Reviews

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

kivt's review against another edition

2.0

Nowhere near as good or as scary as I remember it. Adventuring Celtic myth boy isn't really my cup of tea anymore. Will is also very passive and unrelatable as a protagonist.

green_amaryllis's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

jrgryphon's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

virginiamoffatt's review against another edition

5.0

One of my favourite fantasy books celebrating it's 50th anniversary in 2023. Always love reading along with others at Christmas. I'm a sucker for 7th child of 7th child stories and this one is a corker. It has a great protagonist in Will Stanton as he comes into his powers as an Old One against the scheming of the Dark, facing danger, tough moral choices and grappling with the struggle between being both an 11 year old boy and  the servant of a higher power. Fabulous landscapes, great characters it has everything, and  “The Walker is abroad,” he said again. “And this night will be bad, and tomorrow will be beyond imagining.”  gets me every single time.

undergroundalto's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

jackfrostskid's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I read this book on time with the actual events within, which is a fun way to read, but overall, I don’t really vibe with this book.

kerush's review

adventurous

3.75

ncat999's review against another edition

3.0

The Dark is Rising Sequence, Book 2

greevianguy's review against another edition

4.0

I suppose my review doesn't count for much, since I haven't finished this yet (though I hope to). I just wanted to throw out there that the prose in this book is beautiful. I've always thought of winter as a magical time. The author actually made me feel cold while reading it. She really captured the feeling of the quiet creeping of the ethereal in winter.

onewheeloneil's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Definitely an enjoyable fantasy story. A bit hard to follow at points (for a kids book) due to certain aspects of the main character's powers.