The Dark That Dwells

by Matt Digman, Ryan Roddy

An immersive new space opera featuring an unforgettable ensemble cast, set in a sci-fi world with a fantasy twist.

In this evocative science fiction series, four strangers are swept up in a gripping adventure of thrilling battles, ravenous creatures, and the return of forbidden magic.

Ranger.

Warrior.

Tyrant.

Arcanist.

As their paths interweave in love and hate, redemption and revenge, one threat will eclipse their greatest fears: a being of utter darkness and its imminent return.

THE DARK THAT DWELLS: essential for readers craving robust, character-driven adventures on fantastic alien worlds, bullet-ridden spaceships barely held together, and the expansive infinity of space-time itself.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

465 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2020

About the author

Matt is exactly one half the creative force behind the epic fantasy space opera novel, The Dark That Dwells.

Born and raised in Arkansas, he spent his free time studying Star Wars technical manuals, searching for his next favorite RPG, and watching his Star Trek: TNG VHS tapes until they fell apart. Basically, he was nerdy when nerdy wasn’t cool.

He currently works as a pediatric emergency medicine physician in Alabama and writes when he ought to be sleeping.

Reviews

[Allen Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent debut with some awesome world-building and action. The last 20% is breakneck. Excited to see the next book. Full video review to come.

[Lezlie The Nerdy Narrative · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark That Dwells is the first of 5 books in this epic sci fi series.

After reading the first book, I know enough to know it belongs on my shelf with other sci fi greats such as The Expanse, Red Rising and Star Wars. From the reviews and marketing information I read before picking this one up, I had a gut feeling I was going to love it and would want the second book in my hands and that feeling turned out to be true.

We have 4 main characters, each with their own plotlines. These plotlines cross and converge throughout the course of this amazing story - their character development is outstanding and well done for all 4 - no one got left out or only halfway fleshed out for favor of a different one. There is so much to love about this book: the character development, their plotlines, the armor, the weapons, technology, the different ways in which they travel space, galaxy hopping, worlds within worlds - honestly - it is mind blowing what these two authors packed into this one book. I love that such attention was paid to each of these elements - nothing was overlooked or "just happened" - everything was explained and illustrated SO WELL.

It's so good that I honestly have trouble finding a way to talk about it without talking spoilers!!

If you love the action and weapons of Star Wars, the political intrigue of Battlestar Galactica, the humor of being a good guy sometimes of the wrong side of the law of Firefly, the epic world building of The Expanse - READ THIS BOOK!

[Alex Nieves · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was overall just ok for me. I know 2 stars on Goodreads looks bad but that's exactly what it was, just ok. There are so many cool sci-fi aspects in this book that I love, but ultimately I never got attached or invested in any of the characters. I'm also typically an action junkie when it comes to books but the sheer amount of action for what felt like hundreds of pages just didn't click with me. It felt as if each POV was just going from random encounter to random encounter and there was nothing keeping me invested in these fights.

This book absolutely nails the Mass Effect / Destiny feel of the world and all of the ideas that it has going for it and I feel like I should have loved this, but unfortunately I just never got into it. I know this is going to be several more books so I definitely think there's lots of room for improvement in the upcoming novels.

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This starts off with lots of action, but not a lot of information.
Since I was left to fill in the blanks with my imagination for a while, I started comparing it to things I had previously encountered.
The plot did start to fill itself in and completely come together eventually, but I still ended up finding comparisons to previous work...in a good way.
If you threw the original Star Wars trilogy, Indiana Jones, Ready Player One, Firefly, and the Matrix into a bowl and then sprinkled it with some original ideas and baked it in the oven...
I believe the cake you would end up devouring would be this book.
I really hope they turn this into a series!!!
Big thanks goes out to Matt Digman, Ryan Roddy and Booksprout for my DRC.

[DarkBetweenPages · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark That Dwells: An exciting, action packed Space Opera that is coming July 10, 2020! Mark your calendars.

Genre: Adult | Science Fiction | Space Opera | Fantasy

4 out of 5 stars!

