The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature in which I highlight books I got over the last week that sound like they may be interesting—old or new, bought or received in the mail for review consideration. Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included, along with series information and the publisher’s book description. Book cover links are affiliate links to Bookshop, and I earn from qualifying purchases.
It may be a bit quieter than usual here for the next couple of months or so, since I recently learned that I need to move. But for now, there’s one new book I added to my Kindle last week, and there was one new review since the last one of these features:
- The Archer at Dawn (The Tiger at Midnight #2) by Swati Teerdhala — I felt much the same way about this one as I did the first book in the series: that it’s an entertaining book that shows the strength tropes can have when written by an author who understands what makes them work.
On to the latest book!
Dark Rise (Dark Rise #1) by C.S. Pacat
Dark Rise, the first book in a YA fantasy trilogy by USA Today bestselling author C.S. Pacat, will be released on September 28 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook).
I’ve heard a lot about C.S. Pacat’s Captive Prince trilogy, and I was rather intrigued by some of the early reviews of Dark Rise that I saw on Goodreads.
In this stunning new fantasy novel from international bestselling author C. S. Pacat, heroes and villains of a long-forgotten war are reborn and begin to draw new battle lines. This epic fantasy with high-stakes romance will sit perfectly on shelves next to beloved fantasy novels like the Infernal Devices series, the Shadow and Bone trilogy, and the Red Queen series.
Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. Then an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, who have sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns. Will is thrust into a world of magic, where he starts training for a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark.
As London is threatened and old enmities are awakened, Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own.
Like V.E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic and Shelby Mahurin’s Serpent & Dove, Dark Rise is more than just high intrigue fantasy—it’s fast-paced, action-packed, and completely surprising. Readers will love exploring the rich setting of nineteenth-century London. This thrilling story of friendship, deception, loyalty, and betrayal is sure to find a passionate audience of readers.
