Dark Rise by C.S Pacat
The Warm Winter Read for 2024 has just finished, and as part of it, I was able to discover a few new books and favorite authors, Dark Rise being among them. Author ambassador Shelly Parker-Chan recommended this novel as part of a collection of books that transport you to another world—no small feat, yet one I feel C.S. Pacat accomplishes with aplomb.
The action begins immediately, and the main characters, Will and Violet, become embroiled in a world of magic, mystery, and ancient enemies being reborn. Between them and this magical old world exists a conduit of stewards who have maintained this history through the eons. However, the stewards have secrets of their own, and in this grand war of Light and Dark, who is good or evil is not as clear as the stewards would like them to believe.
This book really stood out to me, as it is one of the few fantasy series that is critical of its own tropes and the danger these tropes pose in media. For a YA series, this is particularly important, as it shows that the concepts of good and evil are often a matter of perception. The assumption that the forces of light are good people and the forces of darkness are bad people is a preconception that Pacat exposes as not only wrong but dangerous. The way C.S. Pacat does this is never patronising and feels more tragic than anything by the end of the novel, which is why I am so excited to continue reading the sequel, Dark Heir.
You can find Dark Rise as well as the sequel Dark Heir as a book or eBook, available now.
Blake
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