Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
In the Acknowledgements, Pacat mentioned that the preparation and research necessary for this book took about ten years, resulting in one of the best books I've read in terms of its execution. The main theme of this book seems to be the battle between good and evil. We have many clichés, such as the white-clad knights fighting against the ancient evil forces, corrupt magical artefacts and beings that serve as obstacles for the characters, and a Dark King who sought to conquer the world and destroyed almost everything with his power, strength, and armies, only to be killed by his lover and now seeks revenge. But the many small and big twists scattered through the story make it so masterfully unpredictable that you finish the book completely thrown off guard.
But at the beginning of the book, there are no twists that counter these clichés, but they are still not annoying. The events of the book, the lore of the story, and even the slow pace at the beginning are written so well that you want to continue reading to see what else the author has to say; what they are willing to show you from that world, what they will tell you about the history of the battle between good and evil, and in short, what they will reveal about the magic of their world. I think the most classic part of the book is this very appealing cliché: magic that enters a dead and ordinary world, or in this book, magic that seems to have left the world, and now that the world continues its ordinary life without even knowledge of magic, it wants to return. Like an infection, it wants to use the remnants of the past and spread again. We have magical antiques that are thousands of years old, a sword corrupted with the blood of the Dark King, a unicorn's horn that can compel someone to tell the truth, a cup that grants supernatural power, a three-piece armor that changes its wearer, and a stone where the shadow kings are trapped. When you read a lot of fantasy books, at some point, these things really become clichés, but all you need is a good re-execution of these elements to remind you what initially drew you to reading fantasy.
And as for the twists... the author's skill in presenting them is remarkable, whether they are small ones like the first meeting between Will and Katherine, who James's father was, that Violet's father intended to kill her, that Cyprian freed Will and Violet, that Anharion/James was actually not a traitor despite his title and was controlled by a collar, or the major twist of the story where we realize that Will is the same Dark King who has been reborn, that his mother is not actually his mother but Katherine's and Elizabeth's mother who tried to kill him, and that the shout "Run!" directed at Will, which is referenced several times in the book, was not actually addressed to Will but to those he barely escaped from. I really loved how well-hidden this twist was by the author; even when you suspect that Will might not be related to the Lady, the dark king’s lover, and might have some connection to him instead, you ultimately think he must be a descendant and are completely sure that the Dark King has not returned until the twist reveals itself.
The author also mentions in the Acknowledgements that for inspiration and research, they frequently visited old museums and historical abandoned buildings; thus, this should create a general idea of the book's atmosphere that is truly beautiful. I have never been a reader who appreciates long descriptions, especially of places, but everything is described so beautifully that I eagerly followed the them through in this book.
Oh, I said beautiful; it's not just places that are beautifully described; characters are as well. And well... isn't it also a cliché for the main character to be beautiful or for that silver-tongued anti-hero on the opposing side to be charmingly beautiful? But here everyone is described beautifully, and the reader fully accepts this without feeling bothered by it. Because they are simply beautiful. Everything and everyone in this book is "majestic."
But about the characters themselves... I think one part I really liked about this book is that now I can write relatively well about each of them without disliking any of them—except perhaps for the villain of the story, whose name was repeated more his actual presence that made you not interested in him. But well, what is so interesting about a twenty-seven-year-old pedophilic man who has been engaged to a girl about about seventeen years, treating James like a possession and wanting to bring the Dark King back just because he is the descendant of him and wants to conquer the world? Seriously, what's to like?
