Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

Over in the Cleaning out the closet challenge in 2018 we started talking...

Your know those MASSIVE books that you want to read, but everything else gets in the way?

Well we decided that perhaps the best way to tackle this problem is to pick a book and read it together over a year. So 2019 was the year of Les Misérables, 2020 was War and Peace, 2021 Gone with the Wind, 2022 Pillars of the Earth, 2023 Ship of Magic and 2024 The Way of Kings!

After nominating books and then voting for 2025, the winner is A Day of Fallen Night!

Anyone is welcome to join. This is essentially an extremely long buddy read :)

There is a reading schedule below to show which chapters to read over a two month period and we will also have two break months ; meaning the read will last the whole year.


To participate, all you need to do is come on over and give your thoughts for the section you are reading. Please make it clear which section you are referring to, and if you are reading ahead of the schedule, put your comments in spoiler tags.

c.800 pages? 38+ hours of audio?! Meh! We got this! Let the Reading Begin!

READING SCHEDULE
Note as the book is in 4 parts this schedule is slightly different to previous years to enable it to be broken into 4.
Part 3 is much longer so is over 3 months with a 2 month break/catch up period following

January & February 2025

Prologue and
Part I The Twilight Year (CE 509)

March & April 2025

Part II As the Gods Slept (CE 510)


May 2025==BREAK / CATCH UP MONTH==


June, July and August 2025

Part III Age of Fire (CE511)


September & October 2025==BREAK / CATCH UP MONTHS==


November & December 2025

Part IV The Long-Haired Star (CE 512) and
Epilogue

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I am in!
I enjoyed Priory although at the time it was a stand alone... but I don't remember too much about it.
Looking forward to getting into this. Just need to decide on the format to read

Yay, I’m so happy

I'm in!

I've still not gotten far in Priory, so I might read that before starting this one. It seems wise at least since it was published first, even if they can be read separately since this is the prequel.

I never really had any intention to read this because I didn't feel like I needed any addition to the Priory world, but I still picked up the UK hardback just in case I'd ever want to because I would be soooo mad if I missed out on getting a matching edition... so I guess that decision is now coming in handy, I'm in!

I follow Eldarwen in this. I need to read the Priory still. So, when that's finished, I hop over here.

I’ve had a hold on this at my library for a while now so I’m glad it looks like I get it in the next month or so and be able to join.

Looking at the ebook there are four parts plus a small prologue and epilogue.
Part 3 is quite large so rather than splitting it up I will make the timing of the months for part 3 longer.
This means splitting the books into four chunks which I think makes it simpler

Like a couple of others. I have not read the Priory so I might read that first before tackling this one. Luckily the Priory has a nice yellow cover for Uno so I will be encouraged to read it soon :P

Maybe we should revive the buddy read thread for Priory.

I tried that a couple of times during challenges and failed miserably for various reasons (and people rarely come back after they've finished) so I'm still somewhere at the beginning. What I read I enjoyed though!

Ah, not for me, I'm afraid. I wasn't hugely impressed with Priory, so will sit this year out!

Real question do we need to read Priory book 1 before this one Book 0?

Catherine wrote: "Real question do we need to read Priory book 1 before this one Book 0?"

No you don’t need to. They are stand alone novels but set in the same world.
If you prefer chronological reading than read this first as it is a few hundred years before Priory.
But there may be spoilers for Priory due to the publication order so you may choose to read that first if that’s something you’re concerned about.

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Catherine wrote: "Real question do we need to read Priory book 1 before this one Book 0?"

No you don’t need to. They are stand alone novels but set in the same world.
If you prefer chronological r..."

Thanks! I was wondering the same thing!

I saw that this was on sale at Book Outlet, so I ordered it. Should be here mid month.

I always love the idea of a big book read, but never seem to complete one with the group. Will 2025 be different? Lets see.

I ordered a copy from Amazon for $10.75.

Just picked it up on audible :D

I have started. I am tandem reading and Audio. so far it's learning about the Women. I will probably spread this out while reading many other books.

Oh goodie! I just found this! It's been on my shelf for awhile, well both books, so now I just have to decide which to tackle first.

I read a few opinions on the matter, and most agree you should read Priory first if you'd appreciate an easier introduction into the world and a better foundation for the legends, etc.

That being said, I may go in chronological order, since I don't really mind world building or lack of it...

Ashley wrote: "Oh goodie! I just found this! It's been on my shelf for awhile, well both books, so now I just have to decide which to tackle first.

I read a few opinions on the matter, and most agree you should..."
I agree and that is why I am ok reading this book first. Plus, it is on the far side of fantasy for me so I will have to see if I want to read on in this series.

I've just made a start on this. Time to see how far I get before the start of UNO.

The first section with introductions to the 3 women felt slow, but this strikes me as the kind of book it takes me the first 10% to get into fully and immerse myself in the world.

Starting mine today!

My hold from the library just came in so I’ll likely be reading not as slow as everyone else and completing for uno.

