What do you think?
Rate this book
Darkwater
It is a life-changing deal—and it will end your life as you know it.
Sarah Trevelyan would give anything to regain the power and wealth her family has lost, so she makes a bargain with Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He will give her everything she needs to restore the Trevelyan name, and one hundred years to do it—in exchange for her soul. Fast-forward a hundred years to Tom, who dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School. A professor named Azrael offers him a bargain. Will Sarah be able to stop Tom from making the same mistake? Catherine Fisher's version of Faust is utterly spellbinding!
Sarah Trevelyan would give anything to regain the power and wealth her family has lost, so she makes a bargain with Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He will give her everything she needs to restore the Trevelyan name, and one hundred years to do it—in exchange for her soul. Fast-forward a hundred years to Tom, who dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School. A professor named Azrael offers him a bargain. Will Sarah be able to stop Tom from making the same mistake? Catherine Fisher's version of Faust is utterly spellbinding!
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2000
34 people are currently reading
1176 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Fisher
64 books1,609 followersCatherine Fisher was born in Newport, Wales. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English and a fascination for myth and history. She has worked in education and archaeology and as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy.
Catherine is an acclaimed poet and novelist, regularly lecturing and giving readings to groups of all ages. She leads sessions for teachers and librarians and is an experienced broadcaster and adjudicator. She lives in Newport, Gwent.
Catherine has won many awards and much critical acclaim for her work. Her poetry has appeared in leading periodicals and anthologies and her volume Immrama won the WAC Young Writers' Prize. She won the Cardiff International Poetry Competition in 1990.
Her first novel, The Conjuror's Game, was shortlisted for the Smarties Books prize and The Snow-Walker's Son for the W.H.Smith Award. Equally acclaimed is her quartet The Book of the Crow, a classic of fantasy fiction.
The Oracle, the first volume in the Oracle trilogy, blends Egyptian and Greek elements of magic and adventure and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Books prize. The trilogy was an international bestseller and has appeared in over twenty languages. The Candleman won the Welsh Books Council's Tir Na n'Og Prize and Catherine was also shortlisted for the remarkable Corbenic, a modern re-inventing of the Grail legend.
Her futuristic novel Incarceron was published to widespread praise in 2007, winning the Mythopoeic Society of America's Children's Fiction Award and selected by The Times as its Children's Book of the Year. The sequel, Sapphique, was published in September 2008.
Catherine is an acclaimed poet and novelist, regularly lecturing and giving readings to groups of all ages. She leads sessions for teachers and librarians and is an experienced broadcaster and adjudicator. She lives in Newport, Gwent.
Catherine has won many awards and much critical acclaim for her work. Her poetry has appeared in leading periodicals and anthologies and her volume Immrama won the WAC Young Writers' Prize. She won the Cardiff International Poetry Competition in 1990.
Her first novel, The Conjuror's Game, was shortlisted for the Smarties Books prize and The Snow-Walker's Son for the W.H.Smith Award. Equally acclaimed is her quartet The Book of the Crow, a classic of fantasy fiction.
The Oracle, the first volume in the Oracle trilogy, blends Egyptian and Greek elements of magic and adventure and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Books prize. The trilogy was an international bestseller and has appeared in over twenty languages. The Candleman won the Welsh Books Council's Tir Na n'Og Prize and Catherine was also shortlisted for the remarkable Corbenic, a modern re-inventing of the Grail legend.
Her futuristic novel Incarceron was published to widespread praise in 2007, winning the Mythopoeic Society of America's Children's Fiction Award and selected by The Times as its Children's Book of the Year. The sequel, Sapphique, was published in September 2008.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
October 22, 2012
2.5 stars The fantastic premise behind this book sadly does not deliver on its promise.
16-year-old Sarah Trevalyn, a young girl in Victorian England, strikes an unthinkable bargain with a mysterious stranger named Azrael: one hundred years of wealth and property in exchange for her everlasting soul. Years later, she gets involved when a boy named Tom begins a journey down the same path.
What I liked:
-- The basic outline for this story is fascinating.
-- Some of the descriptions were quite lovely.
-- I loved the idea of , and the story had some similarities to Magic Under Glass.
I adore Victorian England, gothics, and stories that touch on class or identity, so I was naturally inclined to like this book. But reading it soon became a rather frustrating experience.