But moving on to the rest, I’ll start with the main character, Will: I want to express my surprise at how good, smart, and right the main character of this book is. When I was reading "Six of Crows," like many other readers, I really had an issue with the age of characters like Kaz, and I understood that Leigh Bardugo's intention was to show that trauma can mature people at a young age, but well, she had failed. Since then, I was looking for an example to counter that book and say this is what executed it correctly, and this book is that book. Will's trauma really made him a mature, calculating, and intelligent person, but there’s nowhere that you don’t feel he’s just a teenager who witnessed his mother’s death, was close to dying himself, and really struggled and saved himself with a lot of trauma. Will is truly a good person; he makes the right decisions and has appropriate reactions to events. I don’t know, but there’s something about characters who are genuinely good and not just good because of their position in the plot that makes them truly respectable, raising their worth several degrees higher. The friend who introduced me to the book mentioned somewhere in describing Will that it feels like you’re used to shouting at foolish main characters to do something, and then you see him actually do that thing and you’re surprised. And the fact that he’s genuinely smart is very pleasing, and it’s not just that his intelligence shows in one place and based on that you have to accept this character is intelligent; you can see it constantly through his decisions and the plans he makes. I guess that's why one of my favorite parts in the book was when James asked him: "Do the Stewards know you’re smart?" to which Will replied: "Does Simon know you’re smart?" :)
In summary, Will was truly one of my favorite characters in the book, and when the main twist of the book was revealed, I really felt sorry for Will. For a character who was such a good person and cared so much about being good that he wanted to be a hero and save people, it must be very heavy to realize he has been the Dark King all along and that the person he called mother tried to kill him because of it. I still don’t know where the next volume will go, but I really feel bad for him; he didn’t deserve this.
The next main character was Violet, and first of all, I have to say how happy I am that she didn’t follow the cliché of female characters in fantasy books and how much happier I am that her relationship with Will was not romantic but friendly. The moments between these two, how they cared for each other, really warmed my heart and gave me a sense of family. Violet was also a teenager, and there was no moment where you wouldn’t feel this. She was a teenager who realized her father was only kind to her so he could sacrifice her for her brother's greater power in the future and even built a special prison for her in their home, so she saved herself and tried to find a new family in her new refuge: Will and Justice. Two things I really liked about Violet were her loyalty and her desire to prove that her lineage didn't matter; she chose to fight for the light and protect it. I really dislike the concept of "noble sacrifices" in books, but here I encountered this twice, and both times I had a lot of respect for the person making the sacrifice, one of whom was Violet when she stayed behind to protect Elizabeth and the others from a shadow king. Especially with the parallel created with Justice’s death, it was beautifully done. I love clever parallels. And just that Violet actively decided to stand on the right side of things for herself and not for anyone else because she didn’t want to be a victim of someone else's power, even if it was her brother whom she grew up with and loved; she didn’t want some Stewards telling her she couldn’t be on the side of light just because she descended from the old lions who fought with the dark king. She chose to fight for the light and die, which of course she didn’t, and we are very happy about this because we also like characters who seem to be remnants of other characters, and Violet seems to be what Justice left behind.
I've mentioned Justice so many times; let's talk about him. This character was truly my favorite character in the entire book. I was really eager to read about him, waiting for him to be mentioned, and every action of his felt so significant and impactful to me. I guess it was just that Justice was genuinely strong and honorable. He really pulled two kids out of a nearly sinking ship, took them to his home—where no stranger had ever entered before—so they could be safe because he had promised them. And the simple fact that he was a Steward. When the twist of where the Stewards get their power from was revealed, I really found the sacrifice of the Stewards very understandable and respectable. To let darkness in yourself, fight it day in and day out, and seemingly give up your own life just to use its power to prevent hell from returning to this world, while also choosing a shieldmate who, at the end of the road, is either your killer or you are theirs. I don’t know, isn’t that beautiful? I think it is. I found it very profound. And of course, Justice made this choice. He was the second person in this book who had a noble sacrifice, and not only did I not dislike him, but I was genuinely saddened by his death. The fact that he couldn’t kill his comrade, Marcus, when he needed to, and ultimately seemed to be the last person killed by him—who had then become a shadow—while defending Grace and Sarah and the Elder Steward, was very sad. And it was very beautiful. But Justice deserved more than this.
His dynamic with Violet was one of my favorite dynamics, and when Justice realized Violet was of lion blood and wasn’t listening to her, I was really upset. On the other hand, their conversation afterwards in the training ground, when everyone realized that Stewards eventually become shadows and it seemed like the rest of the Hall had turned against them—meaning against Justice as well—was something I really liked. I loved the conversation they had there. How Justice expressed his regret and told Violet that she treated him with a kindness that he hadn’t offered her, and how Violet told him maybe they could look out for each other. It was touching. Then Justice died while defending others; he seemed to be the last line of defense, while Violet was also the last line of defense for Elizabeth and Cyprion and was completely ready to die, just like Justice. I don’t know, man, that relationship was really beautiful.
