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Eight Will Fall

Sarah Harian (Goodreads Author)

3.65 · Rating details · 565 ratings · 197 reviews

In a land where magic is outlawed, eight criminals led by seventeen-year-old Larkin are sent on a mission to kill an ancient evil that plagues their kingdom. Descending into an underground realm full of unspeakable horrors, Larkin and her party must use their forbidden magic to survive what lies in wait, teeth sharp and jaws deadly.

As she fights for her life, Larkin finds ...more

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Hardcover, Fairyloot Edition, 354 pages

Published December 2nd 2019 by Henry Holt (first published November 26th 2019)

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· 565 ratings · 197 reviews

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Oct 03, 2019 emma rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, arc, owned, eh, reviewed, from-publisher-author, 3-stars, ya, dark

Every YA fantasy ever: Yes, we know you are here for the action...but first...here’s 50 pages of info-dumping...and 100 pages of our protagonist’s boring everyday life...and 50 pages of the action creeping ever closer but not quite arriving...and then 100 pages of some action and then it’s done. Read the second book, coward.

This book: NO THANKS.

Turns out the only solution I needed for 100% of my issues with boring fantasy beginnings is...standalones.

Except unfortunately, that apparently ...more

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Dec 28, 2019 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was ok

December Fairyloot, We got this book and an advanced readers copy of another book. Click on the GOODIES LINK to see the goodies. This will be my last posting of book unboxings as I'm tired of doing it as well as reviews. Thank you guys for looking! Love, Mel

GOODIES LINK

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Feb 06, 2019 Sarah Harian added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: mine

*UPDATED 4/13/2019*

Please click here for content warnings.

Find on IndieBound.

EIGHT WILL FALL now available to pre-order on Amazon!

Release Date: November 26, 2019

Fun Facts:

Eight Will Fall is about eight teens traversing a subterranean realm in search of a god they've been ordered to kill. They must quickly learn to use their inherent (and illegal) magic in order to get the job done.

The magic system is based off of emotions, and magic users--Empaths--can channel emotions to conjure or destroy.

...more

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Nov 24, 2019 Toni rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Seventeen year old Larkin is a miner who comes from a family of Empaths, magic users who can channel other people's emotions and use them to create or destroy things. Not that they get a lot of practice doing that. Magic is absolutely forbidden by the law. Empaths are all but enslaved by non-magic users and their queen Melay, who can break their families by sending some members to farms while others earn meager wages mining luminite, a rare mineral that suppresses the Emapath magic by blocking Seventeen year old Larkin is a miner who comes from a family of Empaths, magic users who can channel other people's emotions and use them to create or destroy things. Not that they get a lot of practice doing that. Magic is absolutely forbidden by the law. Empaths are all but enslaved by non-magic users and their queen Melay, who can break their families by sending some members to farms while others earn meager wages mining luminite, a rare mineral that suppresses the Emapath magic by blocking their ability to sense other people's emotions.

Empaths have no surnames and are not allowed to learn to read. Larkin knows her wages and her brother Garran's keep her family from starvation, yet when humiliated and provoked by a shopkeeper's disdain, she uses a tiny bit of destruction magic to create a diversion that allows her to steal a bit of food. Very soon she and Garran are arrested and taken to the Queen's dungeons. Larkin would give anything to fix the situation and protect her brother's life. Even draw the Queen's attention to herself when Melay appears to be choosing several inmates for a dangerous mission. There are eight of them: six Empath teenagers, an Empath soldier (a rarity in itself), and a non-Empath scholar. The Queen tells them that dark destruction magic is being used by unknown forces and there have been multiple disappearances from the farms. She sent her soldiers to investigate the underground area called the Reach where a thousand of years ago seven rebel Empaths were imprisoned together with their leader Kyran. Old legends say the darkness will rise. Could the mysterious disappearances and the fact that the soldiers never made their way back to the surface have something to do with this ancient lore?

As the Queen holds Garran and and the families of the other six Empaths as her leverage, Larkin and her party must descend into the Reach with one week worth of food and water, find and kill Kyran. The good news is that luminite is a surface mineral, so they will be able to protect themselves by using their forbidden magic. The bad news is that since it has been outlawed for such long time, they haven't had much practice.

