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2.97 AVERAGE
2.97 AVERAGE
Spoilers Ahead, proceed at your own risk.
Oh, this is an unfortunate review. This sounded so wonderfully in its description and the buzz about it has been mostly positive so I was excited to have the chance to review it. Perhaps this just wasn’t my type of read but I couldn’t stand this book. Lucky was an annoying brat, MV who shined early on grew to annoy me as well, the woe is me MC who is supposed to be streetwise turned into a blubbering mess…these characters were just so annoying that it took everything I had to keep reading. Jack’s attitude grew tiresome when the author just kept pushing and pushing his rebellious nature in our face. And the constant pixie, Halfling, tree fairy thing wasn’t intriguing it just made my stomach turn. For a MC who got upset at being called “Mouse” I certainly don’t think she’d stand quietly by while Jack continued to hurl insults at her much less begin to fall for him. We are expected to believe the MC lived in the “hood” with shootings and life threatening events at every turn and survived unscathed but then suddenly sprains her ankle while standing on a chair and must then be carried by her crush everywhere? The whole “companion” idea was, I suppose, a creative one but rather than interest me it just turned my stomach and kept me from enjoying any of the novel. It wasn’t sexy or engaging…they just came out as drug fiends complete with needles and other tools of the trade. But we are to somehow believe, by the MC’s acceptance of them, that they are better than simple drug abusers. Which leads us to the troubled best friend who seemed like a sidenote created to demonstrate the MC’s goodness or a device to add some realistic drama to a fantasy type plot. Honestly, the entire novel boiled down to an attempt to rewrite several previously published works with a “creative” twist and, unfortunately, I found it failing in all avenues.
ARC Galley Proof
Oh, this is an unfortunate review. This sounded so wonderfully in its description and the buzz about it has been mostly positive so I was excited to have the chance to review it. Perhaps this just wasn’t my type of read but I couldn’t stand this book. Lucky was an annoying brat, MV who shined early on grew to annoy me as well, the woe is me MC who is supposed to be streetwise turned into a blubbering mess…these characters were just so annoying that it took everything I had to keep reading. Jack’s attitude grew tiresome when the author just kept pushing and pushing his rebellious nature in our face. And the constant pixie, Halfling, tree fairy thing wasn’t intriguing it just made my stomach turn. For a MC who got upset at being called “Mouse” I certainly don’t think she’d stand quietly by while Jack continued to hurl insults at her much less begin to fall for him. We are expected to believe the MC lived in the “hood” with shootings and life threatening events at every turn and survived unscathed but then suddenly sprains her ankle while standing on a chair and must then be carried by her crush everywhere? The whole “companion” idea was, I suppose, a creative one but rather than interest me it just turned my stomach and kept me from enjoying any of the novel. It wasn’t sexy or engaging…they just came out as drug fiends complete with needles and other tools of the trade. But we are to somehow believe, by the MC’s acceptance of them, that they are better than simple drug abusers. Which leads us to the troubled best friend who seemed like a sidenote created to demonstrate the MC’s goodness or a device to add some realistic drama to a fantasy type plot. Honestly, the entire novel boiled down to an attempt to rewrite several previously published works with a “creative” twist and, unfortunately, I found it failing in all avenues.
ARC Galley Proof
It was starting to get wierd so I just quit reading it. But I love reading books where there are girls, and it is olden times, where they wear dresses and go to academys and get to go to balls...
Even though I'm a horror lover, the blood drinking scenes got to me for some reason.
I'm always weary when it comes to reading paranormal young-adult novels because while there have been a few that I have liked, most of them leave a bad taste in my mouth and I'm left with a desire to throw the book against the wall. Dark Companion started off really strong and I thought "Yay! Here's a good one!" It pretty much went on like that until I reached the halfway point. The halfway point of Dark Companion made me want gouge out my eyes so that I wouldn't have to read anymore and had it not been a review book, I would have thrown it against said wall and not bothered to read it anymore. By the time I finished, my instinct to throw the book had passed, I still found that the middle left a bad taste in my mouth and I couldn't fully get over it.