Now we come to James, and let’s be honest; whatever I can say about James now has been thought out in much more detail by Will in the book. :)
His beauty, his deadliness, his sharp tongue, even the pain he has clearly endured over the years—Will describes all of these in much more detail in the book. I just want to point out once again how unfortunate this guy is that, at least as far as we know now, the Dark King forced him to change sides with a collar and thus earned the title of traitor; then at just eleven years old, it turned out he was the reincarnation of one of the dark king's generals, and his people wanted to execute him for that reason. After he escaped, his father adopted two other boys, and said: “That thing isn’t my son.” And James had to go to Simon and his father at that age just to survive; that’s Simon who had tried several times to mark James with his brand but failed due to James’s high healing abilities. God knows how much and in what ways he tried to do terrible things to a seventeen-year-old boy. I don’t know, honestly, the parents in this book are one worse than the other.
And well, sorry, but we really can’t not talk about the dynamic between James and Will, especially that last conversation they had in the book. It’s unclear what happened between them in their previous lives that in this life, without any memories, they are so drawn to each other. And wow! That part where Will didn’t put the collar around James's neck! How could you read that scene and not send a salute to Will? Then how can you reach the twist and not think to yourself, “Holy fuck, what if he really had put the collar on? He's the Dark King!” I really don’t know what’s going to happen in the next volume but I truly hope we see more of these two at least. They were really one of those couples whose tension could be cut with a knife.
I guess this is where I should talk about the Lady's main descendant, who incidentally was also attracted to Will when he is the Dark King: Katherine. I think Katherine's characterization and her relationship with Will were also among those clichés, but they were so well done and understandable that in the end you genuinely feel sad for her death. And when the story first introduces her, and maybe even until the very end, you find yourself wondering what role this naive girl, who really knows nothing about the world of magic and whose only connection seems to be that she is Simon's fiancée, is going to play, especially since she seems to be connected to Will as well. In the end, it hits you like a slap in the face that, oh, so that was her role. She wasn't a very prominent character; she fell a bit flat at times, but I wanted to talk about her separately because... she was really interesting with Will. Maybe not as interesting as Will and James, but their way of getting to know each other was fantastic. I was waiting for someone else to be introduced until Will revealed himself, and I was genuinely surprised in a very good way when I saw it was him that came to her rescue.
And now, Cyprion. At the beginning of the book, he really annoyed me, but I kept remembering that this kid was only sixteen and his brother had been kidnapped and was missing, so his actions are understandable. Then he not only witnessed the death of all the Stewards but also realized that it was his own brother who was responsible for that massacre, and now Cyprion is the only surviving Steward. That’s really heavy, especially for a sixteen-year-old boy, and he’s handling it very well and maturely, which makes it even sadder. It feels like he doesn't even have time or permission to mourn; he’s the last survivor and has to ensure that those deaths weren't in vien. I guess the moral conclusion of the whole book is that a bunch of unfortunate people came together to form a story, and I’m crazy, so I really enjoyed it.
I don’t have much to say about the other characters to discuss them separately. For example, how much the Eldee Steward scared me with the power she had and how deeply she was entangled with her shadow for so long. Or how I still don’t understand how Devon was a unicorn and has survived all this time, and why he works for Simon, and what will happen to Tom. Even Simon's father is a big mystery to me. I feel like he’s the main villain, not Simon.
I think I’ll wrap up the review here. The next review we have will probably be for the second volume, and if I’m honest, I’m a bit anxious about reading it and don’t know if it will disappoint me or not. The fact that the third volume is just being published this year doesn’t really help my situation either. But for now, I think this book was genuinely worth reading, and I enjoyed it very much. Let’s see what volume two has in store for us.
