Darkness Becomes Her {early ARC review} *

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

* Feb 22, 2011 *

- paranormal, YA -

reviewed by Tara SG

received for review via Book It Forward Tours

Book Order (Gods & Monsters)

1. Darkness Becomes Her (Feb 22, 2011) *
   

Links

Author’s Website : www.kellykeaton.net

Author’s Twitter : @kellykeaton

Amazon : pre-order hardcover / pre-order eBook

Add To Your GoodReads TBR List (41 ratings : 4.01 avg)

In Six Words

muddled mixed mythologies and missing romance

Why did I read this? And am I glad I did?

I came across this via the tour site and it sounded right up my alley. I did not enjoy this one. Although it seems from my brief glance on GoodReads that people either loved or hated it. While I have no issue with mixed Greeky mythology and paranormal creatures (hence my love of DH), it did not work well in this book. Too much was left unexplained and there was no connection between the two mythologies which I found confusing. I was also disappointed in the romance. I honestly felt like there were chapters missing. I won’t be finishing out this series.

Brief Summary

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very…different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

- via GoodReads.com

Plot/Pacing/Writing Style

There was a lot of promise in the storyline that got lost. The idea of NOLA being hit by insane hurricanes and the US selling it due to being unable to rebuild was original and intriguing. It wasn’t a surprise to me that paranormal creatures would be living there. The fact that it wasn’t a surprise to Ari whatsoever was unbelievable.

The curse could have been a really great plot on its own if there weren’t so many other paranormal mythologies in the mix. I was extremely pleased to find out what she was and to be honest I’m a little curious to find out how she deals with it in the future… just not enough to keep reading the books.

I liked the author’s descriptions and the feel of New 2 was great. But there was WAY too much cussing. Don’t get me wrong I love cuss words in older YA books. I don’t even mind the f-word being used. As long as it seems appropriate for the characters and the situation. Here it was overdone to the point where the characters sounded unintelligent instead of tough.

Characters

Ari wasn’t a terrible lead (aside from the cussing). Her reaction to New 2 – or lack there of – bothered me, but otherwise her personality seemed to fit with someone having grown-up the way she did.

The romance really killed the story for me. The guy went from being a super hot stranger to her boyfriend in a matter of pages. I was confused during the first kiss because I couldn’t understand how she could feel so strongly about someone she just met. It wasn’t even played off as a “love at first sight” or some magical bond (which I can sometimes understand).

Recommendations

If you like older, darker paranormal YA, I would suggest picking this up from a friend or the library only because so many other people seemed to have enjoyed it a lot more than I did. If however, your tastes seem to be very similar to mine (you ladies know who I’m talking to) then don’t bother with this one.