Here's the thing about Dark Companion: you have this heroine who is smart, rational, and a bit of a badass. You have supporting characters that are interesting in all of their flaw-filled glory. You have a gothic, somewhat spooky atmosphere. You have gorgeous writing. And all of that lures you into a false sense of security regarding how good this book is going to be (i.e. my "YAY!" at the beginning). But then you see the main character changing a little bit...and then you see her changing a little bit more and getting less rational, and then you see her change a little bit more than before until you realize that not only is she not as rational anymore, she's also lost some of her badassery. And once you keep reading, you realize that not only has she lost all this, she has now become a full-fledged pathetic idiot because she is "in love." And then you scream and groan at how you thought SHE was going to be different from most of the rest, and how DECEIVED you are, and how this wasn't supposed to BE this way...or at least you do if you are me. Non-spoilery explanation up ahead.
Jane just does a full 180 halfway through the book when it comes to Lucian and allows herself to be used in the worst possible way. The worst part is that it doesn't mesh with the character she was at the beginning of the novel. Someone who complains about how others are being used by their circumstances should not then allow themselves to be used by their own circumstances. It just doesn't make any sense. And former smart, badass heroine wants to be used because she thinks this is going to make the tool also known as the object of her affection fall deeply in love with her even though there is tons of evidence that points to the contrary. Again, it does not make sense for someone so street-smart, rational, and badass. Sure, Jane got a bit better towards the end of Dark Companion, but by that time she had already become implanted with the "dumb heroine" stamp. And those stamps...not easily washed off...at least not by yours truly.
So, if I had a major issue with the main character of Dark Companion, why the 3 stars as opposed to 2 (or 1)? Mary Violet. She was the ray of sunshine this novel needed. She was cute, adorable, and had the best one-liners that I am FOR SURE going to steal, so that my friends also think I'm fabulous. I loved her from beginning to end and was kind of saddened that she sort of tapered off towards the end of the novel. Oh, another reason why this book got 3 stars was because the writing was gorgeous, the atmosphere deliciously gothic, and the premise forever intriguing, even if I feel it didn't reach its full potential.
Overall, I found Dark Companion merely okay. It would have been better had Jane not insisted on being like her obvious soul-sister Bella, but the other aspects of this novel make it feel as though it's at least deserving a read. Just don't purchase it and take it out of your local library instead. And try not to throw it too hard when you reach the middle since you won't own it.
Here's the thing about Dark Companion: you have this heroine who is smart, rational, and a bit of a badass. You have supporting characters that are interesting in all of their flaw-filled glory. You have a gothic, somewhat spooky atmosphere. You have gorgeous writing. And all of that lures you into a false sense of security regarding how good this book is going to be (i.e. my "YAY!" at the beginning). But then you see the main character changing a little bit...and then you see her changing a little bit more and getting less rational, and then you see her change a little bit more than before until you realize that not only is she not as rational anymore, she's also lost some of her badassery. And once you keep reading, you realize that not only has she lost all this, she has now become a full-fledged pathetic idiot because she is "in love." And then you scream and groan at how you thought SHE was going to be different from most of the rest, and how DECEIVED you are, and how this wasn't supposed to BE this way...or at least you do if you are me. Non-spoilery explanation up ahead.
Jane just does a full 180 halfway through the book when it comes to Lucian and allows herself to be used in the worst possible way. The worst part is that it doesn't mesh with the character she was at the beginning of the novel. Someone who complains about how others are being used by their circumstances should not then allow themselves to be used by their own circumstances. It just doesn't make any sense. And former smart, badass heroine wants to be used because she thinks this is going to make the tool also known as the object of her affection fall deeply in love with her even though there is tons of evidence that points to the contrary. Again, it does not make sense for someone so street-smart, rational, and badass. Sure, Jane got a bit better towards the end of Dark Companion, but by that time she had already become implanted with the "dumb heroine" stamp. And those stamps...not easily washed off...at least not by yours truly.