But at the beginning of the book, there are no twists that counter these clichés, but they are still not annoying. The events of the book, the lore of the story, and even the slow pace at the beginning are written so well that you want to continue reading to see what else the author has to say; what they are willing to show you from that world, what they will tell you about the history of the battle between good and evil, and in short, what they will reveal about the magic of their world. I think the most classic part of the book is this very appealing cliché: magic that enters a dead and ordinary world, or in this book, magic that seems to have left the world, and now that the world continues its ordinary life without even knowledge of magic, it wants to return. Like an infection, it wants to use the remnants of the past and spread again. We have magical antiques that are thousands of years old, a sword corrupted with the blood of the Dark King, a unicorn's horn that can compel someone to tell the truth, a cup that grants supernatural power, a three-piece armor that changes its wearer, and a stone where the shadow kings are trapped. When you read a lot of fantasy books, at some point, these things really become clichés, but all you need is a good re-execution of these elements to remind you what initially drew you to reading fantasy.
And as for the twists... the author's skill in presenting them is remarkable, whether they are small ones like the first meeting between Will and Katherine, who James's father was, that Violet's father intended to kill her, that Cyprian freed Will and Violet, that Anharion/James was actually not a traitor despite his title and was controlled by a collar, or the major twist of the story where we realize that Will is the same Dark King who has been reborn, that his mother is not actually his mother but Katherine's and Elizabeth's mother who tried to kill him, and that the shout "Run!" directed at Will, which is referenced several times in the book, was not actually addressed to Will but to those he barely escaped from. I really loved how well-hidden this twist was by the author; even when you suspect that Will might not be related to the Lady, the dark king’s lover, and might have some connection to him instead, you ultimately think he must be a descendant and are completely sure that the Dark King has not returned until the twist reveals itself.
The author also mentions in the Acknowledgements that for inspiration and research, they frequently visited old museums and historical abandoned buildings; thus, this should create a general idea of the book's atmosphere that is truly beautiful. I have never been a reader who appreciates long descriptions, especially of places, but everything is described so beautifully that I eagerly followed the them through in this book.
Oh, I said beautiful; it's not just places that are beautifully described; characters are as well. And well... isn't it also a cliché for the main character to be beautiful or for that silver-tongued anti-hero on the opposing side to be charmingly beautiful? But here everyone is described beautifully, and the reader fully accepts this without feeling bothered by it. Because they are simply beautiful. Everything and everyone in this book is "majestic."
But about the characters themselves... I think one part I really liked about this book is that now I can write relatively well about each of them without disliking any of them—except perhaps for the villain of the story, whose name was repeated more his actual presence that made you not interested in him. But well, what is so interesting about a twenty-seven-year-old pedophilic man who has been engaged to a girl about about seventeen years, treating James like a possession and wanting to bring the Dark King back just because he is the descendant of him and wants to conquer the world? Seriously, what's to like?
But moving on to the rest, I’ll start with the main character, Will: I want to express my surprise at how good, smart, and right the main character of this book is. When I was reading "Six of Crows," like many other readers, I really had an issue with the age of characters like Kaz, and I understood that Leigh Bardugo's intention was to show that trauma can mature people at a young age, but well, she had failed. Since then, I was looking for an example to counter that book and say this is what executed it correctly, and this book is that book. Will's trauma really made him a mature, calculating, and intelligent person, but there’s nowhere that you don’t feel he’s just a teenager who witnessed his mother’s death, was close to dying himself, and really struggled and saved himself with a lot of trauma. Will is truly a good person; he makes the right decisions and has appropriate reactions to events. I don’t know, but there’s something about characters who are genuinely good and not just good because of their position in the plot that makes them truly respectable, raising their worth several degrees higher. The friend who introduced me to the book mentioned somewhere in describing Will that it feels like you’re used to shouting at foolish main characters to do something, and then you see him actually do that thing and you’re surprised. And the fact that he’s genuinely smart is very pleasing, and it’s not just that his intelligence shows in one place and based on that you have to accept this character is intelligent; you can see it constantly through his decisions and the plans he makes. I guess that's why one of my favorite parts in the book was when James asked him: "Do the Stewards know you’re smart?" to which Will replied: "Does Simon know you’re smart?" :)
In summary, Will was truly one of my favorite characters in the book, and when the main twist of the book was revealed, I really felt sorry for Will. For a character who was such a good person and cared so much about being good that he wanted to be a hero and save people, it must be very heavy to realize he has been the Dark King all along and that the person he called mother tried to kill him because of it. I still don’t know where the next volume will go, but I really feel bad for him; he didn’t deserve this.
