Dark Rise
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-29 07:19:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：C.S. Pacat
- ISBN：B08RDTKVG6
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Summary
In this stunning new fantasy novel from international bestselling author C。 S。 Pacat， heroes and villains of a long-forgotten war are reborn and begin to draw new battle lines。 This epic fantasy with high-stakes romance will sit perfectly on shelves next to beloved fantasy novels like the Infernal Devices series， the Shadow and Bone trilogy， and the Red Queen series。
Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run， pursued by the men who killed his mother。 Then an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards， who have sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns。 Will is thrust into a world of magic， where he starts training for a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark。
As London is threatened and old enmities 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。
Like V。E。 Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic and Shelby Mahurin’s Serpent & Dove， Dark Rise is more than just high intrigue fantasy—it’s fast-paced， action-packed， and completely surprising。 Readers will love exploring the rich setting of nineteenth-century London。 This thrilling story of friendship， deception， loyalty， and betrayal is sure to find a passionate audience of readers。
Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run， pursued by the men who killed his mother。 Then an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards， who have sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns。 Will is thrust into a world of magic， where he starts training for a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark。
As London is threatened and old enmities 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。
Like V。E。 Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic and Shelby Mahurin’s Serpent & Dove， Dark Rise is more than just high intrigue fantasy—it’s fast-paced， action-packed， and completely surprising。 Readers will love exploring the rich setting of nineteenth-century London。 This thrilling story of friendship， deception， loyalty， and betrayal is sure to find a passionate audience of readers。
Reviews
Shania
，
All I can say is: WHEN IS BOOK 2！ YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME， LIKE REALLY， NO， I REFUSE TO WAIT！In other words I like it。 A lot。 If you want a dark fantasy romp to stop an evil king， then this is the book you wanna grab right now。 All I can say is: WHEN IS BOOK 2！ YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME， LIKE REALLY， NO， I REFUSE TO WAIT！In other words I like it。 A lot。 If you want a dark fantasy romp to stop an evil king， then this is the book you wanna grab right now。 。。。more
Rafael Andrade
，
I loved the story。 There is this lord of the rings vibe that will catch the readers' attention。 I am looking forward to reading the second book。 I loved the story。 There is this lord of the rings vibe that will catch the readers' attention。 I am looking forward to reading the second book。 。。。more
Brittany
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Can a book cure depression？ No， but this one sure got close。 Admittedly I may say that about every good book， but I'm in a dark place and this book was truly a joy to read。I really liked "Captive Prince"。 I enjoyed the parts of "Fence" I've read。 I love this book。 It's not just in the way it's possibly a love letter to nerdy stuff I grew up with， but also in the way it read like poetry， particularly in the second half， much like "The Last Unicorn" always did。I love all the characters （Violet， Wi Can a book cure depression？ No， but this one sure got close。 Admittedly I may say that about every good book， but I'm in a dark place and this book was truly a joy to read。I really liked "Captive Prince"。 I enjoyed the parts of "Fence" I've read。 I love this book。 It's not just in the way it's possibly a love letter to nerdy stuff I grew up with， but also in the way it read like poetry， particularly in the second half， much like "The Last Unicorn" always did。I love all the characters （Violet， Will， James， Cyprian， Justice， Devon。。。）。 I love the world-building。 I love how it feels nostalgic - like how reading new fantasy stories as a kid felt。 Not that this isn't a book adults can enjoy， but that it just had that kind of whimsical feeling a lot of truly good fantasy has， and that I read a lot more when I was younger。 But told in a more subversive light that I can better appreciate now。Perhaps my biggest criticism is that the first。。。 1/3 or so feels kind of slow？ （And a lot happens in that first 1/3， so that may just be a personal thing）。 But I was still curious to keep going， and sticking through it is incredibly rewarding。 And that first 1/3 is still quite enjoyable。 The second half of the story packs a wallop。The way Pacat sprinkles hints of things throughout is quite amazing。 I guessed a lot of things early on because of them， though one particular reveal might have been a mix of reading previews and peaking at the end， so I could spot the hints as I came across them。 It felt like a fun mystery novel in that sense。 I'm usually not good at that kind of thing， so it was nice。 Truly， really great job。One pairing does remind me of "Captive Prince"， and honestly I just want to read more about them。 Hoping we get more of them next book。 It's just wonderful。 And all the relationships in this are excellent。 There are a lot of beautiful lines in this that I'm not going to quote because this is already too spoilery for my comfort。 Truly a well-written， amazing story， that I plan to read again soon。 Look forward to the rest of the series。 。。。more