What I Didn't Like:
-- Far too many shortcuts are taken with the writing, without enough care given to setting up a scenario or a character's frame of mind. At first, I tried to reason this away in considering whether the author meant to tell more of a fairy tale/bedtime story, but it quickly became very clear that this was simply a lack of logic, cohesion, and good storytelling. In one particularly memorable instance, a chapter ends normally, and the next one confusingly begins with "it's dark, my leg hurts," only for us to discover a few paragraphs in that Tom has been at the bottom of a pit for 3 days.
-- An extremely unlikeable heroine who doesn't really develop over the course of the book. I was willing to give Sarah a pass at first (even in the opening chapters when she briefly thinks about how powerful she might feel in administering physical punishment to one of her peers), but she never really changes. Her selfishness and lack of emotional connection to anyone or thing other than herself made it very difficult to care about what happened to her.
-- I fundamentally disagree with the conclusion of the story. I wasn't happy with the direction this went in, and I would have much preferred more noble actions on Sarah's part.
I don't mind so much that we don't get the answers to everything--and believe me, there are a hundred unanswered questions I could ask--but I do mind that the story we're given is so sketchily presented and that so many promising ideas are left unexplored. I am somewhat prone to complaining about the unnecessary length of many YA novels, but in this case, I felt as though half this story was missing!
I admit that I had middling feelings about the author's two previous fantasy novels, so I doubt I'll be trying out any more of her work; I always seem to love the ideas much more than the execution. But those who enjoyed Incarceron may well like this one far more than I did.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.
16-year-old Sarah Trevalyn, a young girl in Victorian England, strikes an unthinkable bargain with a mysterious stranger named Azrael: one hundred years of wealth and property in exchange for her everlasting soul. Years later, she gets involved when a boy named Tom begins a journey down the same path.
What I liked:
-- The basic outline for this story is fascinating.
-- Some of the descriptions were quite lovely.
-- I loved the idea of , and the story had some similarities to Magic Under Glass.
I adore Victorian England, gothics, and stories that touch on class or identity, so I was naturally inclined to like this book. But reading it soon became a rather frustrating experience.
What I Didn't Like:
-- Far too many shortcuts are taken with the writing, without enough care given to setting up a scenario or a character's frame of mind. At first, I tried to reason this away in considering whether the author meant to tell more of a fairy tale/bedtime story, but it quickly became very clear that this was simply a lack of logic, cohesion, and good storytelling. In one particularly memorable instance, a chapter ends normally, and the next one confusingly begins with "it's dark, my leg hurts," only for us to discover a few paragraphs in that Tom has been at the bottom of a pit for 3 days.
-- An extremely unlikeable heroine who doesn't really develop over the course of the book. I was willing to give Sarah a pass at first (even in the opening chapters when she briefly thinks about how powerful she might feel in administering physical punishment to one of her peers), but she never really changes. Her selfishness and lack of emotional connection to anyone or thing other than herself made it very difficult to care about what happened to her.
-- I fundamentally disagree with the conclusion of the story. I wasn't happy with the direction this went in, and I would have much preferred more noble actions on Sarah's part.
I don't mind so much that we don't get the answers to everything--and believe me, there are a hundred unanswered questions I could ask--but I do mind that the story we're given is so sketchily presented and that so many promising ideas are left unexplored. I am somewhat prone to complaining about the unnecessary length of many YA novels, but in this case, I felt as though half this story was missing!
I admit that I had middling feelings about the author's two previous fantasy novels, so I doubt I'll be trying out any more of her work; I always seem to love the ideas much more than the execution. But those who enjoyed Incarceron may well like this one far more than I did.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.
January 20, 2016
What really impressed me about this book was the richness of the story world and depth of character in such a short length, compounded by the fact that it's really two stories--the story of Sarah, then the story of Tom (and his brother Simon) 100 years later.
The book is filled with imagery and interesting characters. And symbolism seemed to be all over the place.
What fell short for me was the ending. There were too many things left unexplained. I am fine with ambiguity, but there were flat-out things happening to Simon that were never addressed at all.
That said, what this made me want was more of this book. Everything that *was* there was wonderfully written.
My Website
Find me on Facebook
My YA fantasy series:
book 1
book 2
The book is filled with imagery and interesting characters. And symbolism seemed to be all over the place.
What fell short for me was the ending. There were too many things left unexplained. I am fine with ambiguity, but there were flat-out things happening to Simon that were never addressed at all.
That said, what this made me want was more of this book. Everything that *was* there was wonderfully written.
