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elizzabeth96's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
klaragon73's review
4.0
Visit Better Read than Dead for the original review, discussions, and Banned Book Week Hop! Lots going on right now.
Why I Picked Darkness Becomes Her:
When I saw the cover of The Wicked Within, I knew I had to read it, so I researched a bit and found it was Kelly Keaton's final book in the Gods & Monsters Trilogy. Just so happened a bookstore I frequent had Darkness Becomes Her marked down to almost nothing, so I snagged it and finished reading it a few hours later. It's a pretty short read, perfect for a rainy day.
While the original cover does give the book a Gothic feel, I much prefer then new covers, but I also prefer hardcover books, so...
A Brief Summary:
Ari, only 17, graduated high school early and set off on a mission to learn more about the mother who gave her up for adoption. Ari has always been an outcast with her silver hair and teal eyes, but the last set of foster parents teach her about love, security, and protection, so when she leaves, she's prepared. At least in the beginning. Who knows on which side fortune lies when Ari finds the place her mom lived and died, of suicide. An asylum. She's given her mother's things and finds a letter that tells Ari little else than RUN.
The next part of the story excited me so much. I love all the lore around New Orleans. I've never had a chance to visit, but it's definitely on my bucket list. Something leads Ari to New 2, or New Orleans thirteen years after two hurricanes tore it to shreds. Now it no longer belongs to the Unites States, but the Novem. Yeah, that's a whole other story you'll just have to read about.
Crank, a young girl who delivers mail, brings Ari to her home in New 2 where Ari begins to notice she's not the only one a bit different. A small child with fangs who rarely talks, another boy who moves quickly and perhaps can read minds, another with odd eyes. They refer to themselves as douo, because they are different.
And now the story really begins, but there are spoilers I refuse to tell.
My Opinion:
The only thing holding me back from giving the book a full-out five stars is I ran into a couple of editing errors within the first couple of pages. Nothing major, and probably had I been further into the book, I wouldn't have noticed. My second complaint, the romance moved like whoa fast. I don't usually mind insta-love, but I need to feel the two characters are at least drawn toward each other before they're making out in public. Otherwise, well done, Ms. Keaton.
Kelly Keaton's writing drew me into the book, it's visual and compelling. He characters are complex, each with their own set of problems, but working together to make sure they're all taken care of. Her world-building is amazing. I could picture the dilapidated houses in the Garden District and the reconstructed businesses in the French Quarter. She mixed old voodoo lore with Greek Mythology, creating a Gothic, creepy tale.
Would I Recommend This Book:
Absolutely. If you're in the mood for something a little darker with creative lore and mythology, jump on Darkness Becomes Her.
Why I Picked Darkness Becomes Her:
When I saw the cover of The Wicked Within, I knew I had to read it, so I researched a bit and found it was Kelly Keaton's final book in the Gods & Monsters Trilogy. Just so happened a bookstore I frequent had Darkness Becomes Her marked down to almost nothing, so I snagged it and finished reading it a few hours later. It's a pretty short read, perfect for a rainy day.
While the original cover does give the book a Gothic feel, I much prefer then new covers, but I also prefer hardcover books, so...
A Brief Summary:
Ari, only 17, graduated high school early and set off on a mission to learn more about the mother who gave her up for adoption. Ari has always been an outcast with her silver hair and teal eyes, but the last set of foster parents teach her about love, security, and protection, so when she leaves, she's prepared. At least in the beginning. Who knows on which side fortune lies when Ari finds the place her mom lived and died, of suicide. An asylum. She's given her mother's things and finds a letter that tells Ari little else than RUN.
The next part of the story excited me so much. I love all the lore around New Orleans. I've never had a chance to visit, but it's definitely on my bucket list. Something leads Ari to New 2, or New Orleans thirteen years after two hurricanes tore it to shreds. Now it no longer belongs to the Unites States, but the Novem. Yeah, that's a whole other story you'll just have to read about.
Crank, a young girl who delivers mail, brings Ari to her home in New 2 where Ari begins to notice she's not the only one a bit different. A small child with fangs who rarely talks, another boy who moves quickly and perhaps can read minds, another with odd eyes. They refer to themselves as douo, because they are different.
And now the story really begins, but there are spoilers I refuse to tell.
My Opinion:
The only thing holding me back from giving the book a full-out five stars is I ran into a couple of editing errors within the first couple of pages. Nothing major, and probably had I been further into the book, I wouldn't have noticed. My second complaint, the romance moved like whoa fast. I don't usually mind insta-love, but I need to feel the two characters are at least drawn toward each other before they're making out in public. Otherwise, well done, Ms. Keaton.
