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nightshaderoots's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Characters- 5
Each character had growth and depth to them. They all had their own goals and aspirations outside of not only the main character but their shared goals. Not only that but everyone interacted with each other in a way that made sense for each relationship. You grew with Will and Violet’s friendship so their bond was able to feel more concrete throughout the story. You were able to get into the characters’ heads which made their actions down the line more believable. Because of this it made it easier to relate to certain characters and feel as if their dreams and goals were your own. You rooted for each victory and felt upset at each loss.
Enjoyment- 5
Overall this was a fun read. I would reread it to see the build up with the knowledge I had of what happens in the end. The characters and world was refreshing to read about and nothing ever felt too forced. I was never pushed to the point of frustration with pacing or cliffhangers so it was a steady read. It was enough fantasy where it could be enjoyed by someone who doesn’t read the genre often and enough to keep someone who does stay engaged.
Messages- 5
What I took away from the book was that you are more than who you were and are. The characters were often tied with their identities and destinies and depending on who it was they either defied it or embraced it. Another one being that memory is both a blessing and a curse. It can plague the mind or be comforting as it gets passed down. Another theme that I noticed that was consistent with the book was that there is no solely good or solely evil. Everything had a grey area whether that be the systems in the world or the characters themselves. The author did a good job showcasing all the different aspects and perspectives within the book’s elements.
Plot- 5
There was never a point where I was pushed to frustration with the pacing of the book. The cliffhangers felt right where it was used and didn’t just feel like it was used just for dramatic effect. The only reason why it took me a little longer in the beginning versus the end of the book was because I just started getting back into reading so I had to build up my stamina for a little while. The plot was consistent even if it wasn’t always focused on it. Even though the story was broken down into different perspectives it still centered around the main plot in their own special ways.
Emotional impact- 5
Because these were kids being thrown into a world they didn’t fully understand it was easy to put myself in their shoes. Their fears felt as if it was my own due to the author’s way of describing not only the character’s response to it but the surroundings as well. The author showed the horrors of war in a way that felt real and not just killing characters just for a shock factor solely. The scenes were laid out so that there was tension and suspense not just thrown haphazardly in there. It made sense for the context surrounding it.
Worldbuilding- 5
I will not lie, in the beginning I was a bit lost in world building mostly because I was not familiar with boats and life in 1820’s London. However this was overlooked due to the natural and easy going way the author showcased the Old World and its rules and lore. It was spread throughout the book in digestible pieces that made it easier to immerse myself into the book. The world was consistent and felt lived in, not something just created for the book to talk about. The characters felt like they belonged in the world and it all melted together well. What I also appreciated was that the stories and what the characters knew about the world was slowly introduced throughout the book and not just info dumped. Each time a story was mentioned another element was added or how it was viewed was changed making it not feel repetitive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Vomit
skillyillian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
It would be five stars but it feels like it takes simply forever for anything to really get going. But otherwise, oh my god. Oh my god. Fuck. Literally immediately got the next one and started it less than five minutes after finishing dark rise. God help me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
eddieboy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
OOOOOOH SHIT THAT ENDING WENT HARD
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Body horror and Death of parent
Minor: Incest
k8buysrum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
The story was so good, it just took a little while to get it going. There’s quite the lull of world building information in the early to middle section that was a little dull. But the main characters are great. The unfolding of information and plot is great. I leave the first book all twisted up inside for how things may go in the second. I’m looking forward to reading it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Genocide, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Classism
blewballoon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I'm not sure how to rate this because I didn't really have any strong feelings about the book. I had mostly a bland reading experience. Apart from maybe Violet, I didn't feel attached to any of the characters, and that made it harder to care what was going on with them. It felt like I was just skimming the surface level of plot and characters for the most part.
The writing style reminded me of Sabriel by Garth Nix, which is nice, but that style doesn't help when the text is fairly repetitive and the book is mostly predictable.There are several twists towards the very end, but if you know there is a twist and you try at all to predict what it is, you will probably figure them all out long before the characters do. I didn't feel like any of the twists improved my opinion of the book or gave me that "oh I want to re-read now that I know the twist!" type feeling that would re-contextualize the story, and they didn't make me excited for a sequel. It's more that the whole first 90% of the book feels like it was just filler.
I'm trying not to be too harsh, but there really isn't much I liked, despite wanting to like it and having high hopes for it. It has elements that sort of reminded me of other books I do like, but as if I only got the seltzer drink wisp of flavor of the real fruit. I don't even mind when stories are predictable and characters are a bit cliche as long as the book is still immersive and fun to read, but I didn't have much fun with this. I didn't hate it, though. For me, the book was a lot of death and dullness, and it's the combination of sad/bored that risks putting me into a reading slump if I don't find something good to snap me out of it. I will say the audiobook narrator is very good, but I kept speeding the poor man up (I think I finished on 1.6 speed) because I wanted it to be over.
The writing style reminded me of Sabriel by Garth Nix, which is nice, but that style doesn't help when the text is fairly repetitive and the book is mostly predictable.
I'm trying not to be too harsh, but there really isn't much I liked, despite wanting to like it and having high hopes for it. It has elements that sort of reminded me of other books I do like, but as if I only got the seltzer drink wisp of flavor of the real fruit. I don't even mind when stories are predictable and characters are a bit cliche as long as the book is still immersive and fun to read, but I didn't have much fun with this. I didn't hate it, though. For me, the book was a lot of death and dullness, and it's the combination of sad/bored that risks putting me into a reading slump if I don't find something good to snap me out of it. I will say the audiobook narrator is very good, but I kept speeding the poor man up (I think I finished on 1.6 speed) because I wanted it to be over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Torture, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Body horror and Child death
limabeans's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
really enjoyed dark rise. the plot twist was so good! it explained things very well and explained my unanswered questions and confusion. like why Will was able to touch the stone and blade. why katherine was sort of attracted to Will and kissed him out of nowhere (rip).
james was probably the best character in this. i didn’t figure out until the middle/end that he was the ‘love interest’ though but that’s okay.
amazing cliffhanger ending, super excited to read book two.
james was probably the best character in this. i didn’t figure out until the middle/end that he was the ‘love interest’ though but that’s okay.
amazing cliffhanger ending, super excited to read book two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Body horror and Gore
Minor: Pedophilia
bugcollector's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
what is this bs
and when is the next one coming out 👹😀
and when is the next one coming out 👹😀
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
mals_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Animal death
Minor: Vomit
leedolee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
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? No
5.0
This book!!!!!
I didn't think I would fall in love with this book the way I did, but I did. I absolutely loved every single page of this book.
I've always enjoyed books where fantasy worlds existed in our own worlds, albeit a different era. And I absolutely loved the idea of Light battling the Dark.
The plot twists in this book were plenty and every single one surprised me. Although, the Big Reveal was something I had not seen coming! It was definitely unexpected and I didn't connect the dots until the Big Reveal.
The main characters were also fun to read about as well as the battle sequences, the magic, the lore, and the history.
I cannot wait for the sequel!
I didn't think I would fall in love with this book the way I did, but I did. I absolutely loved every single page of this book.
I've always enjoyed books where fantasy worlds existed in our own worlds, albeit a different era. And I absolutely loved the idea of Light battling the Dark.
The plot twists in this book were plenty and every single one surprised me. Although, the Big Reveal was something I had not seen coming! It was definitely unexpected and I didn't connect the dots until the Big Reveal.
The main characters were also fun to read about as well as the battle sequences, the magic, the lore, and the history.
I cannot wait for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Vomit