The magic system is very clear and interesting in this book. We often read about mind-readers, but what about emotion-readers? Wouldn't it be fascinating to be able to read and use the mood of other people to be able to create various objects or destroy obstacles? In Larkin's world it is impossible to live alone- you wouldn't be able to feel the calm and joy that comes from other people's company, even fear, rage and anxiety have their usefulness- they just have to be acknowledged and controlled.

Larkin is a strong character and I am always on a lookout for great female leads. The blurb might have led you to think that there will be multiple points of view in the book. There is only one, Larkin's, and while it certainly helped to flesh out her character, at least hald of the others remained less developed, especially the ones who died closer to the beginning of their horrifying adventure.

The book was conceived as a duology and then was re-written as a standalone. On plus side, we still get great worldbuilding and the action starts really soon. On the other hand, some things we learn from the characters talking about old legends, while we could have been shown, not told. For example, I am still not clear about the reasons for the conflict between the original non-magic Queen Ilona and Kyran. I would have also preferred to meet the other disciples in their sectors of the Reach. The ending also seemed a bit rushed. As I read I could almost envisage which parts would have been developped in the second book of the duology.

I would define the genre of this book as horror/ dark fantasy. There is definitely enough blood and gore, so it is better to go in the book expecting these elements. I am a bit claustrophobic, so there was one particluar scene that made me feel for poor Larkin and her companions. This book would make an excellent read for a Halloween readathon or a book club for slightly older teenagers who enjoy this kind of stories.

Finally, I just loved the cover. It is dark and beautiful, and perfectly matches the mood of this book.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Henry Holt for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. ...more

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Feb 04, 2018 Cindy ✩☽ Savage Queen ♔ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Pitched as Six of Crows meets...
Forget the rest, Six of Crows is all I care about lol.

I really like multiple PoVs but eight seems like a bit much. I hope, if we do get that many perspectives, it is well done.

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Jul 19, 2019 Candace Robinson added it · review of another edition

Awesome writing and world building but I just couldn’t connect with the story and 8 characters was a lot. But the horror type stuff is awesome.

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Jul 31, 2019 ✨Brithanie Faith✨ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

4.5/5 stars .5

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Eight Will Fall by Sarah Harian follows a group of eight criminals led by seventeen-year-old Larkin who are sent on a mission to destroy an ancient evil that's been plaguing their kingdom. The further they descend into the underground realm known as the Reach- the higher the stakes become, and Larkin and the others must soon confront a terrible truth; The eight of them were chosen for a reason, and it's entirely ...more

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Jul 25, 2017 Rachel E. Carter marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: waiting-to-release, to-buy-ebook

Ummm, this sounds amazeballs. "Pitched as Six of Crows meets Suicide Squad, this dark YA fantasy follows eight criminals as they battle their way through a subterranean realm of horrors and certain death." source >> https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...

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Aug 01, 2017 ☆★Tinja★✮ A Court of Pizza and Laziness marked it as to-read · review of another edition

HELL YEAH SOUNDS FUCKING AWESOME

PLZ DON'T DISAPPOINT ME

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Sep 11, 2019 Aly rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: includes-bloody, device-standalone, genre-thriller, 3-star-reads, genre-dark-fantasy, includes-magic, age-young-adult, reaction-that-cover-tho, arcs-ebook, pov-multiple

3.5/5 stars

***This book was originally sold as a duology, but it is being published as a standalone novel.***

First off, I'd just love to mention that this is a heavily described dark-fantasy novel. I adore dark fantasy, and I'm always on the hunt for more, especially in YA. I tend to be extremely picky in what I read in that genre, and I heavily rely on a strong main character.

With that said, this book was actually quite well done in terms of overall story. I thought the plot, the world 3.5/5 stars

***This book was originally sold as a duology, but it is being published as a standalone novel.***

First off, I'd just love to mention that this is a heavily described dark-fantasy novel. I adore dark fantasy, and I'm always on the hunt for more, especially in YA. I tend to be extremely picky in what I read in that genre, and I heavily rely on a strong main character.

With that said, this book was actually quite well done in terms of overall story. I thought the plot, the world building, and the "mission/cause" was really well done! I really enjoyed the magic system, and I liked learning about the power differences going on. I actually enjoyed the story, and it was very original and hard to put down.

So why, may you ask, did I give this a lower rating? Well, I have 2 reasons: 1) the characters and 2) the ending.