Samantha
，
Thrilling， captivating， intriguing and full of darkness this book had me hooked from the start！ This book was my first C。S。 Pacat read and I absolutely enjoyed it！ I started this and couldn’t put it down！ The story was interesting and something unique and different。 Will may be a sixteen year old dock boy but he becomes so much more in this story。 He lost his mother and discovered that she was murdered by the men who are now after him。 Through this he discovers the stewards and realises there is Thrilling， captivating， intriguing and full of darkness this book had me hooked from the start！ This book was my first C。S。 Pacat read and I absolutely enjoyed it！ I started this and couldn’t put it down！ The story was interesting and something unique and different。 Will may be a sixteen year old dock boy but he becomes so much more in this story。 He lost his mother and discovered that she was murdered by the men who are now after him。 Through this he discovers the stewards and realises there is so much more to this world than he ever thought。 This YA Fantasy may just be one of my favourites！ I can’t wait for the next book in this trilogy because it is no doubt going to be just as amazing！ 。。。more
Fen'Harel
，
Dark Rise by CS Pacat is one of those brooding novels that will easily be on your favourite shelf within minutes of opening it。 Pacat is an expert craftsperson， with an exceptional way of creating characters that speak to us from the first page。Will was our mysterious protagonist， with a dark past and potentially an even darker future。 But， like with popular favourites like The Raven Boys and Six of Crows， we get to read from multiple points of view。 This way of reading is one of my favourites a Dark Rise by CS Pacat is one of those brooding novels that will easily be on your favourite shelf within minutes of opening it。 Pacat is an expert craftsperson， with an exceptional way of creating characters that speak to us from the first page。Will was our mysterious protagonist， with a dark past and potentially an even darker future。 But， like with popular favourites like The Raven Boys and Six of Crows， we get to read from multiple points of view。 This way of reading is one of my favourites as not only do you get a firmer grasp on each of the characters， you also get to pick a favourite and go on their separate journey with them。Violet was another protagonist we follow and she easily became my favourite。 Like a pig raised for slaughter （you'll understand when you read it） she fights her way free and makes friends and long lasting connections。Katherine had a compelling and long-lasting influence on the series。 The second we got inside her head I knew she was someone to not be ignored。We get to meet fantastical characters like Justice （I saw him first so hands off！）， delve into the world of stewards and lions and final flames， and if you're really good， you might be able to see a unicorn！If I were giving this a rating out of five stars， it's easily five！ If you want to call me bias， I guess you'll just have to prove me wrong by going out and grabbing a copy！**Thank you to Allen & Unwin Australia for the Advance Reading Copy** 。。。more
Mint
，
I should preface this with the fact that my expectation for this book was ridiculously and impossibly high。 C。S。 Pacat is my favorite author。 Captive Prince is my favorite story ever， and I love Fence with all my heart。 I anticipated this so intensely and for so long。 It was to the point where I thought， with expectation like this， would it even be possible for the actual book to impress me？The answer: YES。 YES。 and YES。Now， let me try to rant about my messy feelings， hopefully without spoiling I should preface this with the fact that my expectation for this book was ridiculously and impossibly high。 C。S。 Pacat is my favorite author。 Captive Prince is my favorite story ever， and I love Fence with all my heart。 I anticipated this so intensely and for so long。 It was to the point where I thought， with expectation like this， would it even be possible for the actual book to impress me？The answer: YES。 YES。 and YES。Now， let me try to rant about my messy feelings， hopefully without spoiling the important stuffs。I think the strongest aspect of this book is the characters。 It is very rare for me to read YA fictions and not be annoyed by the protagonists。 