Hey bookworms!
Today I'm so excited to be talking about one of my most anticipated releases of October, a new story in of my favourite genres by an author whose books I adore- Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat.
Dark Rise is a YA fantasy, the first in a series, and an incredible story with a unique twist on the Chosen One trope. I was huge fan of Pacat's adult fantasy series, The Captive Prince. Truly adored the characters, the chemistry and the politics in that one, and that gave me pretty high expectations for Pacat's next. I'm gonna be very honest and say that Dark Rise wasn't as good The Captive Prince, but as I've generally seen in this author's works- all her first books in a series are the weakest, but they just take great leaps from there. And compared to The Captive Prince, Dark Rise is a lot stronger opening. For now, I'm hoping the same thing happens here and the books keep getting better. With that said, Dark Rise was actually a pretty fun and amazing read.
MY RATING- 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis
The ancient world of magic is no more. Its heroes are dead, its halls are ruins, and its great battles between Light and Dark are forgotten. Only the Stewards remember, and they keep their centuries-long vigil, sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns. Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. When an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, Will is ushered into a world of magic, where he must train to play a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark. As London is threatened by the Dark King’s return, the reborn heroes and villains of a long-forgotten war begin to draw battle lines. But as the young descendants of Light and Dark step into their destined roles, old allegiances, old enmities and old flames are awakened. Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own.
POSITIVES:
Something that I really appreciated about the story was the world-building. Even though the storyline might feel very familiar because of the chosen hero trope, the setting really gives it an extra kick. Unlike a typical heroes quest, a major chunk of the book is set on the sea in a ship. We get to see a vibrant and interesting world full of pirates and priests and magic. Will, our main character, is a very solid and well-rounded character. He has a lot more going on to his personality than just being the chosen hero, and that's something I really liked. The author has not made him perfect. He has his own flaws, and he is doing most of the heavy lifting among all the characters. There is another character, James, that has very a very strong presence in the story, a kind of pull where he takes up your whole attention in a scene. He's not really an antagonist...more of a morally-grey character with the best villain origin story. He has a burning chemistry with Will, the protagonist and the dialogues between them, the push and pull and the way the power dynamics gets flipped is brilliant. That's something I've seen that the author has always been really good at, especially in her Captive Prince series as well. The beginning is very intriguing, the middle is kinda draggy and might turn off a lot of people. I was a little bored myself, but those last 100 pages or so completely blew my mind. They were so gripping and intense and angsty and I loved every second of it. Also, the representation is really great. Our main character, Will, is bisexual and I am here for it! I am also so very, extremely excited for the slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance that the author has hinted at because I can seet it and I WANT it!
COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
I was really disappointed with the character of Violet. At first you really think she's going to be a main character and have a pivotal role in the story. But I felt like she could have just easily been a side character and the chapters from her POV didn't feel as strong or substantial. There was also a chapter or two from the POV of another character that I didn't really understand the point off?
But I think that was really it. It wasn't a five star read, but it came close. I'm so so excited for the sequel. Next year is too far away.
But anyways, highly recommend picking this one up!
Let's Chat!
Thank you so much for reading till here. I hope you enjoyed this post. Don't forget to let me know any of your thoughts in the comments!
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