My Website
Find me on Facebook
My YA fantasy series:
book 1
book 2
October 25, 2009
Catherine Fisher on top form, technically, gives us a story about a bargain for a teenaged girl's soul. Inspired by Dr. Faustus and the alchemical quest to create gold from base metal, this story's primary strength is its characters. They are flawed, sympathetic, real. Indeed I think this is Fisher's great strength as a writer; her protagonists are completely convincing human beings. (Fisher has used all sorts of mythic and religious inspirations; classical Greek, ancient Egyptian, Celtic, Arthurian and Norse for example and has generally come up with an interesting twist or interpretation - this is no exception.)
The ending became predictable too early but you certainly wouldn't have guessed it at the halfway point where everything takes a surprising turn for the more interesting.
I met Catherine Fisher once and she told me that she chose the name Lord Azrael for a character in this book, only to read Northern Lights and find Pullman was slightly ahead of her in using the name - it was too late to change it, though, and it does suit the character.
The ending became predictable too early but you certainly wouldn't have guessed it at the halfway point where everything takes a surprising turn for the more interesting.
I met Catherine Fisher once and she told me that she chose the name Lord Azrael for a character in this book, only to read Northern Lights and find Pullman was slightly ahead of her in using the name - it was too late to change it, though, and it does suit the character.
August 20, 2012
I thought the book had a good premise. With Sarah the main character at the beginning cutting a bargain with Lord Azrael to get what she wanted for 100 years in exchange for her soul at the end of that time period. After the bargain the story fast forwards 100 years to present day and you meet a new character, Tom, who the reader a brief glimpse of in the beginning of the story. While the story has a small amount of action and some intrigue. I really wanted more background to the characters who exactly is Lord Azrael and some of the other characters you encounter throughout the story. If you have background on the whole angels, demons, and Satan's fall from heaven then you have a bit of an idea of who the characters are supposed to, but I still wanted more. The whole alchemy bit and the Great Work element were also a bit confusing to me. Overall I think the book needed a bit more polishing.
April 6, 2014
I will admit that the reason I picked this up is because "What would you sell your soul for?" reminded me of my favourite show, Supernatural.
That being said, part of the reason I didn't care for it might have something to do with that.
Darkwater is an example of what it means to have a good idea but a poor execution.
The premise of the book is simple; a girl sells her soul and, 100 years later, tries to stop a boy from doing the same thing.
In my opinion, the story never went anywhere. Actually, I found the whole book to be rather lifeless.
That being said, part of the reason I didn't care for it might have something to do with that.
Darkwater is an example of what it means to have a good idea but a poor execution.
The premise of the book is simple; a girl sells her soul and, 100 years later, tries to stop a boy from doing the same thing.
In my opinion, the story never went anywhere. Actually, I found the whole book to be rather lifeless.
July 23, 2022
considering incarceron & sapphique are 2 of my favorite books of all time, i’m rather disappointed. but it’s not too surprising, given the length of the book. i typically don’t like books under 300 pages.
November 9, 2012
I've read several books by Catherine Fisher, including the Relic Master series and the Incarceron duology. I've had mixed reactions to her writing in the past. Generally, I have wanted to like them and loved the set up of place and character and world and so on, but felt like the end of the series tended to not fulfill my expectations. Darkwater is a self-contained book, which I think helped it. We start in the 19th century with Sarah Trevelyn, last of the fallen Trevelyns, once lords of the manor and now trapped in squalor with their former servants. Sarah is spunky and bold, but also proud--one of the pivotal moments early in the book shows clearly that she makes what appear to be compassionate decisions, but that they are based on pride rather than care for her fellow humans.
Darkwater Hall is now owned by Lord Azrael, who won it from Sarah's grandfather in a card game. There is something not-quite-right about him, but when he offers Sarah a chance to come home, she makes a deal with him, despite the warnings of a mysterious tramp who seems to know more than he's telling.
Generally speaking, I liked Darkwater a LOT. Fisher manages to create a very ambiguous situation, drawing on traditional mythologies but doing it in a way that keeps things from becoming clear, rather than the opposite. In a subtle way, this puts us in Sarah's shoes. Who does she trust? Who does she believe in? She can't tell, and neither can we.
The setting is atmospheric and well drawn--the manor with secret passages and hidden rooms. The child of the manor returning to take charge of it again.
Now, when I had just finished the book, I was entirely satisfied with the solution. It had a nice symmetry to it--I don't know how to say it other than that it was satisfying. And then I thought about it a bit more, and I realized that I wanted more reasons for Simon's decision. As it stands, I had trouble with the way he makes his decision. And since that's kind of the linch-pin of the whole resolution, that's an issue. So chalk it up as one that was great when actually reading and then maybe more problematic later.