But this book writes every single character so well。 Their personalities， values， and abilities are written very consistently， and their relationships are all so complex and full of tension。 There are no characters that act emotionally and stupidly just for the sake of moving the plot forward or intensifying the drama。 Everyone is really trying their best here， bringing everything they have to the table。 I somehow root for every kid in the story， and that has never happened with YA books before。 I don't think I'll shut up about them until the next book comes out。Honestly， I went into this book already expecting to fall in love with James， based on all the spoilers I got before reading。 And he is now my precious baby - I want to give him a lot of warm hugs and hot chocolates and protect him from the world。 But this is to be expected。 What I didn't<\i> expect at all is how much I would like Will！ From the synopsis and all the spoilers， he sounded like another copy of the usual male protagonist in fantasy story - you know， the poor boys that can randomly do magic for plot convenience and make a lot of brave but stupid decisions。 But no。 Will is smart， logical， and calm。 And he is passionate， too， of course， but in a calm and smart way。 I kept getting surprised by his competence over and over again。 THIS！ This is what I've always hoped the chosen one would be like。 Plus， his relationship with James is just SO DELICIOUS！ Their tension？ *chef kiss* I can't wait to read more about them in the next books。 Other than the characters， I think the worldbuilding is neat。 Nothing too surprising。 I like the Victorian London setting （the map is so gorgeous！） I think it fits the mood of the story well， like it somehow makes sense for all these things would happen in that city at that time。 As for the plot， there are a few twists that really surprised me （made me scream and jump around my bedroom like a madman for a few minutes）， and there are a few that got foreshadowed enough that I managed to guess correctly （I initially thought they were absurd and wasn't willing to believe that they would be true - C。S。 Pacat really knows how to play with my heart。） Personally， I find stories with too many surprising twists to be convoluted。 I like to predict things right about half the time。 So， I would say that the plot of this book is done just right for me。My only complaint is that the next book is not here yet！ And I'll have to prepared to be haunted by the ending of this book for a long， long time。。。 。。。more
Laney
，
This is the Fantasy book I've been waiting for。 Dark Rise has it all; secret societies， the chosen one， dark magic， plot twists， second chances， and a diverse cast of characters！ The middle of the book did drag on a little， as there were a lot of pieces being lined up。 But once the pace picked up again， I couldn't put the book down。 The character relationships were so well developed （slow burn romance， anyone？）， I became really invested in them。 While not quite a cliffhanger， I definitely have s This is the Fantasy book I've been waiting for。 Dark Rise has it all; secret societies， the chosen one， dark magic， plot twists， second chances， and a diverse cast of characters！ The middle of the book did drag on a little， as there were a lot of pieces being lined up。 But once the pace picked up again， I couldn't put the book down。 The character relationships were so well developed （slow burn romance， anyone？）， I became really invested in them。 While not quite a cliffhanger， I definitely have some burning questions about that ending， and can't wait for book 2！！ Pls tell me it's not far away 😭 😂Thank you @allenandunwin for sending me a copy of this book。 。。。more
Tayler
，
i might round this up to five stars。 Maybe。 I can’t decide。 BUT HOLY SHIT。 This book was wild。 It’s literally Lord of the Rings meets National Treasure meets A Darker Shade of Magic？ And I am completely speechless。
Strain
，
You know it's good when you finish a book and out loud go， "WHAT。" A sure sign I was engaged and now have to wait for another one。 You know it's good when you finish a book and out loud go， "WHAT。" A sure sign I was engaged and now have to wait for another one。 。。。more
Maxamaris
，
rip me waiting for book 2 THANKS
zahraa
，
“I’m here to follow you”“Of course you are。”Wow。 I didn’t plan on enjoying this book that much。 I’ve been in a fantasy slump but this was just great。 On the run since his mother’s death， Will wasn’t sure where to go， until he was knocked out， and chained at the bottom of a ship。 Meeting enemies， friends and even lovers （yes， plural） Will learns about his destiny to cease the attempts on reincarnating the infamous Dark King， and what he must do to fulfill it。 After all， it is his destiny， right？L “I’m here to follow you”“Of course you are。”Wow。 I didn’t plan on enjoying this book that much。 I’ve been in a fantasy slump but this was just great。 On the run since his mother’s death， Will wasn’t sure where to go， until he was knocked out， and chained at the bottom of a ship。 