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Cover of Dark Rise

Dark Rise

by C.S. Pacat

🥛clean·spoiler·Dark Rise #1

Why Read This?

C.S. Pacat masterfully subverts every YA trope you think you know — the slow-building tension between characters is electric, the twists in the final 50 pages are genuinely shocking, and the villain origin story is one of the best in recent YA fantasy

Synopsis

The ancient world of magic is no more. Its heroes are dead, its halls are ruins, and its great battles between Light and Dark are forgotten. Only the Stewards remember, and they keep their centuries-long vigil, sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns. Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. When an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, Will is ushered into a world of magic, where he must train to play a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark. As London is threatened by the Dark King’s return, the reborn heroes and villains of a long-forgotten war begin to draw battle lines. But as the young descendants of Light and Dark step into their destined roles, old allegiances, old enmities and old flames are awakened. Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own.

At a Glance

4.15 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🥛clean
Endingspoiler
PairingM/M
Romance Pacingslow burn

Top Tropes

enemies to loversforbidden loveprophecy-driven love

Mood

darkintensemysteriousbroodingepic

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

4.15 ★

Page Count

464 pages

Published

2021

Primary Genre

Ya Fantasy

Pairing

M/M

POV

Multi-POV

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Standard

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

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Mood & Vibe

Mood

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Characters

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violencegraphic violencetorturemurderdeath of loved oneanimal deathparental deathcaptivityracism/bigotry

World & Setting

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Reading Context

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