Dark Rise

Format read: HardcoverTags: fantasy, lgbt (m/m, bi), found family, adventure, magic, LondonOwn a copy: yesReread likelihood: 8/10Summary:Will Kempen is an ordinary dockyard boy who fills his days with hard manual labour. However, he holds a secret close to his heart: he is on the run from shadowy figures who wish him dead by all means. Will is used to hiding his identity by changing jobs and cities regularly, until one night the men who murdered his mother find him, and the hunt begins anew. Will finds himself captured, then saved by a strange girl with inhuman strength and a knightly young man straight out of a storybook. With their help, Will will learn about his destiny and finally find out why these other men are so bent on capturing him, dead or alive.Review:Look, I read this immediately after devouring Pacat's [b:Captive Prince 9305362 Captive Prince (Captive Prince, #1) C.S. Pacat https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356028113l/9305362.SY75.jpg 14188292] trilogy and boy, did I ever devour this story too. Immediately, I could see parallels between the characters of Captive Prince and Dark Rise, but that didn't belay my enjoyment. In fact, I felt already familiar with Pacat's style, which made this book very easy to get into.I can't say that I was remotely surprised by the twist. To me, the conclusion of this first book was as clear as day from the first few chapters but, again, this somehow did not damage my enjoyment of the story. I grew attached to some of the characters more than others, especially Justice, but they all had very distinct voices and personalities that successfully made them stand out and be different from one another. I loved the magic system in this story, and the legends/myths were well presented and made sense. Worldbuilding is never an easy task, but Pacat did a good job here of creating an alternate 1800s London filled with magic and populated by an ancient sacred order.I'm looking forward to book 2 (whenever that might be) and, in the meantime, I'll hold onto my predictions for the next installment.