There are 8 main characters in this book. Yup, you read that right. EIGHT. This book is 368 pages long and was cut down to a standalone. you can see how there may be some issues... I found it extremely difficult to connect to the characters. When someone was in trouble, I didn't feel worried for them. If someone was thought to be traitorous, I didn't feel shock remorse. It was all very neutral for me. Characters are huge deal for me when it comes to dark fantasy. I feel like they really drive the genre, so it doesn't feel like a gorefest or bloody for the sake of it. I felt this book could've worked on that more, or even just cutting the cast down would have been better.

My second complaint is the ending. The main conflict and goal throughout the book is clearly described and spoken about. When we finally get to the climax it falls flat. It felt extremely rushed, the writing got a bit sloppy because of it, and everything happened too fast. I had to reread pages because I thought I might've skipped a page, but in reality the pacing just goes sonic fast. The buildup we get isn't worth what we ended up getting, so that was a major disappointment for me. I once again believe this has to do with the publishing decision to make this a standalone.

Overall, I liked the overall story, but the characters and the ending needed more work. This is a good example of how something planned as a duology should stay as a duology. I feel that if this was 2 books, my feelings on the characters and the ending would have changed. However, I still think this is worth checking out. It was still a fun read and a great thriller. I can set aside my feelings on the ending and still enjoy the rest of the book.

ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more

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Oct 16, 2019 rachel ☾ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: releases-2019, paranormal-fantasy, arc-rtc, mystery-horror-thriller, edelweiss, 2-star, coverporn

Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Blog • Goodreads • Twitter • Instagram ...more

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Dec 30, 2019 Amy (libraryofamy) added it

DNF on page 70.

I received this book from my first ever Fairyloot box, and I honestly had not heard of it or seen it until I pulled it out of the Fairyloot pouch. I wanted to read it as soon as I got it, because I knew that since I had no previous excitement about it I would probably quickly forget it was on my shelves.

I probably just should have forgotten it was on my shelves.

I know 70 pages isn't necessarily a fair chance, but I could not get through this book any more than that. I told myself DNF on page 70.

I received this book from my first ever Fairyloot box, and I honestly had not heard of it or seen it until I pulled it out of the Fairyloot pouch. I wanted to read it as soon as I got it, because I knew that since I had no previous excitement about it I would probably quickly forget it was on my shelves.

I probably just should have forgotten it was on my shelves.

I know 70 pages isn't necessarily a fair chance, but I could not get through this book any more than that. I told myself I'd give it to page 100, but I couldn't do it.

This was a disorienting reading experience. For some reason, I could not get it out of my head that this was a sci-fi, so every time something fantastical happened or we were reminded that this takes place in a fantasy-like setting, I was really thrown off. I think it's because the main character is a miner, and everything relating to that reminded me so much of Red Rising that I just couldn't separate this book from my expectation of it being sci-fi. I don't think fantasy is the right genre for the plot the author was going for. Maybe this could have been a magical realism? I don't know. It just felt off.

Something else I didn't like about this book was that it just was so... boring. It felt unoriginal in so many ways, despite the fact that it does do unique things? The magic system is definitely new and the setting is technically unique for a fantasy as well, but it still felt like a run-of-the-mill YA novel. However, I've heard that the book takes quite a turn and becomes more of a body horror type of story. I wish I could have gotten there to see what that part was like, but I could not bring myself to slog through the preamble of this novel. Despite the unique parts, there were still a lot of overused plot devices: an evil queen with zero personality, a Big Ominous Bad that apparently only teenagers can defeat, forbidden magic, etc.

I felt zero connections to the characters and I could not bring myself to care about their problems. I also did not like how the magic system was already bending to the convenience of the plot, which is one of my least favorite things an author could do. It makes the story appear very flimsy and I lose interest quickly. Like I also mentioned before, I'm tired of teenagers somehow being the only age group that can defeat the most evil, powerful beings in the universe? It makes no sense! Why grown ass adults are making literal kids do all the dirty work and expecting amazing results makes no sense to me. I understand that the synopsis says they are all meant to die but... I don't know. I just didn't care to find out how the author was going to turn that trope on its head, because I honestly haven't got any indication from her writing style or plot development so far that she could do so successfully.

Maybe I'm dead wrong about this book. Maybe 70 pages isn't a fair chance and this actually becomes something really interesting and different. But based on what I read so far, I don't really care to find out. ...more

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Oct 13, 2019 Jay G rated it liked it · review of another edition

Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...

