Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Almost no one to root for in cruel, mature fantasy world.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In DARK RISE, Will was on the run with his mother his whole life, not knowing why, not even after she was killed and he was working on the docks in London trying not to get noticed. But men did notice him, and his mother's old servant barely got him a message before he was caught. The message was that he would find refuge with a group called the Stewards in the moors. Will thought it was all for nothing, though. He would never get to safety after he was chained up in the hull of a ship. Then strangely dressed soldiers with swords instead of guns came for him: the Stewards. With their help and the help of a girl named Violet meant to guard him he made his escape while the ship sank. With zombie-like riders in hot pursuit, Will finds what he's looking for: a gate on the moors. On the other side is something he never imagined: a whole secret society trained to save the world from dark forces. According to the elder Steward, Will is the person they've been waiting for for centuries.
Is It Any Good?
This mature fantasy shows that solid world building can't make up for characters who aren't worth rooting for. Well, there may be one: Violet. She's a brave warrior woman and finds a cause to fight for after she's betrayed by her whole family. If she stays the course, here's hoping things turn out for her. Everyone else, eh. Will is not a well-developed character at first, and then his motivations are confusing, and then he betrays his friends and a woman who falls for him and lies to everyone, including the reader. Any other characters worth spending time with are slaughtered en masse or dropped for long periods of time from the story. One intriguing character who's dropped and suddenly returns starts to garner sympathy until the stabbing starts.
Dark Rise has other glaring problems as well. That solid world building is mostly crammed into the time when Will reaches the Stewards' fortress and it slows the story down. In big moments of turmoil people and objects that are vitally important go missing or are forgotten until the last minute, which is sure to stupefy the reader. Why didn't they search for James right away? How on earth could Violet forget about the shield? Also, there's a tone set in Dark Rise in a few scenes that combines sexual innuendo and desire with violence. It's something else that may push many readers further away. It's hard to say if the author will gather the young adult fan base she desires in future Dark Rise installments.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what roles gender and sexuality play in Dark Rise. How does Violet defy the gender roles of the time? How do the Stewards? Why do you think a queer-identifying author made so many of the villains bisexual?
There's a lot of death here, and more of the good characters die than the villains. Did it affect your enjoyment of the story?
What do you think is next for the main characters? Will you keep reading this series?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Quill Tree Books
- Publication date : September 28, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 464
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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