Meeting enemies， friends and even lovers （yes， plural） Will learns about his destiny to cease the attempts on reincarnating the infamous Dark King， and what he must do to fulfill it。 After all， it is his destiny， right？Let me tell you; that ending was the LAST thing I expected from this。 I should’ve predicted it， but wow I definitely didn’t。 The plot twists， the DEATH， the grey characters ？？ This was great。 The writing was marvellous， both fast paced and entertaining！ The plot was unique and kept me interested。 The characters were great， even sometimes surprising me！ Okay finally， everyone is just in love with Will， right ？ That MUST be a fact。 Second， James and Will endgame ？？ Also Cyprian and Violet ？？Anyways， I loved this and I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel！！ Release date: September 28th 2021 ！ 。。。more
Andi
，
I finished this book cackling like an idiot。Character A: I was a good person！ I did this and that， and it worked out okay in the end。 [after figuring out that they did not do everything good， and it backfired in their face and that everyone is fucked and there is no way to stop it]Character B: OH MY GOD。 I am free to choose my own path！ Character A: Um。Character B: I CAN CHOOSE MY OWN DESTINY！Character A: 。。。Character B: I CHOOSE YOU BECAUSE YOU LET ME BE ME！Character A: LarryDavidConfused。gifSo I finished this book cackling like an idiot。Character A: I was a good person！ I did this and that， and it worked out okay in the end。 [after figuring out that they did not do everything good， and it backfired in their face and that everyone is fucked and there is no way to stop it]Character B: OH MY GOD。 I am free to choose my own path！ Character A: Um。Character B: I CAN CHOOSE MY OWN DESTINY！Character A: 。。。Character B: I CHOOSE YOU BECAUSE YOU LET ME BE ME！Character A: LarryDavidConfused。gifSo naturally， I am picking up book two because I gotta see how this gets worse。 。。。more
lottie
，
hmm ！
Kat
，
Only gonna read this for my blog！
DK
，
*I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*Absolutely fantastic！ This book captured me with its compelling and complex characters and enchanted me with its magical world building and lore。 Dark Rise is reminiscent of classic light vs dark stories such as The Dark is Rising and The Lord of the Rings （two of my favorites）， but is very much its own story and brings something new and exciting to the genre。 For one， it's twisty and full of shocking revelations that not only u *I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*Absolutely fantastic！ This book captured me with its compelling and complex characters and enchanted me with its magical world building and lore。 Dark Rise is reminiscent of classic light vs dark stories such as The Dark is Rising and The Lord of the Rings （two of my favorites）， but is very much its own story and brings something new and exciting to the genre。 For one， it's twisty and full of shocking revelations that not only upend the characters but the reader as well。 Secondly， the world and characters are much more diverse than classics。 And， unlike other books I've read in this genre， the characters in Dark Rise are not what you'd expect。 They're neither wholly good or bad and they all have to wrestle with their pasts and their fates。 I loved reading that internal struggle just as much as I loved the thrilling action and intrigues。 At its core， Dark Rise gets to the heart of what it means to be a chosen one， as well as the role of nature vs nurture， free will vs fate。 Full of searingly beautiful moments， heartache， loss， deep friendships， and a riveting plot， Dark Rise is a thrilling start to a new series and will leave you begging for the sequel！ 。。。more
Liliana
，
3。5 StarsTaking place in 19th century England， this book begins with torture and intrigue。 Immediately we’re dropped into a London full of smog and flickering lanterns。 The world is cold and merciless， setting the stage for an epic battle between good and evil。 Will， the protagonist， finds himself hiding in London after his mother is murdered。 It doesn’t take long for Will’s enemies to find him and when they do Will is thrust into a magical world he didn’t know existed。 He is revealed to be the 3。5 StarsTaking place in 19th century England， this book begins with torture and intrigue。 Immediately we’re dropped into a London full of smog and flickering lanterns。 The world is cold and merciless， setting the stage for an epic battle between good and evil。 Will， the protagonist， finds himself hiding in London after his mother is murdered。 It doesn’t take long for Will’s enemies to find him and when they do Will is thrust into a magical world he didn’t know existed。 He is revealed to be the last champion for the Light， the last barrier standing between the world that he knows and one that is ruled by the Dark King， a creature seeking to enslave all of humanity for his own greed。 Will’s story begins to gain momentum when he meets Violet and Justice。 The friendship between Will and Violet is arguably the most interesting relationship in this whole book。 