So, if I had a major issue with the main character of Dark Companion, why the 3 stars as opposed to 2 (or 1)? Mary Violet. She was the ray of sunshine this novel needed. She was cute, adorable, and had the best one-liners that I am FOR SURE going to steal, so that my friends also think I'm fabulous. I loved her from beginning to end and was kind of saddened that she sort of tapered off towards the end of the novel. Oh, another reason why this book got 3 stars was because the writing was gorgeous, the atmosphere deliciously gothic, and the premise forever intriguing, even if I feel it didn't reach its full potential.
Overall, I found Dark Companion merely okay. It would have been better had Jane not insisted on being like her obvious soul-sister Bella, but the other aspects of this novel make it feel as though it's at least deserving a read. Just don't purchase it and take it out of your local library instead. And try not to throw it too hard when you reach the middle since you won't own it.
This was really confusing. I liked it, but I didn't and I have such mixed feelings and merp.
So, I hated how infatuated with Lucky she was. It was borderline obsessive and I wanted to strangle her to see reason at times. I also thought that her obvious blindness to Jack's affections was annoying. I mean Jack is the whole package! Get it!
It took me a long time to get into this book. Like for the first eight chapters I was bored and thinking, "maybe I should just return it to the library". BUT then I kept reading because I adored Mary Violet and everything about her. She and Jack were the only reasons I kept going.
I really cannot classify this book and I won't try, but just be wary when starting and it gets slightly better.
So, I hated how infatuated with Lucky she was. It was borderline obsessive and I wanted to strangle her to see reason at times. I also thought that her obvious blindness to Jack's affections was annoying. I mean Jack is the whole package! Get it!
It took me a long time to get into this book. Like for the first eight chapters I was bored and thinking, "maybe I should just return it to the library". BUT then I kept reading because I adored Mary Violet and everything about her. She and Jack were the only reasons I kept going.
I really cannot classify this book and I won't try, but just be wary when starting and it gets slightly better.
Dark Companion is not a typical story. Even after just reading the blurb, I had expectations for it, and soon figured out I couldn't have been more wrong. While my assumptions weren't quite right, I actually wasn't disappointed that I was wrong. Instead I found a story that was a blend of mystery, paranormal, with a smidge of romance thrown in. I was also pleasantly surprised with the supporting characters, especially one that seemed to come to life and jump right off the page.
The main character, Jane, is actually pretty plain, or at least she seems to be. She also has a mysterious past, one that's unknown even to her. I liked her, but sometimes she got on my nerves. Then there are Jack and Lucky, the headmistress's sons...right away, I was instantly drawn to Jack. He was awesome, but Jane constantly was thinking about how gorgeous Lucky was, and Lucky this and all that. I never really saw the attraction towards him, he was kind of a douche, but to be honest, I think that's how you're supposed to feel. You're told Lucky's all that, then Jack's always popping up, being awesome, sweet and funny, and Jane never really notices, or at least doesn't acknowledge that she's noticing it. Jane seems to be blinded by Lucky, and is lured into the mysteries of Birch Grove...blinded by the things that she is offered.
I'm trying to be aloof about most of the story so that I don't ruin anything, but I will say that when you read it, you will love Mary Violet, or at least I hope you do because I sure did. She was such a character, so hilarious, and so over-the-top! She contrasted excellently with Jane, and helped bring Jane out of her shell. :) Once Jane opened herself up to her friends she became so much more likeable, and once she started listening to her instincts and trusting herself, she was even better. :)
Overall, I really enjoyed Dark Companion. It kept me on my toes, and I loved trying to uncover the secrets of Birch Grove...it's always fun to try and figure things out before the big reveal, and Dark Companion keeps you guessing. I'd recommend it to those who like to see characters develop, and for people who enjoy their stories with a dash of everything, from humour, to paranormal, to romance, and finally, to mystery. Dark Companion has a little bit of them all, and will keep you intrigued until the very last word.
