Tori's Review: Rise of the Darklings by Paul Crilley

Hardcover - 352 pages
Price: $16.99
ISBN 10: 1606840312
ISBN 13: 978-1606840313
Released: September 28, 2010

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Obtained: Publicist 
Genre: Children's book / Middle Grade
Series: The Invisible Order 
1. Rise of the Darklings

Emily Snow is twelve years old, supporting herself and her younger brother on the streets of Victorian England by selling watercress. One early winter morning on her way to buy supplies, she encounters a piskie--a small but very sarcastic fey creature that has been cornered by a group of the Black Sidhe, piskies from an opposing clan. She rescues him and unknowingly becomes involved in a war between the Seelie and the Unseelie, two opposing factions of fairies that have been battling each other throughout the long centuries of human history, with London--and England itself--as the ultimate prize.

When the Invisible Order--a centuries-old secret society of humans that has protected mankind from the fey's interference--gets involved, things really start to get complicated.

Now she is the central figure in this ancient war that could permanently change Earth. With no one to trust, Emily must rely on her own instincts and guile to make the right choices that could save her family and all of mankind.

My Rating:

 
My Opinion:
I felt that the beginning was the most intriguing part of this novel. It was the unique world Crilley created that had me devour the first half of this story within a few hours the other day. I did not realize, when first requesting this book to review, that The Invisible Order series is based upon the fey. Well, that's a lie. I knew at the time, then conveniently forgot. So, when the fey were introduced, I was pleasantly surprised.

Let it be known that this is not your typical fey book. They fey in London are a group who have created their own divisions of the Seelie and Unseelie courts. We do not have the winter and summer courts here, folks. There's actually a jab at Oberon at one point which made me laugh. But aside from Oberon? All of these faeries are unique, original, and intriguing. For once, I actually wanted to learn more about the world of faerie to better understand the creatures lurking about London. It was an entirely new concept, and that is what made RISE OF THE DARKLINGS have such a strong start in my eyes.

While I enjoyed this story, I did have a few problems with it, particularly with the ending. After the first half of the book, I felt the story soon grew rushed. Instead of paying attention to detail (by the way, there's virtually no showing in this book), many of the scenes are skirted over. Or at least, it felt like they were to me. To others, perhaps it was perfect.

I felt that the scenes where Emily succumbed to her emotions were melodramatic. I was unable to relate with her or feel for her throughout these brief interruptions because it grew increasingly more and more difficult to connect with her as a character. In my mind, the story was generally smooth, only to hit turbulence as Emily acknowledged the stresses around her. These moments came out of nowhere and interrupted my enjoyment of the novel.

Now, before people start blaming me for missing anything, or hating on Emily as a character, let me say that I can understand why she did have these moments. It was a step in the right direction when it comes to fleshing a character out. That's not my problem. My problem is that I'm not pleased with the execution of these moments. Why? Because I could not feel sympathetic due to my disconnect with her as a character.

The trials Emily fumbled through were also fairly rushed. For such difficult riddles, I'm still having a hard time understanding why a twelve year old was able to decipher them so quickly. Especially when she had a roughly two-thousand year old faery helping her...

I felt Jack, Corrigan, and a lot of the fae were the most developed in this book. Emily and William disappointed me, much like the ending. Emily is a strong heroine, yet, due to the lack of showing and a lot of seemingly rushed through scenes, she is somewhat more difficult to relate with -- more so because she comes off as snappy and irritable most of the time (a quality that I disliked in this heroine). As for William, well, he barely plays a role in this book, and the role he does play is quite... childish.

If you want to read RISE OF THE DARKLINGS because you think it is a typical faery story, you will be disappointed. If, however, you want a new take on these wonderful creatures, I highly suggest checking this book out. I believe most readers will enjoy this story. Due to me being somewhat unfamiliar with most MG books, I am unsure of whether or not the rushed vibe I felt was typical in these sorts of books, or if it was unique to this book alone. Either way, I enjoyed this story much more than I did other MG books, and I highly suggest checking RISE OF THE DARKLINGS out for the beginning/worldbuilding alone.