No humans here. Just immortals: their politics, their feuds—and their long buried secrets.
For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the population in a night. The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you’re poor, you drink weak blood. If you’re nobility, you get the good stuff. And you can never, ever leave.
Palace maid Sam has had enough of these rules, and she’s definitely had enough of cleaning the bedpans of the lords who enforce them. When the son of the city’s ruler is murdered and she finds the only clue to his death, she seizes the chance to blackmail her way into a better class and better blood. She falls in with the Leeches, a group of rebel maids who rein in the worst of the Lords. Soon she’s in league with a sorcerer whose deductive skills make up for his lack of magic, a deadly werewolf assassin and a countess who knows a city’s worth of secrets.
There’s just one problem. What began as a murder investigation has uncovered a vast conspiracy by the ruling elite, and now Sam must find the truth before she becomes another victim. If she can avoid getting murdered, she might just live forever."
Let’s start by saying that I’m not typically a huge vampire fan. However, I am someone who likes to keep an open mind for something fresh and that brings something new and exciting to any particular trope or genre--for instance, Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire series has been a surprising delight, as it offers unique twists on traditional vampire lore. Therefore, when Ed Crocker’s Lightfall was pitched to me and it sounded like something with vampires that I’d never read before, as well as had an incredibly intriguing synopsis, I couldn’t resist diving in. I’m happy to report that Lightfall does indeed deliver a fresh take on the vampire novel and weaves together an imaginative world with vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers, and plenty of lore to make for a fascinating story.
What I liked: The world-building in Lightfall is phenomenal! The intricate background of this world is one of Lightfall’s most riveting aspects, as it provided a multi-layered and immersive setting that I could really sink my teeth into (pun intended). We follow a fairly diverse cast of characters, and I appreciated how these characters’ journeys allowed us to delve deeper into the world’s structure, including a look at societal roles and hierarchies among both different beings and within each group’s own social dynamics. I was also particularly compelled by the absence of humans in this world, which completely shifts dynamics from what readers usually expect in a vampire novel. Instead, we get to explore a world inhabited by vampires, sorcerers, and werewolves, which fostered some intriguing interactions and relationships. I was especially fascinated by the lore surrounding the enigmatic ‘Greys’ and the lingering question of whether mortal existed, and, if so, what happened. There’s really so much depth to this world and this entire story, and I’m eager for additional books in this series which I’m sure will explore even more.
What I didn't like: The only real complaint I have with this book is that the dialogue at times felt a bit stilted and awkward. For me, it did disrupt the flow of the story at times, which pulled me out of the otherwise immersive experience. That being said, I did read a fairly early ARC of Lightfall, so it’s possible that some of these issues have been refined and/or resolved in the final version. The dialogue’s stiffness does give the book a slight debut feel, but to me it also hints at the author’s potential for growth and leaves me optimistic about Ed Crocker’s future work and books in this series.
If you’re looking for a fresh new take on vampires and intricately crafted fantasy with rich world-building and a plethora of interesting characters to follow, then I’d encourage you to give Lightfall a read!
