Book: Where Darkness Falls by Morgan Elise
Reviewed by Your_bookish_fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5
๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ข
โ๏ธ๐ป๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐๐จ ๐ ๐- Where Darkness Falls
โ๏ธโ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ค-
(out of 5 stars, my rating scale is at the end)
๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.75 / 5
๐ก๏ธ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ MF ๐ซ / 5 -๐โ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก ๐๐ฆ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ โ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐
Which books have I also given this same rating? (๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ก๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ค๐)
5โญ๏ธ Fourth wing / Bound by inked flame / Anathama / The Lies of Lena / Of silver and Curses
4.5โญ๏ธ Bitten / The Female / Quicksilver / Bride / Lights Out / A Bargain so Bloody
4โญ๏ธ Spellcaster / One Dark Window / From Blood and Ash / Phantasma / Butcher & Blackbird
3โญ๏ธWe Who Will Die / The Wolf King / Daughter of No Worlds / The Ex Hex
โ๏ธ๐๐๐ช ๐๐๐๐ :
Genre- Fantasy Romance
๐ 622 ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐
Dual ๐โ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฉ
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ- May 17, 2025
๐ฃ๐น๐ผ๐ or ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ driven? ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ธ๐โฏ๐
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ & ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ป๐ผ- The Celestae Chronicles Book 1
๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ on ๐๐จ? โ ๐ดโฏ๐.
๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ- โฑ๐ถ๐๐
๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ? โ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐, ๐โด.
๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง? (Disability, plus size, mental health etc...)โ
โณโดโด๐น๐; ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐ , ๐พ๐๐๐๐, ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ป๐๐๐๐ & ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐.
๐๐พ๐น ๐พ โฏ๐๐ฟโด๐ ๐๐ฝ๐พ๐?โ
๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ ๐พ ๐โฏ๐ถ๐น ๐๐ฝโฏ ๐โฏ๐๐ ๐ทโดโด๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ ๐โฏ๐๐พโฏ๐?โ
๐ฒโด๐๐๐น ๐พ ๐โฏ๐ถ๐น ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ โฏ๐๐โฏ ๐ท๐ ๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ฝโด๐?โ
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐? This is a great story for those who love an epic fantasy full of revenge, redemption and rage!
โ๏ธ๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค:
๐ฅ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง
๐IแีTแฉ แชแแT
๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก
๐ก๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐, ๐ธ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ, ๐๐๐๐ค๐๐ ๐
โ๏ธ๐โ๐โ๐ผ๐
๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ค & ๐น๐๐ฅ๐ฃ๐๐ช๐๐๐ค
๐ฎ๐๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฐ ๐๐ซ๐ก ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฐ
๐งญโ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ค
โ๏ธโโฏ๐พ๐ ๐โด ๐๐ฝโฏ ๐๐ฝ๐โด๐โฏ
๐ชฆ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐งฌ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐
๐ฐGothic
๐คฉEpic Side Characters
๐ญhidden ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฅ๐ช
๐งฉ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐ แทแฉแTแดแ
โ ๏ธ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐...
๐นShe is the dangerous one
๐งจ๐๐๐ค๐ค๐ช ๐ฝ๐โ
๐ฅ Revenge
๐Shadow Daddy
๐Cliff Notes Review-
Where Darkness Falls started incredibly strong and had all the ingredients of a book I should have absolutely loved. The revenge arc immediately hooked me, the gothic atmosphere was gorgeous, and I loved the unique creatures, magic system, found family and slooooow-burn romance. My biggest frustration was the mystery itself. I guessed most of the twists early on which took out some of the drama, The reveals were satisfying, just not surprising. I also wished Maeva had held onto more of the fierce independence she showed at the beginning, and that a few intriguing storylines, especially involving her sister, had been explored further.
๐ฅ ๐๐๐ช ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ค?
Ok so mainly because of the secret keeping, I guessed every single one of them twists- which I never do! So if I can guess them then theyโre obvious! And yet secrets were dragged out right until the last pages, it was exhausting and frustrating!
I also didnโt like how emyr was โcaughtโ calling her rosey, he denied this, but it was never mentioned again? I canโt go into anymore detail because of spoilers but I feel there should have been fr more to that conversation or additional conversations had.
๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐จ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐:
This book is a bit of a frustrating one for me because I can clearly see the incredible story hiding underneath, but I donโt think it quite reached its full potential.
The opening was phenomenal.
The revenge plot immediately hooked me, the mystery surrounding Maevaโs identity had me desperate for answers, and the world itself felt wonderfully atmospheric. Gothic fantasy, unique magical creatures, interesting magic, ancient secrets and a fantastic found-family dynamicโฆ this had almost every ingredient I look for in a fantasy romance.
Unfortunately, somewhere around the middle, the momentum started to wobble.
My biggest issue was the constant withholding of information.
Almost every character Maeva meets seems to know exactly who she isโฆ and every single one responds with some variation of, โI canโt tell you. Youโll understand when your memories return.โ
The first time? Intriguing.
The second? Understandable, ishโฆ
By the third? I wanted to shake every single character.
