C. S. Pacat

Hey, if M/M romance isn't your thing, and if you struggle (understandably!) to separate the fantasy of a sexual slavery narrative from the all too real and horrific reality of the slave trade - both historical and current - then this series is not for you. I struggled with the slavery aspects myself, and I'm still not sure that this was my thing. However, the story between the two main characters is compelling and just beautifully written. Generally I deeply detest it when a novel ends in such a way that leaves a reader with no choice but to read a second and third book in order to get a complete story, but this time I'm not even mad.… (mer)

I am very lucky to read an ARC of this book, and I devoured it in one day.

Yes, that is his way. ... Every action looks innocent on the surface, and has dark tendrils growing beneath.

The thing I loved most about Dark Rise was the way it became a different book in retrospect.
After the twist at the end of Dark Rise, everything that happened before changes into a new light. Sentences are woven with hints and double meanings, and it was astounding. As easily as I missed them the first time, so obvious were they during a reread. Innocent on the surface, dark underneath.
With this twist revealed, would book 2 be just as interesting?
I’d say yes. The double meanings are everywhere, and give almost every scene a hint of suspense and dramatic irony. There is no eye-opening moment at the end, but every single scene is filled with layered conversations and things not said.
I am in awe of the way this author makes conversations feel so layered, as if every word was chosen deliberately to say one thing and mean another. I cannot think of a single other book that managed to use connotations as well as this one.

Another thing to make it so ironic is the many parallels between the characters.
Dark rise was written as ‘reclaiming of the queer villain’ (this was in the front of my ARC as description) and it showed.
Will, Violet and James were all assigned ‘evil’ upon their birth. They did not choose it but they are punished for it, just like queer people are. This felt like the red thread in the entire story.

The book discusses what makes a person evil, is it inherent or taught? And do evil actions make a person evil if the victims are not blameless?
Will and Violet are each other’s mirror, both choosing not to follow the path they were assigned, but falling into it nonetheless. Violet wields heroes’ weapons, just like the heroes who used to fight for good, but how good is she? James is to blame for the Stewards’ demise, but so are the stewards, for willingly tying themselves to shadows and trying to kill the child James used to be.

This is also a downside. The many characters make for an interesting ensemble cast, but sometimes it was hard to keep track of everyone. The main focus is on Will, James and Cyprian, with a secondary plot for Violet and a third plot for Elizabeth. Devon from book 1 is lurking somewhere, Simon has multiple relatives, Violet’s brother is…. Also doing things??
In my opinion the large cast overshadowed the main characters, especially Violet’s part.
I loved the emphasis on friendship in book 1. Will and Violet are each other’s best friends and they express it without a doubt. It is so rare to see a male and female character show affection without hints of romance, especially if they are the two main characters.
For a person who was without a doubt the deuteragonist of book 1, Violet had little to do in this book and the main setup from book 1 (with her brother) did not go anywhere.
Cyprian and James got a lot of development, which was great, but I was disappointed that these two got promoted to main characters at the cost of someone who was already a main character.

The many magical objects and their lore were a bit overwhelming as well.
After reading two books, I am still not sure what the magic is, how it works for each character and what dark things happened to make it work the way it does. There are kings, portals, armies, remnants, reborn, returners…. Lots of stuff to keep track of.
The book continues right where book 1 ended, and the author provides a short recap of everything that happened in book 1, and it did not hinder my reading in any way. Everything gets explained well enough while reading, and it all made sense while reading, but I couldn’t explain it to anyone if they asked.
I have NO idea what might happen or where this will go. But I guess that is a good thing? Keeps the anticipation high for book 3.
I will certainly be waiting when book 3 arrives.… (mer)