Review: Face the Night

Face the Night

Written by: Lani Forbes

Blackstone Publishing

2023

An emotional read, Face the Night is the final novel from Lani Forbes and delivers a fantastic Western-feeling fantasy.

Western and fantasy: I now know books encompassing both exist, but it doesn’t feel like it would be something I would read. Now, Face the Night delivered in ways I didn’t imagine I would enjoy, and I think the core of that has to go with Forbes’ storytelling.

Storytelling

Face the Night goes between Catriona and Adrian’s perspectives.

Catriona is an outlaw, sort of like Robin Hood. As a child, her family was murdered in front of her by someone she thought she could trust, someone who was a friend of the family. But greed can quickly turn anyone into a monster.

So she ran into the night, saved as a child by a band of outlaws, and has been on the run ever since.

But then circumstances put her into the household of the person who killed her family, the person responsible, and also in proximity to her childhood crush, Adrian. Adrian has no idea what his father did; he doesn’t know that he is the monster, but it’s very intense when he discovers that his sister’s new governess is someone he thought was dead.

Great Pacing & Atmosphere

I think the storytelling was powerful in the way it built up who these characters were and how it built up their history with one another. And I also loved the Western feel of the story. Westerns is not really a genre that calls to me. It’s probably one of my least favorite genres because it feels very cheesy, in a way.

And I know that’s a bit of a harsh critique, but that’s just my opinion. It is funny because I watch the occasional Western movie occasionally and enjoy them greatly, but reading them gives an entirely different feel.

But back to my point, I love the way that forms brought this Western atmosphere to life while also not losing that fantasy element.

This is a fantasy book, and you have your main character, Catriona. She was blessed by Saint Prudencia with a gift of foresight. So, the moment danger is about to strike, she is given a vision to avoid danger. I loved that element. I loved the way the saints and the magic really built into the society, the world-building, and the Western feel without taking away from it. The Western element and fantasy element they really did combine beautifully.

And I really love the pacing as well. Forbes has great characterization; she does a fantastic job of building up Catriona and Adrian, as well as their chemistry and the romance between them.

However, the pacing is a big part of why this novel works so well. This novel moves incredibly but slows down at the crucial parts where it should slow down. And it doesn’t disrupt the storytelling; it adds to the rising tension. It makes the story gripping. That pacing and the fluidity in which moves draw you in and keep you captivated and hooked.

Final Thoughts

Face the Night was Lani Forbes’s final novel before she died from her cancer fight. And I think her writing it while she was battling cancer and becoming a new mom really added to that emotional element of the storytelling.

There’s a backstory to this story, which makes it more emotional. It makes it more captivating, and overall, it made it such a fantastic read. So, to know what she went through as she was writing this book, you can see it bleed through the pages. That made me appreciate and love it even more because I heard her in the story. I felt her in these characters, and I think that for this to be her last work, it’s a beautiful piece to live on through.

Cynthia Ayala

Cynthia Ayala-Bujnicki majored in Writing and Publishing from Emerson College. Editor-in-chief of Cyn's Workshop, she loves to read and write while tending to her pepper plants. She currently lives in South Florida with her husband, two kids Dante and Selene and two furbabies Mr. J the Kitten who Thinks He's Batman (yes, that is his full name) and Nyx.