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spooderman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: War, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Classism, Murder, Emotional abuse, Blood, Violence, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Confinement, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Pedophilia, Xenophobia, Racism, Trafficking, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexism, Infidelity, Incest, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual assault, Self harm, Slavery, Outing, Child death, Child abuse, and Abandonment
bennoyb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Blood, Genocide, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Incest
criticalgayze's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
What do you have here? The return of a Dark King, a hidden (albeit non-elfin) city, magical objects that enslaved human kings, and a "shining lady." (Plus, also a lot of Harry Potter and Star Wars-adjacent Hero's Journey tropes.)
What else did you have? Too much. This is supposed to feel like the first book in a trilogy, yet it felt like a standalone work. You have every trope of every major fantasy series stuffed into this single <500 page volume. You have mass slaughters. You have magical romances begun, then ended, and then new ones begun. You have torture and then escape. You have slaughter. You have first, second, and third reveals about each individual character. I cannot fathom reading another two books that can sustain this momentum, yet I also worry that I could be just as exhausted at the end of each installment.
Finally, while I haven't read their Captive Prince trilogy, I know there has been some discourse around their use of enslavement as the precipitation for romance. While I won't give away too much for those who want to read Dark Rise (DM me here or on Instagram - also @criticalgayze), I will say that this book doesn't make the best case for Pacat. While I have the CP trilogy on my shelves as a planned read this year, I will be entering it a little more wearily.
Now, I did give the book 3-stars because Pacat is clearly a talented writer. This was fast-paced with an intriguing universe, even if I did want it to be a little more fleshed out, and the first half especially is a very enjoyable read before you begin to feel a little gorged as a reader.
Moderate: Gore, Murder, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death and Incest