Darke

A Darke Domaine has settled over the castle and is quickly heading over the castle grounds, destroying everything in it's path. The last thing standing in it's way is the Wizard Tower. In the sixth Septimus Heap book, Septimus must figure out a way to destroy the Darke Domaine and rescue Alther Miller from the Darke after Marcia accidentally banishes him.

I look forward to every single Septimus Heap book. I love listening to them. I think that Angie Sage is a master wordsmith and I get giggles over her use of language. I highly recommend these books. Every time I listen to them, I find myself driving very slow on the way home wanting to get more of the book listened to before I have to turn it off. In addition, Gerard Doyle is an show more excellent narrator. (Of course, I'm sure it helps with my narration that I am seeing Gerard Butler in my head when I listen to these books).

I'm just really glad that Angie Sage hasn't decided to stop these books at seven - I know that I'll have Septimus around for a while. show less

After having been a bit disappointed in Syren, I'm glad to say that I thought Darke was one of the best yet. It took me less than 24 hours to finish the whole book. I started in the afternoon, forewent television in the evening to listen and finished it the next day. The story was intriguing and well written, with lots of twists and turns that came together nicely in the end without being too convenient or contrived. Many of the old characters returned and new ones were introduced. A couple of the story lines took unexpectedly realistic paths without being disappointing as they were handled well. Sage moves on in Darke to reflect the ages of her characters instead of arresting their development as some might be tempted to do, but keeps show more enough of the surroundings intact to lend the books a sort of homey feel to them. She also obviously loves language and uses it to the fullest advantage and in keeping with "time" and feel of her books. Superb vocabulary, wonderful characters and a great story. Loved this one and can't wait for more! show less

My favorite of the series so far! Very exciting, but without sacrificing the humor that is the series' chief asset. The witches are, for the first time, menacing in the right way, playing a role in the plot that is as much plot as it is darkly comic relief.

Roar! Flagon the Fierce and Friendly Welsh Dragon [see profile pic and other photos] here with my second Goodreads review. I reviewed [b:The Other Wind|13658|The Other Wind (Earthsea Cycle, #6)|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309285821s/13658.jpg|215093] last time.

Roar - so Robert really likes Angie Sage (he met her once) but I've gone off her a bit because of this book; there's a Pesky Dragon in it. (Angie Sage calls it a Darke Dragon but it comes to the same thing.) We Dragons have enough bad press already, without contemporary authors adding to it with their books with Pesky Dragons in! Roar! At least there is a Non-pesky Dragon, too and that Dragon has been around for several books in this series. But people mostly show more only remember the bad press when they meet an actual Dragon like me. We should all try to treat each other as individuals, though, and not assume folks are Pesky just because of malicious rumours! I'm much more likely to give you a cuddle than a clawing if I meet you!

Roar - but the rest of the book was fun and funny, with Sage's usual collection of entertaining and somehow down-to-Earth-despite-all-the-Magyk characters. show less

I picked up a YA book long ago in B.Dalton, and uncovered a world of magik. This series gave me something to look forward to after Harry Potter ended, and delved more into the fantasy realm. I have faithfully purchased each installment, and could not put them down.

Although this is not the BEST edition, fans of the series will appreciate carrying on with beloved characters Septimus, Beetle, and Jenna. The story this time around truly focuses on the Darke, but certainly not terrifying. A book for all ages, and hopefully it doesn't end here.

Note that I missed marking this one as read, so exact end-date is not accurate here. I think probably more than any other in this series, my daughter (7) has been re-reading it as we read the final book in the series. She’s not only said that Darke was her favorite in the series, but she’s also claimed it is now her favorite book!

As for me, I felt like this definitely lived up to its name and was the most despair-inducing of the series. The central conflict was depressing in its mass death and destruction. (Although most of the death is only implied, I guess there is a sort of tally at the end.)

All of this is probably to be expected from a penultimate novel, but as with the others in the series, a satisfying conclusion was still show more given. And while there were plenty of loose ends left for book 7, the definitely satisfying ending was and is one of my favorite aspects of this author’s well-honed craft. show less

I listened to Darke by Angie Sage. This is book 6 in the Septimus Heap series. This series would make such great read aloud books for the elementary grades. There are so many life lessons in these books. In this book Septimus and Simon finally begin to patch up their sibling relationship and are starting to learn to trust each other. Nico and Snorri split, and Jenna and Septimus come to an amicable friendship. Beetle is starting to get resentful of Septimus always being in the lead. In short, everybody in the books is growing up. Even Spit Fire. Good stuff for kids with an exciting action filled plot to keep them interested.