The Dark That Dwells is such a fascinating world. An action packed story filled with so many wonderful characters that were executed perfectly. I’m finding it hard to decide which are my favourites I may just need to come to terms and realize I enjoyed them all in their own way. Although I feel the most interesting character was the villain. This could simply be because I do love a good villain when they are done well, which in this case he definitely was. His back story truly shows why he is who he is and why he does what he does. In a lot of stories I read my connection usually lies with the main group and the villain is just in the background causing chaos. But when we have the inside story on the villain it makes me fall back on a quote I have heard (sorry I don’t remember where from and it may be paraphrasing) “Even if you’re the hero, your the villain in somebody else’s story.”

On top of great characters you have an extremely engaging story line full of powerful events. The beginning of this story started out with a mind blowing scene. Then the introduction to each of the 4 souls and a look into their history. Then a story filled with love, loss, hate, ruin, revenge and so much more it completely devours you as the reader.

Matt and Ryan are the most adorable couple and I can’t help but think they made such a great team writing this epic space opera. I can’t thank them enough for sending me a copy to read and review and I look forward to what they may have for us in the future.

Again be sure to mark your calendars for July 10th! and if you pick this read up I would love discussing it with you once you have completed it.


Publisher: Independently published

Release Date: July 10, 2020

And of course thank you all for reading

Your DARK Book Worm

-Nichole

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know where to start with this one! I just LOVED IT. The first half of the book is great and all, the characters feel really fleshed out and the world building and magic systems are really unique and interesting. But the second half is where it’s at! The plot just takes off and doesn’t stop until the last page, I ended up reading the last third in one sitting as I just couldn’t put the book down. It’s very hard to say why I loved it without going into spoilers but let’s just say I’m very eager for the sequel to come out. I would also highly recommend it to fantasy readers who want to dip their toe into sci-fi but feel a bit intimidated The fantasy aspects in the book make it feel much more accessible.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark That Dwells is an expansive space opera that despite its setting in space, is a genre blend of both science fiction and fantasy. The story is told via four different primary points of view: a ranger trying to make a living on the edges of the frontier, a military man just trying to protect his squad, a religious fanatic bent on erasing all traces of magic throughout the galaxies, and the arcanist doing her best to stay in the shadows while she helps her people. The paths of each are woven together among ship to ship battles, alien planets and malevolent creatures on the dark edges of space as they all try to make it another day. But their personal motivations and conflicts will be overshadowed by a darkness waiting on the frontier and which is eager to make its return. The choices of the four will determine the fate of many galaxies.

The Dark That Dwells is one of the most immersive and compelling science fantasy stories that I've read in a long time. It's not perfect (which I'll get to) but the world-building is detailed and so interesting that it kept me turning the pages even though I haven't had much time for reading so far in July. While maybe the first 20% of the book is more leisurely paced as the various POVs are introduced, it quickly moves to break-neck pace and barely slows down at all up to the end. Most of the characters are interesting, and even if it takes a bit, their motivations and actions make sense as you learn more about them. I was frustrated by Sidna for a great deal of the story, but I did eventually get why she was doing the things she was, even if I didn't like it. And I don't think I've loved any antagonist as much I love Tieger and Janus.

There were however parts of the story that were so intense and fast-paced, that I almost would have liked more time to slow down and breathe. The writing style is also very descriptive and while that makes it easier to visualize, it occasionally gets to be a bit more than I'd prefer. And the final con for me is that some of the dialogue is a little cliched, but I didn't mind too much since it seemed to fit some of the characters' personalities.

When this story was sold to me as "Firefly meets Star Wars", I was very skeptical. Nine times out of ten, books marketed that way can't meet the expectation. But Dark That Dwells takes the science fantasy of Star Wars, pairs it with the edge of the frontier attitude from Firefly and sprinkles in a bit of the power armor, dark entities and military violence of Warhammer 40K, with its own immersive world-building. It's one of the most intriguing self-published books I've read and I'm very much looking forward to more.