It develops naturally and is refreshingly platonic。 In fact， the romantic relationship in this novel is only barely present and pales in comparison to the bonds between friends。 The bond that the Stewards have with each other as they prepare to fight against the darkness feels deeper and more genuine than the relationship between the protagonist and his love interest。 Part of this may be due to the writing itself。 The characters and plot do the heavy lifting in this novel。 The writing is often repetitive and excessively descriptive in a way that pulls you out of the story。 There are gaps in the narrative or too easy coincidences that are explained away with vague sentences such as the characters “feeling the truth。” These easy solutions leave the feeling that the characters don’t really have to work for their victories and that is unsatisfying。 Given that this tendency to underdevelop solutions and oversimplify conflict is the largest flaw of the book， the ending is a shocking and pleasant surprise。 Although not completely unexpected， the plot twist sneaks up on you in a way that many of the other plot twists didn’t。 The twist at the ending suddenly explains so many of the parts of the narrative that didn’t feel right。 It was only at the end that I thought “Ah， there’s the C。S。 Pacat novel I was expecting。” With a twist like that， there’s no other choice but to anxiously await the sequel。 。。。more
Michelle
，
Review to come。
Rt
，
Will is on the run from Simon， a magician of some kind who killed his mother and wants to kill him。 Will is the descendant of the Lady， who defeated the Dark King， and he’s supposed to fight the reborn/resurrected Dark King， but can’t figure out how to do it。 Violet is the illegitimate daughter of a merchant who works for Simon; she shares her half brother’s unnatural strength and wants to follow in his footsteps， but a chance encounter with Will changes her course。 It starts as a fairly standar Will is on the run from Simon， a magician of some kind who killed his mother and wants to kill him。 Will is the descendant of the Lady， who defeated the Dark King， and he’s supposed to fight the reborn/resurrected Dark King， but can’t figure out how to do it。 Violet is the illegitimate daughter of a merchant who works for Simon; she shares her half brother’s unnatural strength and wants to follow in his footsteps， but a chance encounter with Will changes her course。 It starts as a fairly standard “chosen one” narrative， but takes some interesting turns along the way。 Decent YA; violence but not sexualized （there is a bit of close-to-chaste consensual kissing）。 。。。more
Amanda Morris Bledsoe
，
Typically I go into a book blind and Dark Rise was no different。 I liked the authors' previous work and Dark Rise was no different。 The characters were complex and had multiple dimensions， even when following the typical YA tropes of an Orphaned Chosen One， Finding Out Your Family is Evil， and even the Golden Savior trope。 With unlikely friends， found family， last of their kind， and reluctant hero tropes tossed in， I was leery of it being too predictable but I was thrown off cliffs of the unexpe Typically I go into a book blind and Dark Rise was no different。 I liked the authors' previous work and Dark Rise was no different。 The characters were complex and had multiple dimensions， even when following the typical YA tropes of an Orphaned Chosen One， Finding Out Your Family is Evil， and even the Golden Savior trope。 With unlikely friends， found family， last of their kind， and reluctant hero tropes tossed in， I was leery of it being too predictable but I was thrown off cliffs of the unexpected every step of the way。 I cannot wait to see Will， Violet， and Cyphian in the next installment。 。。。more
Moirra Garcia
，
Yes， it's gay。[full review soon！] Yes， it's gay。[full review soon！] 。。。more
Kera’s Always Reading
，
How am I supposed to wait until the next book in this series comes out？！？！ This book has left me reeling and in desperate need for MORE！This book perfectly personifies what blurring the lines between good and evil looks like。 Good and bad， light and dark… Most of the time， even the villain in a story believes that they are right and just。 It’s in those gray areas that this book shines。This book is all about old forgotten magic and kings of old。 The world in which these characters live is differe How am I supposed to wait until the next book in this series comes out？！？！ This book has left me reeling and in desperate need for MORE！This book perfectly personifies what blurring the lines between good and evil looks like。 Good and bad， light and dark… Most of the time， even the villain in a story believes that they are right and just。 It’s in those gray areas that this book shines。This book is all about old forgotten magic and kings of old。 The world in which these characters live is different from how it was years and years and years ago。 There is no longer magic。 There is just lore and stories… until those magical beings of old are beginning to be reborn into new bodies。 