Kelly Keaton's writing drew me into the book, it's visual and compelling. He characters are complex, each with their own set of problems, but working together to make sure they're all taken care of. Her world-building is amazing. I could picture the dilapidated houses in the Garden District and the reconstructed businesses in the French Quarter. She mixed old voodoo lore with Greek Mythology, creating a Gothic, creepy tale.
Would I Recommend This Book:
Absolutely. If you're in the mood for something a little darker with creative lore and mythology, jump on Darkness Becomes Her.
kitaplarveotesine's review against another edition
3.0
Fantastik türde karşılaşabileceğimiz her tür kitapta vardı neredeyse. Mitolojinin dahil edilmesi ve bunun oldukça ilgi çekici bir kurguyla tamamlanması çok hoşuma gitti. Biraz durağan başlasa da ve ilk anda bir sürü cevapsız soru olsa da sonlara doğru hem olaylar hareketleniyor hem de gizemler bir bir çözülüyor. İnce bir kitap. Bu da okumayı kolaylaştırıyor ayrıca gereksiz olaylardan da kurtarıyor kitabı.
Vampirlerin, tanrıçaların ve farklı özellikteki birçok yaratığın süslediği Karanlığın Kızı keyifle okuduğum bir çerezdi. Sadece çerez kitap oluşundan ve kahraman bakış açısının sonucu olan tasvir yoksunluğundan dolayı 3 verdim.
İkinci kitaba da bir an önce başlayacağım.
Vampirlerin, tanrıçaların ve farklı özellikteki birçok yaratığın süslediği Karanlığın Kızı keyifle okuduğum bir çerezdi. Sadece çerez kitap oluşundan ve kahraman bakış açısının sonucu olan tasvir yoksunluğundan dolayı 3 verdim.
İkinci kitaba da bir an önce başlayacağım.
shirleymak's review against another edition
5.0
FREAKING AMAAAAZIIIIINGGG. so so cool. this is. so cool. Violet is soo adorable! & SEBASTIAN. OH MYYYYYYY
books4susie's review against another edition
4.0
”A curse beyond her darkest fears.”
New Orleans and the southern half of Louisiana have been destroyed by two back-to-back Category Four hurricanes. No one was prepared for the devastation and no one returned. Thirteen years later, “no one in their right mind ventured past The Rim.” Now known as New 2, the once grand and now decaying city is privately owned and “A sanctuary for misfits and things that went bump in the night.” The Novem, composed of nine of the oldest families in New Orleans, created what is believed by most to be a sanctuary for the paranormal.
Ari Selkirk has gone to Rocquemore House to find information about her mother who gave her up to the state of Louisiana social services just after her fourth birthday. What Ari was not expecting to find out is that her mother was schizophrenic, had a delusion about snakes under her scalp and committed suicide six months after her self-admittance, on the eve of her twenty-first birthday. Even more surprising to Ari is that family claimed her mother’s body and buried her in Greece. The doctor she speaks to, Dr. Giroux, offers to give her a box of her mother’s things. She is a little disappointed by the light weight of the box.
At seventeen, Ari has teal-colored eyes and hair that is “the bane of her existence.” Light in color it looked silver in the moonlight and was full, glossy and unnaturally straight. Her hair brings her unwanted attention and always grows back no matter what Ari does to rid herself of it. Her current foster parents are bail bondsmen and Ari is employed in the “family business.” They are supportive of her desire to find out more about her birth mother. So when Ari finds a letter her mother wrote to her, she is surprised it tells her to run and stay away from New Orleans and those who can identity her. She decides to make a quick solo trip to New 2 to find her birth records, even though she knows it’s dangerous. Ari is attacked by a man who is intent on killing her. When she finally gets the upper hand and delivers a fatal blow, he fingers a strand of her hair and ‘so beautiful” before dying. Before she can regain her senses, a truck halts and asks Ari if she is alright.