-----------------
Characters: 9/10
Atmosphere: 10/10
Writing: 8/10
Plot: 8/10
Intrigue: 10/10
Logic: 9/10
Enjoyment: 9/10

[Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually write out my reviews for books, but being that this was a relatively new book by two promising authors I figured it would be worth it. I also won't have any rigid format for this review. I'll just point out things that I found notable and worth mentioning.

For starters, I'll briefly say that in my personal scoring 3 stars is a decent-good score. I know 5 stars are given out like candy on this platform, but that's just not me (further breakdowns in my bio).

Moving on, I want to say that for a first book this was promising. The worldbuilding was interesting and felt grand in scale. Also, the blend of sci-fi and fantasy aspects were unique in my reading experience and done very well.

The characters that stood out to me were Ban, Fall, and Tieger. All three of them were compelling in their own right and had enough depth that I was invested in their individual arcs. Specifically, Fall had some engaging reveals for his character (Also, Hermes is always a welcome addition to the page).

The only negative things I have to mention in this book are that some scenes between characters felt clunky or awkward for lack of a better term. Also, some "entities" in this book could have had a bit more physical description (the description for the main character's physical appearance was very well done). Both of these negatives I feel are things that occur in books by new writers and are nothing that diminishes the story. I'd expect for these little things to be hammered out as this duo refines their craft and gets sequel books under their belt.

Overall, this is a fairly good first installment to a series considering it is the first book by Roddy and Digman respectively. An intriguing blend of sci-fi and fantasy that many readers will find exciting and really enjoyable. I'm keen to read any sequels to The Dark That Dwells and anything this duo releases in the coming years.

[Kayla (krakentoagoodbook) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Somewhat of a buddy read with Nichi (I_ReadPastMyBedtime) and Scott (Book Invasion).

This turned out to be not quite what I expected, but I had a good time with it! On a side note, when the title is mentioned in the narrative, IT WAS SO COOL.

The good: This had a bunch of really cool ideas. It's mostly sci-fi, but there's some elements of fantasy (a great blend really). The way in which the fantasy elements are present are really neat. There's a ton of action! For the most part, I felt that this was pretty fast paced, though I did lose a little bit of steam in sections. I really liked the use of the symbols to differentiate each of the 4 main characters, especially when we learn more about the meaning behind each of the symbols. I don't think any of the characters are entirely good or evil, so this made for some really interesting character development. I felt like for the characters more on the "evil" side, I could understand the motivation/reasoning behind their actions. For the characters who are perhaps more on the "good" side, they definitely make some questionable decisions! Overall, I enjoyed having these morally gray characters since it makes them somewhat more relatable.

The not as good: While the characters are all very interesting, I'm not sure I necessarily related with anyone in particular (this isn't necessarily a problem though). I did get confused at times with some of the side characters, especially when they join different groups from where they first started. I'm not completely sure I understand how the arcane powers are used, but they're certainly pretty cool.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book! I think there's a lot to offer here, especially to readers who enjoy both sci-fi and fantasy.

[Scott - Book Invasion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Review here -https://youtu.be/kwCKigdYNPs

This was a really fun and action-packed Sci-fi that held such a well developed world. There were so many great elements: action sequences, the space travel, the villain, and the weapons, and the shape-shifting berserker alien!

[Amanda F · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 Stars. This book was so good. I can't even begin to try to explain things about it just because it's too expansive to write about it succinctly. I think that is actually the only drawback and the main reason for me not giving it a 5/5. This book was trying to do too much, but I don't have a really good idea of how it could be done differently in just one book. I heard someone say that it needed to be 200 pages more and then split into two books and I think that would've worked to slow things down a bit and give us all time to catch up to everyone and what they're doing. However, I feel like if the history and lore explanations had been longer and more drawn out, then it might've dragged too much in the middle and become boring. All that being said... I loved how the characters all changed from the initial idea I had about them. Some people are clearly not right and they have issues that need to be dealt with. Actually, maybe all of them have issues :) That's what makes for great characters. Without going into spoilers, I'll just say I'm so ready for the next book and to learn more about the gods and their Champions and how all of that works. Also, Fall is the best and his bow is the best weapon. His bow just needs to have a name and it would be perfect! :)

[Daniele Kasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This book was a lot. I am definitely going to reread it because there was so much that happened and in trying to read the book in time for today’s feature I felt like I didn’t take the time it needed or deserved to really contemplate the storyline.

