✨ARC REVIEW✨

As with all of A.M. Daylin’s books, Eventide is full of twists, turns, surprises, and gems of wisdom that show why she is one of my easiest auto-buy authors. This is a heavier book in many ways than her other works so far. One of the main themes is learning to find one’s self-worth, and Relic, one of our main characters, struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts/idealization. Daylin does a fantastic job of touching on these topics in a way that is both real and sensitive, never graphic but also never disregarding Relic’s experience as a passing thing to be considered lightly. Despite the shadow of these heavier topics, hope shines out from the very core of this story.

I was initially torn about the ending of this book, however, after reading the author’s afterword and acknowledgements, I wholeheartedly agree that the right choices were made. The ending is what solidified this book in my mind as a beacon for those who are are feeling trapped by darkness and unable to find the good and beautiful in life. Eventide is a poignant reminder that goodness and beauty can always be found, sometimes in the ways we expect, and sometimes in the most unlikely of places.

Thank you, Amber, for allowing me to once again be a part of your street team. As always, it is an honor to help bring another one of your stories into the world. As Relic or Lessi might say, the Starbreather has put His breath on them, and I believe with my whole heart that your words will continue to impact people in the most beautiful ways.

QUOTES THAT STOOD OUT TO ME:

“Hope is unreliable narrator.” “Though not nearly as unreliable as fear.”

“Some people, you just can’t replace.”

“Don’t give up hope, Relic. That’s like letting your soul die before your body does. The Starbreather has a plan.”

“No, I’ll never be ready, but some things we have to do, ready or not.”

“’If there is one thing I trust, it is that whatever the Starbreather provides, it will always be enough.”

“But at least we know the sun will always rise again—no matter how deep the night gets.”

"Perhaps prayers weren't answered in showy flashes, in bright signs. Perhaps they were answered in people, in pockets of warmth in cold places."

It is a rare gift to read about characters so raw, so real, that you feel like you could pass them on the street. For the authenticity of a character to be so vivid that watching them rise and fall feels deeply personal. That is Cyrus and Bastian, the heroes of Fates Defiant. Two men who have seen some of the darkest things the world has to offer, and yet refuse to give in. Who break, but continue to believe there's hope. Who hold each other up when they can't stand on their own. Who defy the odds.

I knew very little about this book before picking it up after a year of it sitting on my TBR. I'd seen the rave reviews, had cheered when it won a Realm Award, and was expecting great things. All of my expectations were surpassed by a million.

It has been a while since a book made me FEEL so deeply. I've never felt more self-conscious reading in public, and I can't remember the last time a book took me out of a reading slump only to drop me right back into one after turning the last page.

This book gets heavy. Battles of all kinds are fought, and not all of them are won. But behind the darkness that chases our heroes, there is always a beacon of light. Of hope. And the reminder that sometimes, when the world is at its worst, someone will come alongside you. Someone who gives you a reason to hope that there is future beyond your present circumstances, and promises to fight by your side through the darkness until you see find the light, and are able to grab hold of it.

This is the type of story we need more of. A story of brotherhood. Of faith. And of bravery.

If you've been waiting to pick up this book, don't. Just don't. You can thank me later.