Ari realizes that it is actually a mail truck from New 2 and she decides to hitch a ride with the driver, twelve-year-old Crank. Crank also offers Ari the opportunity to stay at her family’s house and she accepts. Crank tells Ari that her brother can help her locate the information she is looking for. When Ari meets Henri she immediately notices his eyes are like her own, not quite normal. After seeing the rest of the family, Ari decides to leave. But before she can, a guy walks in the door and looks at Ari “like he could see inside her and says, ‘They’re already looking for you, you know.’” The guy turns out to be Sebastian and he agrees to help Ari find her birth records. When she goes back through her mother’s box of things, she finds an old newspaper clipping and a letter her grandmother wrote to her mother. Their family is cursed. The women don’t live to the age of 21 and always leave a young daughter behind. Unfortunately her birth records bring more questions, including a link to a member of the Novem who happens to be Sebastian’s grandmother. Ari’s day gets worse when a voodoo practitioner refuses to remove the curse from her.
Join Ari on her journey of self-discovery as she tries to find out her family history and why she fits in in New 2. Who wants to kill her and what do the Novem want with her? And why is everyone she meets terrified of her? Nothing will stop Ari even when the stakes are too high or too dangerous. Just who or what is Ari?
Part paranormal, part mythology with a bit of mystery and romance thrown in, Darkness Becomes Her is the first in Kelly Keaton’s Gods and Monsters series.
New Orleans and the southern half of Louisiana have been destroyed by two back-to-back Category Four hurricanes. No one was prepared for the devastation and no one returned. Thirteen years later, “no one in their right mind ventured past The Rim.” Now known as New 2, the once grand and now decaying city is privately owned and “A sanctuary for misfits and things that went bump in the night.” The Novem, composed of nine of the oldest families in New Orleans, created what is believed by most to be a sanctuary for the paranormal.
Ari Selkirk has gone to Rocquemore House to find information about her mother who gave her up to the state of Louisiana social services just after her fourth birthday. What Ari was not expecting to find out is that her mother was schizophrenic, had a delusion about snakes under her scalp and committed suicide six months after her self-admittance, on the eve of her twenty-first birthday. Even more surprising to Ari is that family claimed her mother’s body and buried her in Greece. The doctor she speaks to, Dr. Giroux, offers to give her a box of her mother’s things. She is a little disappointed by the light weight of the box.
At seventeen, Ari has teal-colored eyes and hair that is “the bane of her existence.” Light in color it looked silver in the moonlight and was full, glossy and unnaturally straight. Her hair brings her unwanted attention and always grows back no matter what Ari does to rid herself of it. Her current foster parents are bail bondsmen and Ari is employed in the “family business.” They are supportive of her desire to find out more about her birth mother. So when Ari finds a letter her mother wrote to her, she is surprised it tells her to run and stay away from New Orleans and those who can identity her. She decides to make a quick solo trip to New 2 to find her birth records, even though she knows it’s dangerous. Ari is attacked by a man who is intent on killing her. When she finally gets the upper hand and delivers a fatal blow, he fingers a strand of her hair and ‘so beautiful” before dying. Before she can regain her senses, a truck halts and asks Ari if she is alright.
Ari realizes that it is actually a mail truck from New 2 and she decides to hitch a ride with the driver, twelve-year-old Crank. Crank also offers Ari the opportunity to stay at her family’s house and she accepts. Crank tells Ari that her brother can help her locate the information she is looking for. When Ari meets Henri she immediately notices his eyes are like her own, not quite normal. After seeing the rest of the family, Ari decides to leave. But before she can, a guy walks in the door and looks at Ari “like he could see inside her and says, ‘They’re already looking for you, you know.’” The guy turns out to be Sebastian and he agrees to help Ari find her birth records. When she goes back through her mother’s box of things, she finds an old newspaper clipping and a letter her grandmother wrote to her mother. Their family is cursed. The women don’t live to the age of 21 and always leave a young daughter behind. Unfortunately her birth records bring more questions, including a link to a member of the Novem who happens to be Sebastian’s grandmother. Ari’s day gets worse when a voodoo practitioner refuses to remove the curse from her.
Join Ari on her journey of self-discovery as she tries to find out her family history and why she fits in in New 2. Who wants to kill her and what do the Novem want with her? And why is everyone she meets terrified of her? Nothing will stop Ari even when the stakes are too high or too dangerous. Just who or what is Ari?
Part paranormal, part mythology with a bit of mystery and romance thrown in, Darkness Becomes Her is the first in Kelly Keaton’s Gods and Monsters series.
laceytse's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
squirrelsohno's review against another edition
4.0
I read DARKNESS BECOMES HER on a whim. It had been on my Kindle awhile after a spree of purchases from who knows when. Or maybe library last week? I have no idea, but it was on there. I opened the document and started reading, not knowing what to expect other than science fiction mixed with the paranormal. I went in with low expectations.
