I love C.S. Pacat's writing so automatic four stars, but honestly this just really needed to be better edited for pacing, and having a two year gap between each book means that I'll probably wait to go back and reread this with the rest of the trilogy after the third book comes out in 2026 or whenever, and I have time read other reviews to see if she sticks the landing for the series as a whole first.

I have read other books by Pacat and wasn’t sure what to expect with a YA series. Honestly, I had a hard time getting into this one and honestly DNF’d it a little more than a third of the way through. Hopefully I can go back to it at some point. The plot set-up just didn’t capture me with Will being saved. The characters didn’t seem interesting enough for me to keep going.

the fantasy book Dark Rise by C.S Pacat was the first book I read by the author and it won't be the last. it was an enjoyable read overall with complex characters and beautiful story telling that was at time captivating to read with each chapter. I enjoyed the depth of the characters understanding their underlining desires and needs and the ending wow. I excited to see what else the author has in store

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Disclaimer : I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

Content Warning: violence, death, torture

The beginning of this is really slow, which made it feel like a slog to get through. I know this is a set up to the rest of the series, but it almost put me into a reading slump to get through this. The last 25% was really well done, but I don't blame you if you put the book down before then.

I liked the characters well enough - I thought Will was a really well done and rounded character. I am excited to see how he grows as time goes on - and I appreciated the sparks he had with James. But the women in this book felt a little underdeveloped, especially their relationship with Will. Violet felt like an acquaintance at best and it felt like Katherine had zero purpose until the very end.

The plot itself was pretty interesting and I liked the twists and turns throughout. It felt like something you could "guess" at but overall it was super well done. I think there is a lot of layers to the magic, the societies, and a lot directions this could go in so I am interested in knowing where the plot goes next!

I do think that having only one audiobook narrator for all the different perspectives impacted my enjoyment of the novel, so I may try the physical book (since I own it) and see if I feel any different when the next one comes out.

But overall, I'm not sure I can recommend this one! Maybe once the rest of the series is out I'll sing a different tune.

Incredibly woven word with intricate and ephemeral characters with prose that draws you in and paints in impressionist-esque water colors. The romance is slow-burn, so don't expect any fireworks right off the bat, but the slow and budding tensions between the characters holds incredibly promise and is perfect for fans of Pascat's previous work!

The first 75% is typical YA, then the last 25% just hits you! I'm really curious to see where Pacat takes this.

Loved it!!! The writing style is such fun. I love the characters and the story. The whole thing is just so good. I also love this cover. It is stunning.

It was a bit confusing to have characters realise things as if the plot had demanded it without there actually having been a proper lead up for this realisation, but other than that it was a fun twist and I am curious about the sequel.

This was my first book by this author and I can tell you it will not be the last. This was very good - slow moving (the middle lulled a little bit) but overall very nicely built up. The story involves some tried and true tropes - light vs dark, an ancient order of stewards/guardians and the chosen one to fight off the evil in the world, which I loved. The main character is also bisexual and I am absolutely here for the rep, though we don’t get much romance in this book yet. That being said, the ending MAKES this book. I have not been so excited by the potential of a sequel in a long time. I will not give anything away but I absolutely ADORE the twist and cannot wait for book 2!

Rating: 4.25 stars/5
Romantic elements but no real spice.
CW: Violence, death.

A huge thank you to HCC Frenzy, Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley for the arc for review. All opinions are my own.

“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 !

100% worth the read. No questions asked. If you likes the dark nature of C.S. Pacat's Captive Prince trilogy but felt that you wanted the diver deeper in the world itself, then this book is for you. Everything from the magic system to our two protagonists to the mysterious battle between good and evil is so well done and absolutely drew me in from the first page. I will definitely be pre-ordering the rest of this series the MOMENT they are announced because I'm simply HOOKED.

I blew through this book in a day! It took me way to long to get to, but once I picked it up I couldn't put it down.

I liked it but I didn't love it. I feel like the whole book just set up for the last quarter of the book. It didn't move very fast plot wise and I was very much plodding through it. I liked the chemisty between Will and James but I was pretty much bored until towards the end. But the plot twist was nice and the cliff hanger.

Wow. Just wow.
This book was captivating, alluring, fascinating, and just overall amazing.
There's not much that I can say without spoiling the best parts but I fell in love with all of the characters. They each have their own journeys and something to prove without having to step on each other's toes to get what they want.
I loved Will and his struggles, his kindness, and his secrets. My only complaint is that I now have to wait for the next book for the rest of his story! There is so much that I want to know about him!
Violet too - her struggles and her history are so intertwined with Will's that I loved reading about their interactions with one another. I have high hopes for what Violet can and will achieve. She rewrote her story to fit with the narrative she chooses and that was inspiring to read. It made me fall in love with her character even more.
Each character highlights the story in both the past and present - as they team up together to try and fight the coming of The Dark King everything blends together as Will struggles to figure out who he is before it's too late.
This is definitely a book to read again and again because the breadcrumbs of information leading to the final chapters were subtle and I felt my heart racing as I remembered them making the ending that much more satisfying.

This was great. Pacat did a great job at pacing and the reveal at the end was jaw dropping. that fact that it was kept from us even though we were in the main character's head for a good portion of the book was impressive.

I really liked that the characters felt really distinct and that I never felt like i lost track of who was narrating.

I enjoy this author, so I was really looking forward to this ya book! This book was enjoyable but still had some quirks that I wish it ironed out to make it a masterpiece.

First of all, the world was imaginative and creative, though not too unique. I thought the tension between characters was where C.S.'s writing shone. I cannot wait to see where the romance goes in the next one. On the other hand, I felt there was no sense of timing. I could not figure out how long Will stayed with the Stewards and when later, when he and Violet talked about them like family, I could not see that as earned. As this was a long book, I wish there was more time on those connections and building the family for the second part to be more impactful. The pacing in the middle of the book was slightly off and needed a slight tightening so that its great ending could shine. I hope in the following one Will gets more developed as well as the other characters.

That ending though! I didn't guess it, but I saw the hints scattered throughout the book after it was revealed. I am definitely looking forward to the next one and seeing where this is going.

I used this review copy to inform my interview with C.S. Pacat on the Fantasy Inn podcast: https://thefantasyinn.com/2021/08/31/e90-cs-pacat-interview/

Thank you Netgalley and Quill Tree Books for this ARC.

Pursued by the men who killed his mother, Will Kempen is laying low working on the docks of nineteenth century London, but the discovery of a magical artifact will set his on a path to his destiny in a battle between forces of light and dark.

I am a huge fan of C. S. Pacat's adult works, so I was eager to read this YA debut. Of course, the novel is written for a different readership than Pacat's earlier books, and the tone is quite different. I found the beginning pretty slow, with the balance between world-building and pace a little off. This is such a difficult balance in YA fantasy. However, Pacat is a brilliant writer and I can't wait to see what she does next.

Oh boy, this book was wild!

This book was exactly the fantasy book I needed to get back on my fantasy fan train. I really enjoyed this book, it was urgent and unexpected. I flew through reading this, needing to know what happens next. It is filled to the brim with well-loved YA tropes (enemies-lovers, chosen one, etc).

I thought the writing was exciting and jumped off the page. There are quite a few potential triggers, so please consult content warnings before jumping into this one,

The twists... oh the twists.

Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for the ARC!