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secamimom's review against another edition
2.0
Jane Williams has grown up in foster home after foster home. After finally focusing and attaining good grades in school, she acquires a scholarship to the Birch Grove Academy. When she arrives, she is selected to tutor the headmaster’s son, Lucien. Almost immediately, Jane learns that things are not as they seem at the school. People have died. People have disappeared. Jane begins to wonder why exactly she is at the school and if she should stay.
I have put off writing this review for some time. I’m not one who likes to disagree with others, but I was asked to review honestly on this site and that’s what I’ll do.
I didn’t like Dark Companion at all. I didn’t feel like I could connect to any of the characters and for me to enjoy a book, I have to feel as if I am in their world. Usually I am not one to enjoy descriptions of places and things, but I felt that it was lacking in that. The writing seemed choppy to me. Once you focused on one scene or thought it was jumping to another.
This book didn’t get interesting to me until about eighty percent in and honestly, getting to that point was hell…pure hell. I had to make myself finish.
All this being said, I have read several reviews of people who actually enjoyed Dark Companion. Personally it wasn’t for me, but who am I to deny you of your curiosity when you pick it up and check it out. But don’t blame me when you wish you could have the time back that you feel like you wasted like I did.
I have put off writing this review for some time. I’m not one who likes to disagree with others, but I was asked to review honestly on this site and that’s what I’ll do.
I didn’t like Dark Companion at all. I didn’t feel like I could connect to any of the characters and for me to enjoy a book, I have to feel as if I am in their world. Usually I am not one to enjoy descriptions of places and things, but I felt that it was lacking in that. The writing seemed choppy to me. Once you focused on one scene or thought it was jumping to another.
This book didn’t get interesting to me until about eighty percent in and honestly, getting to that point was hell…pure hell. I had to make myself finish.
All this being said, I have read several reviews of people who actually enjoyed Dark Companion. Personally it wasn’t for me, but who am I to deny you of your curiosity when you pick it up and check it out. But don’t blame me when you wish you could have the time back that you feel like you wasted like I did.
sklus's review against another edition
4.0
Weird, but I liked it. Blood was a major theme and there were vampires who weren't really vampires. The main guy is definitely more likable than Mr. Rochester even though that's the character he's based on. It's a pretty interesting retelling, where it has major plot points scattered amongst different characters and time.
bookph1le's review against another edition
1.0
This book started off strong and then got rather weird. My rating is more 2.5 stars because it did have some really great points, it just fell apart around halfway through the book. More thorough review to follow.
Changed my mind about the rating. The reason is in the full review, which is here:
Dark Companion was such a disappointing book for me. It started out so strong, grabbing me with its parallels to Jane Eyre that were extremely well done without coming across as derivative. I was drawn into the setting of Birch Grove Academy, and really liked Jane as a character. Acosta threw in so many elements that piqued my curiosity. Everything was going so nicely, the book such a great read, and then it veered from the path of the enjoyable and onto the freeway of the strange--and not the good kind of strange either. Fair warning: there be spoilers ahead.
One of the most disappointing factors of this book for me was Jane. She was a character I was really rooting for, someone who'd had such a hard life and had fought to get herself into a better situation. She had heart, smarts, and a pretty prickly personality. What wasn't to like? But then Jane falls in love and all that made her good and strong is blown to oblivion.
I have to take a moment here to address authors of YA fiction in general: you really need to stop creating female characters who become spineless, acquiescing tools the minute they fall in love. This is only acceptable if you're writing something that's meant to make a broader point about the signs of a poisonous relationship and the hazards they can pose for a young woman. Considering the statistics that show that an alarming number of young women are in abusive relationships and are unaware that those relationships are abusive, it really bothers me that so many YA authors (and adult authors too, to be fair) seem to be such enthusiastic participants in the myth that a relationship where your significant other stalks you, tries to control you, and treats you poorly are oh-so-romantic because said significant other is such a tortured soul. Stop, I'm begging you, please stop. Just don't do it anymore.
And therein lies my problem with Jane. The minute she begins falling for Lucian, a girl who is so street-smart and so fiercely intelligent promptly begins to fall apart. She lies to her friends, she lets Lucian treat her like garbage, she allows him to do things to her with which she is uncomfortable, things that are clearly painful for her. And the reader is forced to read about it in what I found to be very gruesome detail. Then, in the end, everything is all neatly and beautifully tied up with a bow, like magic. This is just plain wrong.
