"Where Darkness Dwells" an Indie Book Review
after darkness, light
I had the immense privilege of being an ARC reader for
’s debut indie book Where Darkness Dwells.It’s available July 26, 2023; ebook preorders are already available! Trust me, you do not want to miss this beautiful book. And you can sign up for Andrea’s SubStack as well or find her on Instagram at a.renae.author <3
Disclaimer: I’m not being paid to say these things. These are my sincere, heart-felt opinions.
There are so many wonderful, beautiful things I could say about this book. I’m not sure where to begin.
If I could give this book ten stars, I would. This book moved me. It moved me in ways I haven’t been moved since reading The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, which is over 20 years ago now.
I love so many books and can in good faith give them five stars, but it doesn’t mean I’m moved by the themes, characters, or the story. Harry Potter is my go to, cosy/comfort read; it didn’t move me, however.
Where Darkness Dwells did. I don’t say that lightly. I reserve my “top five” as very significant and never expect for them to change (The Lord of the Rings, for instance, has held down the throne of “favourite fictional piece” since 2003; Owl City will never stop being my favourite band).
I can safely say, this is a book that has made my top five favourite fictional books.
I’m not sure what I expected going into this book, but whatever those expectations were, they were not only met but surpassed.
Andrea’s book is deeply symbolic of Reformation and Gospel themes, think The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but much longer (which is a good thing).
And perhaps the way the Gospel themes shine through is what tugged at my heart especially. The author’s heart for the Lord, her desire to glorify God with this story is so obvious. In reading this, I was struck with the fact that this flowed out of a heart that loves the Lord.
The story reminded me of my own testimony, and the way the Lord used Romans to shed light into my legalistic-burdened heart. The yearning to thrive in the light of what Christ did; to look to His life; to trust in His works, not my own; to take on that easy yoke instead of my own, inadequate “good works”… I felt that in the yearning of these characters.
Perhaps that’s one of many reasons this story resonated so deeply with me. The joy and beauty of turning from the metaphorical darkness of our sins to the light of the Gospel is the reality of every believer.
Where Darkness Dwells points to the beauty of the Gospel in ways that are deep, poignant, overt, but not obnoxious. Every word is sincere and heartfelt.
The story is sometimes very literal in its themes: dark verses light. And while the themes are overt, it doesn’t read like a sermon or a Sunday school lesson was cut in— which can be tacky. It never came across as fake or forced.Where Darkness Dwells reads as well as any of Lewis’ metaphorical works.
The internal struggles of the characters were all compelling; the stakes obvious from the start.
This is a world that lives without light; they’re happy with the way things are; residents never thought to question it.
But in stumbles the beauty of the solas: magical creatures of light. And perhaps that light will enact a change deeper than surface level.
Andrea toggles the high stakes of a valley without light without the narrative being action oriented. This isn’t to say the pace is slow, but the style is so engaging, the stakes clear enough, you don’t need action to care about what’s happening.
And that is the mark of an author who handles stories well.
(disclaimer: I fully acknowledge I’m not entirely sure what counts as “action” in books as I define “action” as what is meant by TV shows and movies. Some might read Where Darkness Dwells and believe it’s action driven for a book.)
It’s written in first person, present tense. Andrea’s style reads mostly in an active voice and lyrical; she brings so much beauty to the way she conveys what is happening. And as a wannabe author myself, I’m in awe of how she handles “show, don’t tell”.
Each character has something to wrestle through; something to gain; something to lose; some way to grow… or backslide.
The villain is convincing in his motives, rise to power, and what he’s attempting. The open-ended questions about the villain are obviously meant to be answered later. Questions as to “why is he motivated to pull everyone further into darkness? How did he discover the powers he has? How did this darkness begin to exist in the first place?” But these questions leave you ready for the next book instead of frustrated we don’t have all the answers.
These are the sorts of questions that make you feel the author does, in fact, know exactly where the story is going.
Andrea has such an excellent handle of the theme, the world stakes, character stakes, and where the plot is going… all of these tie together cohesively. Nothing in the flow of the story felt disjointed or out of place. Everything that happened made sense.
My INFJ, metaphor-loving heart always feels starved for deep themes, symbolism, character depth— all of which are beautifully told. I rarely get all of those in one package. My go to “sell out” is anything that’s “character driven”.
There were so many times I was almost in tears over certain, metaphoric passages — especially when it came to the little wren sola (my favourite of the solas <3). The literal, breathless joy I felt every time that sweet songbird fluttered into the darkness of the Vale is nothing short of inspirational.
But Where Darkness Dwells gave me everything I crave from a fantasy book: deep themes, heart-piercing metaphors, and fleshed out characters.
To sum up? Don’t take my word for it. Do yourself a favour. Buy this book! If you love symbolic, meaningful, thematic fantasy, you will not be disappointed. It was everything I hoped it would be, and more!
