To me, Dark Heir is not a book. It is an experience. A shock, a slow poison, and a question: Who am I? What can I do to build myself beyond my past?
When I read Dark Rise by C. S. Pacat, I immediately understood that this series was different. There are many YA fantasy books where there are heroes, villains, wars, and magic. But what this series has is deep conflict, pain within the characters, and a world where nothing is black and white, everything is gray. And it is precisely in this perspective that Dark Heir takes its place in my mind.
📘 Dark Heir begins where Dark Rise ended. At the end of the first book, we learn a terrible truth: Will, whom we had thought of as the hero of the ‘good side’ until now, is actually the reincarnation of the Dark King. This piece of information was a final shock to a reader like me. I mean, you spend the first half of the book hoping for a boy, feeling sad, fearing for him, and then suddenly you find out that he's the terrible villain. Now in the second book we see Will, but this time he's not the same. He knows now that there's darkness inside him, it really is. But the question is: will he get lost in that darkness, or will he control it and build something new? I think the most intense thing about this book is his inner conflict. Will knows what he was, but the struggle of what he wants to be now is shown very realistically.
Will is definitely the central character. But the more I followed him in the book, the more I observed James and Violet. James is a character that you want to hate on one hand, and also feel pained by his pain on the other. While he was Will's enemy in the first book, his role in the second book is much more complex. Sometimes it seems like she wants to protect Will, and sometimes it seems like she's deliberately pushing him towards destruction. Violet is as brave and intelligent as ever, but here she comes across as a more mature person. She knows what Will is, but her friendship and devotion to him don't fade. It's a big deal to accept someone with their darkness. And Simon, Katherine, Justice – each of their different positions and attitudes bring the book to life.
The action scenes in Dark Heir are sharper than ever. The sword fights, the magic games, the tricks are all exciting. I've been like this a few times, stopping in the middle of the page, my heart pounding. What I like most is the way this world has been created. There is magic here, but it's also like a weapon that can be dangerous if not handled properly. There is politics, hidden conspiracies, and even memories of the old era are scattered throughout the book. This mix of different layers is what makes the book different.
I know, it's a YA fantasy series. But I will say, this series talks about relationships in a way that is not easily seen. Will and James' relationship is not exactly "friend or foe". It is a tension, where attraction to each other, distrust, and sometimes a painful love are mixed. There was a scene where James holds a knife to Will's throat and tears are in his eyes. Scenes like this shook me from the inside. The complexity of these relationships, the slurred language, and the quietly spoken words were what I felt most close to.
The first part felt a little slow. In some places it felt too political, or talking about history, but as I progressed, I realized that without these foundations, the explosions at the end would not have happened. This book stopped me. I read every page and thought, can we change it? Or are we just part of the history that has already been written? Will's character seemed like my own inner fears, questions about my identity, and acceptance of my own darkness. His journey is like a metaphor for myself.
Dark Heir is not an easy story. It is a story that slowly draws you in. Where you are asked not only to read, but also to feel. I stopped reading this book many times, thought silently, and went back to the previous page. This is the kind of book that, once you read it, you will never be the same again. What do I think? This is the most complex, truest, and bravest work in the YA series I have read. I don't know when the third book will come out, but I know I will wait to see how Will changes his fate.
📝 If any of you have different thoughts about Dark Heir, or have something to say about Will/James in your own way of course, let me know in the comments! I want to hear it.
The first image was created with Canva. The image was created with AI.
Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat -Image source
