The Eternal Dusk (Daughter of the Phoenix Book Two)
by Victoria J. PricePublished by: Victoria J. Price on August 22, 2020
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 233
Format: eARC
Source: Author
Angels are disappearing. Witches are gathering. An ancient darkness is rising.
It’s been just over a month since eighteen-year-old Fia Aldridge has returned to Earth from the parallel world of Ohinyan.
She thought she’d be safe back in London—and that she’d be protecting her friends from Erebus, the ancient darkness that was calling to her.
But when she discovers angels are going missing at the hands of a local witch coven, she knows she has to find a way back to Ohinyan and warn her friends, even if it means Erebus will be waiting.Little does she know, the darkness is about to be set free—and he’s only interested in one thing: finding Fia.
Find out what happens next in the thrilling sequel to The Third Sun: Daughter of the Phoenix Book One. A richly woven tale drawing on ancient myths and legends, bursting with adventure, elemental magic, angels, witches, shapeshifters and slow burn romance. Fans of Brigid Kemmerer, Laini Taylor and Sarah J Maas will devour this series.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Portal fantasies to vast, interesting worlds.
- Ones filled with different creatures, both lovable and scary.
- Books about angels.
- Books with prophecies and chosen ones.
- Magic! Of varying kinds, which need to be discovered.
- Cute little fox sidekicks who, let’s be honest, are probably tired of dealing with humans.
- A complicated fantasy world history, with lots of truths to be discovered.
- A villain who’s probably right, in the grand scheme of things.
- But, you know, maybe shouldn’t destroy the planets anyway? Maybe?
Many thanks to the author and Random Things Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes are taken from an unfinished version and may differ from the final product.
I thought the first book of this series, The Third Sun, was interesting, if not a little slow, so I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this. I think Price really hit her stride, though! This was anything but slow, and now that the world has been established, I fell into this book immediately and read it in a day, because the action just didn’t let up.
The Eternal Dusk is a portal fantasy full of twists and turns, adventure, heartache, magic, betrayal, and secrets, but also deep friendships, set in the beautiful world of Ohinyan.
And the ending! Ahhhhh, now I’m so curious for the third book to find out what happens. It’s a little bit of a cliffhanger, but not a big one. Just enough to make me question everything I thought I knew so far.
This review may contain spoilers for the first book, The Third Sun.
The old cast is back in this book, but with some fun new additions.
I mean, the book opens with Fia following and talking to a fox, which I thought was fabulous … even more fabulous is the fact that the fox is a new character. Yes, this book definitely needed a fox, 100%. Even though it doesn’t play a huge role, I did love the addition! Who can hate cute, furry, slightly snarky side characters who are willing to put up with us humans?
My favorite new addition to the cast is, of course, Jo, who we saw very briefly at the beginning of the first book. Now, though, she’s along for the ride … at least the earthly part.
I absolutely loved her addition! Jo is tough and snarky, but also trying to do what’s right. Except a little stuck on the whole, angels from another world thing, like you do. Her voice is one that is both fun to read but also represents a more “normal” reaction to trying to come to grips with Ohinyan.
“That’s actually the least weird thing you’ve said so far,” Jo replied, following him out.
♫ Guess who’s back. Back again. ♪ Hint: no one in the book was particularly happy to see him.
Well, I was … but I’m not in the book, I suppose. But yes, Erebus is back, and more than just an annoying voice in someone’s head. I’m not gonna lie, he sounds kind of sexy. Okay, yes, sure, he may be a villain and may have a problem with controlling his desire to just torch the world, but hey, we all have our faults.
I enjoyed Erebus as a villain, because he … kind of has a legitimate grievance? Maybe not a “burn down the world and laugh in its ashes” sort of grievance, but it definitely seems like there’s more to his story than we’ve been led to believe.
The complexity this brings is so refreshing! But also, I want more of it. There’s little things hinted at here, especially since Erebus himself is a point of view character, but there’s obviously more to be learned. I can’t wait to see more of him.
“Good. “With another flick of his wrist, Erebus released a jet of flames directly into the old angel’s chest. It set alight his beard and his hair, and within moments his wings. The old man screamed and fell to his knees. Erebus released another burst of flames until the old angel’s body was engulfed and feathers gave way to sinew, flesh gave way to bone. “Because fear will not protect you. Nothing will.”
There are a lot of feels in this book that I so was not prepared for, guys. T_T
I suppose I should have expected it, because war is gearing up, and there are obviously casualties to war. Heck, there were in the first book. But it’s not supposed to be characters I love, okay? That’s not how this is supposed to go. *flails* Even though, you know, that’s definitely how it works in pretty much everything I read/watch …
Nobody in this series is safe, which I guess should have been made clear in the first book, but it still hurts.
It adds a level of unpredictability that’s nice, as you fret over your dears, but I also enjoyed the fact that it opens up a dialogue about grief and loss, also. This takes so many forms, because pretty much everyone, at this point, has lost someone that they loved in some capacity—parents, siblings, significant others. Everyone has to come to terms with some sort of loss, which leads to some really poignant conversations about loss and moving on and healing … which not everyone is able to do, and I think that itself leads to some meaningful differences between the characters. The way the characters handle grief and let it consume them (or not) plays a big role in this book.
Arion flicked his head back. “Do not dwell on such things, Fia. When all we are is a memory, nothing more than a name, when everything we are is forgotten, what we have created, what we achieve here now will be what’s left of us. It will never be lost.”
This book really delves deeper into Ohinyan lore and history, and I loved learning more about it!
Just like most history … well, pretty much anywhere … Ohinyan’s history is complex and not always 100% correct. History is written by the victors, right? And is mostly a matter of perspective, really. The complexities of this were fantastic and added more depth to this world! Something’s not quite adding up here, and I want to know more, because I feel like the only way the truth is going to come to light is to piece together all sides of the story, and that’s a conclusion the characters haven’t quite arrived at yet.
In fact, it very much seems like the characters themselves are starting to question the things they supposedly know, which is fun, because I suspect it will lead to some big reveals in the third book.
This is especially true at the end of the book, when things are culminating in preparation for the third book. It’s clear that no one has all the answers, and I’m looking forward to unraveling the true history little by little to find the truth among the rumors.
About Victoria J. Price
Victoria lives in leafy Surrey, in the South East of England. She loves fairy tales, myths and legends, and grew up creating stories both in words and pictures. When she's not writing you'll find her exploring with her husband and their two dogs, searching for beautiful hidden places and secret picnic spots.
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