The things Lucian does to Jane tie into the bad-strange aspect of the book. When I started reading about Lucian's fascination with blood, I was sure I was about to encounter another paranormal romance. Then I realized this wasn't the case, and I was intrigued by the premise Acosta set up. She had a very interesting approach, something that was so meaty and strange. She could have done a lot with it. Instead, the reader is subjected to several stomach-churning scenes in which Lucian indulges in his lust for blood while Jane passively allows him to do whatever he likes. These scenes are so disturbing violent that they're squirm inducing. At several points, I wanted to just put the book down and walk away from it.
As for Jane's eventual romance with Jack, it was so blatantly obvious to me from the beginning that I wasn't at all surprised by it. Jack was probably the one character that I liked in the book--except for his attitude toward his brother. In many ways, Jack in an enabler. He knows Lucian is out of control, yet Jack just tries to deter his brother or clean up his messes. He never really makes an effort to actually prevent Lucian from indulging in his darker side, nor does he actually try to help his brother. For a character who is so funny and smart and otherwise kind-hearted, this was extremely disappointing. Sure, he does ride in and try to rescue Jane, but that bothered me for multiple reasons: he never tells Jane the truth about why she ought to be afraid, he never decides that maybe he should place Jane's safety above his brother's impulses, and I wanted Jane to wake up and save herself.
Many of the other characters were problematic as well. Along with Lucian, I found Mr. and Mrs. Radcliffe extremely unlikable. They are both far too indulgent when it comes to Lucian, and they consistently put their own self-interest above that of other people. Jane's friends were fun, but the very idea of Hattie wanting to tame Lucian offended me, given that Hattie was such an intelligent and strong-willed woman. Surely she could do better. As for Mary Violet, while I did like her, she was a bit too precious at times, and I sometimes found her dialog downright unbelievable. I can't picture a teenager--or anyone, really--saying a fraction of the things MV does. Yet, I did like the core of Mary Violet as she was such a sweet person and so fiercely loyal to and protective of Jane.
And, finally: the ending. I found the whole thing so preposterous that it completely took me out of the narrative because I simply could not suspend my disbelief. It was not the supernatural elements that caused me to feel this way. In fact, I was pretty intrigued by the supernatural elements. What I didn't like was the way everything works out oh so neatly. I didn't buy it for one second. It feels like one of those pat happy endings written for a family sitcom's "very special" episode. With a plot as convoluted and intricate as this one was, the ending had no business being that pristine and shiny.
Yet there were a couple of things going for this book. For one, the writing is quite well done. Acosta has a really nice style, and she excels at creating moody, atmospheric prose. This book has a gothic feel that is very similar to the tone of Jane Eyre. There is an overall sense of oppressiveness that fills every page of the book, yet it never feels angsty or overdone.
I also thought Acosta constructed a very intriguing world. I thought the idea of the Family and the Companions was very interesting, and Acosta could have done a great deal with it if it hadn't had to play second fiddle to the cringe-inducing "romance" between Jane and Lucian. I couldn't help but wish she'd written a different book, one in which there was no romance (or at least one that was not the entire focus of the book), one in which an outsider tries to infiltrate the inner workings of the Family. That would have been interesting. I'll also confess I kept wishing Jane would give 2Slim a call, as I'd have liked to see Jane spill all to him and watch how he'd have handled the whole matter. Alas, 2Slim was little more than a convenient plot device.
I finished this book a while ago, but wanted to wait on writing the review because I just wasn't entirely sure what to think. I hadn't intended to give it only one star, but the more I thought about it, the more bothered I was by the way Acosta handled the relationship between Jane and Lucian. It's too alarming for me to just get past it.
Changed my mind about the rating. The reason is in the full review, which is here:
Dark Companion was such a disappointing book for me. It started out so strong, grabbing me with its parallels to Jane Eyre that were extremely well done without coming across as derivative. I was drawn into the setting of Birch Grove Academy, and really liked Jane as a character. Acosta threw in so many elements that piqued my curiosity. Everything was going so nicely, the book such a great read, and then it veered from the path of the enjoyable and onto the freeway of the strange--and not the good kind of strange either. Fair warning: there be spoilers ahead.
One of the most disappointing factors of this book for me was Jane. She was a character I was really rooting for, someone who'd had such a hard life and had fought to get herself into a better situation. She had heart, smarts, and a pretty prickly personality. What wasn't to like? But then Jane falls in love and all that made her good and strong is blown to oblivion.