Will is a chosen one of sorts。 He is a teenage boy who watched his mother die。 But she was a legend in her own way， he comes to learn。 Her blood was something special and he is now the last of her blood， said to be the one who stops the Dark King from rising again。James is one of those in favor of bringing the Dark King back。 While he may be close to Will’s age， the two couldn’t be more different。 He is The Betrayer。 Reborn from long ago， he was the the one closest to the Dark King。 He was his closest ally。 And he is bringing about his own dastardly plans…This story is told from a handful of different narrators and I loved each of them for what they were able to bring to the story。 Victoria may have been my favorite， though。 She was a cast away in her own home and she discovered her own inner strength and power。 And instead of following the path of her family， she seeks a new purpose helping Will stop this evil from seeing the light of day。 I do encourage anyone looking for adventure， looking for both light in the darkness and shadow in the light， to pick this book up and read it。 You won’t be sorry。 Because as soon as you think you have a grasp on good and bad， think again。I listened to the audiobook and the narration of Christian Coulson was absolute perfection。 。。。more
Leanna
，
Very enjoyable read。 As the title implies， it’s quite dark for a YA novel but it shines in that， despite the darkness of the book， the characters still truly read as young adults。 Dark Rise turns a lot of the tropes of its genre up on their heads， making for a very interesting read。 The ending was incredible and I’m very upset that I’m going to have to wait probably another year or more for the sequel。
Brady
，
I got the Arc off of Netgalley， these opinions are my own。 This book was so good！ It had the good vs evil， light vs dark thing， but all the characters were more nuanced then that！ Really showed that often the world is in shades of grey！ And it leaves the reader thinking a lot about nature vs nurture！ I loved all the main characters， though Katherine did bug me！ But Will， Violet， and Cyprian were all amazing！ All of them were a testament to inner strength！ And I also foresee great things from Eli I got the Arc off of Netgalley， these opinions are my own。 This book was so good！ It had the good vs evil， light vs dark thing， but all the characters were more nuanced then that！ Really showed that often the world is in shades of grey！ And it leaves the reader thinking a lot about nature vs nurture！ I loved all the main characters， though Katherine did bug me！ But Will， Violet， and Cyprian were all amazing！ All of them were a testament to inner strength！ And I also foresee great things from Elizabeth she was a quiet badass （maybe not so quiet！） The book also had a lot of sad moments in it， more sad because of how people can let you down！ Like James， a product of what others made him。 I loved the James/Will interactions… I’m hoping that relationship develops further in upcoming books！ The twist in the book， I didn’t see coming！ And now I’m left pondering in which direction I wanted the series to progress！ C。S。 Pacat had me on edge through out most of this book， I can’t wait to see what comes next！ I also can’t wait to have an copy of this book in my hand！ 。。。more
Sarah Anne Ross （farfromsarah）
，
Everything about this book was entirely unexpected in the best way possible， it smashed through all of my expectations and has ended up being one of the best books I have read this year。
Laura
，
4。6/5 ⭐️I just finished this book about 5 minutes ago and I am reeling。 I am devastated。 I am amazed。 I don’t think I’m going to recover from reading this for a long time。 ‘Dark Rise’ isn’t even out yet， but I need book 2 right now。 Will is a 16 year old boy on the run from men who killed his mother。 He doesn’t know why he’s pursued nor does he know the secrets his mother kept from him。 When an old servant tells Will of his destiny to fight with a long forgotten group of warriors called the Stew 4。6/5 ⭐️I just finished this book about 5 minutes ago and I am reeling。 I am devastated。 I am amazed。 I don’t think I’m going to recover from reading this for a long time。 ‘Dark Rise’ isn’t even out yet， but I need book 2 right now。 Will is a 16 year old boy on the run from men who killed his mother。 He doesn’t know why he’s pursued nor does he know the secrets his mother kept from him。 When an old servant tells Will of his destiny to fight with a long forgotten group of warriors called the Stewards， his life is thrust into chaos and a world of magic。 Dark forces are rising and Will might be the only one with a chance to stop them。 When I first started reading this book it felt comfortably familiar。 I thought it was gearing up to be your typical ‘chosen one has to train to defeat the evil’ kind of trope。 I tend to enjoy this storyline， so I strapped myself in for a typical YA fantasy read。 But boy was I wrong。 After a while the familiarity diverged and a deeper， darker and completely different story emerged。 