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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Dark Days by Lorel Clayton is set after a divine conquest reduces a city to ash, and a boy named Ralen is branded and enslaved under Dinah, a fallen enforcer of the Last God. Bound by a mark that prevents his escape, Ralen is transferred through labor camps, underground cities, and military outposts as rival powers compete for control of occupied worlds. His unusual resistance to magic and authority makes him useful to commanders, priests, angels, and creatures that rule the conquered territories. Alongside him is Anjee, another captive kept for her ability to see possible futures, whom Ralen tries to keep alive. As rebellion, foreign interference, and divine politics converge, Ralen is forced to serve multiple masters while covertly protecting Anjee and attempting small acts of defiance.
Dark Days by Lorel Clayton is a really beautiful piece of literature that runs the entire gamut of emotions, and so much more that just leaps right off the pages. The world feels realistic, as Clayton describes conquered cities carved into caverns, temples that sweat smoke, and a lake whose black water mirrors burning towers as boats slip across it in silence. Everything is textured and alive, including the cast, who are totally diverse. Ralen has a fierce, quiet resolve that still feels organic, Anjee shows sparks of dangerous grace, Dinah has a seriously cold command, and even Grin’s iron presence can alter the air of the room I happened to be reading in. This is a sweeping epic that I expect will have a long reach, and between the writing and the ending that promises more, I'm here for it when it arrives. Very highly recommended.