The first chapter introduces two characters, Sidna and Ronin. I actually really liked Ronin in just those few short pages and hoped he was the MC. Then, bam, they kill Ronin off at the end of the chapter (thanks for that immediate shock to the system) and right then you realize that this book is going to be a rollercoaster. The action doesn’t ever stop from there, even up until the last two pages.

The 4 MC’s, Fall, Ban, Sidna and Tieger, get a lot of air time. No one character seems to get the most focus. And there is a whole slew of side characters too that have all been well developed in their own right.

This book is also a true mashup of science fiction and fantasy. There are spaceships and magical creatures, ray guns and old gods.

The way they weave the characters individual stories together shows a mastery of storytelling that isn’t often seen in debut authors. The writing style reminded me a lot of Robert Jordan. There is a lot of attention to detail, describing how things look with such vivid imagery that it would be easy to draw the characters perfectly. There were a lot of moments when I wanted to go back and reread sections or chapters because there is so much happening. There is even a little comic relief from one of the side characters Hermes.

The story unfolds as you read it so there are a lot of times I felt as in the dark and confused as the characters and there is a lot of terminology that could have used some earlier explanation. A glossary of places, terms and characters would have been immensely helpful to help me visualize.

The world building is intense and expansive which is why the book is over 500 pages and it seems there is a sequel in order too with some of the details in the ending.

This book is perfect for fans of epic space operas and high fantasy series.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Dom · Rating 3 out of 5]

** Full video review here: https://youtu.be/rXRbmrL5w1A **

The Dark That Dwells is a self-published space opera extravaganza. There's nothing small about this book, the scope is pretty much massive and many of the characters are larger than life too.

Four strangers have their separate threads woven together as they fight to return magic to this universe, or to prevent magic's return, or just to survive amid that battle.

The concept is ambitious, and for the most part well approached. The ability of the authors to paint a vivid picture is apparent from the outset, but did get a little lost for me as the book went on.

Although I enjoyed it overall, the last portion of the book left me a bit confused with so much going on as a result of the storylines all crossing paths, merging and unmerging, then merging again.

While the little details early on were well described, I found the big frantic battles towards the end of the book harder to clearly picture, and this made it harder for me to follow the action as the book reached its climax.

Of the four main characters, I found that I liked two and didn't like the other two quite so much. Three of the four were also a little too similar for me. The main four were well supported by the additional characters however, and I liked a good handful of those.

For a debut novel, I found this enjoyable enough to want more, and hopefully some of the issues I had with the first book will be absent from book two. I definitely recommend trying this out if you want to get your teeth into a new space opera, and especially if you like a hint of fantasy in your sci-fi reading.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on my Kindle (hence the percentages).

I DNF one out of maybe one hundred books and unfortunately, this was one of them. I want to say right off the bat that I think it’s more me than the book, but I’m going to explain why I stopped at 45% because I think that’s fair to do rather than just a DNF and a star rating.

The novel is rife with description and it’s clear the world-building was a major focus of the novel. There is a really cool aesthetic mix between classic fantasy and futuristic technology. Despite the fact I wasn’t sure why a bow was a good weapon in a world with firearms, I loved the idea of a futuristic bow with a quiver that responded to voice command and provided specialized arrows. The magic system was also very intriguing.

I also loved the shapeshifting demon-thing named Hermes and the battle scenes were very well done and exciting.

Where I lost interest was the characters, unfortunately. I couldn’t get a bead on Fall, the main character; I thought he was middle-aged until about 35% in and I wasn't sure what a Ranger did as job. While I wanted to like the characters, there was something preventing me from knowing them deeper and thus I got bored because I didn’t care about them. Perhaps I didn’t understand their motivations enough or what was propelling them, especially the soldiers Ban and Becks.