It was more complex than I had thought， it was unexpected and most importantly it was extremely addictive。 The characters were immediately likeable。 They were brave， interesting and relatable。 I was rejoicing with them and I was despairing with them。 I really rooted for these teens who had the weight of the world on their shoulders。 The writing was immersive and descriptive and didn’t leave any room for distraction。I highly commend C。 S。 Pacat for creating such a well thought out novel with twists that left me dumbfounded。 ‘Dark Rise’ is a must read for fantasy lovers。 It may be categorised as YA， but it felt extremely accessible to all ages。 I believe this comes out on the 28th of September so please pre-order this hell of a book！ You won’t regret it。 。。。more
Susan
，
CS Pacat is a monster。
Daryan
，
thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC！this book started out really strong， dragged a bit through the middle， and then had an AMAZING ending！ i was attached to our main character will right away and immediately wanted to learn more about him。 i loved how this book took its time revealing things because at no point did i think i knew where the story was going。 there are twists and turns throughout the whole book but the plot twist at the end quite literally TOO thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC！this book started out really strong， dragged a bit through the middle， and then had an AMAZING ending！ i was attached to our main character will right away and immediately wanted to learn more about him。 i loved how this book took its time revealing things because at no point did i think i knew where the story was going。 there are twists and turns throughout the whole book but the plot twist at the end quite literally TOOK MY BREATH AWAY。 i know i'm going to be thinking about that twist for a long time and i need the second book NOW。 my main complaint with this book is i think it was a little over its head with the world building as sometimes i was getting confused about how the magic system worked and who exactly each character was。 overall though， i thought this was a great first book to a new series and i can't wait for more！ 。。。more
Jessica Paul
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This YA light-fantasy novel is Lord of the Rings meets Arthurian legend。 It poses big philosophical questions。 Is Evil nature or nurture？ Is there such a thing as fate？ Do the ends always justify the means？ And if not， who decides when not。 Its complex， eloquent and will completely suck you in。Its a slow burn but I've found myself thinking back on it multiple times since I finished it。 I wish books like this were available when I was a kid， the characters are deep， interesting and diverse。 This This YA light-fantasy novel is Lord of the Rings meets Arthurian legend。 It poses big philosophical questions。 Is Evil nature or nurture？ Is there such a thing as fate？ Do the ends always justify the means？ And if not， who decides when not。 Its complex， eloquent and will completely suck you in。Its a slow burn but I've found myself thinking back on it multiple times since I finished it。 I wish books like this were available when I was a kid， the characters are deep， interesting and diverse。 This is going to be big， I'm calling it now。 I'll be keeping my eye out the the sequel。 Releases 28th September 2021 。。。more
Kayleigh
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Thank you， Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair review。 This is your standard good versus evil fantasy story。 While there are some new ideas， the book is based on the same basic tropes that we have all read a hundred times before: hidden magic， secret societies， dark vs light war， reawakening the evil， the chosen one MC， etc。， etc。， etc。 This would not have bothered me so much if the cast wasn't as bland as string cheese。 The only interesting character was James and I th Thank you， Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair review。 This is your standard good versus evil fantasy story。 While there are some new ideas， the book is based on the same basic tropes that we have all read a hundred times before: hidden magic， secret societies， dark vs light war， reawakening the evil， the chosen one MC， etc。， etc。， etc。 This would not have bothered me so much if the cast wasn't as bland as string cheese。 The only interesting character was James and I think if the focus was on him and a true villain story this book would have been much more engaging。 The story was not unique or deep enough to really pull me in and the pacing could have used some improvement。 I think ultimately this book was overhyped due to the author's adult fanbase。 I don't think it has enough to stand on its own amidst the sea of similar YA titles。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dark Rise
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dark Rise&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dark Rise&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0