Well, let me first just say that this book surprised me in a very good way. It wasn’t perfect, no, but this book brought the right mix of snark, excitement, intrigue, and action to keep me invested in the story.
DARKNESS BECOMES HER is follows 17 year old Ari, an orphan being passed through the foster care system with little knowledge of her parents. She finds a lead that sends her to an insane asylum and then into the remains of New Orleans after an apocalyptic series of hurricanes. Now known as New 2, it’s become the home to hosts of paranormal creatures – vampires, witches, shapeshifters, and one very pissed off Goddess who has made it known she wants Ari dead.
Basically, this book was pretty darn awesome. The mythology in this novel, the first in a series, was pretty damn remarkable, blending paranormal and mythological elements with science fiction. And yes, science fantasy is kind of my thing (ask my critique partners – my current manuscript that I’m working on is science fantasy to the core). But to blend the elements together is really hard work, but Keaton does it with skill that is enviable.
Although I wasn’t a big fan of Sebastian and Ari’s instalove, I liked the characters on their own. Ari is a tough-as-nails girl that has been to hell and back in her life. A curse on her family has basically trashed her family tree, including her – and her fate doesn’t look good. So what does Ari do? She goes all out, throwing caution to the wind and entering a world that seriously wants her dead. She meets a pack of kids living in the remains of a house in New 2, including a girl with fangs, a 12 year old mail carrier, and Sebastian, the son of a warlock and a vampire (which makes him pretty rare himself).
The world building is well done, even though I had a few questions that nagged me about the origins of the world – mythological creatures, hurricanes, state of the world outside, etc. Not big issues. The real focus of this book was on the action, or at least in my eyes. The writing is pretty basic as far as YA writing goes – Kelly Keaton also writes adult paranormal romance, and this book follows the same style as your average one of those books. It’s no frills needed and to the point, which I like when it comes to my YA paranormal/urban fantasy stories. Nothing really to focus on here.
From Violet (the girl with the fangs and the pet albino alligator) to Crank (the 12 year old mail carrier) to Ari and Sebastian and the adult characters in the supporting cast, I found myself really enjoying the excitement in New 2 and biting my nails as Ari fell deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. The revelations about her family and her fate were twisty and turning and deliciously awesome.
I will fault this book for one thing. There are slow parts. I found myself skimming over long aspects about passing out, waking up, passing out again, walking through the woods, etc. That and, as I mentioned, I didn’t see any chemistry between Ari and Sebastian. But I will be picking up the sequel soon for sure! Also, RALEIGH AUTHOR! Automatic bonus points for my hometown!
World Building - ♥♥♥♥
While not fully fleshed out, New 2 was an interesting setting with strong descriptions and a sturdy basis for the goings on. Mythology meets the post-apocalyptic here.
Characters - ♥♥♥♥
I pretty much loved all the characters in this story, with the exception of some of the glossed over secondary and tertiary characters who only seem to be noted as a plot device.
Instalove - ♥♥
Ehm… It’s kind of instalove. I didn’t find there to be chemistry between Ari and Sebastian, but yet they’re all hot for one another pretty quickly.
Assorted WTFery - ♥♥♥♥
Pretty much limited to some unexplained deals with harpies and spider people and made creatures. But maybe I just missed that.
VERDICT: An awesome kick butt novel, with a great heroine yet some overuse of tropes, DARKNESS BECOMES HER is a YA book I wholeheartedly suggest to readers looking for action, romance, and intrigue. A strong addition to the crowded YA urban fantasy field.
Well, let me first just say that this book surprised me in a very good way. It wasn’t perfect, no, but this book brought the right mix of snark, excitement, intrigue, and action to keep me invested in the story.
DARKNESS BECOMES HER is follows 17 year old Ari, an orphan being passed through the foster care system with little knowledge of her parents. She finds a lead that sends her to an insane asylum and then into the remains of New Orleans after an apocalyptic series of hurricanes. Now known as New 2, it’s become the home to hosts of paranormal creatures – vampires, witches, shapeshifters, and one very pissed off Goddess who has made it known she wants Ari dead.
Basically, this book was pretty darn awesome. The mythology in this novel, the first in a series, was pretty damn remarkable, blending paranormal and mythological elements with science fiction. And yes, science fantasy is kind of my thing (ask my critique partners – my current manuscript that I’m working on is science fantasy to the core). But to blend the elements together is really hard work, but Keaton does it with skill that is enviable.