I’ve read about the first 15% now and I think I’m starting to get a feel for the characters and setting but it is a bit of a slow world build. I do like that in fantasy but I feel like we are still meeting characters and at times getting new points of view so I’m wondering if this aspect will get better.

I haven't been able to start as I'm focusing on UNO books, but will catch up eventually!

I got mine library hold right before Uno started and I set a low number of books so I could read a long book or two if I wanted. Or move as I knew I was doing last month. I’ll probably finish before most people start as I don’t do well reading sections that spaced out. I’m looking forward to everyone else eventually getting started so we can have more of a discussion.

I only started the book on my first library hold and did not get far at all, So I will have to restart it again on this next hold. I get it in a few weeks.

Even though I know this is a prequel, I still want to reread Priory before this one, so it's a massive thing to take on, especially since I have so many other books to read, haha! But the year is still long, so fingers crossed!

By the way, for those who might be interested and don't know yet: there will be another prequel coming in this series.

Apparently it's set about 200 years before Priory, so also a prequel but not as far into the past as this one.

Eldarwen wrote: "By the way, for those who might be interested and don't know yet: there will be another prequel coming in this series.

Apparently it's set about 200 years before Priory, so also a prequel but not ..."

I didn't know this! Glad to read it's only a short one, and the actual third book will take longer. Although, maybe not too glad, because by then I'll have to reread. Again xD

Eldarwen wrote: "By the way, for those who might be interested and don't know yet: there will be another prequel coming in this series.

Apparently it's set about 200 years before Priory, so also a prequel but not ..."

nice!

I haven't started yet as I'm still finishing the Stormlight Archive which is huge.
But I promise I will get to this book before 2025 is done!!

🤣 I am still waiting for Libby hold. 4 weeks left. Hoping to get at least halfway done this first hold. I may purchase the Audio since the Kindle or book is easily available.

I have officially put Priory on my April TBR, so we'll see what happens! I already postponed Fallen Night on Libby, and I'll keep doing it, for the moments my wrists can't handle the big physical tome. Just realized I shoulda done the same for Priory, but alas, too late now, hahah!

Ok I just finished Priory and holy-tomb! It was good but frustrating when your reading for challenges but honestly it all worked out in my teams best interest with not finishing it faster but now I am just waiting for the Libby hold to read this book.

Should be starting my reread of Priory either today or tomorrow!

As I've been waiting for my library hold of Wind and Truth to come in, I've started this... and of course W&T came in a couple hours later 🫠

I read Priory shortly after it came out but to be honest, I remember almost nothing about it except that the first 100 pages were an absolute slog to get through. I hadn't really ever planned on reading this one, but I still picked up the UK hardback a few months after its release because I knew that if I ever wanted to read it, it'd bug me to no end to not have the matching edition... and here I am, glad I've made that at the time silly choice.

I'm now about 20% in, at chapter 21, and things are finally starting to happen! It's taken me a bit to understand who's who (and I'm still iffy on some relations...) but I think I'm finally starting to grasp some things and am interested in what's going on instead of just feeling like I'm along for a ride I'm largely indifferent to. Makes sense since it's close to the end of part 1!

So far I feel like I'm most invested in Glorian and Wulf's storyline, and I don't know if I'm interested in Dumai's story... court machinations can be really hit or miss for me. Oh well, we'll see! And I think it's really interesting that Tunuva is a POV character – with everyone else being younger, it's kind of cool to a have a middle-aged woman telling what currently feels like it should be Siyu's story - definitely an interesting narrative choice, but maybe it'll turn out to be Tunuva's arc after all!

The plan is to finish this by/on Wednesday as I'm leaving on a work trip on Thursday and I'm absolutely not taking this brick with me - though I also have the audio AND ebook out from the library so I can format switch at will so technically it doesn't matter... but the days on my W&T hold are starting to tick down so I gotta start that at the end of next week if I want to have a chance to finish it before it is due.

To nobody's surprise, I didn't finish on time but I WILL finish before the end of the month, at any price.

I'm somewhere in part 3 but I don't think any of my thoughts are spoilers per se but just to be safe I added a couple tags

Overall, I don't know if I'm liking this very much. I constantly feel like we're skipping scenes I would've liked to read - chapters end too abruptly, we switch POVs, the next time we're with the character so much time has passed and we only learn how their previous scene resolved in an aside. Also, the pacing is awfully slow... I understand that we have to get to know the characters but it's only been the last 50 pages or so where I've finally felt like something was happening (and I'm still struggling to enjoy Tunuva's and Dumai's POVs).

Canthe: (view spoiler)[Like Esbar, I don't trust her either, but it feels like it would be too easy/cheap if there was something actually fishy about her (other than her clearly only telling part of the story about herself all the time - by actually fishy I mean something like her being the cause of Tunuva's nightmares, or of the Saghul-illusion giving the order to kill Anyso, etc.

