A Spoiler-Free Book Review of Dark Rise by CS Pacat
A truly gorgeous book cover and design.
I absolutely loved Dark Rise!
Pacat can turn such a beautiful phrase when she sets her mind to it, but she’s not heavy handed with the lovely twists of prose. She doles them out every so often, reminding the reader of the majesty and horror in this world without distracting from the narrative.
This story was so original, with thoroughly considered worldbuilding and a refreshing take on some of everyone’s favorite classical fantasy tropes such as the young hero of light who comes from humble beginnings to defeat the dark lord. Pacat manages to turn everything on it’s head and truly set this book apart from others I have read in the genre.
“I think what people were is less important than what they are. And what people are is less important than what they could be.”
Dark Rise is tightly paced with characters I want to get to know and plot shifts I didn’t see coming. I am entirely enamored of the way that Pacat explores the darkness within characters and the way they grapple with their desires and argue against their better angels. Rarely have I seen this done so richly by another author. She brings this struggle to life very consistently and has a delightful way of making the characters long desperately for and be viscerally disturbed or revolted by the same exact thing at the same time.
Without getting too far off topic, I will say that I think that marriage of disgust and desire has deep roots in the shared experience of many queer and female emerging sexuality schemas. There is a spark of something, perhaps the shock of wanting a thing that had always been described as “bad”, which I think really resonates within Pacat’s work and accounts for much of the appeal. It’s interesting to think about.
Who doesn’t love a beautiful fantasy map?
I will say that my biggest criticism of Dark Rise is that it does not seem to be part of a series. As much as I LOVED the ending and felt that it was perfect for this book, I do feel there is at least one more book’s worth of material that deserves to be explored and resolved. I sincerely hope that a follow up is forthcoming.