*I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*

In a land where magic is outlawed, Empaths are forced to mine a mineral called luminite, which hinders their powers. A group of 7 criminal Empaths and 1 guide, led by 17-year old Larkin, are sent to the Reach by the Queen to kill a great evil threatening her Kingdom. The deeper they go, the more dangerous it gets. The Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...

*I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*

In a land where magic is outlawed, Empaths are forced to mine a mineral called luminite, which hinders their powers. A group of 7 criminal Empaths and 1 guide, led by 17-year old Larkin, are sent to the Reach by the Queen to kill a great evil threatening her Kingdom. The deeper they go, the more dangerous it gets. The mission seems like a death sentence, and they soon learn a secret about their pasts that reveals they may have been chosen for a reason.

Before I begin, can we all just take in this cover. It's so perfect for this book! This was a lot darker than I had initially expected it to be. The word-building in this was interesting, I think the highlight of this book was the magic system. Empaths were people who could siphon other people's emotions and either conjure or destroy with it. The beginning of the story, learning the background of the land and storyline was a bit slow. It picked up once the group was lead into the Reach, and that is when I became invested in the story. It was apparently supposed to be a duology, until it was changed to a stand-alone, so maybe that is why the pacing seemed a bit off at times. I loved the concept of the Reach, it was described really well that I could picture the spooky atmosphere in my head so vividly! The creatures the group encounter in the Reach are creepy and grotesque, and probably my favourite part of the story. There is a lot of blood, gore and body horror in this book, so if that is something that makes you uncomfortable, definitely be aware of that going in.

The biggest downfall to this book, in my opinion, were the characters. Many people are under the assumption that this book has 8 different POVs, but that is not the case. Everything is from Larkin's POV. I never felt truly connected to any of them and didn't care about what happened to them. I feel like with having eight main characters you are following, they need to be fleshed out more in order to feel anything towards them. Each member of the group felt very one-dimensional to me. If I had to pick a favourite, it would probably have been Elf, but again, I didn't really care for any of them.

Overall, it was enjoyable if you like something with a creepy, spooky atmosphere and don't mind a lot of gore. ...more

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Dec 12, 2019 Vee_Bookish rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Oh, I really liked this one. It's like those cool vintage dungeon games where you walk around various levels trying not to get eaten by monsters. Cock full of gore and horror, and somehow reminded me of early 90s fantasy books too. Definitely one to re-read.

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Jul 21, 2019 Celia McMahon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the chance to review this title ahead of its release date.

Contrary to what many of you are posting, this book has only one POV with Larkin. It is written in the third person.

Overview:

EIGHT WILL FALL follows Larkin who, as an Empath, is suppressed by the queen of her kingdom, along with others like her. She and her brother are forced to work the mines to survive. Larkin has a bit of a temper (for good reason) and one day she uses magic against an ...more

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Jan 01, 2019 Ashlee » Library In The Country marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Read the synopsis on Edelweiss ... this sounds awesome!

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Jan 11, 2020 Beatrice in Bookland rated it it was ok · review of another edition

"There is no such thing as courage without fear, after all."

This book is pitched as "Six of Crows meets Suicide Squad" and let me tell you, the publisher is a fucking liar.

First of all, this book wishes it had a squad half as good as Leigh Bardugo's. Here, we have 8 protagonists, but not really tho: the entire book is from Larkin's pov and she's clearly the protagonist. She's also bland and uninteresting. But were we supposed to feel something for these 8 characters? According to the author yes, ...more

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Nov 13, 2019 Shelley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: received-for-review, young-adult-fantasy, 2019-release

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5

*Thoughts*

Eight Will Fall, by author Sarah Harian, is pitched as Six of Crows meets Suicide Squad, but actually shares no similarities with either. The story follows 17-year-old Larkin who lives in the Demura Isles with her family. Larkin is an Empath, a person who has the ability to project emotions called destruction magic. In this reality, empaths have no rights. They can't get an education. They can't be caught using any magic since ...more

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Jul 11, 2019 turniip added it · review of another edition

This book took so much effort to read, I feel like I ran a marathon in 350 pages.

Eight Will Fall follows Larkin, an Empath miner living on an island country where her magic is outlawed. Allowed to live as long as she's documented and does the jobs the crown demands, she lives an impoverished life with her family until she breaks the law by using magic. She is immediately arrested and her brother is held in prison while she is forced to traverse the deep caverns of The Reach with six other This book took so much effort to read, I feel like I ran a marathon in 350 pages.