The main character, Jane, is actually pretty plain, or at least she seems to be. She also has a mysterious past, one that's unknown even to her. I liked her, but sometimes she got on my nerves. Then there are Jack and Lucky, the headmistress's sons...right away, I was instantly drawn to Jack. He was awesome, but Jane constantly was thinking about how gorgeous Lucky was, and Lucky this and all that. I never really saw the attraction towards him, he was kind of a douche, but to be honest, I think that's how you're supposed to feel. You're told Lucky's all that, then Jack's always popping up, being awesome, sweet and funny, and Jane never really notices, or at least doesn't acknowledge that she's noticing it. Jane seems to be blinded by Lucky, and is lured into the mysteries of Birch Grove...blinded by the things that she is offered.
I'm trying to be aloof about most of the story so that I don't ruin anything, but I will say that when you read it, you will love Mary Violet, or at least I hope you do because I sure did. She was such a character, so hilarious, and so over-the-top! She contrasted excellently with Jane, and helped bring Jane out of her shell. :) Once Jane opened herself up to her friends she became so much more likeable, and once she started listening to her instincts and trusting herself, she was even better. :)
Overall, I really enjoyed Dark Companion. It kept me on my toes, and I loved trying to uncover the secrets of Birch Grove...it's always fun to try and figure things out before the big reveal, and Dark Companion keeps you guessing. I'd recommend it to those who like to see characters develop, and for people who enjoy their stories with a dash of everything, from humour, to paranormal, to romance, and finally, to mystery. Dark Companion has a little bit of them all, and will keep you intrigued until the very last word.
Sacre bleu! That's French for, "Holy crap, this book sucked balls."
I sincerely hope that whoever compared this book favorably to Jane Eyre lights his or herself on fire in shame. Yes, there were parallels, but even those were less parallels and more sledgehammer references, like when Jack runs into Jane on his horse bike on the icy lane in the ampitheatre, and calls her a fairy-creature. Or Jane's childhood friend Helen Hosea who dies but imparts valuable life lessons upon Jane .
Let's get what I liked out of the way.
Okay, we're done.
No, not really. I liked Mary Violet. I realize she was Token Comedic Character and didn't have a lot of actual depth, but NO ONE had actual depth, so I'm willing to excuse it in the light of the fact that she was actually appealing. She felt genuine, unlike most of the other characters, and while she was over-the-top she made me laugh - especially her French-isms. And on the whole, her and her family stood out as the only warm, even vaguely realistic people in the book.
Okay, now we're really done. Jack was okay, but less because he was well-done and more because he didn't have that much about him that was objectionable. This could also be because he didn't actually show up all that often, especially considering he was a Love Interest. But all things considered, it was probably better that way.
As for everything else... I find myself stymied by the mountain of objections I had to this book. Let's start with basic categorization. As far as I can tell, it was a very purposeful move to make this book gothic, but not a paranormal romance. I mean, to the extent that we have very flimsy explanations as to why NO ONE IS A VAMPIRE, WE SWEAR. But... Jane's a FUCKING FAIRY THING. It IS a paranormal romance because it is romance, and there is paranormal. You know, when Jane goes and chills with the Lady of the motherfucking Wood? NOT NORMAL. And that's just SO easily avoidable, as it added NOTHING to the story, beyond making Special Jane a little more Special.
As for the major romantic plot - sorry, I had to stop and vomit in my mouth a little. As a character, Lucky holds no weight at all. I mean, their romance has some problems that are very common in YA romance, such as:
Male Romantic Figure: We're SPECIAL. We have a BOND. Now hold still while I pleasure myself and not you.
Female Romantic Figure: I love you!
Five minutes later...
MRF: ...Sorry, what was your name?
FRF: I love you?
Acosta just takes it a step further to include physical harm and mutilation on the list of how the female lead demeans herself to win her man's love. Usually it's just psychological harm, but nope! This time, we've got SCALPELS.