The next main character was Violet, and first of all, I have to say how happy I am that she didn’t follow the cliché of female characters in fantasy books and how much happier I am that her relationship with Will was not romantic but friendly. The moments between these two, how they cared for each other, really warmed my heart and gave me a sense of family. Violet was also a teenager, and there was no moment where you wouldn’t feel this. She was a teenager who realized her father was only kind to her so he could sacrifice her for her brother's greater power in the future and even built a special prison for her in their home, so she saved herself and tried to find a new family in her new refuge: Will and Justice. Two things I really liked about Violet were her loyalty and her desire to prove that her lineage didn't matter; she chose to fight for the light and protect it. I really dislike the concept of "noble sacrifices" in books, but here I encountered this twice, and both times I had a lot of respect for the person making the sacrifice, one of whom was Violet when she stayed behind to protect Elizabeth and the others from a shadow king. Especially with the parallel created with Justice’s death, it was beautifully done. I love clever parallels. And just that Violet actively decided to stand on the right side of things for herself and not for anyone else because she didn’t want to be a victim of someone else's power, even if it was her brother whom she grew up with and loved; she didn’t want some Stewards telling her she couldn’t be on the side of light just because she descended from the old lions who fought with the dark king. She chose to fight for the light and die, which of course she didn’t, and we are very happy about this because we also like characters who seem to be remnants of other characters, and Violet seems to be what Justice left behind.
I've mentioned Justice so many times; let's talk about him. This character was truly my favorite character in the entire book. I was really eager to read about him, waiting for him to be mentioned, and every action of his felt so significant and impactful to me. I guess it was just that Justice was genuinely strong and honorable. He really pulled two kids out of a nearly sinking ship, took them to his home—where no stranger had ever entered before—so they could be safe because he had promised them. And the simple fact that he was a Steward. When the twist of where the Stewards get their power from was revealed, I really found the sacrifice of the Stewards very understandable and respectable. To let darkness in yourself, fight it day in and day out, and seemingly give up your own life just to use its power to prevent hell from returning to this world, while also choosing a shieldmate who, at the end of the road, is either your killer or you are theirs. I don’t know, isn’t that beautiful? I think it is. I found it very profound. And of course, Justice made this choice. He was the second person in this book who had a noble sacrifice, and not only did I not dislike him, but I was genuinely saddened by his death. The fact that he couldn’t kill his comrade, Marcus, when he needed to, and ultimately seemed to be the last person killed by him—who had then become a shadow—while defending Grace and Sarah and the Elder Steward, was very sad. And it was very beautiful. But Justice deserved more than this.
His dynamic with Violet was one of my favorite dynamics, and when Justice realized Violet was of lion blood and wasn’t listening to her, I was really upset. On the other hand, their conversation afterwards in the training ground, when everyone realized that Stewards eventually become shadows and it seemed like the rest of the Hall had turned against them—meaning against Justice as well—was something I really liked. I loved the conversation they had there. How Justice expressed his regret and told Violet that she treated him with a kindness that he hadn’t offered her, and how Violet told him maybe they could look out for each other. It was touching. Then Justice died while defending others; he seemed to be the last line of defense, while Violet was also the last line of defense for Elizabeth and Cyprion and was completely ready to die, just like Justice. I don’t know, man, that relationship was really beautiful.