Eight Will Fall follows Larkin, an Empath miner living on an island country where her magic is outlawed. Allowed to live as long as she's documented and does the jobs the crown demands, she lives an impoverished life with her family until she breaks the law by using magic. She is immediately arrested and her brother is held in prison while she is forced to traverse the deep caverns of The Reach with six other Empaths and a scholar, searching for a man-turned-god by legends, a man who their queen is convinced has a reign of evil below ground.

I promise I don't hate every book, I just liked one!!! This book just... whew, didn't work at all for me.

The world-building: I told my boyfriend that this plot was both insanely obvious while making absolutely no sense at once, something that should be a feat. I am not going to spoil it - but this book introduces lore as a story and then insists on making it so relevant to the plot without any emotional weight. The "twists" had so little context outside of the lore that it made no sense why I was supposed to care - more buildup would have been GREATLY appreciated. The beginning was a fine enough setup, but I think the exposition cut off too early and then the developing plot needed more in order for the reveals to do anything but annoy me.

The descriptions: this book is meant to be "gorey" but the descriptions left me completely missing what entirely was supposed to be going on until I reread it. That's a personal style thing, honestly, and it will definitely work for some people. For me, I couldn't really understand what picture was being painted - I felt like I was missing half of the image, and I've never been good at imagining scenes as they're written in books anyway.

The characters: there is, of course, a level of instalove in this book and I could have done without it. The characters, save one (Jacque), felt very one dimensional and placed on the page to serve their purpose. There were no layers beyond what they were described as, and even when a character would have a "twist" revealed about them, I didn't care enough about them to be shocked by the development. I was in a constant state of hoping the twists would add layers to them, give me some dynamics to latch on to, but they never did. Spoiler but (view spoiler)

The plot: I can't get into this much without spoilers, so I'll be brief. The premise of the plot holds no weight for me - I don't care about people who existed 1000 years ago if we only know of them from one story and have no attachment to them, for good or worse. If the past is going to be so important in the present, flashbacks could have been useful here. Hell, the scholar had a bunch of journals he carted around - maybe reading out scenes that gave us the disciples personalities, ideas about what made them tick, ANYTHING would have helped me. Instead I got emotionless info-dumping throughout our cast of characters that just gave me the information without raising the stakes.

I don't usually format my thoughts that way but I felt it was important to tick each off. I can't think of more than one thing I liked about this book (a closing moment with Jacque was nice), and I can't believe it took me so long to slug through it. I hope this book finds its audience, but I really don't wanna think about it ever again.

1/5 ...more

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Jan 05, 2020 Beth rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2020-reads, nope, book-subscritpions, 2-stars, january-reads, lgbtqa

2 Stars

Trigger Warning for; graphic violence | gore | body horror | torture | character death | emotional abuse (off page) | scenes of war (Taken from Sarah Harians page)

Okay, I don't even know where to begin. I think because this came in a subscription box, and all of the books but one had been very good... with two or three making it into my favourite reads last year I thought nothing could go wrong with this surely? However I was sadly wrong. I think my issue was that I just wasn't invested 2 Stars

Trigger Warning for; graphic violence | gore | body horror | torture | character death | emotional abuse (off page) | scenes of war (Taken from Sarah Harians page)

Okay, I don't even know where to begin. I think because this came in a subscription box, and all of the books but one had been very good... with two or three making it into my favourite reads last year I thought nothing could go wrong with this surely? However I was sadly wrong. I think my issue was that I just wasn't invested and slightly bored. The characters (minus a few) were flat, the romance flat and I think one of the key things I love about reading is being able to have some form of a connection to a character, whether I like them or dislike but I honestly was like meh. Out of all of the characters I only liked Tamsyn, Elf and Jacques and we didn't really see enough of them to actually care a lot for them.

I will say however the premise IS interesting, we get to know that the characters have I'd like to say a certain ability I guess and can harvest peoples emotions and then things progress from there. The setting was very dark and twisted and there was a lot of violent antics throughout. I'm not sure if I missed it or I miss read it, but I'm not really sure WHY these things happen, we do find some form of a back story to something but I don't know why certain things happen.

Along with this I found some things to be slightly confusing, just that when I read a certain part I believed they were leaving someone behind and then the next instance someone was pulling them along soooooo... I don't really know?