I have to take a moment here to address authors of YA fiction in general: you really need to stop creating female characters who become spineless, acquiescing tools the minute they fall in love. This is only acceptable if you're writing something that's meant to make a broader point about the signs of a poisonous relationship and the hazards they can pose for a young woman. Considering the statistics that show that an alarming number of young women are in abusive relationships and are unaware that those relationships are abusive, it really bothers me that so many YA authors (and adult authors too, to be fair) seem to be such enthusiastic participants in the myth that a relationship where your significant other stalks you, tries to control you, and treats you poorly are oh-so-romantic because said significant other is such a tortured soul. Stop, I'm begging you, please stop. Just don't do it anymore.
And therein lies my problem with Jane. The minute she begins falling for Lucian, a girl who is so street-smart and so fiercely intelligent promptly begins to fall apart. She lies to her friends, she lets Lucian treat her like garbage, she allows him to do things to her with which she is uncomfortable, things that are clearly painful for her. And the reader is forced to read about it in what I found to be very gruesome detail. Then, in the end, everything is all neatly and beautifully tied up with a bow, like magic. This is just plain wrong.
The things Lucian does to Jane tie into the bad-strange aspect of the book. When I started reading about Lucian's fascination with blood, I was sure I was about to encounter another paranormal romance. Then I realized this wasn't the case, and I was intrigued by the premise Acosta set up. She had a very interesting approach, something that was so meaty and strange. She could have done a lot with it. Instead, the reader is subjected to several stomach-churning scenes in which Lucian indulges in his lust for blood while Jane passively allows him to do whatever he likes. These scenes are so disturbing violent that they're squirm inducing. At several points, I wanted to just put the book down and walk away from it.
As for Jane's eventual romance with Jack, it was so blatantly obvious to me from the beginning that I wasn't at all surprised by it. Jack was probably the one character that I liked in the book--except for his attitude toward his brother. In many ways, Jack in an enabler. He knows Lucian is out of control, yet Jack just tries to deter his brother or clean up his messes. He never really makes an effort to actually prevent Lucian from indulging in his darker side, nor does he actually try to help his brother. For a character who is so funny and smart and otherwise kind-hearted, this was extremely disappointing. Sure, he does ride in and try to rescue Jane, but that bothered me for multiple reasons: he never tells Jane the truth about why she ought to be afraid, he never decides that maybe he should place Jane's safety above his brother's impulses, and I wanted Jane to wake up and save herself.
Many of the other characters were problematic as well. Along with Lucian, I found Mr. and Mrs. Radcliffe extremely unlikable. They are both far too indulgent when it comes to Lucian, and they consistently put their own self-interest above that of other people. Jane's friends were fun, but the very idea of Hattie wanting to tame Lucian offended me, given that Hattie was such an intelligent and strong-willed woman. Surely she could do better. As for Mary Violet, while I did like her, she was a bit too precious at times, and I sometimes found her dialog downright unbelievable. I can't picture a teenager--or anyone, really--saying a fraction of the things MV does. Yet, I did like the core of Mary Violet as she was such a sweet person and so fiercely loyal to and protective of Jane.
And, finally: the ending. I found the whole thing so preposterous that it completely took me out of the narrative because I simply could not suspend my disbelief. It was not the supernatural elements that caused me to feel this way. In fact, I was pretty intrigued by the supernatural elements. What I didn't like was the way everything works out oh so neatly. I didn't buy it for one second. It feels like one of those pat happy endings written for a family sitcom's "very special" episode. With a plot as convoluted and intricate as this one was, the ending had no business being that pristine and shiny.
Yet there were a couple of things going for this book. For one, the writing is quite well done. Acosta has a really nice style, and she excels at creating moody, atmospheric prose. This book has a gothic feel that is very similar to the tone of Jane Eyre. There is an overall sense of oppressiveness that fills every page of the book, yet it never feels angsty or overdone.
I also thought Acosta constructed a very intriguing world. I thought the idea of the Family and the Companions was very interesting, and Acosta could have done a great deal with it if it hadn't had to play second fiddle to the cringe-inducing "romance" between Jane and Lucian. I couldn't help but wish she'd written a different book, one in which there was no romance (or at least one that was not the entire focus of the book), one in which an outsider tries to infiltrate the inner workings of the Family. That would have been interesting. I'll also confess I kept wishing Jane would give 2Slim a call, as I'd have liked to see Jane spill all to him and watch how he'd have handled the whole matter. Alas, 2Slim was little more than a convenient plot device.
I finished this book a while ago, but wanted to wait on writing the review because I just wasn't entirely sure what to think. I hadn't intended to give it only one star, but the more I thought about it, the more bothered I was by the way Acosta handled the relationship between Jane and Lucian. It's too alarming for me to just get past it.
sea_su's review against another edition
3.0
Main character wasn't wimpy, others were quite funny. Some things were a bit confusing but other than that nothing really exciting happened in the book. It was a mystery (not so much of a thiller but anyways) vampire-ish book.
halynah's review against another edition
5.0
Exciting, dark, sinister, captivating book with an intricately woven plot, interesting characters and gothic atmosphere. I loved Jack and MV, I enjoyed all the dialogues with the participation of MV, can't say that I liked Jane, but she was tolerable. The style of writing is expert and fluent and perfectly holds the reader's attention. Highly recommended!
