Our Radiant Decay by Natalie Ray Review | Where the Light is Lost & the Dark rules…

Review of advanced copy received from Book Sprout

Synopsis

Our Radiant Decay follows Briar, an orphan turned thief who has made it her purpose to protect the children society has forgotten. Known as the Magpie, she steals from the rich to keep her own little found family safe.

When one of her heists goes wrong, Briar is thrown into a dangerous quest with Prince Silas, the Dark Prince. Their kingdom is trapped in darkness after The Split divided the land in two, leaving one side in shadow and the other in constant light. Magic is fading, a plague is spreading and the Ashbrynn King no longer has the power he needs to save his people.

Briar and Silas must travel to Calledora, the Kingdom of Light, to find a possible solution.

Main Character Info

Briar (The Magpie)

• Orphaned as a child and now takes in orphaned children herself.

• Steals from the rich as the Magpie to provide for the children in her care.

Prince Silas (The Dark Prince)

• Main male character, the Dark Prince, tied to the quest Briar is forced into.

• Carries a lot of guilt and responsibility.

Review

I genuinely inhaled this book! For the amount of detail and atmosphere you get, this could so easily have been a 600+ page read but somehow Natalie Ray pulled it all off in under 400 pages with nothing feeling rushed or missed.

The writing is fast paced but the story still feels full and immersive. The world building was vivid from the start, especially the contrast between Ashbrynn, a kingdom trapped in permanent darkness and fog and Calledora, bathed in constant light.

The dark magic woven throughout suits the gothic setting perfectly. It never felt out of place, more like it just belonged there.

Briar was a brilliant main character. She's strong willed, independent and sassy. She works as a thief, known as The Magpie, to provide for the orphaned children in her care. She was orphaned herself as a child and rather than just surviving for herself, she's built her whole life around protecting others.

There is romance, but it is very much a slow burn. The disdain between Briar and Silas is there from the very beginning, the tension is well handled and it's obvious something romantic is coming, but Ray makes you wait for it, giving you the ultimate slow burn. Their relationship develops naturally throughout their journey, as we learn more about both of them alongside the characters themselves.

Both Briar and Silas go through a lot in this story. Briar figures out what she truly wants in life and Silas has to face his inner demons and his past. Their individual journeys felt just as compelling as the romance.

I also loved the overall premise. The fight to restore the light and set right what has been broken felt really meaningful. But the real standout for me was the writing itself. Ray kept me completely immersed throughout and I cannot wait for the sequel.

Who I’d Recommend This Book To

I’d recommend Our Radiant Decay if you like:

• Dark romantasy

• Slow burn

• Enemies to lovers

• Found family

• Dark Magic

Verdict

I loved this! Our Radiant Decay is a very clever and addictive read. Amongst the height of the romantasy genre it holds its own very well.

Our lead characters are well developed and compelling. T he romance is a slooooow burn and I loved it!

This really was a great read from start to finish. The world is rich the story is compelling and the ending will have you craving the sequel!

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

You can buy this title on Amazon. At the time of this review, Our Radiant Decay is also available on Kindle Unlimited.