Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: August 22, 2023

This picks up right where the first left off, following all the heirs in the various places they ended. I think it was a really solid second book in a fantasy series with a lot of character development and story line development. We also learned more about this world/universe, how it works, and it's background. I'm looking forward to the next in the series! ( )

The Midnight Kingdom by Tara Sim is the second book in the Dark Gods series. The first book did not receive much attention upon its release, but I enjoyed it. The mystery, the uniqueness of the world, and the idea of five friends fighting for the crown were enough to keep my interest despite its slow start. As for the sequel, it is the type of story in which Ms. Sim had multiple directions from which to choose. With the five heirs and sidekicks in different locations, she opts for all of the above for The Midnight Kingdom.

As with the first book, you must wade through more world-building before the action heats up, something Ms. Sim keeps to a minimum. Unfortunately, she also does not recap anything from the first book. It took me a few chapters before I recalled details about the characters, their powers, and how the first novel ended. Once you get past that point, the story clicks.

The Midnight Kingdom follows each of the characters on their individual journies. While many authors tried to accomplish this and failed, Ms. Sim pulls it off by making each subplot compelling and surprisingly emotional. These subplots are unique in that each heir faces a very different challenge. Some tests of loyalty and desire are physical in nature, some mental, and some emotional. All are packed with twists you don't see coming, and all contain their own form of horror.

The journies the heirs are on serve two purposes. For one, they help forward the overarching plot. More importantly, however, they also develop the characters much more than you usually see in a fantasy novel. Through each decision an heir makes, we learn more about what they consider worth the fight. We also get insight into their mental states, which becomes key knowledge towards the end of The Midnight Kingdom.

Despite my struggles to remember any details of the first book, I ended up enjoying The Midnight Kingdom. The complex nature of the book, with its multiple subplots and shifts in POV, enhanced the story. I also appreciated the opportunity to get close and personal with the characters. It made me care about them, which, therefore, kept me vested in their stories. Plus, the ending of The Midnight Kingdom took a very unexpected turn, which only makes me want more of this intricate and dark novel. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is second book in The Dark Gods series. I got a copy of this on ebook through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: I am reluctant to even write a review for this since I stopped reading it about 15% of the way in. However, I got a copy of this to review and the fact I am struggling with this book says something and I feel like I should let other readers know my struggles. I defaulted to 3 stars.

I remember enjoying the writing style of the first book in this series but being a bit confused by all the POV changes, characters, and their powers. This book is even worse than the first one was. I was completely confused about what was going on here and couldn't remember any of the characters or their powers. Sim does zero recapping and doesn't do a good job (or any job) of putting in subtle reminders for her readers. You are just supposed to remember every intricate detail of the first book and remember exactly where everything left off.

I went back and read the notes I had from the first book and apparently I found that book somewhat confusing as well. My notes were not detailed enough to help me start this book. The expectation seems to be that you are going to re-read the first book in detail before you read this one. Unfortunately, I don't have time to do that with the rather large first book that I didn't love and never planned on re-reading. I might come back to this if I have more time at some point. However, for now I just don't have the time or patience to struggle through figuring out what is going on in this book.

My Summary (3/5): Overall, I stopped this 15% of the way in. I just could not figure out who was who and what was going on. If you loved the first book, I would definitely re-read it before picking up this book. This book dumps you right into the deep end without any reminders of the complex settings, multitudes of characters or intricate magic system. I just don't have time to re-read the rather large first book again right now. I have really enjoyed Sim's other series but this one is going to be a pass for me and I am going to be more cautious about picking up books by Sim in the future. Sim is an excellent writer but I think in this series she's taking on too much at once. ( )