And then of course, there's the fabulous moment when Hattie confesses her love to Lucky, he declares he feels the same way, and they walk off into the sunset. Despite the fact that neither has shown any interest in the other at all up until that moment. Cool beans.
But weirdly, out of all the major flaws of this book, it was one of the minor ones that threw me out the most often. The language. I believe Acosta was trying to make her text more accessible or realistic, but as a result everything was too forced. Why did the Birch Grove girls - who used the word "coitus" instead of "fuck" - also talk like they were in the "hood" half the time? And why - WHY, GOD WHY - did EVERYTHING need a fucking nickname? Why did Acosta feel the need to take up precious page space detailing how they shortened and cute-i-fied the name of every school building? Why did every town, every school, every motherfucking rock need a call sign? Half of which were LONGER THAN THE REAL NAME. The Free Pop, Hellsdale, Bitch Grave, Flounder, the Gin.... I can't even remember them all BECAUSE THERE WERE TOO MANY.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the primary reason "Dark Companion" made me want to cry. And from now on, it shall be referred to as That Book That Sucked. Because Marta Acosta has taught me that if you don't give it a nickname, you're not a real person.
I sincerely hope that whoever compared this book favorably to Jane Eyre lights his or herself on fire in shame. Yes, there were parallels, but even those were less parallels and more sledgehammer references
Let's get what I liked out of the way.
Okay, we're done.
No, not really. I liked Mary Violet. I realize she was Token Comedic Character and didn't have a lot of actual depth, but NO ONE had actual depth, so I'm willing to excuse it in the light of the fact that she was actually appealing. She felt genuine, unlike most of the other characters, and while she was over-the-top she made me laugh - especially her French-isms. And on the whole, her and her family stood out as the only warm, even vaguely realistic people in the book.
Okay, now we're really done. Jack was okay, but less because he was well-done and more because he didn't have that much about him that was objectionable. This could also be because he didn't actually show up all that often, especially considering he was a Love Interest. But all things considered, it was probably better that way.
As for everything else... I find myself stymied by the mountain of objections I had to this book. Let's start with basic categorization. As far as I can tell, it was a very purposeful move to make this book gothic, but not a paranormal romance. I mean, to the extent that we have very flimsy explanations as to why NO ONE IS A VAMPIRE, WE SWEAR. But...
As for the major romantic plot - sorry, I had to stop and vomit in my mouth a little. As a character, Lucky holds no weight at all. I mean, their romance has some problems that are very common in YA romance, such as:
Male Romantic Figure: We're SPECIAL. We have a BOND. Now hold still while I pleasure myself and not you.
Female Romantic Figure: I love you!
Five minutes later...
MRF: ...Sorry, what was your name?
FRF: I love you?
Acosta just takes it a step further to include physical harm and mutilation on the list of how the female lead demeans herself to win her man's love. Usually it's just psychological harm, but nope! This time, we've got SCALPELS.
But weirdly, out of all the major flaws of this book, it was one of the minor ones that threw me out the most often. The language. I believe Acosta was trying to make her text more accessible or realistic, but as a result everything was too forced. Why did the Birch Grove girls - who used the word "coitus" instead of "fuck" - also talk like they were in the "hood" half the time? And why - WHY, GOD WHY - did EVERYTHING need a fucking nickname? Why did Acosta feel the need to take up precious page space detailing how they shortened and cute-i-fied the name of every school building? Why did every town, every school, every motherfucking rock need a call sign? Half of which were LONGER THAN THE REAL NAME. The Free Pop, Hellsdale, Bitch Grave, Flounder, the Gin.... I can't even remember them all BECAUSE THERE WERE TOO MANY.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the primary reason "Dark Companion" made me want to cry. And from now on, it shall be referred to as That Book That Sucked. Because Marta Acosta has taught me that if you don't give it a nickname, you're not a real person.
