Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. The Stewards hail from all around the world Will is White, and Violet is biracial, with a White English father and Indian mother. These factors leave readers in a state of perpetual unknowing, making it harder to connect with the story. However, an overwhelming sense of uncertainty pervades the book, intensified by the rotating points of view as well as the withholding of some characters’ major revelations until very late in the story. Pacat’s writing is atmospheric and full of intriguing, complex characters. What follows is a series of events that are by turns mystical, bewildering, hopeful, and terrifying. Afterward, the two find themselves under the protection of the Stewards, an ancient order whose sole mission is to prevent the very goal that Simon pursues-and both Will and Violet discover they have deep connections to this fight.

While guarding the hold during an attack on one of Simon’s boats, Violet discovers Will chained below deck. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Violet wants nothing more than to join Simon’s inner crew. Finally, his pursuers catch up with him, and Will is taken in the name of the enigmatic Simon. He’s been on the run for months, ever since his mother was killed in their home. In 1821 London, teenage Will mingles among the crowds on the docks of the Thames. A long-gone evil power threatens to once again rise and conquer all in its path.

Dark rise