Dark Rise (Dark Rise, 1)

If "Trust the process" was a book

Will has been on the run since his mother was murdered right in front of him. Hiding and always looking over his shoulder, Will has managed to find himself in London working odd jobs until one day his past catches up to him. It's then that Will finds out that he comes from a very powerful bloodline and that he might be the only one able to defeat the growing ancient evil. Joining the Stewards, the only ones who remember the ancient world of magic and who know what's coming, Will must train and gain allies while uncovering what really happened and how does he fit in this long standing fight. I had fun with this one, it's a little slow at first but I get it because there was a lot of worldbuilding to do. There are also a lot of clues in this first part to all the big reveals at the end, and since I enjoy unraveling plot and mysteries I liked this bit and was paying close attention. It's a book that deals in complex moralities for all factions and demands focus of the reader. I guessed almost all the big plot twists but there were some I never saw coming, even I you realize things before time the way they're constructed and the road the author takes to get there are such a delight. Will is a fantastic protagonist, he's not ultra powerful or noble he's someone who relies on wit and cleverness. He's always paying attention, he's manipulative yet very charismatic and easily draws people in. Violet is another standout character, she's strong and moral, dedicated and a great friend. The two of them made sense as the main POVs, both had different things to do and places to be and together they connected the plot points naturally. What made no sense to me were Katherine's POVs, I understand the author had to get her there somewhere since she had no other connection with the main characters but man was it shoed in and I did not care for her, weakest character. Same with Devon's POV, the book didn't need it. I do think some events were a little bit too convenient, the plot hinges heavily on people assuming things and not double checking certain details. There are also some plot points that I'm still not too clear on, like how did Will's "mother" have two kids without him noticing or remembering? How could she tell he was the dark king? Same with James, how did they know he was a reborn? I'm assuming they'll be answered in the next books.

The first half of the book was painfully slow…That why I'd rather put a 3.9 star out of 5 rating to this book but I can’t do that here. I know why it was slow, it was because of the world building and the preparation to understand the world before we get to the real plot but I almost dnf'd it! Buuut the other half of the book straight up convinced me. We finally had the characters there and I cared for them. That half was full of action, emotion and character. The plot twist was amazing and I just know the next book will hurt me!