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3.5 Stars
Jane Williams was orphaned at the age of six and has been jumping from foster home to foster home ever since. When she is provided the opportunity to attend Birch Grove Academy, an elite all girl's school, on full scholarship, it is an offer she can't refuse. Upon arriving, she receives everything she has ever dreamed of. A roof over her head, a brand new wardrobe, living expenses and a chance at an amazing education. Jane soon discovers that things may not be as perfect at Birch Grove as she once assumed and that something sinister may be going on.
I enjoyed Jane as a main character for the most part, although I think she is a very wishy-washy character. I liked how she wasn't afraid to speak her mind and always stood up for herself.... for about half the book. Then when a boy shows 'interest' in her she takes a complete turn and turns to mush because someone said they 'need' and 'want' her. I wish she had stayed feisty the whole book and didn't pine over a stupid boy who was so obviously using her. It bothered me how judgemental Jane was to her friend Wilde though and I found her to be somewhat hypocritical in some of the things she said to her...but I liked how she was trying to help her get better. Mary Violet was BY FAR my favourite character and any scene she was in had me smiling like an idiot. She is so goofy, fun-loving and melodramatic and I absolutely loved her sarcasm and poems. I also really loved Jack, I thought he was so cute and I loved how he kept calling Jane 'pixie' and 'halfling'. Lucky irritated me right from the very beginning and I couldn't understand why Jane wanted to please him so badly since he always treated her so poorly. I found him to be extremely childish and annoyingly self-centred.
I was able to call the big 'Birch Grove Secret' pretty early on in the book, but there were multiple plot twists later on in the book that I did not see coming at all. I don't understand how Jane didn't freak out when she discovered the big secret though because honestly, if I did I would be SO OUT OF THERE and NEVER RETURNING. I liked the prologue a lot and it definitely made me curious about what was to come in the story.
3.5 Stars
Jane Williams was orphaned at the age of six and has been jumping from foster home to foster home ever since. When she is provided the opportunity to attend Birch Grove Academy, an elite all girl's school, on full scholarship, it is an offer she can't refuse. Upon arriving, she receives everything she has ever dreamed of. A roof over her head, a brand new wardrobe, living expenses and a chance at an amazing education. Jane soon discovers that things may not be as perfect at Birch Grove as she once assumed and that something sinister may be going on.
I enjoyed Jane as a main character for the most part, although I think she is a very wishy-washy character. I liked how she wasn't afraid to speak her mind and always stood up for herself.... for about half the book. Then when a boy shows 'interest' in her she takes a complete turn and turns to mush because someone said they 'need' and 'want' her. I wish she had stayed feisty the whole book and didn't pine over a stupid boy who was so obviously using her. It bothered me how judgemental Jane was to her friend Wilde though and I found her to be somewhat hypocritical in some of the things she said to her...but I liked how she was trying to help her get better. Mary Violet was BY FAR my favourite character and any scene she was in had me smiling like an idiot. She is so goofy, fun-loving and melodramatic and I absolutely loved her sarcasm and poems. I also really loved Jack, I thought he was so cute and I loved how he kept calling Jane 'pixie' and 'halfling'. Lucky irritated me right from the very beginning and I couldn't understand why Jane wanted to please him so badly since he always treated her so poorly. I found him to be extremely childish and annoyingly self-centred.
I was able to call the big 'Birch Grove Secret' pretty early on in the book, but there were multiple plot twists later on in the book that I did not see coming at all. I don't understand how Jane didn't freak out when she discovered the big secret though because honestly, if I did I would be SO OUT OF THERE and NEVER RETURNING. I liked the prologue a lot and it definitely made me curious about what was to come in the story.
This was one of those thrifstore jewels that I've stumbled across. What honestly made me buy this was the review by [a:Julie Kagawa|2995873|Julie Kagawa|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1257816454p2/2995873.jpg] (I love all of her books) because it was the first time I'd seen her name on a book cover not her own. Plus, the cover looked intriguing, the blurb was interesting, it was only a dollar to buy, great condition...eh why not. If it was a book I'd end up liking, totally awesome price - and if not, then it wasn't that huge of a loss either and could be donated to my library. Win-win situation. I love those situations.
