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lordenglishssbm's review against another edition
3.0
This is my favorite book of the series, helped in part because of how different it feels from the one that comes before and the two that come after. It takes the vision Cooper laid out in Over Sea, Under Stone and refines it, cleaning up the language and adding a dash of paganism that stands as a stark contrast to the overarching plot.
To me, the idea that the dark and the light are just two relatively weak players in a vast world is the most interesting part of Cooper's setting, and this is the only book to explore it. The titular witch is petulant, childish, impulsive, and totally indifferent to the war going on around it. The only thing it responds to is affection, which ties in nicely to the theme of magic going beyond good and evil. It makes the setting feel larger by increasing the amount of philosophical implications underlying it, which is a much more interesting way of building a world than just adding lore.
The children are back, and their little arguments are fun to read. This book also manages to repurpose Will into something interesting: A creature that looks like a human but can't quite disguise the fact that it isn't. I appreciated this because Will never quite feels like a kid in any of the books.
I wish the entire series would have taken some of the concepts introduced in this book and run with them, but at least we got this book. It's a pity that what comes next is worse.
To me, the idea that the dark and the light are just two relatively weak players in a vast world is the most interesting part of Cooper's setting, and this is the only book to explore it. The titular witch is petulant, childish, impulsive, and totally indifferent to the war going on around it. The only thing it responds to is affection, which ties in nicely to the theme of magic going beyond good and evil. It makes the setting feel larger by increasing the amount of philosophical implications underlying it, which is a much more interesting way of building a world than just adding lore.
The children are back, and their little arguments are fun to read. This book also manages to repurpose Will into something interesting: A creature that looks like a human but can't quite disguise the fact that it isn't. I appreciated this because Will never quite feels like a kid in any of the books.
I wish the entire series would have taken some of the concepts introduced in this book and run with them, but at least we got this book. It's a pity that what comes next is worse.
shomarq's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nicktomjoe's review against another edition
4.0
Some genuinely creepy moments, and interestingly ambiguous set of relationships between the children from the previous two stories, Over Sea, Under Stone and The Dark is Rising. It is (perhaps) marred slightly by an ending that points to further into the sequence rather than reaching a resolution, but again Cooper manages landscape, family, folklore and danger and quite a difficult set of questions around how children identify whose side this adult or that might be on with her customary sureness.
linneahedvig's review against another edition
4.0
I think I’ve only read this book once before, almost twenty years ago, in September of 2000. Just read it again because after the Greenhallow books I wanted more English magic with green and growing things and seaside towns. My main thoughts on rereading this book is that the whole Light/Dark conflict is not fleshed out at all (at least in this book). It’s very “light is good, dark is bad” with no reasons for it. When Will and Merriman go into the dark ocean to talk to Tethys, Merriman is like “there is no light and no joy here” and after reading The Deep so recently, I’m like “hey! let’s not be so hasty.” Maybe we should think about what the stakes are before we make our good/bad binary. I do love the parts with Jane and the Greenwitch. There is a weird, old magic there.
mat_tobin's review against another edition
5.0
Far shorter than I thought it was yet no worse for it, the third in the Dark is Rising sequence sees Cooper balance a fine line between the narrative of Over Sea Under Stone and The Dark is Rising which, I had claimed, felt like they had been written by two different people. I think she does a good job here and actually enjoyed the fact that it was mainly still down to the children, especially Jane, to guide us through the story.
I found the connection between the Greenwitch, Jane and the women of Trewissick utterly fascinating and thought that it could lead to so much investigation around ancient rituals that may have lost or forgotten through time within one's own locality. Without giving too much away, I also loved the interaction between both these characters and the Greenwitch as a character too - she was far more wild and ferocious, in some ways, than Herne in The Dark is Rising.
The chapters are relatively short and the switch between narrative perspectives alongside the handling of time are all very well done by Cooper, I thought. She stands away somewhat from Will and Merriman and this may be right considering the wealth of their knowledge and how tricky this might be to write for the child reader.
I found the connection between the Greenwitch, Jane and the women of Trewissick utterly fascinating and thought that it could lead to so much investigation around ancient rituals that may have lost or forgotten through time within one's own locality. Without giving too much away, I also loved the interaction between both these characters and the Greenwitch as a character too - she was far more wild and ferocious, in some ways, than Herne in The Dark is Rising.
The chapters are relatively short and the switch between narrative perspectives alongside the handling of time are all very well done by Cooper, I thought. She stands away somewhat from Will and Merriman and this may be right considering the wealth of their knowledge and how tricky this might be to write for the child reader.
zanosgood's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
3.0
andrewzors's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
adambroud's review against another edition
3.0
I'm realizing that what The Dark is Rising series does well is it relates to kids on their level and taps into what they find frightening. When things get messy for the kids, adults are nowhere to be found. Dreams are meaningful and affect reality. I know that when I was a kid, dreams always felt so important, and the idea of having to depend on only myself was both exciting and terrifying. Reading these as an adult, I'll say that the stakes are less relatable, so it doesn't grab me as much, but for kids, I think this is a great spooky story.