It became less mysterious and more frustrating because it felt like the plot was artificially delaying information rather than allowing the mystery to unfold naturally. I kept wishing someone would at least leave breadcrumbs. Give her half-truths. A cryptic riddle. One meaningful clue. Anything that allowed the mystery to evolve instead of repeatedly slamming into the same conversation.
It didnโt help that Iโd already figured out most of the major reveals fairly early on. If I -the reader, knew the information, then why hold out as thereโs no drama left in it?
The twists themselves werenโt bad at all. In fact, they were genuinely well executed and satisfying when they happened. They added plenty of drama and emotional weight to the story. They just werenโt particularly heavy hitting because the clues pointed in fairly obvious directions.
Even so, I still enjoyed watching everything finally unfold.
One storyline I desperately wanted expanded was everything surrounding Maevaโs sister. The hints we receive completely changed how I viewed that relationship, but they never quite received the attention I expected. It felt like the story opened the door to something fascinating before quietly moving on.
The world-building was excellent.
The gothic atmosphere, magical creatures and mythology all felt unique without becoming difficult to follow. Morgan has created a world that feels ancient, dangerous and beautifully eerie, and I canโt wait to learn even more about it.
The slow burn was lovely.
It relied far more on longing, banter and quiet emotional moments than instant declarations of love, which suited these characters perfectly.
The final ten percent is where the book really came alive again.
Everything tightened, the pacing improved dramatically and the emotional payoffs landed far better than I expected. Even though Iโd predicted most of the revelations, I still thoroughly enjoyed seeing them unfold because the execution carried genuine emotional weight.
Iโll definitely be picking up book two because I have a feeling the best is still to come.
๐งโโ๏ธ โ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ค:
Maeva was a mixed bag for me.
At the beginning she felt fierce, determined and completely driven by revenge. I loved that version of her.
As the story progressed, though, I felt like she lost some of that independence. Instead of continuing to push back against everyone trying to protect her, she gradually accepted being sheltered far more than I expected. I really wanted to see that same stubborn determination carry all the way through the novel.
That said, sheโs still incredibly compassionate, loyal and easy to root for, especially once her memories begin to reshape everything she thought she knew.
Emyr was probably my favourite character.
Heโs exactly the kind of tortured, morally grey hero I tend to enjoy. Beneath all the darkness is someone carrying an enormous amount of guilt, self-loathing and responsibility, and watching those layers slowly peel back was incredibly rewarding. His yearning absolutely carried the romance for me.
The Cadre also completely stole the show.
Their banter, loyalty and protectiveness brought so much warmth to an otherwise dark story. I only wish there had been a stronger explanation for why they all became so fiercely devoted to Maeva almost immediately. Their loyalty felt genuine, but I wanted to understand the emotional reasoning behind it a little more.
โณ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฃ๐-๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ฃ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐?
Possibly and yes i do recommend it.
๐ชง๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค:
Overall, Where Darkness Falls is a really enjoyable start to a fantasy series that occasionally frustrates itself by keeping its secrets a little too close to its chest. The foundations are incredibly strong, the world is fascinating, the romance is full of yearning, and the found family is wonderful.
I just wish the mystery trusted readers a little more and allowed its characters to reveal information in more creative ways.
๐น๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ;
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
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๐๐ช โ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐ค:
โญ๏ธ DNF
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
I managed to finish it but it was rubbish. I won't keep a physical copy and won't recommend it, but it's a shame as the plot could have made a good book in another author's hands
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5
It was OK. I wish I didn't start this one as it didn't do it for me as I struggled to read it. It had an interesting premise that fell flat but I had to see what happened in the end.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
I don't regret reading it, and I will read the next one, but this one did have a few flaws. [These could be repetitive writing, gaps or plot holes, better character growth or world building, areas needing more detail]
Generally, the book lacked depth and became confusing. The plot resonated with me even though it annoyed me on the whole.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5
I'm glad I read it. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to the right people, but I wanted more! Sadly, it's easily forgettable with a few issues I just couldn't overlook/get past.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
Good book! I loved it, but... I needed more! I really did enjoy it, but it had a few parts that needed more detail or added history/background or lore. But that's because the story or characters were memorable, and the plot was strong with brilliant twists. I would re-read if I needed to catch up for the next book and would recommend.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5
Great book! I truly wish the story had been thought about more, or the author had been given more time as this book is so close to brilliance! I will likely read again and will definitely be recommending it to all!
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
WOW! Absolutely amazing book! Well written with great characters and a plot so memorable that it will stay with me. I will definitely read this again, I will be recommending it and sharing it with the whole world! Also- I NEED A PHYSICAL COPY!
๐ฅโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ๐ฅ
This is my God level tier. The book must be perfectly memorable. Even after reading 50+ more books, I will remember character names and emotions along with the plot. If there is a special edition, then I need to own it! If there is a conversation on books- I'm talking about this!
SPICE SCALE:
๐ถ๏ธโ segsual language and a little on-page action
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธโ a lot of segsual language and some on-page open door action, may be occurring a couple of times
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธโ a lot of explicit action and dirty talk, occurring frequently with 2/3 lurvers
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ โ super graphic and explicit, occurring 4 or more times, can be more grey and taboo themed.
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ โ Kinks and Fet!shism, explicit and super graphic. It is likely to be tushy play, toys, playrooms, and more dark / taboo fantasies and realities.