Now we come to James, and let’s be honest; whatever I can say about James now has been thought out in much more detail by Will in the book. :)
His beauty, his deadliness, his sharp tongue, even the pain he has clearly endured over the years—Will describes all of these in much more detail in the book. I just want to point out once again how unfortunate this guy is that, at least as far as we know now, the Dark King forced him to change sides with a collar and thus earned the title of traitor; then at just eleven years old, it turned out he was the reincarnation of one of the dark king's generals, and his people wanted to execute him for that reason. After he escaped, his father adopted two other boys, and said: “That thing isn’t my son.” And James had to go to Simon and his father at that age just to survive; that’s Simon who had tried several times to mark James with his brand but failed due to James’s high healing abilities. God knows how much and in what ways he tried to do terrible things to a seventeen-year-old boy. I don’t know, honestly, the parents in this book are one worse than the other.
And well, sorry, but we really can’t not talk about the dynamic between James and Will, especially that last conversation they had in the book. It’s unclear what happened between them in their previous lives that in this life, without any memories, they are so drawn to each other. And wow! That part where Will didn’t put the collar around James's neck! How could you read that scene and not send a salute to Will? Then how can you reach the twist and not think to yourself, “Holy fuck, what if he really had put the collar on? He's the Dark King!” I really don’t know what’s going to happen in the next volume but I truly hope we see more of these two at least. They were really one of those couples whose tension could be cut with a knife.
I guess this is where I should talk about the Lady's main descendant, who incidentally was also attracted to Will when he is the Dark King: Katherine. I think Katherine's characterization and her relationship with Will were also among those clichés, but they were so well done and understandable that in the end you genuinely feel sad for her death. And when the story first introduces her, and maybe even until the very end, you find yourself wondering what role this naive girl, who really knows nothing about the world of magic and whose only connection seems to be that she is Simon's fiancée, is going to play, especially since she seems to be connected to Will as well. In the end, it hits you like a slap in the face that, oh, so that was her role. She wasn't a very prominent character; she fell a bit flat at times, but I wanted to talk about her separately because... she was really interesting with Will. Maybe not as interesting as Will and James, but their way of getting to know each other was fantastic. I was waiting for someone else to be introduced until Will revealed himself, and I was genuinely surprised in a very good way when I saw it was him that came to her rescue.
And now, Cyprion. At the beginning of the book, he really annoyed me, but I kept remembering that this kid was only sixteen and his brother had been kidnapped and was missing, so his actions are understandable. Then he not only witnessed the death of all the Stewards but also realized that it was his own brother who was responsible for that massacre, and now Cyprion is the only surviving Steward. That’s really heavy, especially for a sixteen-year-old boy, and he’s handling it very well and maturely, which makes it even sadder. It feels like he doesn't even have time or permission to mourn; he’s the last survivor and has to ensure that those deaths weren't in vien. I guess the moral conclusion of the whole book is that a bunch of unfortunate people came together to form a story, and I’m crazy, so I really enjoyed it.
I don’t have much to say about the other characters to discuss them separately. For example, how much the Eldee Steward scared me with the power she had and how deeply she was entangled with her shadow for so long. Or how I still don’t understand how Devon was a unicorn and has survived all this time, and why he works for Simon, and what will happen to Tom. Even Simon's father is a big mystery to me. I feel like he’s the main villain, not Simon.
I think I’ll wrap up the review here. The next review we have will probably be for the second volume, and if I’m honest, I’m a bit anxious about reading it and don’t know if it will disappoint me or not. The fact that the third volume is just being published this year doesn’t really help my situation either. But for now, I think this book was genuinely worth reading, and I enjoyed it very much. Let’s see what volume two has in store for us.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
All opinions are entirely my own. I am in no way affiliated with the author or publisher. Remember to support your local indie bookstore and library!
⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨ ᰔ ୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
"Go into the night as light, not shadow"
- Discovery: Browsing
- Reading Format: Digital
- Read Time: 4 Hours
The ancient world of magic is no more. Its heroes are dead, its halls are ruins, and its great battles have long been forgotten. 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.
The writing was good and Violet was a favourite character but there were also slim pickings. There were plenty of twists and most of them were mighty predictable. It is understandable why others enjoy this book but honestly it could be quite slow and boring at times.
It had a similar vibe to the Shadow Hunters series but I can't explain my reasoning.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Genuinely don't know how I feel.