I think this is my favorite Catherine Fisher book so far, despite the wobbliness of the ending. Sarah, the almost claustrophobic setting, the deft use of symbolism and mythology--Fisher manages to boil her usual strengths down into something that reads as tight and masterful.
Book source: public library
Book information: First US publication by Dial Books, 2012; upper mg/YA
All of my Catherine Fisher reviews
October 2, 2012
Winning this from the Goodreads First Reads Program was a good thing in that first, it was a cool book and second, I discovered an author I had not heard of and wished to read more of Ms. Fisher's works. I like the whole idea of good and evil and even more so when the lines between good and evil are questioned and blurred, makes it more interesting. I like peeking into lives and minds, looking at choices made, consequences, and thinking, what would I do? I was not as pleased with the ending as the rest of the book, but that could be my glitch. This book made me think of curling up in bed at night as a child, reading a book that both frightened and intrigued you. You want to put it down, but instead you turn the page again and again, your flashlight wavering under the covers, ears straining when you hear a bump in the night, telling yourself that's just a tree scratching at your window...Good times.
September 24, 2016
So it was ok... but generally I think it could have been tighter. I think there were some sweeping generalizations made about some characters, such as Azrael, and Simon, like Fisher expected you to realize who they really were and what they were really doing without her directly explaining. Perhaps if I read it again I would pick up on those pieces and I would have a better reading experience. Often I do miss important pieces of subtext the first time I read a book. And most of the rest of it was good enough- the plot was well unified with the alchemy thing, Sarah was a compelling main character with more than one flaw (always interesting), and the weird jump in time was reasonably engaging. I just thing that there was a deeper level to the whole premise that wasn't told but that should have been used to create even higher stakes and a more dangerous story.
October 17, 2012
Whatever else may be said about this book it is amazingly well written. The scenery and tone is kept well through out the book. However, I feel this book finished without anything actually happening.
The story is dark, that much is obviously by the cover art, yet the author manages to to keep the tone of the writing dark without condemning the characters and reader to an overly dark and depressing world. There is little to no light relief which parts could have benefited from.
The book is a quick read because it draws you in. You want to know more about Darkwater, about Azreal and about the deal for a Soul. I finished the book feeling as if only one of those things was learned. I want to see more, read more and be drawn in deeper to this story.
More please?
The story is dark, that much is obviously by the cover art, yet the author manages to to keep the tone of the writing dark without condemning the characters and reader to an overly dark and depressing world. There is little to no light relief which parts could have benefited from.
The book is a quick read because it draws you in. You want to know more about Darkwater, about Azreal and about the deal for a Soul. I finished the book feeling as if only one of those things was learned. I want to see more, read more and be drawn in deeper to this story.
More please?
October 21, 2013
I think the fact that I put this book down for two weeks and didn't feel compelled to pick it up again says everything. Catherine Fisher is a great stylist and creates interesting worlds, but the story of Sarah and Tom just didn't do anything for me. The twist in the plot that comes near the end is too obvious: the mysterious antagonist goes from being clearly one thing to being clearly another without any intermediate hinting around that things are not as they seem, or even any events that in hindsight mean something other than they appear. The final solution is also abrupt and not as satisfying a conclusion as I think it should have been. Two stars for having a couple of solidly-developed characters, but the plot is too disappointing to warrant more.
Read
August 15, 2013The ending was a little abrupt for my taste, but I love the way Fisher takes the traditional gothic tale of the first part of the book, skews it sideways in the second half, and plays havoc with all the reader's assumptions. Azrael in particular was a fascinating character - wish there would be a sequel featuring him! And as usual with Fisher's novels, the story was chock-full of cool ideas and atmospheric imagery.
November 10, 2013
I was really excited for this book because I love Catherine Fisher...
This was disappointing, however. I just thought it was boring and gloomy and slow. Nothing climatic ever happened. It droned on.
Also, parts were confusing. I feel like there was supposed to be multiple underlayers to parts, and I just never grasped them.
I don't know, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone really. But everything else by CF, I definitely would.
This was disappointing, however. I just thought it was boring and gloomy and slow. Nothing climatic ever happened. It droned on.
Also, parts were confusing. I feel like there was supposed to be multiple underlayers to parts, and I just never grasped them.
I don't know, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone really. But everything else by CF, I definitely would.
July 30, 2015
Love Catherine Fisher's books, but this one fell really short. Hastily drawn out plot with shallow character development. With more time and description this might have been good, but from the start it was confusing yet extremely predictable. Not a good sign.
July 26, 2015
It was spooky & a cool premise, but I needed more. It was so short!