I would normally go into characters but there's a lot and to be honest I don't really know what to say for the majority of them so I'm just going to say something about the main character Larkin. She is an Empath who is arrested (once again not sure how she was found) and is then sent on a mission below the surface. We see her kind of bond with characters and her and Brielle had a kind of sister sister friendship. I liked the idea of her family relations and how she'd always think of them in times of need.

Overall I'm not really sure if this was a me not the book kind of thing, HOWEVER I did see this was supposed to be a duology, I think if that had been the case the book would of been a lot better. I say this because things seemed to happen quite quickly (particularly towards the end) and we could of got to know the characters a lot more. Once again this is just a personal opinion in the sense I wanted more from the characters. ...more

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Jan 08, 2020 BoMo rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-stars, 2020, ya-fantasy, magic

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. (3,5 stars)

"There is no such thing as courage without fear, after all."

Well that was certainly a different book than my usual retellings. I found the setting very promising and I liked the way the magical system worked.
Unfortunately after a strong start the story started to become kind of repetitive. The same thing, the same type of death happened again and again and again. It somehow felt like playing a rather bland computer game - every new level looked alike and at the end you had to defeat ⭐️⭐️⭐️(3,5 stars)

"There is no such thing as courage without fear, after all."

Well that was certainly a different book than my usual retellings. I found the setting very promising and I liked the way the magical system worked.
Unfortunately after a strong start the story started to become kind of repetitive. The same thing, the same type of death happened again and again and again. It somehow felt like playing a rather bland computer game - every new level looked alike and at the end you had to defeat the same opponent over and over again.

The idea that our eight "willing" participants actually turned out to be descendants of the original eight criminals was interesting, I just wished it would have been executed in a different way.
I mean, was anyone surprised that Larkin turned out to be the descendants of our main antagonist?

Larkin was a rather typical ya girl and in my opinion the book would have benefited from more than one POV. It would have been interesting to see what the others felt or how they experienced the cave and it’s horrors.
Sadly I couldn’t connect with any of them and I wasn’t invested enough in their storylines to feel anything rather than growing boredom when most of them met their demise.
Also that whole storyline surrounding Elf and her wings was extremely strange and weird and confusing. I just don’t get why she had the urge to "do" this! Just to turn her into an actual elf?

Another weak plot point was the spy storyline. It wasn’t that hard to figure out just who the spy was...and I have no idea why introducing a spy was necessary when the Queen planned to kill them all if they would survive?!

The Queen itself was a stereotypical villain and the big reveal surrounding her true identity came as no surprise.

What actually surprised me the most was that I found the lovestory unnecessary.... and everyone who knows me knows just how much I love a good lovestory.
In that particular scenario it felt rather forced, bordered on insta love and left me feeling nothing at all.

It was refreshing to see that this was a standalone even if the ending kind of left open possibilities for another story.
...more

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Jan 19, 2020 Shelby (Grace with Books) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, reviewed-books, book-i-own

I thought this book was inventive and interesting! Sarah did a wonderful job world-building and I thought the plot was interesting and the character development was well fleshed out. However, this book just really was not for me. I appreciated the innovative plot and writing style, I just couldn't really get myself to care for the characters or feel sadness when they died. Also since this was standalone, I did feel as though the ending was very rushed, I think if she had taken more time or even ...more

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Jan 10, 2020 Cora Tea Party Princess rated it really liked it

I didn't know what to expect going in (one day I will read blurbs. Maybe) but I was definitely not prepared. In a good way.

This is an excellent YA fantasy horror and it ticked all the right boxes for me. It was gruesome without being too graphic, shocking and scary, and I loved the world that was built.

Full review to come.

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Nov 28, 2019 Forever Young Adult added it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-by-mandy-c, horror, fantasy

Graded By: Mandy C.
Cover Story: Mind Cave
BFF Charm: Yay
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Talky Talk: Gory Fantasy
Bonus Factors: Journey to the Center of the Earth, Stand Alone
Relationship Status: Intrigued

Read the full book report here.

