3.67 AVERAGE


Ms. Keaton's writing is nothing short of great! Dialogue is always tricky and more often than not, comes out awkward. But the conversations in this book are fluid, concise, and all around well-written. The same goes for the descriptions. I love the new twist she has presented regarding the New Orleans hurricanes and the somewhat dystopian setting.

Ms. Keaton presents a great twist on a certain mythology that comes together rather nicely. That's all I'm going to say because I don't want to spoil anything.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Darkness Becomes Her and I cannot wait for the sequel! The writing, characters, and story are all great and take some interesting turns.

This was alright... I am not a fan of much YA, though I keep reading some in hopes I find a goodie and even though this was alright, my search still goes on. It's a very interesting take on the story of Athena, and Medusa. However, I thought the mythology was a bit confused. It is hinted that most of the Greek gods have died, I assume Ares is gone as well (I doubt that) but as far as I know and what I have learned outside of this book, ARES is the God of War. So why is this book saying Athena is the Goddess of War. I know she took part in many battles. Wiki says she "is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill."

Just warfare... meaning rightful and lawful.. I guess there could be a god of war and a goddess of war, but I think theres a difference. Bah it doesn't matter, but there is one more point. Athena never seemed to be jealous of other women's beauty. It was said she killed women for being more beautiful than her. That really sounds like the Goddess Hera. I know she was freakishly jealous, mostly because her husband Zeus was a manwhore. But still I think Miss Keaton is getting her facts a little mixed up. I am all for taking something and putting your own twist on it, but I don't like that part.

Ari has always been an outsider. With freakish teal hair and astonishingly green eyes, she certainly looks like one. With her father gone and her mother dead, Ari goes out search for answers to her past. When her search uncovers a message from her mother telling her to run, she realises that someone – or something – is getting too close. But it’s impossible to know exactly what she’s meant to be avoiding. Returning to her birthplace of New Orleans, ravaged by hurricanes thirteen years earlier, she discovers she isn’t so different after all. But, if that is the case, why is every terrifying she meets so scared… of her?

Well, I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. I didn’t, to start with – it didn’t seem really my thing, and a bit kind of OTT. But I stuck with it, as I tend to do nowadays, and at around the halfway mark, things really began to pick up.

Whilst the actual plot got more exciting, the writing stayed about the same, which is to say: gripping. HOWEVER, there was a seemingly excessive amount of swearing. And I mean, really. For one of the characters it was so out of character and I really didn’t like the swearing. It didn’t fit, it felt out of place, and it took me away from the story on more than one occasion which was really horrible. The book lost a whole star for this.

The other reason the book lost a star was, well, two reasons: one, the romance. It was sudden, a “hey-I’ve-met-you-and-now-we’re-kissing” romance, and then it just fizzled out with no warning and… yeah. No. If the romance had happened in the second book (oh yeah this is a series, forgot to mention) then it might have been better bit it really didn’t work.

IT WASN’T ALL BAD! Some of it was really entertaining, and I liked the plot twist with Ari’s dad at the end. The twist over who Ari is was also pretty good, and although I knew the myths I didn’t guess it.

The other thing that sucked about this book was the main antagonist: Athena. She was so out of character, and I mean, all of the swearing? Come on! I felt like her character suited Hera more of what I’ve read and studied of the myths. Athena is wise, a goddess of war so why would she be so disgustingly vindictive with, seemingly, no motive? It just didn’t make sense and yeah I really didn’t like her as the antagonist.

So overall, not a bad book and I’d recommend it for the more YA-loving people. I’m going to try and read the next in the series, but a few bits really irked me, so I don’t know if I’ll finish the series, but I’ll try!

mag_da's review

3.0

Rating:2,5
The story dragged on and for the most of the first half I was a bit bored. However, the mythology angle was interesting and towards the end it got more interesting.

Darkness Becomes Her started with action and ended with even more action. I really really liked this book and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

The story is about Ari who will definitely make my list of favourite heroines. Ari is strong, badass, but she's also vulnerable. She's gone through a lot in foster care with the loss of her mother and all that has made her stronger. She's not the kind of girl who mopes all the time, but she's not cold either. I love her as a character!

The plot of the story is very interesting, a whole new twist to the supernatural. There are strong, lovable characters and you can tell how much Kelly Keaton loves the city of New Orleans. To be honest, I guessed some stuff early on in the story but that's only because I read something and felt this weird need to do research. The story is super fast paced so it's very enjoyable to read.

The one thing that I'm iffy about is how fast the story takes place. Probably what, four days? Ari's attachments and relationships develop awfully fast so I hope in future books it takes a bit more time. While I did enjoy Ari and Sebastian, they're a bit serious for people who've just only met so I'm excited to see where their relationship goes.