I also am not a fan of “high fantasy” descriptions. I am more of a “just tell me it’s armour and I’ll make it up myself” kind of person, so my eyes glaze over when there’s a paragraph devoted to setting the scene. This is not a flaw of the novel but a stylistic choice that isn’t my preference. Some people will love this and that’s totally valid for sure.

The story itself was interesting and I am curious about the end result, but I just don’t have the urge to pick up the novel again. I kept looking at the percentage left more than reading it, and that told me it was time to set it aside. I feel bad, but I gotta be me.


(This did not contribute to my rating or DNF, but it’s just something that I have to point out. The use of phallocentric language I found rather distracting in a “future” setting. It was always “crewmen” instead of the gender-neutral “crew”. And a few times there was “man-sized” versus “human-sized” as a description of another being. As I said, this didn’t contribute to my rating or DNF, as it was minor, but it happened enough I found it distracting. The editor should have picked up on this [I say this as an editor in a well-meaning way - I miss things too, we're all human]).

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark That Dwells” is the first book in a sci-fi/fantasy space opera series, and serves as a debut for husband and wife author duo, Matt Digman and Ryan Roddy.

Skillfully navigating through four different points-of-view, Matt and Ryan have created a unique, original, fully-realized world and right from the prologue, you’re completely immersed in it. Each of our four main characters are compelling, with fully fleshed out backstories, and you become fully invested in each of them quite quickly. Matt and Ryan’s writing is descriptive without being dense and it’s compulsively readable to the point of being unable to put down. The story simmers with tension and the action sequences are breathless, edge-of-your-seat affairs in which no character is ever fully safe.

If you’re looking for an exciting, dynamic, character-driven sci-fi story, I HIGHLY recommend “The Dark That Dwells!” It’s a stunning, epic masterpiece of a debut and I can’t wait to read whatever Matt and Ryan write next!

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was truly an epic read. I didn't quite realize what all was entailed in this story when I began, but it was a delight throughout the entire book. There are quite a few stories intertwined here, and the authors have done a marvelous job of showing the story rather than explaining it for hours. Right off the bat I was thrown into the action and everything fit into place right as questions came about or as it was necessary.

I can't get over how quick it was for me to start caring about the characters. I'm a little upset I have to wait for anything else to come out! Most of all, I was impressed with the environments portrayed here. Beautiful worlds and cultures were effortlessly cycled through and understood while maintaining a solid plot and flow of time.

If I had a complaint, it would have to be that the characters didn't even stumble when reality is literally pulled out from underneath themselves. They were a little too willing to believe or follow the impossible.

[Mark Blum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 4 main characters come with so much depth. You're hooked on them right away, but then the layers slowly build. They have flaws so you can connect with them, but then they do epic things that make you want to be them. I couldn't decide which side I was on the whole way. The good and the evil are equally tantalizing. The names can be tough to track at times, but hang in there...it's worth it. There are 4 or 5 moments throughout the book that give you chills and make you want to run out and do epic things. Loved it. Can't wait for the next one.

[Mikaela Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome story! This is actually my first time reading an adult science fiction/fantasy novel (I normally read YA) but this story sounded too good to pass up, and it was!

This story was action packed with a fast-paced plot that was full of surprises (in a good way!), but I think I loved the characters the most. I saw some other reviewers mention Tieger as their possible favorite (totally get it).... but I'm so torn. I loved them all. Maybe Fall is my favorite? I love his fighting style and his banter with Hermes.

Love, love, love this book! Definite 5/5 star read!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great. The story is deep and told from multiple viewpoints. The main characters each have their own full story, and each of the stories all fit together in really interesting ways. In the beginning, they’re all apart but then they come together. But it isn’t that simple, really, as everyone doesn’t just agree; they have their own motivations. Lots of action. Deep where it needs to be. Looking forward to more books in this series.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read! The characters and their storylines are engaging.

[RocketCity Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible world building. Compelling characters. Thrilling plot. Very well done.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark that Dwells is the perfect mix of sci fi and fantasy.

