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A review by megsslibrary
Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Spoilers for Dark Rise but spoiler free for Dark Heir.
I LOVED this sequel. It was very hard to put it down and I read it every opportunity I had. The plot was fast moving but never at the expense of the characters. It was fantastic being in Will's head because he was no longer hiding who he was from the reader, so you got to see more of the real him. How smart he is, how much of himself he holds back from others, how much he cares, how lonely he is. At the end of Dark Rise James was my favourite character, but by the end of Dark Heir Will has become my favourite. I love him so much. It makes me want to reread book one and two back to back I love him so much.
I've read other books where 'The Dark One' is the hero but with no memories of being the dark one. It always felt to me like there were no consequences to them being the dark one and that it is just for a shocking twist but ultimately goes no where. Not so in this one, Will definitely feels like the dark king returned, and the dark king seems to truely be a bad guy. There are consequences to this revelation and Will is dealing with it for the whole book. I loved this storyline the most and looking forward to how it all wraps up in book 3.
All the characters get a chance to shine. Violet probably has the short straw in terms of development, but her storyline has been set up for a magnificent arc in book 3. Both James and Cyprian had some amazing moments that had me emotional and on the edge of my seat. Elizabeth is a new favourite for me, it was so lovely seeing more from her. In book 1 James stole every scene he was in, Devon was that character in book 2.
The 'old world' gets expanded upon in this instalment. I'm so fascinated by it all. To me all the mythology surrounding the old world has the gravitas that the Lord of the Rings mythology has and I'm looking forward to learning even more in book 3. I feel like this book could be sold as 'imagine if Sauron was reborn but didn't have his memories'. Especially if you've read the Silmarillion and know his full backstory.
Much like Pacat's other books, the ending emotionally gutted me. I cannot wait for book 3.
Thank you Netgalley and Allen and Unwin for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.
I LOVED this sequel. It was very hard to put it down and I read it every opportunity I had. The plot was fast moving but never at the expense of the characters. It was fantastic being in Will's head because he was no longer hiding who he was from the reader, so you got to see more of the real him. How smart he is, how much of himself he holds back from others, how much he cares, how lonely he is. At the end of Dark Rise James was my favourite character, but by the end of Dark Heir Will has become my favourite. I love him so much. It makes me want to reread book one and two back to back I love him so much.
I've read other books where 'The Dark One' is the hero but with no memories of being the dark one. It always felt to me like there were no consequences to them being the dark one and that it is just for a shocking twist but ultimately goes no where. Not so in this one, Will definitely feels like the dark king returned, and the dark king seems to truely be a bad guy. There are consequences to this revelation and Will is dealing with it for the whole book. I loved this storyline the most and looking forward to how it all wraps up in book 3.
All the characters get a chance to shine. Violet probably has the short straw in terms of development, but her storyline has been set up for a magnificent arc in book 3. Both James and Cyprian had some amazing moments that had me emotional and on the edge of my seat. Elizabeth is a new favourite for me, it was so lovely seeing more from her. In book 1 James stole every scene he was in, Devon was that character in book 2.
The 'old world' gets expanded upon in this instalment. I'm so fascinated by it all. To me all the mythology surrounding the old world has the gravitas that the Lord of the Rings mythology has and I'm looking forward to learning even more in book 3. I feel like this book could be sold as 'imagine if Sauron was reborn but didn't have his memories'. Especially if you've read the Silmarillion and know his full backstory.
Much like Pacat's other books, the ending emotionally gutted me. I cannot wait for book 3.
Thank you Netgalley and Allen and Unwin for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.