elite nobles, an industrial middle class, and then the working, peasant class. Different types of blood, magicked or not, can give the vampires special powers, such as quick thinking, extra strength, or even flight.

I was suprised at myself for reading this so quickly, as I didn't think I would like it at first with some unfortunate info-dumps at the beginning. Once that was settled, however, I quickly became trapped in the same world that our young Sam was in, trying to get out of her desperate situation and solve the murder of the young Azzuri lord at the same time.

An enjoyable book! I understand this is a debut novel, so props to the author for that! And, of course, my thanks to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for an early copy for a review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

[Jamedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally on JamReads

Lightfall is the first novel in the epic fantasy series The Everlands Trilogy, written by Ed Crocker, and published by St. Martin Press. A story full of intrigue, politics, dark humour and intrigue, in what is a human free fantasy, with only immortal races as the cast, woven around a murder mystery, and that reveals a lot about the Everlands and the complex equilibrium established between the races.

After the Grays apparition a century ago, vampires fled to the city of First Light, a place controlled by the nobility; they are confined to its walls, and your class determines the strength of the blood you drink. Sam, a palace maid, is tired of being part of the Worns, as the commoners are called; when the only clue to the murder of the son of the city's rule lands on her hands, she takes it as the opportunity to blackmail her way into a better class. This path will take her to become part of the Leeches, a rebel group, and putting her in league with Sage, a sorcerer which compensates his lack of magic with his deductive skills, a werewolf assassin and a countess with a city worth of secrets; however, when the investigation starts uncovering a bigger conspiracy that implies the city elites, they will be running against time if they want to find the truth before becoming the next targets.

Great part of why Lightfall is an excellent book is how well fleshed the cast is; not only we have the rebellious and brave Sam, but each one of the characters that appear during the narration leaves a big impression: from the psychopathic lord's son to the handy Sage, one of the few believers of human existence, all are part of a bigger, character focused story. Crocker chose to tell the story using multiple 3rd person POVs, which also tend to change in the middle of the chapter, something that can feel a bit confusing at the start; however, it is excellent to keep flowing the plot.

While there is a vast world contained in this novel, Crocker manages to avoid info dumps, opting for a style that only gives us the information needed to understand the story and the motivations between our characters' actions; interestingly, a fantasy woven around immortals gravitate around themes such as mortality, the duality between history and memory, and classism. Throwing together vampires, werewolves and sorcerers ends creating a world like the Everlands, complex and with many secrets that are slowly unraveled. From the start, the pacing is agile, making you devour the book, as you need to know more about our characters and the conspiracy they are fighting against.

Lightfall is an excellent dark fantasy, perfect if you like well fleshed characters, plenty of banters, and a complex plot that seems to have much more for us in the second book of the Everlands Trilogy. Crocker's debut put him in that list of authors I want to continue reading in the future, because I need more of this human free fantasy.

[Cody Hamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75/5 ⭐️

I would like to preface this by saying this is the type of review that I hate and dread to write. Lightfall is a unique take on a vampire and werewolf story in a world where human are gone and the only thing left are magical creatures. Within this world we find interesting enough character archetypes to build a compelling story around. Unfortunately for those characters their primary function is unending info dumps and telling their life story to everyone that will listen individually. Lightfall spends so much time explaining the politics of the world and how smart or quick witted everyone is that the plot doesn’t have room to breathe. In my opinion if I have enough faith and trust to pick up a book then the author should trust me enough to understand what is going on. At no point did I feel free to enjoy the story while being spoon fed every tidbit of relevant or often irrelevant information.

[Anna Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

When everyone is immortal, what is there to fight for?
Turns out, quite a lot.
I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery at the heart of this book, and if the final chapters are anything to go by, that mystery is only going to get deeper and richer in the sequels.
With characters to love and others to loathe, several twists I didn't see coming, and at least one batshit (ha!) crazy vampire to adore, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

[Dave Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book!
Absolutely fell in love with the characters. Sam, Sage, Raven, etc, but Jacob, most of all.
I can’t wait for more!