Speaking of that: why is nobody questioning that there's something going on here? She was clearly too ill to give the order herself, and there's been some other things going on where people were places they shouldn't be. I'm so confused about this... sure there's a lot going on and maybe Tunuva is a bit distracted but I don't think Esbar would be? Is she really not noticing anything or is she just not telling Tunuva?

And if it's not Canthe who's evil, who of their trusted circle is? (hide spoiler)]

Further, I'm sure Tunuva's son is still alive (view spoiler)[and I'm sure it has to be Wulf? It feels like a slightly too obvious solution to those two parallel problems but what else would it be... (hide spoiler)]

I finished Priory earlier this week, and I am hoping to start Fallen Night tonight!!

I also finished Priory and have just gotten Fallen Night off hold at the library. Also do we all know there is another prequel that takes place after Fallen but before Priory. Apparently, these are all ok to read as stand alones.

Ok, I haver finally started!!

Has taken me a bit to get into it, but I think I am starting to understand the threads. Will post properly when I am done with Part 1

@Catherine - yes I noticed there is another! I'm glad as when I read Priory I was disappointed there weren't more books set in the world ;)

Judy wrote: "I'm now about 20% in, at chapter 21, and things are finally starting to happen! It's taken me a bit to understand who's who (and I'm still iffy on some relations...) but I think I'm finally starting to grasp some things and am interested in what's going on instead of just feeling like I'm along for a ride I'm largely indifferent to. Makes sense since it's close to the end of part 1!..."

I just finished part 1, and I'm so glad to read this as I feel exactly the same way! I wondered if it was just because I'm reading a bit then leaving it or a week or two before coming back, but I've had a lot of difficulty staying engaged and understanding who all the characters are.

End Part 1

As above, I have had trouble keeping the characters in my mind and the different storylines.
By the end of this part we do start to see some threads beginning to tie their stories together.

I asked the robot for a spoiler free summary of the characters at this point. It gave me this:

🏯 Tunuva (East / Priory)
Tunuva is a dedicated sister of the Priory of the Orange Tree, trained in secret to fight a long-dormant evil.

She’s part of a tradition-bound community that is both powerful and isolated.

Her storyline introduces the belief systems and ancient responsibilities of the Priory.

👑 Glorian (West / Inys)
Glorian, a royal daughter, struggles with the heavy expectations of duty, faith, and succession.

We see early palace politics, religious tensions, and her resistance to the life planned for her.

This POV explores the burden of legacy and how women are often trapped in roles they didn’t choose.

🌄 Dumai (South / Seiiki)
Dumai’s quiet life in a mountain temple is disrupted by events that force her into a bigger role.

This region introduces the mythology of the gods and the balance of power between dragons and humans.

Dumai’s storyline hints at ancient forces awakening.

❄️ Wulf (North / Hróth)
Wulf, a warrior with a mysterious past, is navigating a new and unfamiliar role in the north.

His section is shorter in Part 1 but gives a taste of political instability and hidden secrets.

Remember: each storyline has a unique tone — political (Glorian), spiritual (Dumai), faithful/resistance (Tunuva).


I feel like Wulf is probably the most surprising to me as a POV as it did feel like this was a story told from the female POVs. He has had a smaller section too, so I guess we may see more of him.

I'm interested in what is rumbling under the earth and how Glorian and Dumai may be connected in dreams somehow?

Nice, thank You Karen. Also waiting for the book to become available from Libby is rubbish so I decided to purchas the kindle and audio since its Amazon sale day happening.

Catherine wrote: "Nice, thank You Karen. Also waiting for the book to become available from Libby is rubbish so I decided to purchas the kindle and audio since its Amazon sale day happening."

I have the kindle and audio, too. Will switch to audio soon once I have finished my current listen and see what it is like

End of Part 2

This part went much faster. I think whereas part 1 was setting up the characters we are now seeing a lot more how they interact and the action is heating up.

Canthe - (view spoiler)[ wtf is going on here?! Tunuva went from skeptical to lustful within a.. day? And she has some super spooky stuff going on how she can get people to give their secrets, even get them to keep her in the Priory, doesn't get hot etc. Is she some kind of 'witch'? Is she somehow connected to Wulf and the mystery around him? (hide spoiler)]

Wulf - (view spoiler)[ Speaking of, I am concerned for his welfare as the only survivor now of more than one terrible incident. How is he going to survive once he is found? (hide spoiler)]

General comment - (view spoiler)[ everyone seems attracted to everyone else. We don't seem to have a new character introduced without someone lusting after them. I don't remember this happening in book 1. And it isn't listed as a romantasy so I think it is sticking out to me more and becoming a bit tiresome actually. lol. But otherwise I'm enjoying the pace in this part and looking forward to part 3 (hide spoiler)]

Oh, and I agree, Judy (view spoiler)[ that Tunava's son is still alive. Seems too convenient to make this a plot point without a "twist" on the way (hide spoiler)]