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Oct 30, 2019 The Nerd Daily rated it liked it · review of another edition

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Nathalie De Felice

With a nightmare inducing underground realm (really though, don’t read this before bed), this story was definitely a perfect October/fall read for me. Larkin’s fight for survival as she descends into the madness that lurks beneath the kingdom intensifies at each turn of the page. I was glued to my seat as I read this story, wondering just what dangers Larkin and her party will be facing next. If you’re easily triggered by gore, Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Nathalie De Felice

With a nightmare inducing underground realm (really though, don’t read this before bed), this story was definitely a perfect October/fall read for me. Larkin’s fight for survival as she descends into the madness that lurks beneath the kingdom intensifies at each turn of the page. I was glued to my seat as I read this story, wondering just what dangers Larkin and her party will be facing next. If you’re easily triggered by gore, death, and violence, then you might approach this story with caution. While I’m not one that is easily triggered, it’s important to evaluate and make the decision for yourself. However, I do encourage everyone to try this book if you’re into thrilling dark fantasy tales that will give you goosebumps.

In Eight Will Fall, magic is outlawed and eight criminals led by seventeen-year-old Larkin have been sent down into an underground realm to kill the ancient evil plaguing them. As they descend, they must use magic to defend themselves against the unspeakable horrors that they’ll encounter. Larkin will find a friend in Amias, a fellow criminal with a dark and notorious past. Soon they’ll realise their fates, and everyone else’s are entwined in ways they could never have imagined. In order to survive, they must first come to terms with the fact that they weren’t meant to return.

This story caught me by surprise several times, it moves very quickly, but I thought it was fairly easy to follow despite having eight characters to focus on. The story is told through Larkin’s perspective, a young woman disillusioned by life and the kingdom she lives in. Her magic ability is due to the fact that she’s an empath, which allows her to siphon the emotions of others into all sorts of magic. Though she keeps a tight rein on her own emotions, the injustices that she and her family suffer due to who they are make them hard to keep in check. It’s these intense emotions that wind up labelling her as a criminal. There’s a darkness in Larkin that manifests throughout the story, and I’ll admit, I liked that aspect of it quite a bit.

I do wish we’d gotten to know the other characters better, mainly because some of their backstories really jumped off the page, begging to be told. Elfina’s story is one I wish had been more thoroughly explored. Things with the other characters seem to move very quickly, making me wish it were a longer story. Amias and Larkin’s relationship is sweet, moving along the same pace as the story.

Depending on what kind of reader you are, you might be able to see the gore described in this book to perfection. Unfortunately for me, I am that type of reader. I couldn’t unsee some of the descriptions I’d read, again, definitely not a bedtime read. The descriptions of the Reach are vivid, and I was just as desperate as Larkin and her crew to find the escape.

Something I didn’t love about the story was that I never truly felt like I got to know the world that Larkin was a part of. I truly wanted to know a little more about the kingdom aside from the little tidbits that we got here and there. I was also a little disappointed in the magic system, partially because there was so much potential there. If there had been a little bit more explanation on the magic system, I feel like it would have added another dimension to the story.

All in all, I think I would rate this story a 7/10. It’s a fun and fast read, with some really scary elements that will chill readers as they come across them. Again, I would read with caution because of some of the gore, but otherwise, I encourage you to add this to your TBR! ...more

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Aug 08, 2019 Breanna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

THIS REVIEW & MORE Paws and Paperbacks

ARC received through #booksfortrade on Twitter.

Eight Will Fall was a totally fun adventure. The premise follows eight criminals sent into an underground labyrinth with a mission to defeat a magical ancient god that has been destroying their kingdom. Sarah Harian compared it The Descent meets The Goonies and that is such a clever and accurate description of this book!

The worldbuilding was so good. It was pretty simple and easy to follow without being ...more

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Dec 11, 2017 rin (￣ヘ￣) read/watch mo dao zu shi marked it as maybe · review of another edition

this sounds awesome i guess we'll see
(i have soft spot for squads okay)

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Nov 26, 2018 Melanie (TBR and Beyond) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Not sure if I want eight POV's but it sounds cool!

Also, why the hell has someone already rated this three stars.....UGH!

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Mar 03, 2019 Sabrina Ye marked it as to-read · review of another edition

*See the words 'Six of Crows'*

*press to-read button*

That's how it works

...more

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Dec 26, 2019 Jade Edge rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“Courage is the only thing that could drive them deeper.”

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YA Buddy Readers'...: Eight Will Fall by Sarah Harian - Starting December 13th, 2019	3	12	Dec 17, 2019 10:56PM
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About Sarah Harian

Sarah Harian

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Sarah Harian grew up in the foothills of Yosemite and received her B.A. and M.F.A. from Fresno State University. She spends her free time listening to movie scores and dreaming up monsters, and lives with her husband in Portland, Oregon.