May 16, 2016
Darkwater is a book about a sixteen year old girl named Sarah Trevelyan who has lost everything and is willing to do anything in order to get her family’s power and fortune back. She makes a deal with man named Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He gives her 100 years and the money and everything else she would need to accomplish her goals in order for her to give him her soul. The book fast forwards 100 years to a boy named Tom who wishes and dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School but he doesn’t think he has what it takes to go there. He meets a professor, named Azrael, who offers him the same thing he offered Sarah 100 years ago. Sarah tries stopping Tom from making the same mistake she did 100 years ago which is giving Azrael her soul.
This book had very interesting characters with interesting backstories. This story had me hooked on the first couple of pages that i read. What really impressed me about the book was Sarah’s story it really was like no other book i have ever read and her story was unique. There was only a couple things that i did not like about the book and it was how it changed from sarah’s story to Tom’s. It fast forwarded to 100 years which was a little odd and confusing. This book was really like no other book.I am going to keep checking out more of Catherine Fisher’s books, because this was a very good book.
The tone of the book was Dark but not scary. The scenery and tone were told very well and it made you feel like you were in the Darkwater Hall school. It was spooky because of the supernatural characters but i did not scare you. I have not read a book close to this one. This book was very unique and like no other book i have ever read. I do not really like reading books but i really enjoyed reading this one.This book is something everyone can read and will love. I think any age would really enjoy reading this book. I’m surprised a movie has not been made based off this book because it is so good.
Darkwater is a book about a sixteen year old girl named Sarah Trevelyan who has lost everything and is willing to do anything in order to get her family’s power and fortune back. She makes a deal with man named Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He gives her 100 years and the money and everything else she would need to accomplish her goals in order for her to give him her soul. The book fast forwards 100 years to a boy named Tom who wishes and dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School but he doesn’t think he has what it takes to go there. He meets a professor, named Azrael, who offers him the same thing he offered Sarah 100 years ago. Sarah tries stopping Tom from making the same mistake she did 100 years ago which is giving Azrael her soul.
This book had very interesting characters with interesting backstories. This story had me hooked on the first couple of pages that i read. What really impressed me about the book was Sarah’s story it really was like no other book i have ever read and her story was unique. There was only a couple things that i did not like about the book and it was how it changed from sarah’s story to Tom’s. It fast forwarded to 100 years which was a little odd and confusing. This book was really like no other book.I am going to keep checking out more of Catherine Fisher’s books, because this was a very good book.
The tone of the book was Dark but not scary. The scenery and tone were told very well and it made you feel like you were in the Darkwater Hall school. It was spooky because of the supernatural characters but i did not scare you. I have not read a book close to this one. This book was very unique and like no other book i have ever read. I do not really like reading books but i really enjoyed reading this one.This book is something everyone can read and will love. I think any age would really enjoy reading this book. I’m surprised a movie has not been made based off this book because it is so good.
Darkwater is a book about a sixteen year old girl named Sarah Trevelyan who has lost everything and is willing to do anything in order to get her family’s power and fortune back. She makes a deal with man named Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He gives her 100 years and the money and everything else she would need to accomplish her goals in order for her to give him her soul. The book fast forwards 100 years to a boy named Tom who wishes and dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School but he doesn’t think he has what it takes to go there. He meets a professor, named Azrael, who offers him the same thing he offered Sarah 100 years ago. Sarah tries stopping Tom from making the same mistake she did 100 years ago which is giving Azrael her soul.
This book had very interesting characters with interesting backstories. This story had me hooked on the first couple of pages that i read. What really impressed me about the book was Sarah’s story it really was like no other book i have ever read and her story was unique. There was only a couple things that i did not like about the book and it was how it changed from sarah’s story to Tom’s. It fast forwarded to 100 years which was a little odd and confusing. This book was really like no other book.I am going to keep checking out more of Catherine Fisher’s books, because this was a very good book.
The tone of the book was Dark but not scary. The scenery and tone were told very well and it made you feel like you were in the Darkwater Hall school. It was spooky because of the supernatural characters but i did not scare you. I have not read a book close to this one. This book was very unique and like no other book i have ever read. I do not really like reading books but i really enjoyed reading this one.This book is something everyone can read and will love. I think any age would really enjoy reading this book. I’m surprised a movie has not been made based off this book because it is so good.
