Marvelous. I found myself not being able to put this one down. It kept me engaged, and the fantasy was well done as was the writing.

Can I just start off by sayin that the maps at the start are gorgeous? More fantasy books need maps of this kind of quality. As for the actual book? My views on that are a little more divided. The world building was well done. The author clearly put a lot of thought into making a well thought out and believable world. The plot, however, wasn't always the easiest to follow and meandered off to the side a bit occasionally (although the latter is not too uncommon in fantasy books and not necessarily a bad thing). My feelings on the characters are... complicated. I didn't particularly feel any strong connection to them and Dagny felt rather young (although I guess it makes sense given her background?) The romance was just uncomfortable and came out of nowhere. It could definitely have done without the more sexual nature (even if it wasn't super explicit), especially since the book largely reads as mid ish YA. Although it has been years since I read it, something about it reminds me a bit of the last book of the Golden Compass trilogy by Phillip Pullman.

If you like YA set in worlds with beautiful scenery, it is probably worth giving this book a look. Just be aware that it ends on a cliffhanger! ( )

This was such a great book. Impossible to put it down. Really loved how the author made up this original world, with it's history and myths, while still keeping enough resemblance with real life. For me, the ending was a bit disappointing. You could feel the setup for a sequel coming from a mile away. But all in all, I'm really looking forward the the next book in the series. ( )

Ever the Night Road is a brilliant debut novel by Michael Breen and a great introduction into what could become a exciting series in this univers filled with mystic and contrasts. The protagonist has a troubled upbringing from a disheveled town. After a major natural catastrophe she's taken in by a prominent family and her life changes into one of comfort and safety. But this all changes when her past catches up and lives now are on stake. Breen writes phenomenally and one can really feel and smell the earth, stone, and swampy feel of this city built within a shallow lagoon. The city and its surronding burrows, with different levels of prosperity and decay shows a rich world filled with many crossing storylines. One drawback of such a rich backstory building is the want for more detail on underexplored regions or themes within the novel. The many quests the protagonist goes on leave the reader with unanswered questions, but yet im excited to wait and see if there is more to come at a later date.
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Ever the Night Road by Michael Breen is a promising fantasy story set in the City of Water and Glass that kept me intrigued throughout. The tale follows Dagny Losh, a teenager who lost her family to a flood, as she deals with growing up surrounded by adventurers. I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to book 2. Michael Breen did a great job in creating the city and its inhabitants. I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program. ( )