YA Review: Darker by Four (June CL Tan)

A vengeful girl. A hollow boy. A missing god.

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.

Darker by Four is a mish mash of different ideas, but somehow makes them all work!

In a world where Gods exist and they each have a different role, when one God goes missing, it messed with the order.

Four ushers spirits to the underworld once it’s their time. Without Four and their Reapers, souls are susceptible to become revenants.

Exorcists help deal with random Revenants and protect the human realm. However, when Four disappears, Revenants are more prevalent but are also becoming something more… Hybrids.

We follow Rui who became is a top cadet and her school for Exorcists. After her mother was killed by a hybrid (which no one believes exist), she is focused on revenge. With a high spirit awareness, she finds Zizi who is a magician and tests out spells for him. Rui and Zizi have a strong friendship and connection.

Yiran is a bastard son to the family that runs the exorcist. His half-brother is a prodigy and he has zero spiritual awareness. Disappointing his Grandfather for the last time, he is on the verge of exile.

As Rui goes out to test a spell for Zizi, her and Yiran cross paths and in order to save Yiran’s life, Rui uses the spell on them. This causes Rui’s spiritual magic to travel to Yiran.

Connected now, they must navigate this world, find Four, and figure out how they all fit into each other’s life.

I loved this story and world. It was so interesting and the lore was so rich. There were some revelations that were obvious and some that were not. However, it takes a minute to enjoy all of this.

All of the character, except for Zizi, in the beginning are insufferable. They are quick to temper, entitled, annoying — but as the book went on, their characters grow. Rui and Yiran’s friendship develop as does Rui and Zizi. I’m glad that Rui and Yiran did not end up being the love interest but friends instead. Their relationship works so much better that way.

The story explodes and secrets revealed! I can’t wait to continue this story and see what happens next. Since a lot of the personalities have developed, I am definitely anticipating the next book.

Overall, Darker by Four by June CL Tan was a fun ride. While the beginning was a little rough due to character personalities, the world was always rich. All of the characters developed so well and as the story grew, so did them. This was such great progression! I highly recommend this book if you enjoy demons, death, magic and revelations. You’ll be in for a treat!