This book felt like it was trying to be a lot of things, but didn't really execute any of them with the finesse I was hoping for. A lot of characters felt very flat or same-y, and quite a lot of the plot was told instead of shown. The lore was expansive but hard to keep track of, new details being added or warped all the time in a way that made things hard to keep straight. And yet other things would be reiterated to you every other chapter ad nauseum, as if you would forget between chapters.
I understand the ending was made to set up future books, but it just felt so... odd to me. Changing everything we know in the final inning of a story is always such a bold leap to make, and I'm not sure it made it fully. Will seems to be set up to be an intelligent, competent character, but we only actually see him behaving as such so often. Mostly plot conveniences fall into his lap that allow him to go from one thing to the next, and it leads his characterization to feel very inconsistent.
I also feel like I kept falling into the trap of giving characters more credit than they deserved, and constantly misunderstanding their motivations when ostensibly I should not have been? I thought Will was leading Katherine on because she was starry eyed and naïve and it suited his goals, but instead he kisses her and develops feelings for her in five seconds. I thought there would be some implications or deconstruction of ideals for the way Justice and the Stewards treated Violet once her true identity was revealed, but instead she just forgives them and continues to laud them as heroes. I just wish the story was willing to play in its own space and dive into the nuance of certain things more sincerely.
This book felt like it was trying to be a lot of things, but didn't really execute any of them with the finesse I was hoping for. A lot of characters felt very flat or same-y, and quite a lot of the plot was told instead of shown. The lore was expansive but hard to keep track of, new details being added or warped all the time in a way that made things hard to keep straight. And yet other things would be reiterated to you every other chapter ad nauseum, as if you would forget between chapters.
I understand the ending was made to set up future books, but it just felt so... odd to me. Changing everything we know in the final inning of a story is always such a bold leap to make, and I'm not sure it made it fully. Will seems to be set up to be an intelligent, competent character, but we only actually see him behaving as such so often. Mostly plot conveniences fall into his lap that allow him to go from one thing to the next, and it leads his characterization to feel very inconsistent.
I also feel like I kept falling into the trap of giving characters more credit than they deserved, and constantly misunderstanding their motivations when ostensibly I should not have been? I thought Will was leading Katherine on because she was starry eyed and naïve and it suited his goals, but instead he kisses her and develops feelings for her in five seconds. I thought there would be some implications or deconstruction of ideals for the way Justice and the Stewards treated Violet once her true identity was revealed, but instead she just forgives them and continues to laud them as heroes. I just wish the story was willing to play in its own space and dive into the nuance of certain things more sincerely.
Set in the stingy docks of the Thames in the 1820’s to a shining citadel hidden from the world.
C.S. did a super job with setting the tone with her environments, that equally held dark and magical feelings.
Aesthetically and storytelling wise alot of the elements in Dark Rise felt very alike to Lord of the rings and I could see the similarities with shadow hunters that some made.
Overall, It was a world that was well planned that gradually grows on you as you delve into the history and mythology aspect of the story.
Giving off a richness through it’s interesting mix of medieval and ancient history and tradition fantasy.
Characters -
Each character had their own backstory and a role that unravelled interestingly and unexpectedly as the book progressed.
Pacat truly, played on ’People are not what they seem’ trope and it paid off spectacularly.
Yet, one thing to note, apart from seeing them react to what was happening to them in the moment. The characters were seriously lacking another dimension to their personality.
They, at times, seemed flat!
now, I don't know if this was a deliberate choice, as to not give too much away in terms of the secrets we eventually learn about out characters. But if you were to ask me the mc’s favourite colour or beverage...not a clue.
But, to make up for it, certain characters interactions when they were on the page together just worked wonderfully.
Most notably: James & Will / Will & Katherine The romantic tension at times… Oh my word.
I think this maybe the authors best talent.
However, reading this book was a bit of a slog.
The first chapters were quite promising, but it was definitely a slow burn and the story didn’t pick up anywhere I wanted until around the halfway mark. She redeemed herself a lot in the second half.
I can only hope that in book 2, now we know most of the characters secrets, we can really start to open up their personalities.