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If this series isn't going to give me what I have been craving for years, then all my hopes will die.
Ever since I was pretty much bullied into reading the [b:Captive Prince|9305362|Captive Prince (Captive Prince, #1)|C.S. Pacat|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356028113l/9305362._SY75_.jpg|14188292] trilogy by my dearest friend, I have been a fan of C.S. Pacat's writing, and therefore, was really excited to read Dark Rise. But it wasn't just the author that compelled me into reading this, I also was very eager to read a tale about Darkness vs. Light as it has been a long time since I've done so. (And let's be real ... my Darklina heart still craves some of it) Unsuprisingly, that dear friend who pretty much shoved the Captive Prince books into my face, was also the one who decided that we pick up Dark Rise for our monthly readalongs #BookTalkWithWifey over on Bookstagram. And this was the moment when the journey into historical London began.
Dark Rise is pretty much your classic fantasy story, where we got the darkness threatening to rule the world and enslave everyone and everything, and the guardians of Light who have dedicated their life to stop this from happening. In the mids of it all, we meet a cast of characters of which each plays a different, but significant role in the battle of light against darkness. What makes this, however, stand out is that despite the fact that the book plays with a classic theme of good vs. evil and uses common tropes such as the Chosen One, it diverts from those as we keep making progress with the story, and reveals twist after twist making us question if the things are not what they seem to be.
As much as I love the worldbuilding now, I have to admit the book started off with a slower pace, taking its time to set everything up which sometimes had a feeling of some infodumping. We get thrown into the world of the Dark King and the Stewards pretty quickly from the get-go, and then slowly learn all the truths and history. Now this is something that had been needed. Especially since it takes place in historical London, and the story very much wants to keep things realistic. You should believe that this secondary world is a truth, that there had been magic a very long time ago. With many things in this book, I came to appreciate details and aspects more when I reached the end, where everything clicks into place, and promises a wild ride with the upcoming books.
The heart of the story are the characters we get introduced to. Some took a bit more warming up, some I loved immediately *cough* James *cough*. They carried the story on their shoulders, and gave us a hell of a time as we followed them, trying to fight a recurring battle that has been fought centuries ago. I appreciated to see each character finding themselves on an journey of their own which allows for a lot of character development. Most characters don‘t find themselves where they were in the beginning of the book, and the potential for their development in the future installements still keeps me on the edge of the seat. Similiar to the worldbuilding, many things clicked during the end of the book which made me less irritated than during reading this story.
While I really enjoyed this book - especially when we passed the slower pace of the beginning, and the twists were being revealed - I have to say since this book takes its time to introduce us to the world and characters, I wish I could‘ve binged the entire series than having to wait so long for its sequel. The ending offers so much potential that I just can‘t wait to dive into the next book, and find out in which direction this story is heading … and it better be somewhat how I‘m imagining it, because I‘m very very intrigued. And if I have learned anything from the time where I obsessively devoured the Captive Prince trilogy, then this: I‘m not ready to read whatever will happen. And I‘m pretty sure it involves ghost hands, and more of James.
Ever since I was pretty much bullied into reading the [b:Captive Prince|9305362|Captive Prince (Captive Prince, #1)|C.S. Pacat|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356028113l/9305362._SY75_.jpg|14188292] trilogy by my dearest friend, I have been a fan of C.S. Pacat's writing, and therefore, was really excited to read Dark Rise. But it wasn't just the author that compelled me into reading this, I also was very eager to read a tale about Darkness vs. Light as it has been a long time since I've done so. (And let's be real ... my Darklina heart still craves some of it) Unsuprisingly, that dear friend who pretty much shoved the Captive Prince books into my face, was also the one who decided that we pick up Dark Rise for our monthly readalongs #BookTalkWithWifey over on Bookstagram. And this was the moment when the journey into historical London began.
Dark Rise is pretty much your classic fantasy story, where we got the darkness threatening to rule the world and enslave everyone and everything, and the guardians of Light who have dedicated their life to stop this from happening. In the mids of it all, we meet a cast of characters of which each plays a different, but significant role in the battle of light against darkness. What makes this, however, stand out is that despite the fact that the book plays with a classic theme of good vs. evil and uses common tropes such as the Chosen One, it diverts from those as we keep making progress with the story, and reveals twist after twist making us question if the things are not what they seem to be.
As much as I love the worldbuilding now, I have to admit the book started off with a slower pace, taking its time to set everything up which sometimes had a feeling of some infodumping. We get thrown into the world of the Dark King and the Stewards pretty quickly from the get-go, and then slowly learn all the truths and history. Now this is something that had been needed. Especially since it takes place in historical London, and the story very much wants to keep things realistic. You should believe that this secondary world is a truth, that there had been magic a very long time ago. With many things in this book, I came to appreciate details and aspects more when I reached the end, where everything clicks into place, and promises a wild ride with the upcoming books.
The heart of the story are the characters we get introduced to. Some took a bit more warming up, some I loved immediately *cough* James *cough*. They carried the story on their shoulders, and gave us a hell of a time as we followed them, trying to fight a recurring battle that has been fought centuries ago. I appreciated to see each character finding themselves on an journey of their own which allows for a lot of character development. Most characters don‘t find themselves where they were in the beginning of the book, and the potential for their development in the future installements still keeps me on the edge of the seat. Similiar to the worldbuilding, many things clicked during the end of the book which made me less irritated than during reading this story.
While I really enjoyed this book - especially when we passed the slower pace of the beginning, and the twists were being revealed - I have to say since this book takes its time to introduce us to the world and characters, I wish I could‘ve binged the entire series than having to wait so long for its sequel. The ending offers so much potential that I just can‘t wait to dive into the next book, and find out in which direction this story is heading … and it better be somewhat how I‘m imagining it, because I‘m very very intrigued. And if I have learned anything from the time where I obsessively devoured the Captive Prince trilogy, then this: I‘m not ready to read whatever will happen. And I‘m pretty sure it involves ghost hands, and more of James.