Continuing with The CW's efforts to push their shows into published material, Reign has received a novel and 2 digital stories that expand on the world the show has created. Included in this review are the first novel (The Prophecy) and the first digital story (Darkness Rises). Overall I have to say I was pleased. They aren't 'must read' material but if your a fan then they'll expand on the characters you know and love. Lets start with Darkness Rises which was the first tie-in story Reign received.
Darkness Rises tells the origin story of the Darkness. It's told in a unique way in that we are hearing the story as it is told to Sebastian. One aspect that I really liked was how grounded the story was. This wasn't a story about ones rise to power or magic as the title would lead you to believe. This is the story of how much one boy can be pushed to his breaking point. Pushed till he becomes something that, while still human is much darker.
The main issue I had however was that I felt this material would have been better suited for the actual show. When I was originally watching Reign, I had a lot of questions about the Darkness. Some of which were answered here but could have been delved into so much more in the show. The digital story itself is fairly short (I read it in about an hour) so if your curious it's a fairly quick read.
The other Reign tie-in story I read was The Prophecy. This was more meaty compared to Darkness Rises and tells us what Mary, Francis and Sebastian were doing inbetween Seasons 1 and 2.
Of the 3 stories, Mary's intrigued me the most. Covering her first decisions during the outbreak of the plague, Mary fights between doing what she knows is right and what she knows must be done due to her position in court. At the same time, she constantly feels that something within the castle is plotting against her (be it someone or something). Part of her concern is also due to both Francis and Lola being outside the walls while Kenna spends most of her time with Sebastian and Pascal. Effectively this leaves Greer as her one and only trusted friend within a castle of hundreds.
Francis' story didn't do much for me. It covered his adventure outside the castle gates as he went to find his child and received a first hand look at what his people were actually going through. Overall this felt very rushed and could have used some moments to step back and really breathe.
Sebastian's story went back and forth from feeling like filler material to being something pretty important. The first part of the story deals with Sebastian's adjustment to his role as Pascal's guardian. It had some sweet moments but overall felt very filler. The second half of Sebastian's story however was all the more important.
Upon discovering that Pascal escaped the castle and thus was locked outside the castle walls, Sebastian has to make his own life or death choices in order to bring Pascal home (including risking possible infection). Eventually this led to the revelation that Pascal was locked out by his 'friend'. A girl who once lived within the castle walls and just proved how easy it really is to infiltrate the walls.
Overall Feelings:
While not the most amazing read, personally I really enjoyed The Prophecy. Darkness Rises was also an interesting read but will go over the heads of all but the most hardcore fans of the show.
The Prophecy I found it a great way to pass the time with Reign now on Christmas break. If you have some time yourselves, I suggest picking it up. It's not extremely long (240 pages) and I read it in a couple of days.
If you only plan to read one however then I'd recommend The Prophecy which features the characters we know from the show and is available in both print (with bonus poster) and digital editions.