Fall Arden is a ranger. He has taken a job as guide for the Morning Rain, a space ship. Hermes, a shape-shifting AI, has been his friend and companion since Fall was a child.
Ban Morgan, who made a serious mistake and is now trying to make up for it as a bonded Marine. Becks, the woman who loves Ban, is also a marine.
Sarin Orin is an arcanist, and not a particularly nice person. She is after a treasure and will do anything it takes to get it. Mei, also a ranger, is working for Sarin as escort and protector.
Tieger, who will do anything to catch and torture Sarin. A powerful man in powerful armor, he's a religious zealot and feels it's his duty to kill Sarin and her kind.

This diverse group will all meet and partnerships will be made and enemies fought. It's just an amazing story. If you like space opera, fantasy, sci fi in general, I recommend this book.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great, interesting space opera mixed with some magic! It had an ensemble of characters but it was easy to keep track due to the different voices each had, and the use of symbols for switching POV. Instead of *** they used a fox (yay!) and some other symbols so you had a mental note of who to think about. I thought it was really cleaver! I just wished Ban was the fox symbol (even though Fall had a reason he was a fox) for obvious anime "Seven Deadly Sins" reasons. :P 

But all in all, the world was really clever, the military aspect was well research and made sense, but wasn't overly technical where you couldn't understand what was going on. It had a nice mix of fantasy that was really cool to have in sci-fi. I thought it was really interesting and if you like Space Opera and Sci-fi military, I definitely recommend!

[Kasumi Overall · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors intertwined scifi and fantasy exceptionally well. The elaborate details of not just of the differing worlds, but the different space vessels really helped the reader imagine what space and space travel is like in the book.
The different POVs were excuted well since the reader could easily distinguish which view they were reading with the character symbols.
The character design and stories for all four characters were so engaging that after a shift in POV I would read chapter after chapter because I would be left off on a tantalizing cliffhanger!
This book is a bit slow at the beginning but only because there are so many moving parts in the story development that it is well worth it in the end.

[Vigasia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn not finish this book, but netgalley requires rating, so I give it 2,5 stars.

I'm not going to rate this book, becuase I didn't finish it. I am about 150 pages through but I am going to get a break. I think that the main problem for me was too long chapters, that with a few PoV's was confusing, because I could forget what happened with the other characters. Also none of the protagonist really caught my attention. I think that it was just not a time for me to start such a novel, I may got back to it later and then I'll give an honest review.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting intersection of science fiction and fantasy. I do not recall ever having read something quite like it. A universe where means of faster than light travel and battling with melee weapons coexist...

I found this to be pretty enjoyable, there wasn't a whole lot of character growth and their interpersonal relationships were more hinted at than revealed but if you can sift your way through multiple POV's it was a fun ride along the way.

Overall, I don't think I would put it at the top of the list to read but I would certainly be open to reading more books set in this world.

[Tyler Thomas (Pages of Light) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book had a lot of potential. The world and characters interesting but I felt that the plot needed some work. I found myself getting lost in the switching between characters which is surprising because of how much Brandon Sanderson I read.

It might just be that this books lacks the polish I'm used to with Sanderson. The writing felt a bit clunky at times and some of the dialogue was a little cheesy.

Still I think I would pick up the sequel to see how the authors improve and where they take the story.

[Lori Gell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark That Dwells was captivating! It was beautifully written, and the detailed descriptions of the characters and the exotic worlds they traveled to, made me feel like I was actually there with them. I particularly loved the back stories of the 4 main characters that allowed me a glimpse into their lives and how the darkness that dwelled within each of them shaped their beliefs, actions, and destinies. I can’t wait for the next book!!!

[Kaci DeJarnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really engaging read, with an interesting story. The worlds are fantastically described. The characters are well-rounded and complicated. I had no idea how the story was going to end. The action descriptions were fun and very anatomic, which I enjoyed, as a medical student. I am looking forward to the next book!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading anything from either of these two authors. The world and character building are done very well. It’s told from different points of view and has a lot going on. From the beginning of the book the action starts, and it never stops.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.