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
It’s hard to describe the type of book that DARK COMPANION is. It seems to contain paranormal elements, yet never entirely crosses over into the realm of the supernatural. One thing, though, is for sure: DARK COMPANION explores the grittiness of life in foster care, the glamour of a delightful new life in boarding school, and the drastic decisions one may be forced to take in order to determine one’s future.
DARK COMPANION has interesting characters going for it. The protagonist, Jane, has had a rough childhood, which manifests in how she deals with things: she is suspicious about things that sound too good to be true, slow to open up to others, and pragmatically looks after her own affairs. Jack is particularly appealing in how he uses a teasing nature to cover his deeper thoughts and concerns. However, Mary Violet, Jane’s cheerful close friend at Birch Grove, steals the show, with her adorable (mis)use of vocabulary and her remarkable ability to bridge intelligence with endearing optimism.
It comes as a disappointment, then, that DARK COMPANION struggles under a distracting number of writing issues and clichéd aspects. This tome could have easily been cut in half with tighter editing and more attention paid to whether conversations, descriptions, or scenes are really necessary for the progression of the story. DARK COMPANION contains a lot of unnecessary dialogues that usually sound like something along the lines of: “Want to have dinner at our place tomorrow night?” “Yeah, sure, that sounds great.” “Great! When should I pick you up?” “Um, I don’t know, when is good for you?” “How about 7?” “Seven sounds perfect.” “Great! I’ll see you then.” “See you!” when all of that could’ve easily been expressed with the sentence, “He invited me to have dinner with his family tomorrow night.”
Furthermore, despite Jane’s claims of pragmatism and maturity, she falls into the all-too-convenient trope of “supposedly smart female MC going stupid over an undeserving boy.” Sure, I can understand the fact that all people will act in a retrospectively idiotic way when they are in limerence…but Jane’s doormat behavior for the supposed love of her life was so inconsistent with her independence-as-a-result-of-a-miserable-upbringing that I could never entirely stomach it.
DARK COMPANION does have its commendable aspects: condense it by about a third, and you have a story that’s real enough for readers to connect with the characters, yet strange enough to keep your attention. If this is a setup for more in a series (and it certainly reads like it), I would be curious to see what more strange and fantastical scenarios Marta Acosta will create for readers.
DARK COMPANION has interesting characters going for it. The protagonist, Jane, has had a rough childhood, which manifests in how she deals with things: she is suspicious about things that sound too good to be true, slow to open up to others, and pragmatically looks after her own affairs. Jack is particularly appealing in how he uses a teasing nature to cover his deeper thoughts and concerns. However, Mary Violet, Jane’s cheerful close friend at Birch Grove, steals the show, with her adorable (mis)use of vocabulary and her remarkable ability to bridge intelligence with endearing optimism.
It comes as a disappointment, then, that DARK COMPANION struggles under a distracting number of writing issues and clichéd aspects. This tome could have easily been cut in half with tighter editing and more attention paid to whether conversations, descriptions, or scenes are really necessary for the progression of the story. DARK COMPANION contains a lot of unnecessary dialogues that usually sound like something along the lines of: “Want to have dinner at our place tomorrow night?” “Yeah, sure, that sounds great.” “Great! When should I pick you up?” “Um, I don’t know, when is good for you?” “How about 7?” “Seven sounds perfect.” “Great! I’ll see you then.” “See you!” when all of that could’ve easily been expressed with the sentence, “He invited me to have dinner with his family tomorrow night.”
Furthermore, despite Jane’s claims of pragmatism and maturity, she falls into the all-too-convenient trope of “supposedly smart female MC going stupid over an undeserving boy.” Sure, I can understand the fact that all people will act in a retrospectively idiotic way when they are in limerence…but Jane’s doormat behavior for the supposed love of her life was so inconsistent with her independence-as-a-result-of-a-miserable-upbringing that I could never entirely stomach it.
DARK COMPANION does have its commendable aspects: condense it by about a third, and you have a story that’s real enough for readers to connect with the characters, yet strange enough to keep your attention. If this is a setup for more in a series (and it certainly reads like it), I would be curious to see what more strange and fantastical scenarios Marta Acosta will create for readers.
keberwick's review against another edition
2.0
I disliked the mix of science and fantasy in this book. It came across as forced and was definitely not something I was expecting. The summary on the back drew me in and sounded promising, however I was greatly disappointed.
ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
Jane Williams has had a rough life. After her mother's death, she grew up in the foster care system, living in a series of bad homes. At age 16, she's plucked out of her rough neighborhood and given a scholarship to an excellent school. She's able to leave dangerous Helmsdale for the lovely and safe town of Greenwood. Most of her fellow students are kind to her, and she quickly settles into her new lifestyle, which includes a very different pair of brothers, handsome charmer Lucian (Lucky) and sarcastic slacker Jacob (Jack). It's a wonderful new life, but something seems a bit off about the school and town, and there are some mysteries, like what happened to the last scholarship girl at the school.
Dark Companion is an engaging gothic tale. It has a lot of elements we've seen before: a plucky heroine pulled out of obscurity into a privileged environment, a picturesque town where things aren't quite what they seem, a potential love triangle involving two gorgeous boys, supernatural elements, and all sorts of hidden secrets. But Marta Acosta weaves these familiar elements into a very enjoyable and entertaining read. Jane is a great heroine. She's smart, tough, and resourceful. She's had a really rough life, but she's determined to move beyond it and make something of her life. She's got a lot in common with Jane Eyre: she's small, plain, and poor, but she's got spirit. I liked Jane very much. There there were times that I was very frustrated by some of her actions, but it was easy to see how they were motivated by her need for love and a family. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes gothic stories. I would rate it 3.5 stars.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
Dark Companion is an engaging gothic tale. It has a lot of elements we've seen before: a plucky heroine pulled out of obscurity into a privileged environment, a picturesque town where things aren't quite what they seem, a potential love triangle involving two gorgeous boys, supernatural elements, and all sorts of hidden secrets. But Marta Acosta weaves these familiar elements into a very enjoyable and entertaining read. Jane is a great heroine. She's smart, tough, and resourceful. She's had a really rough life, but she's determined to move beyond it and make something of her life. She's got a lot in common with Jane Eyre: she's small, plain, and poor, but she's got spirit. I liked Jane very much. There there were times that I was very frustrated by some of her actions, but it was easy to see how they were motivated by her need for love and a family. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes gothic stories. I would rate it 3.5 stars.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
shirleymak's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, but it was definitely a super weird book. Jack is like the cutest guy ahhhh he's so dorky. But this book was really hard to get into at first, but obviously, like all other books, it got more interesting(:
charms1976's review against another edition
3.0
I love the Casa Dracula series by author Marta Acosta so I was thrilled to step into young adult realm created by her. With Dark Companion, we are given the treat of the authors writing with a young adult theme.
Jane grew up in foster homes after and accident. She receives a scholarship to to Birch Grove Academy and finds herself making friends. Just when she thinks are starting to turn around for her, things start to happen to make her rethink everything. The author brings the triangle that most books have with Jacob/Jack and Lucien/Lucky. When you read the book you will understand the double names for Jacob and Lucien.
Without giving too much more away, I will say that this book is darker and has more of an edge to it than her adult series. It was slow moving for me to read as well. It seemed like the plot wanted to take off, but the author wanted to drag it out for the reader. There were times I just wanted to skip scenes just to get going, but I didn't and ended up happy that I didn't.
If you are a fan of Marta Acosta, then this one will be a auto-buy for you. It has her writing style that you love just from a younger and darker edge to it. The cover itself should clue you in to the different feel this book has from her adult series. This was okay book for me and I am glad I gave it a chance. I just hope if the author writes another one that the plot -- that was pretty cool -- moves along faster for the reader.
Jane grew up in foster homes after and accident. She receives a scholarship to to Birch Grove Academy and finds herself making friends. Just when she thinks are starting to turn around for her, things start to happen to make her rethink everything. The author brings the triangle that most books have with Jacob/Jack and Lucien/Lucky. When you read the book you will understand the double names for Jacob and Lucien.
Without giving too much more away, I will say that this book is darker and has more of an edge to it than her adult series. It was slow moving for me to read as well. It seemed like the plot wanted to take off, but the author wanted to drag it out for the reader. There were times I just wanted to skip scenes just to get going, but I didn't and ended up happy that I didn't.
If you are a fan of Marta Acosta, then this one will be a auto-buy for you. It has her writing style that you love just from a younger and darker edge to it. The cover itself should clue you in to the different feel this book has from her adult series. This was okay book for me and I am glad I gave it a chance. I just hope if the author writes another one that the plot -- that was pretty cool -- moves along faster for the reader.