[Kalena ୨୧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⋆.˚✮ 3.5 stars ✮˚.⋆

⤿ Thank you to St. Martins Press for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

a world where only vampires, humans, and sorcerers live with no humans? you can believe i was hooked immediately from that first synopsis line. i have never read a book where humans have never existed in a world, most fantasy books have at least some humans around even if they are not the main focus. i was really intrigued to see what that would look like on page, and how the history of this fantasy world would shake out.

it was lucky for me then that one of the main plotlines of this book IS figuring out the history and if there really were any humans here. one of the main characters, a sorcerer mage, has a faction that is focused strictly on finding ancient artifacts and trying to prove there was civilization here before. that storyline was my favorite out of the few that came together, but even then i just wanted more from it. the plotline itself had it's ups and downs, it was slow moving but without too much character development either, so i felt bogged down at times trying to keep reading. i will say though, i didn't really guess any of the plot twists so i will be reading whatever comes next in the series, as it's left me really intrigued.

while it was super fun to see vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers all in one setting, even if they were all vying for power, the characters felt a bit flat too. i think the writing style of this book just sort of facilitated a detachment from the characters and story itself. what prose was there wasn't in-depth and it just felt kind of stiff, and didn't have any character growth really written in. that was disappointing for me as i felt that there was lots of room for some characters to either grow up more, or delve into more of their past. sometimes that's a problem with i have adult fantasy across the board though, i don't feel the writing always facilitates being as connected to characters as young adult fantasy does, so it may just be a me thing in this case.

i don't think this book is horrible, there were still some interesting parts and i didn't hate my time reading it, hence why i'm planning on continuing the series. there's just multiple areas that need improvement, but for a debut novel (especially debut adult fantasy) i think it was fairly solid. i hope to see an improvement in the next book that comes out!

↬ trigger warnings: murder and death of loved ones, blood and gore, war themes mentioned, torture and imprisonement mentioned, the drinking of blood

[Andreas · Rating 2 out of 5]

okay so, this wasn’t necessarily bad; the world was relatively well realized, and the story had some structure to it. that being said:

the plot was VERY basic, the story moved just because it had to. there was no nuance, no subtlety to why or how things happened. oh does a character want/need to meet this other character? guess who shows up the next day? does a character need to know something? well, I guess they can just waltz in, find the person who knows everything and just… ask them! and they’ll just about reveal everything, etc

even if the plot was basic, it still managed to be convoluted af. way too many (unnecessary) povs which, instead of increasing the tension, only dissipated it. the reader never wonders what is about to happen or how it will happen, because there is always someone explaining everything from every possible angle.

there was an attempt to create realistic characters, but most of them fell into basic stereotypes: the clever underdog, the revolutionary rich, the two interchangeable fighters, the sage, the jokester, and so on and so forth.

and, also, sorry but one pet peeve of mine when it comes down to vampire fantasy is the creating of heteronormative societies. you’re telling me vampires would condemn/hate/shade people because of who they’re boning? give me a break.

anyways, yeah.

[John Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited for this book because one of my favorite movie series is Underworld and I thought this would be similar to that, which is my problem not the authors but it was still disappointing for me. I found this book to be painfully boring.

To be fair I definitely would enjoy this more if I read it instead of listened to it since I cannot stand the narrator. I just do not think female narrators are good with the exception of the Wandering Inn narrator. I’ll give this another shot in print when the next book comes out.

[Priscilla Pontius · Rating 2 out of 5]

I heard so many great things about this book that I was excited to read it but I ended up stopping at about 20%. The world felt messy and slightly unplanned to me. I also only ended up liking one character and that was Sage. A lot of the characters and character interactions felt very YA and juvenile to me. I just couldn't get into it.