But anyway, I digress. In regards to this book, I now have a new story to add to my personal library. I liked this book. It wasn't mind-blowing or jaw-dropping or fangirl-speech inducing, but I still loved it. It has this richly dark, gorgeously crafted creepiness about it that drew me in and held me captive until the final page. The writing was magnificent, the plot fresh and mystifying, the characters snappy and realistic, the dialogue tense and real, and overall a very captivating read. I enjoy darker, creepier sort of tales, and this one sure delivered all of that.
Most creepy thing about this book: Lucian and the Family. I thought Lucian would be annoying because he was that one guy that the girl likes, but not who the reader (myself) likes. Wrong. *game show buzzer blares* Nope. He was creepy because he was just creepy, and what ticked me off was that Jane got really dumb around him and kept on letting him do his creepiness. (I blame it on blood loss, a quite fitting reason for her lack of brains around him.) And his family, aka the Family, they were creepy too because their whole lifestyle (without giving away spoilers at all about their lifestyle and *clears throat* "condition") was weird and twisted and they just went along with it without really thinking of any better solutions. Noooo they needed this because it's way more interesting, right? Yeah. Sure. *whispers* Psychos.
Things I loved about this book that have not been previously mentioned: Jack. MV (Mary Violet). 2Slim. And then of course, Jane, as she was a good main character.
I loved Jack because he was Jack and, honestly, one of the best and realest characters in the book.
Mary Violet was the second realest character in the whole book. I cracked up at every single one of her French translations.
2Slim because he was cool, and although a really minor character, he was still pretty awesome for looking out after Jane like he did. I kinda wished there had been a little more of him.
And then Jane, because of pretty much everything about her (minus brain-cell smart loss by blood loss due to mister Lucian psychopath-in-training)
So, to finish, I'm glad I bought this book. Read it in one night, and while it is disturbing in some parts, a dark sort of story, it still had the right amounts of light to balance it out.
But anyway, I digress. In regards to this book, I now have a new story to add to my personal library. I liked this book. It wasn't mind-blowing or jaw-dropping or fangirl-speech inducing, but I still loved it. It has this richly dark, gorgeously crafted creepiness about it that drew me in and held me captive until the final page. The writing was magnificent, the plot fresh and mystifying, the characters snappy and realistic, the dialogue tense and real, and overall a very captivating read. I enjoy darker, creepier sort of tales, and this one sure delivered all of that.
Most creepy thing about this book: Lucian and the Family. I thought Lucian would be annoying because he was that one guy that the girl likes, but not who the reader (myself) likes. Wrong. *game show buzzer blares* Nope. He was creepy because he was just creepy, and what ticked me off was that Jane got really dumb around him and kept on letting him do his creepiness. (I blame it on blood loss, a quite fitting reason for her lack of brains around him.) And his family, aka the Family, they were creepy too because their whole lifestyle (without giving away spoilers at all about their lifestyle and *clears throat* "condition") was weird and twisted and they just went along with it without really thinking of any better solutions. Noooo they needed this because it's way more interesting, right? Yeah. Sure. *whispers* Psychos.
Things I loved about this book that have not been previously mentioned: Jack. MV (Mary Violet). 2Slim. And then of course, Jane, as she was a good main character.
I loved Jack because he was Jack and, honestly, one of the best and realest characters in the book.
Mary Violet was the second realest character in the whole book. I cracked up at every single one of her French translations.
2Slim because he was cool, and although a really minor character, he was still pretty awesome for looking out after Jane like he did. I kinda wished there had been a little more of him.
And then Jane, because of pretty much everything about her (minus brain-cell smart loss by blood loss due to mister Lucian psychopath-in-training)
So, to finish, I'm glad I bought this book. Read it in one night, and while it is disturbing in some parts, a dark sort of story, it still had the right amounts of light to balance it out.
The first half of Dark Companion was excellent. The second half thoroughly disappointed me.