Darkwater is a book about a sixteen year old girl named Sarah Trevelyan who has lost everything and is willing to do anything in order to get her family’s power and fortune back. She makes a deal with man named Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He gives her 100 years and the money and everything else she would need to accomplish her goals in order for her to give him her soul. The book fast forwards 100 years to a boy named Tom who wishes and dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School but he doesn’t think he has what it takes to go there. He meets a professor, named Azrael, who offers him the same thing he offered Sarah 100 years ago. Sarah tries stopping Tom from making the same mistake she did 100 years ago which is giving Azrael her soul.
This book had very interesting characters with interesting backstories. This story had me hooked on the first couple of pages that i read. What really impressed me about the book was Sarah’s story it really was like no other book i have ever read and her story was unique. There was only a couple things that i did not like about the book and it was how it changed from sarah’s story to Tom’s. It fast forwarded to 100 years which was a little odd and confusing. This book was really like no other book.I am going to keep checking out more of Catherine Fisher’s books, because this was a very good book.
The tone of the book was Dark but not scary. The scenery and tone were told very well and it made you feel like you were in the Darkwater Hall school. It was spooky because of the supernatural characters but i did not scare you. I have not read a book close to this one. This book was very unique and like no other book i have ever read. I do not really like reading books but i really enjoyed reading this one.This book is something everyone can read and will love. I think any age would really enjoy reading this book. I’m surprised a movie has not been made based off this book because it is so good.
This book had very interesting characters with interesting backstories. This story had me hooked on the first couple of pages that i read. What really impressed me about the book was Sarah’s story it really was like no other book i have ever read and her story was unique. There was only a couple things that i did not like about the book and it was how it changed from sarah’s story to Tom’s. It fast forwarded to 100 years which was a little odd and confusing. This book was really like no other book.I am going to keep checking out more of Catherine Fisher’s books, because this was a very good book.
The tone of the book was Dark but not scary. The scenery and tone were told very well and it made you feel like you were in the Darkwater Hall school. It was spooky because of the supernatural characters but i did not scare you. I have not read a book close to this one. This book was very unique and like no other book i have ever read. I do not really like reading books but i really enjoyed reading this one.This book is something everyone can read and will love. I think any age would really enjoy reading this book. I’m surprised a movie has not been made based off this book because it is so good.
Darkwater is a book about a sixteen year old girl named Sarah Trevelyan who has lost everything and is willing to do anything in order to get her family’s power and fortune back. She makes a deal with man named Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He gives her 100 years and the money and everything else she would need to accomplish her goals in order for her to give him her soul. The book fast forwards 100 years to a boy named Tom who wishes and dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School but he doesn’t think he has what it takes to go there. He meets a professor, named Azrael, who offers him the same thing he offered Sarah 100 years ago. Sarah tries stopping Tom from making the same mistake she did 100 years ago which is giving Azrael her soul.
This book had very interesting characters with interesting backstories. This story had me hooked on the first couple of pages that i read. What really impressed me about the book was Sarah’s story it really was like no other book i have ever read and her story was unique. There was only a couple things that i did not like about the book and it was how it changed from sarah’s story to Tom’s. It fast forwarded to 100 years which was a little odd and confusing. This book was really like no other book.I am going to keep checking out more of Catherine Fisher’s books, because this was a very good book.
The tone of the book was Dark but not scary. The scenery and tone were told very well and it made you feel like you were in the Darkwater Hall school. It was spooky because of the supernatural characters but i did not scare you. I have not read a book close to this one. This book was very unique and like no other book i have ever read. I do not really like reading books but i really enjoyed reading this one.This book is something everyone can read and will love. I think any age would really enjoy reading this book. I’m surprised a movie has not been made based off this book because it is so good.
Darkwater is a book about a sixteen year old girl named Sarah Trevelyan who has lost everything and is willing to do anything in order to get her family’s power and fortune back. She makes a deal with man named Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He gives her 100 years and the money and everything else she would need to accomplish her goals in order for her to give him her soul. The book fast forwards 100 years to a boy named Tom who wishes and dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School but he doesn’t think he has what it takes to go there. He meets a professor, named Azrael, who offers him the same thing he offered Sarah 100 years ago. Sarah tries stopping Tom from making the same mistake she did 100 years ago which is giving Azrael her soul.
This book had very interesting characters with interesting backstories. This story had me hooked on the first couple of pages that i read. What really impressed me about the book was Sarah’s story it really was like no other book i have ever read and her story was unique. There was only a couple things that i did not like about the book and it was how it changed from sarah’s story to Tom’s. It fast forwarded to 100 years which was a little odd and confusing. This book was really like no other book.I am going to keep checking out more of Catherine Fisher’s books, because this was a very good book.