[M was M]

Elliot Brooks Most Anticipated New Releases 💧
PeruseProject TBR 👯‍♂️

[Panda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook (17 hours) narrated by Shakira Shute
Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Since 2022, Shakira Shute has been nominated for several narrator awards. She does a nice job with voices, included in conversations with several characters, where her character voices are clear and consistent. Eventually one of these nominations is going to stick. In the meantime, she is an enjoyable listen. Not over the top, just really good narration, including great emotional conveyance without screeching, yelling or otherwise altering her volume while being able to do a great angry or timid character. I had a book recently where the narrator started actually high pitched yelling! I was shocked and my ears! My head! Being able to show anger in voice narration, or other emotions that may be easier to show with volume like being shocked, scared, timid, meek, without straying too far from that base volume is a huge deal. Shakira is dealing with angry and blood thirsty vampires, the characters are absolutely portrayed on point and again, without yelling in my ears.
Thank you, Shakira!
The audio is flawless.

Note: at the time of this review the audiobook edition is not listed on goodreads, however, it was published on 1/14/2025, along with the hardcover and Kindle editions.

Now for the bad part.

I did not like this book.

I read the entire thing. I thought about not finishing a couple of times, but it kept feeling like something is about to happen, like the story was on the edge of being something decent.

This is a debut novel and for that it isn't bad.

Ed Crocker does a really good job of writing good conversations, creating intrigue, and showing emotional characters.

I felt though that the characters were unlikable and flat. Even those characters who I felt the author was trying to show in a way to extract empathy from the reader, left me feeling pretty blase. The big bad in the story was introduced in a mid way, but in a way to extract intrigue, but when it came down to them actually showing up it was unimpressive to the point of being disappointing. As good as the conversations were, the character monologue of the big bad introduction was horrible. Very much felt like a bad vampire cosplay fail by someone who heard about vampires second hand and just did what he felt random bad guy language and actions would be.

So yeah... 17 hours. blah. He got me on this one but I will not be continuing with the series.

[DianaRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

i always love a book revolving around vampires, and i especially love when authors create new and interesting vampire lore. ed crocker does just that, perhaps while commenting on capitalism: rich and powerful vampire drink the strongest blood, and the poor drink the weakest. i found this to be a very cool concept, especially when depending on the blood, it grants vampires extra abilities.

[Stacey Markle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be back to review....I'm currently nursing a big book hangover. I'm speechless.

(OK now that I can get my thoughts together, here is my review. This is one of those books where I want to immediately read it again!)

Absolute banger of a debut book!

Ed has woven an epic tale of vampires, werewolves and sorcerers complete with political intrigue, classism, death, secret societies and several twists and turns that will take your breath away.

The world building and it's terrible history is so well thought out and brutal but oh so good. These characters are deep and have many layers, and secrets...so many secrets!
I loved Sam and Sage but my favourite character is Allana. She's a total bada$$. I love a strong female character and Ed gives us several in this story. In fact...ALL the characters are amazing, yes even the villains are written exceptionally well and it's a love to hate you situation we have on our hands.
I'm so looking forward to book 2, maybe just so I can read this one again to prepare. It's going on my shelf as a trophy!

I'm SO thankful to have received this ARC from St. Martins Press, NetGalley Canada and Ed Crocker. This review is my own.

[Krystle Rouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lightfall is an epic world with vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers. The novel shows capitalism at its best with Vampires rich and powerful that drink the strongest blood and the poor drink the weakest. I thought this was an interesting concept and the world building was great but fell short on anything big going on. I felt I was let down because nothing really big happened, which mad me sad. I was really excited for this book but was just let down.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[ß]

blah blah blah snore. not the book’s fault i’m just easily irritated when things don’t start picking up or i’m forced to blunder through povs i really don’t see the point of

[Christina Pilkington · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the beginning it was hard for me to get into the writing style. I wanted a lot more sensory and descriptive details. It was very dialogue heavy in many sections, so it was hard to imagine what this world looked like and to immerse myself in the story. Since the entire book is told in first person POV from every character perspective, it took me about halfway through the book until I could distinguish between the different voices. And IMO, at times the dialogue was cringy. It felt over the top and not relatable.

