June C.L. Tan is an auto-buy author and Darker By Four was action packed! I loved this mix of urban fantasy and character dynamics. It was one of those books which made it so easy to fall into the world. Keep reading this book review of Darker By Four for my full thoughts.
Summary
Rui has one goal in mind—honing her magic to avenge her mother’s death.
Yiran is the black sheep of an illustrious family. The world would be at his feet—had he been born with magic.
Nikai is a Reaper, serving the Fourth King of Hell. When his master disappears, the underworld begins to crumble…and the human world will be next if the King is not found.
When an accident causes Rui’s power to transfer to Yiran, everything turns upside down. Without her magic, Rui has no tool for vengeance. With it, Yiran finally feels like he belongs. That is, until Rui discovers she might hold the key to the missing death god and strikes a dangerous bargain with another King.
As darkness takes over, three paths intersect in the shadows. And three lives bound by fate must rise against destiny before the barrier between worlds falls and all Hell breaks loose—literally.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Darker By Four is one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and it delivered! It’s so fun! I loved the mixture of an urban fantasy world that feels detailed and immersive with character dynamics that had me chuckling. It’s a world that feels similar, but a shade different. One where you could turn any wrong corner and fall through a hole into this world. At the same time, my favorite element has to be the characters. There were so many times I smiled and laughed at their antics.
It was easy for me to love Rui and the ghosts within her family. The hardness she’s developed as a defense. And when Darker By Four progresses, you’re able to see the POVs circle each other. To see these characters circling each other, about to collide. But what quickly surfaced after the characters – and the chaos – was this theme of power, purpose, and acceptance. What happens when we are given purpose, and power, and then that suddenly disappears?
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Because it’s always the one who doesn’t want their power who becomes the best leader. Darker By Four explores what happens when we are forced to make a decision we never thought we would. At the beginning, the multiple POV is a bit challenging – like most multiple POV books – but as it hits its stride, Darker By Four deepens. What would we do to hold on to something that was never ours? I can’t wait for book two! Find Darker By Four on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.