The tone of the book was Dark but not scary. The scenery and tone were told very well and it made you feel like you were in the Darkwater Hall school. It was spooky because of the supernatural characters but i did not scare you. I have not read a book close to this one. This book was very unique and like no other book i have ever read. I do not really like reading books but i really enjoyed reading this one.This book is something everyone can read and will love. I think any age would really enjoy reading this book. I’m surprised a movie has not been made based off this book because it is so good.
Darkwater is a book about a sixteen year old girl named Sarah Trevelyan who has lost everything and is willing to do anything in order to get her family’s power and fortune back. She makes a deal with man named Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He gives her 100 years and the money and everything else she would need to accomplish her goals in order for her to give him her soul. The book fast forwards 100 years to a boy named Tom who wishes and dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School but he doesn’t think he has what it takes to go there. He meets a professor, named Azrael, who offers him the same thing he offered Sarah 100 years ago. Sarah tries stopping Tom from making the same mistake she did 100 years ago which is giving Azrael her soul.
This book had very interesting characters with interesting backstories. This story had me hooked on the first couple of pages that i read. What really impressed me about the book was Sarah’s story it really was like no other book i have ever read and her story was unique. There was only a couple things that i did not like about the book and it was how it changed from sarah’s story to Tom’s. It fast forwarded to 100 years which was a little odd and confusing. This book was really like no other book.I am going to keep checking out more of Catherine Fisher’s books, because this was a very good book.
The tone of the book was Dark but not scary. The scenery and tone were told very well and it made you feel like you were in the Darkwater Hall school. It was spooky because of the supernatural characters but i did not scare you. I have not read a book close to this one. This book was very unique and like no other book i have ever read. I do not really like reading books but i really enjoyed reading this one.This book is something everyone can read and will love. I think any age would really enjoy reading this book. I’m surprised a movie has not been made based off this book because it is so good.
December 3, 2020
I had never heard of the novel "Darkwater" or author Catherine Fisher, but found this new book at Ollie's Discount Outlet for $ 2.99. Being thrifty by nature, I buy many books (and other items) at Ollie's. Likewise, I can spent hours browsing Used Book Stores (these are hard to find these days). Goodwill is another place to buy used books cheap. Anyways, I liked the gargoyle on the cover (perhaps I am just a gargoyle type of guy?). I realize that I should read more female authors who don't write romance or YA (young adult) fiction. Now I suspect that this is a YA novel.
Turns out, that "Darkwater" is a decent book. The plot is predictable and the characters under developed, but this novel reads very fast. I always award an extra star for fast moving, entertaining fiction. Life is too precious to be wasted on boring literature. I would say, for the most point, that the writing is good. I finally got my fill of gargoyles (they never did anything but were mentioned more than necessary). This book probably set a world record in the number of times the word "greasy" was utilized. Still, for all it's flaws, "Darkwater" was worth reading in my opinion.
In my reading journal, I listed "Darkwater" as 7/10, which would be 3.5 stars. Some people might argue that I was over generous.
Turns out, that "Darkwater" is a decent book. The plot is predictable and the characters under developed, but this novel reads very fast. I always award an extra star for fast moving, entertaining fiction. Life is too precious to be wasted on boring literature. I would say, for the most point, that the writing is good. I finally got my fill of gargoyles (they never did anything but were mentioned more than necessary). This book probably set a world record in the number of times the word "greasy" was utilized. Still, for all it's flaws, "Darkwater" was worth reading in my opinion.
In my reading journal, I listed "Darkwater" as 7/10, which would be 3.5 stars. Some people might argue that I was over generous.
December 8, 2017
The text was good, but I'd prefer maybe some more action and suspense. The book is about a girl named Sarah. Sarah lost her home because her grandfather gambled it all away. They were very rich and practically ruled Darkwater. Sarah wanted her old life back, so she met someone named Azreal. Azreal is a devil from Hell who wants to take peoples' souls. Sarah makes a bargain with him. She says to get one hundred years to make up for all the badness they caused, in exchange for her soul. Over the one hundred years, she meets someone named Tom. (Sarah made her home part school for people who want a good education because she always wanted to go to a good school. The one she took was bad.). Tom wants to attend Darkwater school but doesn't think he has the talent. So, he wants to make a bargain with Azreal. How will Sarah stop him from making the same mistake she had?
