A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed Children of War, an anthology by multiple authors to support the children of Ukraine. One of the authors who contributed to that anthology was Daan Katz. After reading his short story, I was delighted to get the chance to read and review Night’s Reign, book one of the Curse of the Fathers Series.

Night’s Reign

Night’s Reign is the story of Niels, a priest on the run, and Bel, a cantor. Upon meeting, Bel is immediately curious about Niels’ past and starts asking questions. Through these, more and more of Niels’ history is revealed to the reader. As it turns out, Niels’ is not on the run for just anyone: he’s trying to hide from the king and his assassins. As their bond grows, they decide to leave and confront the king. But Niels is not the only one hiding dangerous secrets. With so much at stake, can they end the reign of Night?

An amazing tale

I truly loved this dark fantasy tale, and especially the wonderful representation. I am very much fascinated by mental health topics, so I was very pleased to discover that mental health is such an important topic in this novel. I tend to shy away a bit from adult fantasy because they are often too worldbuilding focused for me, but this was not at all the case here. Mind you, the worldbuilding is still exquisite, but the book was strongly character-focused, which I love and which created the perfect stage to address topics like mental health. I was especially touched by Niels’ description of “overwhelmed”, as that is something I understand very well but which I unfortunately do not encounter often in literature.

I also really appreciated Bel. She’s a strong main character, and she and Niels fit together perfectly as narrators. She’s in a wheelchair, and, at the risk of repeating myself, that’s another element that we don’t see enough yet in books. Double kudos to the author!

Add in dragons, prophecies, destinies, an Erlen King, and a story structure reminiscent of a classical performance, and you have all the ingredients for a unique and wonderful tale. Definitely looking forward to reading more by this author!

Four out of five gemstones!

Age Category: Adult

Representation: wheelchair user, neurodiversity, mental health

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Warnings for graphic violence, sexual assault, suicide, addiction, and mental illness.

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores.

Amazon.nl: Hardcover edition

Amazon.nl: Paperback edition

Amazon.nl: eBook edition

There’s also a large print edition available: Amazon.com: Large Print eBook edition

Similar to this

Enchanted by Daan Katz’s work? Check out his upcoming release, Death and the Maiden. This novel tells the story of a woman who used to be a grandmother…but now is young again. Some of the characters of Night’s Reign also make an appearance in this book. My review can be found here!

Daan Katz also writes poetry and has published several bundles. Night Song is a collection of 46 fantasy cinquains, spanning a broad range of themes. It’s the first book in the Songs of Redemption Series. My review can be found here.

As mentioned at the start of my review, Daan also contributed a story to the Children of War anthology. This collection features short stories in many different genres, including fantasy, historical fiction, literary fiction and memoirs. I cannot recommend this book enough. Not only does it support a great charity (Voices of Children Foundation), it’s also a really good collection of very different stories all connected – in one way or another- to war. My review can be found here.