But this book did have some strengths! I appreciated how rich the history of this world felt. The times when we learned what had happened to Lightfall in the past and the wars as well as the hints about why mortals disappeared were my favorite parts of the book.

There were so many interesting hints about how this world came to be the way it is. I was actually wishing I was reading a prequel to this story! I hope the history and lore will be discussed in more detail in the rest of the trilogy.

The political machinations during the first half of the book were fascinating! I really enjoyed how the mystery of Lord Azzuri’s son was murdered unfolded at first. You could tell Crocker put a lot of thought into the politics and government of this society. It was cleverly done.

It’s just during the last 10% or so of the book that I became a little bored. It just felt like I had read this outcome and story plot so many times before, and I was hoping for something just a little bit different. Maybe I’ve just read too many rebellion stories before that they sometimes blur together, but it just didn’t capture my attention.

I am curious to see where the story will go from here. I hope the plot will be as creative and unique as the worldbuilding is!

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital arc copy.

[NrsKelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll start this with saying after much debate and reading that if you are a huge Empire of the Vampire fan……you might not find this book as enjoyable as those of us who didn’t quite fall madly in love with Empire.
This book is a lot…..a lot of information……a lot of time spent explaining all the different immortal groups and those within those groups. Not going to lie I struggled a bit for the first 30%…….but by the end I found myself grinning and laughing out loud. The characters are just fun. Yes they all heavily into their characterizations but that is what makes it into the kind of story it is. I’m actually really excited to see where the series goes from here. And honestly the only reason it wasn’t a 5 star read for me was just because of the heaviness of that first part of the book.
Overall a solid 4.5/5 stars for me.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a unique take on vampires and werewolves! It was refreshing to see a new spin on these class creatures. I really liked Sam's character and her tenacity. There's secrets and political intrigue. If you're a fan of Jay Kristoff def check this out.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the gifted ebook arc.

[Dan (ThatBookIsOnFiyah) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5🌟Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an eARC of this novel. A tale of immortals - vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers - in a fantasy world where mortals have long ago disappeared and the immortals face the continuous threat of the Grays, an interloper to this world that ran the vampires from the city of Lightfall 200 years ago. The vampire kingdom is run by the nobility of the city of First Light, the last vampire city and the place where the citizens of Lightfall ended up after the city was overrun. We meet some wonderful characters - Sam, Daphne, Alanna, Sage, Jacob, and Raven - vampires, mages, and werewolf coming together to solve the murder of a Prince of the city. The magic in this world is unique and wonderfully developed. An excellent story that I highly recommend and have greatly enjoyed reading! This book releases on January 14, 2025. Go pick one up for yourself!

[Brandee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Crocker has created an intricate world with a unique vision of vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, and the mythical mortals. Although the world building felt complex at the beginning of the novel, Crocker does a wonderful job revisiting these ideas throughout in order to help the reader feel grounded in the world of Everland.

Although our characters aren't mortal and they are caught up in a war of political intrigue, their emotions and life experiences are what draw you in and compel you to care about them. You feel their pain, happiness, fear, and success. And most importantly, you want to be a part of the found family that they build along the way.

As with any first engaging book in a series, Crocker leaves you floored with the plot twist and wanting more with the breadcrumbs that are dropped in the last pages.

[Rachel Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really debated what star rating I should give this, because 2 stars seemed too harsh, and 3 stars seemed too generous. But then I read the last 50 pages and I knew. 2 stars.

I mean, this just wasn’t that great. It really fell flat in almost every possible way. Most disappointing of all was the characters, they were so one dimensional and boring. It was hard for me to feel invested in the story when I didn’t like them.

However, the central mystery/murder I thought was interesting and that’s what mainly kept me reading. I also thought this was a good commentary on social class divisions, and what lengths will people go to in order to keep themselves rich and in power.