June 4, 2023
Great storyline idea, but I feel as though this book didn't really go anywhere. I enjoyed Sarah's pov and all the things she did and went through. Tom's on the other hand, felt incredibly rushed and had no emotion. I was really excited to read this, but was disappointed. This author has written many good books although this has little to be desired. The ending was very abrupt and it didn't end in a good place. It ended with so many unanswered questions. Like who are Azrael and The Tramp. What eventually happened to the main characters. I wish there was an epilogue that took place a few years later to see what the MCs are up too. This book would be good if you just want to read something quick. I honestly don't recommend it. Save yourself the time and read something else.
February 22, 2021
i think this book has a promising start. its the end that's a little disappointing. don't get me wrong it has a good ending, i just thought it would have been nice to reveal more on the characters of azrael and the 'tramp'. and what exactly was simon? a spirit? a living person who could only be seen by some people? and why were there only some people who could see him? why is the bargain so important to azrael? these beg explanations.
overall, it was an enjoyable read with a good plot and twist to the story. who is the evil one and who is the 'angel' so to speak. the suspense is built up rather well until the end. finished it in one sitting, so there's that!
overall, it was an enjoyable read with a good plot and twist to the story. who is the evil one and who is the 'angel' so to speak. the suspense is built up rather well until the end. finished it in one sitting, so there's that!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2019
Sarah Trevelyan now lives in poverty, but her once powerful family used to own Darkwater manner, however, they lost it and all of their money in a single bet, follow Sarah as she tries to make up for the wrongdoings her family committed while they were in power. I really liked this book because of the transition in the middle that switches time periods and characters. I also liked it because they interloop the two time periods and still connect them in a way that makes sense to the reader. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the supernatural setting or/and like young adult novels.
September 10, 2018
I loved the first half of this book. I would love more of it. The vicorian setting and the characters especially Azreal were so enjoyable. The second half and the other characters did not appeal to me as much. The ending confused me, a bunch of stuff happened and I didn't know what was going on, and I was not satisfied with the ending.
However, I would still reccomend this book, it was an enjoyable easy read. I feel this has potential for a series, I would certainly read it.
However, I would still reccomend this book, it was an enjoyable easy read. I feel this has potential for a series, I would certainly read it.
May 26, 2018
This book or story line started off kind of slow
For me but as I read on I became very interested
In the storyline.
Did Sarah make a bargain with the devil,demon or creature
Of time?
Did it turn out for Sarah? Who was tom and Simon and
Why did they care so much for Sarah?
I gave it four stars because I did feel it left
Me hanging for a book two but a overall good story.
For me but as I read on I became very interested
In the storyline.
Did Sarah make a bargain with the devil,demon or creature
Of time?
Did it turn out for Sarah? Who was tom and Simon and
Why did they care so much for Sarah?
I gave it four stars because I did feel it left
Me hanging for a book two but a overall good story.
March 18, 2022
I found this book interesting and it is odd for me to be more interested in the beginning than the end.
The original story was about Sarah and I totally would give that part five stars.
The next part is 100 years later and focuses on Tom. I just didn't get the vibes I wanted from it.
Still glad I read it and feel that it is a solid 4 stars.
The original story was about Sarah and I totally would give that part five stars.
The next part is 100 years later and focuses on Tom. I just didn't get the vibes I wanted from it.
Still glad I read it and feel that it is a solid 4 stars.
June 1, 2017
A wonderful book. The story is short but so rich and engrossing with characters that are so realistically flawed and complex yet relateable. I love her books. They are familiar yet so uniquely thought out they the keep mind engaged and stimulated trying to figure out how things will develop.
November 26, 2018
I don't have strong feelings for this book. It was a good concept but I just didn't care much when I started the second half. After reading the back I thought that it would be more exciting but it really wasn't. The first half was more enjoyable for me. The book just lost me in the second half.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 7, 2022From the Publisher
Sarah sells her soul to reclaim her family's estate and is given a century to atone for their sins, but as the bargain nears its end, Tom, yearning to attend the private school that Darkwater Hall has become, gets caught up in the bargain.
Sarah sells her soul to reclaim her family's estate and is given a century to atone for their sins, but as the bargain nears its end, Tom, yearning to attend the private school that Darkwater Hall has become, gets caught up in the bargain.
December 31, 2022
A pleasant read, the story is quite simple but at the end of it, I was left with more questions than answers. What is Azrael? Who is the tramp? What is Darkwater? I now would love to read other books by Catherine Fisher.
October 30, 2024
Solid ending twist about who is really the antagonist and what motives people are hiding. A good middle grade exploration of free will, the forces of good and evil, and how far someone would go to avoid a fate if they knew it was coming.
June 26, 2017
Not big on the ending, but was otherwise a good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews