Whose Bad!

The Dark Heir 

C.S. Pacat

496 pages, Allen & Unwin paperback, first published November 14, 2023

Dark Rise set the reader up for a terrific ride and Dark Heir continues that journey. Will and his friends find themselves trying to stave off a disaster that is coming through the unleashing of an unholy force. That is all you need to know as anything more is giving away all the twists, turns, chaos, betrayals and sparks of romance that in the novel. 

Pacat has again created an array of characters that all have their primary motivations questioned or misrepresented by others. Will knows who and what he is, whether he chooses to accept that mantle is unclear. He knows that what he feels for James is real but their history makes it unsure whether they are together for the right reasons now, or whether it is the past that brings them together. The other characters really sing off the page and each one faces a test of who or what they believe. 

As a reader, you can trust Pacat to not overwhelm you with all the characters, situations and the world creation. As you move between the characters and their story arcs, you are not lost, but ever so carefully guided by an exceptional author. For all the characters are complex and nuanced in their beliefs and motivations. They are completely believable and it makes you invested in all of them. The pace is spot on, you are flipping pages and trying not to skip ahead to find out what happens. Pacat easily threads into the narrative the world you are inhabiting, you easily understand how we have arrived at this point. The history is woven deftly in, enhances your understanding and does not slow things down. 

The ending well, Pacat knows how to hook a reader. 

Check C.S. Pacat's website to find out more about their other series.