Publishers Weekly
★ 10/14/2019
First in a planned trilogy, Pool’s Mediterranean-inspired fantasy debut explores issues of family, faith, fate, and free will. For millennia, the Seven Prophets helped guide humanity through visions of the future. Then they vanished, leaving behind one final prophecy forecasting the birth of a Last Prophet, who will be able to forestall an Age of Darkness. One hundred years later, the Prophets’ prediction appears to be coming true: a leader dubbed the Hierophant and his acolytes seek to snuff out magic and all those who possess it, while the Order of the Last Light believes that they’ve found the individual meant to stop him. The tale unfolds from the perspectives of five ethnically and socially diverse teenagers: paranoid fugitive Anton, exiled prince Hassan, conflicted knight Jude, single-minded assassin Ephyra, and terminally ill Beru. Pool skillfully manages her large ensemble cast, intertwining both their destinies and their story lines as their paths converge. Although initially dense with character introductions and complex worldbuilding, this inventive, gripping novel’s narrative drive remains strong thanks to its high stakes, abundant action, and realistic romances both gay and straight. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
A Morris Award Finalist!
A Tor.com Best YA SFF/Horror Book of the Year!
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year!
An Indigo Best Book of the Year!
“There Will Come a Darkness is a can’t-miss debut from an exciting new talent. I defy you not to lose yourself in this vast, luscious fantasy.” —Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken
"One of the most stunning debuts of the year." —Seventeen
“Even in a world filled with graces and prophets, the real magic of There Will Come a Darkness is in how Pool has crafted her heroes—messy, flawed, and so beguilingly human. I dare you not to fall madly in love with all of them.” —Laura Sebastian, New York Times bestselling author of Ash Princess
* "Pool accomplishes a masterful balance of exposition, action, and characterization . . . full of genuinely surprising and interesting twists that will have readers anxious to get to the last page. [F]ans of Bardugo’s Six of Crows will notice similarities between the narrative styles. [R]omance readers will revel in the beginnings of a few steamy relationships (one straight, one queer)." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED review
* "A well-crafted, surprising, and gripping start to a new trilogy." —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review
* "[S]et apart by its immersive worldbuilding and compelling narrators." —Shelf Awareness, STARRED review
* "[T]his inventive, gripping novel’s narrative drive remains strong thanks to its high stakes, abundant action, and realistic romances both gay and straight." —Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
"A sweeping, ambitious fantasy that pulled me into a world of corruption, dark prophecy, and ultimately, hope. [G]ripped me until the very last pages." —Julie C. Dao, author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
"Katy Rose Pool combines lovable characters, a gorgeously tangible world, and an intricate puzzle-box plot to create a story that will pull you inexorably toward the explosive end." —Sara Holland, New York Times bestselling author of Everless
"A beautiful woven fantasy of prophecy, intrigue and unforgettable characters. There Will Come a Darkness feels both utterly original and like the best of classic fantasy" —Tasha Suri, author of Empire of Sand
"Reading this intricate YA fantasy, you get the feeling Katy Rose Pool’s plot is always seven steps ahead of you. You’ll want to catch up as quickly as possible." —Refinery 29
School Library Journal
09/01/2019
Gr 9 Up—Multiple viewpoints share the narrative in debut author Pool's imagined world, constructed with hints of Greek and Middle Eastern influences. (For example, places named Pallas Athos, Herat, "the agora," and Nazirah; meals of lamb stew and pomegranate; characters named Hassan and Ephyra). In this world, the Graced have heightened powers, which make them targets for jealous attacks each time they manifest their enhanced strength, senses, energy, and more. Working-class Anton (with his talent at gambling); prince-in-disguise Hassan; good-hearted Khepri; sisters Ephyra and Beru; and Jude, the Last Prophet and Keeper of the Word, twist in and out of one another's orbits, caught up in their uncertain times. For the last 100 years, the Age of Darkness has been foretold, and now it looks like these older teens hold the keys to both destruction and salvation. First in a planned trilogy, the book sets the stage rather than concludes the story. The shifting narratives require attention, but there is ample payoff. VERDICT Teens looking for epic fantasy can immerse themselves in Pool's world, where the Witnesses have developed deadly Godfire, the Pale Hand is stalking, and the Age of Darkness appears just over the horizon.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley Sch., Fort Worth, TX
JANUARY 2020 - AudioFile
Narrator Todd Boyce’s slightly husky voice guides listeners through a captivating fantasy. The Prophets have disappeared, but a secret prophecy remains. The five characters who alternate in telling the story are gradually introduced. Together, these five people will bring about the Age of Darkness. Boyce helps listeners differentiate among the various characters as their motivations and graces are interwoven with the various plot lines and made clear. Fantasy fans will enjoy the journey to learn whether finding the last Prophet will mean saving the world—or ending it. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2019-06-23
"The Age of Darkness is almost upon us."
One hundred years ago the Seven Prophets disappeared from the world, leaving one last secret prophecy predicting an Age of Darkness, the end of the Graced, the destruction of all civilization, and a Last Prophet who will know how to prevent it all. The Order of the Last Light has been lying in wait ever since for the harbingers to appear: The rise of the Deceiver (the Hierophant, a man bent on destroying the Graced) and the murders committed by the Pale Hand signal that the time has finally come. And then the Last Prophet is found. Five young people who share the narrative—a prince, a murderer, a dying sister, a warrior, and a gambler—have roles to play as the Last Prophecy unfolds and the world starts to change. This epic fantasy novel revels in rich worldbuilding, deftly plays with genre expectations, and thoughtfully examines the power dynamics between those born with abilities and those without as well as the friction between free will and prophecy. A cast of fully developed, flawed, and endearing characters whose actions are genuinely unpredictable are present and accounted for in a world full of brown and queer people in this story that continually walks the fine line between darkness and hope.
A well-crafted, surprising, and gripping start to a new trilogy. (Fantasy. 14-adult)
