If Daddy Tolkien has taught the kids anything, one would hope it would be the importance of world building. The Granddaddy of Fantasy, the man constructed a universe and a history from the foundation up and dedicated his career to fortifying his creation. While Pacat wants to do a lot of begging and borrowing and stealing from Middle Earth and the larger canon of Campbell's Hero's Journey, it is clear that they are not interested in sticking around in their world longer than their  trilogy, and it creates some wear and tear at the edges.

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.

The way this book builds in its entirety is amazing. I admit the first quarter is lot to get through especially, because of all the world building and establishment of characters, even I as a Pacat fan was starting to have my faith waver, BUT faith is restored 110%. Consider the rug pulled from beneath me several times, consider me in pain from this book. I’m so excited for Book 2! 

I had to constantly pause the audiobook during chapter 34 lmao. I kept yelling “It’s not his name!” 😂

Also, that ending??? I’ve seen people constantly crying about the ending for this book and now I get it 😭 This is reading Prince’s Gambit for the first time kind of pain, I didn’t expect it to go this direction at all. Only Pacat can write a scene between characters like this and have it feel so tragic in a way unique to itself 😭

Not that I didn't enjoy it, but I have to say this was a bit disappointing for the most part. I think part of it is that the story would work better if it was set on a different world, because the way the big Dark King and the battles between good and evil are explained strike me as unbelievable if they are to fit in the history of our world. I know the characters say that "not all history is written and not all that's written has passed" or some such thing, but without some actual in text evidence it's just hard to swallow.
There are three main POV characters, and while I kind of liked Violet and by the end I actually liked Will, I still didn't love any of them and Katherine was just a walking book stock character (naive 19th century lady who liked dresses and frills and is mostly concerned with her reputation has been done before so many times, and this iteration has nothing new).
Now, while I liked the way the book ended and will want to read more, I really don't like this thing where the writer puts you in the head of a character but somehow manages to keep crucial information that the character knows hidden from the reader until some big reveal at the end. If that was the way it was to be, then I'd rather the narration keep off the characters' heads or the character in question not to have a POV.

Great worldbuilding and an interesting twist on the typical Chosen One narrative. Also, I can ship everyone in this book with everyone else in this book. Can't wait for the sequel.

Also need to mention that I listened to this one, and Christian Coulson, as always, is fantastic.

I was so excited to read this new fantasy novel by C.S. Pacat after having adored their captive prince trilogy and have mixed feelings about it. I'm well aware that Dark Rise is a YA series and of course I'm happy to read a slow burn romance between the enemies but my main issue lies with Will as the main character.

Spoilers ahead!! 

Will is a predestined boy-savior on the run since his mother's murder and is hunted by Simon, a man who wants to help the dark king rise once again. Throughout the first couple of hundred pages we are lead to believe that he's one of the stewards, a group of ancient knights that wield the power of ancient times. The power of light that fights the dark. Will is the one and only one who can stop the dark king from regaining his throne. C.S. Pacat themselves said that this fantasy story about a war between light and dark isn't at all what it seems and that they want to twist the common hero trope with Will and thus also with the enemy of James St. Clair. So the big twist (SPOILERS) didn't come as a surprise at all when in the last 60 pages it was revealed that Will is actually the dark king himself. Maybe it's just me reading a lot of mysteries but it wasn't a huge surprise. I guess that's why Will's character had to be somewhat bland to make it believable that he is part of both sides at one point as the story progresses.  

The other side character's such as Violet, Cyprian and James aren't as bland. I really loved their arcs and backstories. Violet the double lion fighting alongside the stewards instead of the dark and Cyprian the last steward who hasn't drunk from the cup yet still standing! James really shone the most though and I saw lots of parallels to Laurent. Both are devastatingly beautiful, use their words as a weapon and have a tragic backstory that motivate their cruel deeds. Still, James isn't a copy of Laurent. The way he seemingly can't act on his own accord and gets set free when will hands him the collar back is so powerful. In general the book shined when James was in a scene. The dialogue between him and Will were outstanding, the chemistry was practically palpable. Sadly, he barely interacts with the rest of the cast but I'm positive that it was necessary to set up the next two books. <

Kathrine and her sister Elizabeth didn't catch my attention at first but as the last third of the story approached they became more and more important. Kathrine was practically a plot device who gets sacrificed at the end and only Elizabeth matters but since she served more sass and attitude I didn't mind her being the only one left of the lady's line. The insta love between her and Will was just unbelievable to me and I knew that the light that made the tree bloom when they kissed was due to her power. Will never managed to tap into his so there was no other explanation. 

Simon's motivation to free the dark king were too cliché but still, the final showdown with Will where his true identity was revealed was exciting. I just wish Simon would've been more of a fleshed out character and more interesting villain. Again, another indicator that Will has to have a stronger tie to the dark king than Simon. When he died it was clear that the next two books would explore the power dynamics of Will and James that have switched and which part of Will will win. The light or the dark?

I also really loved the historical setting in England and the world building as a whole. Everything was well researched and descriptive. The halls and in general what the cast wore was on point. Devon's storyline, being the last unicorn and having a horn that forces the person to tell the truth when stabbed, was original to say the least. I wonder what his role will be in the sequels. 

Despite Will being somewhat of a flat character and the big twist being predictable I loved the world building and side characters. Can't wait to read the sequel after this open end!

I think what people were is less important than what they are. And what people are is less important than what they could be.

Even under the guise of an overcomplicated fantasy world and endless description of said world and each of its ultimately useless facets, CS Pacat is still a master of tension and romance. And that is the reason I come back to her books again and again.

A good chunk of the book (read: ~80%) is a lot of explaining and confusing details, and I really was not enjoying my time with it. The whole old world/new world and the Stewards as a community were a lot to take in, and honestly it didn't even matter much by the end; I just didn't really care about them or their purpose. And do I really need to? (Honestly, the smaller-scale political battles of CaPri felt more intense and important than the big world struggles of this one.) Violet is badass, and I already love Will. James has such potential, and unfortunately he was barely in this first installment. But once we get to the real twists, the real meat of the story, in the last 20% or so, this book becomes a CS Pacat book. Just as in Captive Prince, this first book is mainly a set up for the epicness that will (hopefully) be the rest of the trilogy. I cannot wait for the sequel to be released!

Reread October 2023

Second reading: unquestionably better than the first! Knowing all the world-building to come, I was able to fully immerse myself in the story and world, and it was glorious. The characters were captivating, the story relentless, and the intrigue top-notch. I was absolutely enthralled.