Utterly dreamy and completely spellbinding - Where The Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek Review

A special thanks to Penguin Random House UK and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book to review.

Where the Dark Stands Still is a stunningly crafted, gothic romantic fantasy debut novel by A.B. Poranek, creating a world to step into themed on Slavic Folklore.

I can categorically say, this was one of my favourite reads from the whole of 2023.

I adored everything about this book - the characters, the plot and the pacing. The ending had me in a literal chokehold of emotions. Ended up having to read this in small bursts so I didn’t finish it too quickly.

Am I selfish to say I want another story with these characters in? That I could have spent another 100 or so pages in this world with these characters?

Very excited to see Poranek’s future novels if this debut is anything to go by.

I managed to snag this stunning exclusive edition from Waterstones on pre-order shortly after finishing this ARC. Its proudly displayed on my shelves and it is something every library needs to have and everyone needs to experience.

This graphic and goodreads may say 5 stars, but this is a 6 star read in my heart.