They Mostly Come Out at Night (Yarnsworld #1), by Benedict Patrick - A review by Diyanosaur
The Book
Synopsis:
He locked himself away from the dark, but in the Magpie King’s forest nowhere is safe…
Lonan is an outcast, accused of letting the monsters that stalk the night into the homes of his fellow villagers. Now, he will not rest until he wins back the heart of his childhood love and reclaims the life that was stolen from him. However, locked safely in his cellar at night, in his dreams Lonan finds himself looking through the eyes of a young prince…
Adahy has a destiny, and it terrifies him. How can he hope to live up to the legend of the Magpie King, to become the supernatural protector of the forest and defender of his people? But when the forest is invaded by an inhuman force, Adahy must rise to this challenge or let the Wolves destroy his people.
Watching these events unfold in his sleep, Lonan must do what he can to protect his village from this new threat. He is the only person who can keep his loved ones from being stolen away after dark, and to do so he will have to earn back their trust or watch the monsters kill everyone that he holds dear.
My Review (5 out of 5 )
It's hard to write a review for a book you loved because there are only so many ways you can say you loved the book without the review getting repetitive. They Mostly Come Out At Night is a dark folklore-inspired book that tells the story of a village terrorized by monsters and one man's attempt to save everything he holds dear to him.
Lonan is the village outcast, believed to be responsible for letting in monsters who killed his father, the village smith. To make matters worse, Lonan doesn't have a Knack, a magical skill that gives you purpose in life. Out of nowhere, he starts getting strange visions of the mysterious Magpie King, who is supposed to be the protector of the forest surrounding their village. It seems as if his fate is intertwined with that of Adahy, the son of the Magpie King. Adahy is in line to be the next Magpie King, and to be a true Magpie King he needs to be tough and fearless, which Adahy is not. This is a story about destiny, protecting the ones you love and a journey to find yourself.
The book does everything right: the plot is intricate, the characters make you root for them, and the atmosphere transports you to the world. The length of the book did not make it less enjoyable, things were wrapped up pretty well within the bounds of 200 pages. The writing was brilliant and brought to life the world of Yarnsworld. The faux folktales within the story were darkly imaginative and served to give the world a richer tone. According to the author, he was inspired by Grimm’s fairytales and Native American folktales for these stories within the story. The stories seem unrelated at first but they tie into the main plot of the story.
My only complaint is that the main character seemed insufferable at the beginning. He had had an unfortunate life and the unfairness of it all had made him bitter. I understood why he was the way he was but that didn't make it easier for me to like him. The silver lining is that he shows some considerable character growth in the story. The world-building is exquisite in this story. The world is rich with culture and history and feels like a real world. It reflects our world in the stories it tells and the themes of otherness and community but feels distinct enough to seem magical and fantastical. The world of Yarnsworld is an enticing one that invites you in and never lets you go. If you don't hear from me in the next couple of days, you know where to find me!
About the reviewer
I'm Diya, a generic nerdy girl from India. I love engaging with and consuming stories in all forms- books, movies, podcasts, comics, etc. Fantasy is my go-to genre but recently I've started exploring Historical Fiction and Horror too. The way to my heart is having an animal companion in your book. You can find me on YouTube and Twitter under the name Diyanosaur. Truth and courage!
The Author/s
Benedict Patrick
Benedict Patrick is from a small town in Northern Ireland called Banbridge, but has been living and working in Scotland since he moved there at the age of eighteen. Tragically, that was quite a while ago.
He has been writing for most of his life, and has been reading for pretty much all of it (with help from mum and dad at the beginning). Benedict's life changed when a substitute primary school teacher read his class part of The Hobbit and later loaned him the book – he fell in love with the fantasy genre and never looked back.
They Mostly Come Out At Night is his debut novel, and is the first novel in The Yarnsworld series.