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A review by eiion
Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
The second book in the 'Dark Rise' series was arguably better than the first.
C. S. Pacat's writing style was perfect as always, with descriptive abilities that are generally unparallelled by some of the other authors I have seen in the modern day fantasy scenes. The book built on so many existing characters while introducing more in a way that really made sense, that didn't feel forced or out of place. It was so sad at times, and so stressful, but every character had a place in that story, and something to contribute.
Starting where the first book ended, Dark Heir had a lot to address, and it did it almost flawlessly. There was a lot more action in this book, and less explanation of the lore, more building on the story. Again, it was nearly impossible to put down. I don't know how, but I genuinely think that there was some kind of spell on these pages that compelled me to just keep reading.
Despite the action and the character growth, Pacat managed to keep that perfect balance of intrigue and careful planning around our characters. Will learning about his powers was tough, having to do it alone, and having to do it by James' side, without telling him who he actually was just ripped my heart out. I was physically tense, always on edge, and yet enjoyed it so much.
We got to see a lot more of Will this book, where he fell into place as the undeniable main character. While the first book was a decently equal share of him and Violet, this book was about him. It made the POV switches feel a bit less important, but I still really loved reading about Violet and Cyprian, and seeing what they were getting up to while Will was grappling with his true identity and trying to solve everything.
As good books do, it left on a cliffhanger, and I am so upset that the third one isn't out yet. There were so many questions, so many things still left to be done, and I won't lie: I'm a bit nervous that Will is going to eventually succumb to his past life - that this triology might not have a happy ending, that he might not get to save the people he cares about. But some small part of me hopes beyond hope that it will all work out.
I can't wait to get my hands on the third one, and am really pleased with this series so far, in a way I didn't expect.
C. S. Pacat's writing style was perfect as always, with descriptive abilities that are generally unparallelled by some of the other authors I have seen in the modern day fantasy scenes. The book built on so many existing characters while introducing more in a way that really made sense, that didn't feel forced or out of place. It was so sad at times, and so stressful, but every character had a place in that story, and something to contribute.
Starting where the first book ended, Dark Heir had a lot to address, and it did it almost flawlessly. There was a lot more action in this book, and less explanation of the lore, more building on the story. Again, it was nearly impossible to put down. I don't know how, but I genuinely think that there was some kind of spell on these pages that compelled me to just keep reading.
Despite the action and the character growth, Pacat managed to keep that perfect balance of intrigue and careful planning around our characters. Will learning about his powers was tough, having to do it alone, and having to do it by James' side, without telling him who he actually was just ripped my heart out. I was physically tense, always on edge, and yet enjoyed it so much.
We got to see a lot more of Will this book, where he fell into place as the undeniable main character. While the first book was a decently equal share of him and Violet, this book was about him. It made the POV switches feel a bit less important, but I still really loved reading about Violet and Cyprian, and seeing what they were getting up to while Will was grappling with his true identity and trying to solve everything.
As good books do, it left on a cliffhanger, and I am so upset that the third one isn't out yet. There were so many questions, so many things still left to be done, and I won't lie: I'm a bit nervous that Will is going to eventually succumb to his past life - that this triology might not have a happy ending, that he might not get to save the people he cares about. But some small part of me hopes beyond hope that it will all work out.
I can't wait to get my hands on the third one, and am really pleased with this series so far, in a way I didn't expect.