Although I wasn’t a big fan of Sebastian and Ari’s instalove, I liked the characters on their own. Ari is a tough-as-nails girl that has been to hell and back in her life. A curse on her family has basically trashed her family tree, including her – and her fate doesn’t look good. So what does Ari do? She goes all out, throwing caution to the wind and entering a world that seriously wants her dead. She meets a pack of kids living in the remains of a house in New 2, including a girl with fangs, a 12 year old mail carrier, and Sebastian, the son of a warlock and a vampire (which makes him pretty rare himself).
The world building is well done, even though I had a few questions that nagged me about the origins of the world – mythological creatures, hurricanes, state of the world outside, etc. Not big issues. The real focus of this book was on the action, or at least in my eyes. The writing is pretty basic as far as YA writing goes – Kelly Keaton also writes adult paranormal romance, and this book follows the same style as your average one of those books. It’s no frills needed and to the point, which I like when it comes to my YA paranormal/urban fantasy stories. Nothing really to focus on here.
From Violet (the girl with the fangs and the pet albino alligator) to Crank (the 12 year old mail carrier) to Ari and Sebastian and the adult characters in the supporting cast, I found myself really enjoying the excitement in New 2 and biting my nails as Ari fell deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. The revelations about her family and her fate were twisty and turning and deliciously awesome.
I will fault this book for one thing. There are slow parts. I found myself skimming over long aspects about passing out, waking up, passing out again, walking through the woods, etc. That and, as I mentioned, I didn’t see any chemistry between Ari and Sebastian. But I will be picking up the sequel soon for sure! Also, RALEIGH AUTHOR! Automatic bonus points for my hometown!
World Building - ♥♥♥♥
While not fully fleshed out, New 2 was an interesting setting with strong descriptions and a sturdy basis for the goings on. Mythology meets the post-apocalyptic here.
Characters - ♥♥♥♥
I pretty much loved all the characters in this story, with the exception of some of the glossed over secondary and tertiary characters who only seem to be noted as a plot device.
Instalove - ♥♥
Ehm… It’s kind of instalove. I didn’t find there to be chemistry between Ari and Sebastian, but yet they’re all hot for one another pretty quickly.
Assorted WTFery - ♥♥♥♥
Pretty much limited to some unexplained deals with harpies and spider people and made creatures. But maybe I just missed that.
VERDICT: An awesome kick butt novel, with a great heroine yet some overuse of tropes, DARKNESS BECOMES HER is a YA book I wholeheartedly suggest to readers looking for action, romance, and intrigue. A strong addition to the crowded YA urban fantasy field.
sandeeisreading's review against another edition
1.0
I love reading stuff about God's and Goddess. I am a little obsessed by them and that was why this book caught my eye. I started reading this book and for some reason I didn't really like it so I decided not to finish it. I will try to read it again maybe someday. Unfortunately not now though.
aclawlor's review against another edition
5.0
I have to say this book was AMAZING!! I can't wait to get my paws on to the next in the series!
The characters were well developed and I felt I could connect with at least one of the characters. The pull of mythological creatures and myths into the story was well done, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and couldn't put it down until I had finished it!
Ari was a wonderful character whose story was a brilliant mystery which was pulled out throughout the story, making the climax of the book the climax and resolution of her history. The use of Medusa's story was amazing, and I love the change of pace and a different look on the myth.
This book is definitely for those who love a dark mystery with dashings of romance. The gothic scene and french atmosphere of new 2 was the perfect setting for such an amazing book.
The characters were well developed and I felt I could connect with at least one of the characters. The pull of mythological creatures and myths into the story was well done, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and couldn't put it down until I had finished it!
Ari was a wonderful character whose story was a brilliant mystery which was pulled out throughout the story, making the climax of the book the climax and resolution of her history. The use of Medusa's story was amazing, and I love the change of pace and a different look on the myth.
This book is definitely for those who love a dark mystery with dashings of romance. The gothic scene and french atmosphere of new 2 was the perfect setting for such an amazing book.
jqduskrose's review against another edition
2.0
Oh well i read the synopsis expecting the book to be some kind of epic fantsy/mythology that was until i started reading it that i realized it has a horrible writing structure and the story line was very sloppy ...
i finished this book just for the sake of reading hoping that it will pick up and get better!
disappointed in this book because i had great expectations for it !!
i finished this book just for the sake of reading hoping that it will pick up and get better!
disappointed in this book because i had great expectations for it !!