Overall, this is a fun, addictive story and I can't wait to read what happens next. I have a feeling that this series might make it into my favourites list. Darkness Becomes Her is perfect for any lover of the supernatural and kick-but girls. 4.5 stars,

****& 1/2 *

Add Greek Mythology and combine that with Supernatural beings and you get one hell of a book. A novel that will spin you around and around and will still leave you shock at the twist and turns. I loved this book. I literally wanted to marry it. I could not put it down. I am not going to lie I have been in a reading funk lately and Kelly Keaton brought me out of it. I also have been busy with school, life, graduating, exchange ect; however that another story for another time.

The Plot: Was well thought out and fast. Their is definitely not a moment in this book where you stop and ponder: "When is this going to end". Honestly it the opposite you'll think, "I hope this never ends". Sadly the ending comes faster then you want it to. It is a short book, only 273 pages, however it fits everything (without boring and overwhelming the reader) in it nicely. Kelly Keaton kept the plot twists well under wraps and it will leave the readers shocked and looking back to see the hints that led to them. The ending is of course a bit of a cliff hanger, however it will leave readers screaming for more. I am most certainly excited for the next book in the series to come out.

Imagery: NEW ORLEANS. I don't see many novels set in this setting, and especially not a futuristic one I might add. The author did a mesmerizing job of capturing it and it's beauty. Ever since reading this I have been dying to go to New Orleans. I think my absolute favorite scene was the party scene where everyone dressed up (in masks might I add). That scene definitely brought my imagination to life in it's fullest. It is also easy to imagine the characters (personalities, looks and actions). Kelly Keaton did a fabulous job of bring her world to life for the readers.

Romance: YAY---no love triangle (or not yet). It not often that you only see one male swooning for the female leads attention. Ari and Sebastian were a couple with real chemistry. They worked well with each other and were believable. They weren't overtop or to under-the top (if you catch my drift). I really am excited to see how their relationship develops over the course of this series. I am praying that they do not break up with each other (like in many other series).

Characters: The characters all fit so well with each other. The kids at the Garden District were like a real family (who I came to love and desired to be apart of) with their separate personalities. I love them all but I definitely have a special spot for Violet who was so unique in her own little way. I absolutely adored Ari's hair and tattoo which really set her apart from everyone else. The Villain was defintely evil and deep down I wish she had more book time. I hope in the next novel she does.

What was the best thing about this novel? Hands down the dialogue, emotions and tone. The author did a great job of making the readers feel what the characters were feeling through dialogue. The tone also came across well with the setting.

Overall I most certainly recommend reading this book :) Yours Truly,

Loved, loved, loved! So amazing! Loved this book! Loved the myths, and all the different creatures! So amazing! Loved!!!!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Ari is looking for answers to her birth family. When she ends up in New 2 she finds way more answers then she ever bargained for. All the new people she meets seem to have strange characteristics. A whole new world is suddenly opened up to Ari, and she no longer feels like a complete outcast.

This book was full of great paranormal creatures, each with their own unique ability. Ari, although she knows she's strange, has no clue what or who she is. The mystery of this kept me guessing, and the answer was very unique and enjoyable.

Ari was a great character. She was determined to find out what happened, and stayed strong, no matter what was thrown at her. Although I really liked the love interest, I am extremely tired of insta-love. It wasn't enough to take away much from the story, but I could have done without it.

This book definitely liked to throw around some crazy twists and turns, and the ending left me dying to find out more. I'm very excited to see where the next book will take us.

Just as a side note, there is a lot of profanity in this book, which I don't like in my YA books, and wasn't necessary to the story.

Overall, this was a great new addition to the YA genre. I loved that it was just as much about a young girl trying to find her place in the world, and realize who she is, as it was about the mystery and the paranormal. I will be preordering the next book as soon as it's available!

The pace of the book was fast which I usually love but in this case it was a little too fast. There was too much thrown into one book. The author had a great idea but i think it would have been better if she would have either made this book longer so things didn't seem to happen one after the other or saved some of the action for the next book. I also wasn't a huge fan of the romance it happened way too fast and was super cheesy.
I did however like the setting! The author did a really good job painting the setting of a haunted mystical New Orleans.

I was so, so excited to read this. The moment I read that her mom had hallucinations about snakes coming out of her head, I knew it was going to have some of Medusa element in it. And I couldn’t wait to read how everything would play out.

But oh my god, the instalove. At least in teen fiction novels, the rushed relationships are a given and you read a book already resigned to the fact that boy and girl will meet and fall in love. But in a mythology/paranormal book with an actually interesting concept? I was so disappointed.

Ari is literally about to storm out of a house within an hour of entering New 2, when Sebastian enters. Then all the air rushes out of her and she can only think of how tall, dark, and handsome this stranger is. And by the next day, they kiss. Three times.

Maybe even more. Who knows? Not me, because I couldn’t bring myself to read on. Especially after skipping to the end to find out that my worst fears were confirmed, the book ends on a cliffhanger. So pushing myself through this wouldn’t grant me a nearly tied ending. No, this is just the first out of three (or four? I think the fourth is a spin-off?) books. Needless to say, I’ve marked it as a dnf since it really wouldn’t be worth reading only to be left on a cliffie.