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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.
eyreguide's review against another edition
4.0
I was suitably intrigued by the Janian aspect of the novel. Dark Companion did not so much rehash the plot of Jane Eyre but weaved its plot points into this story, creating something very new. Where retellings of Jane Eyre are interesting to me in how they update or re-imagine the story, Dark Companion was much more of it's own story with a homage to Jane Eyre as well as other Gothic literature. In fact I was delighted to read that the secret of Birch Grove was similar to the main plot of a fantastic Gothic short story called "Blood Disease" by Patrick McGrath. I'm not sure if that story was actually an influence, but from the quotes heading each chapter, the author is obviously acquainted with many Gothic stories.
I think what stood out about this novel is the development of Jane Williams as a disadvantaged girl, going after the opportunities to make something of her life. With her Helen Burns equivalent/inspiration Hosea, I did wish there was more explanation of why he was so positive, practical and upbeat in such rough surroundings. The other side characters were interesting, and the wittiness of the some of the characters made for some good laughs. The male love interests were not as compelling a character as Jane, however, and I felt like the main focus of the book was more on the women. The novel is intensely atmospheric in the approved Gothic tradition, and I loved the maturity of the text in addressing issues such as sex, drugs, bigotry, and poverty. Overall, this novel seemed a particularly well developed Gothic coming-of-age story with the touches of Jane Eyre a joy to happen across.
I think what stood out about this novel is the development of Jane Williams as a disadvantaged girl, going after the opportunities to make something of her life. With her Helen Burns equivalent/inspiration Hosea, I did wish there was more explanation of why he was so positive, practical and upbeat in such rough surroundings. The other side characters were interesting, and the wittiness of the some of the characters made for some good laughs. The male love interests were not as compelling a character as Jane, however, and I felt like the main focus of the book was more on the women. The novel is intensely atmospheric in the approved Gothic tradition, and I loved the maturity of the text in addressing issues such as sex, drugs, bigotry, and poverty. Overall, this novel seemed a particularly well developed Gothic coming-of-age story with the touches of Jane Eyre a joy to happen across.
michalice's review against another edition
4.0
I got my copy of Dark Companion as a manuscript from Marta Acosta.
From the moment I started reading I was hooked. Dark Companion has a mixture of secrets, mysteries, friendships and romance and of course hot boys.
It tells the story of Jane, who survived an accident that killed her, but was brought back to life with no memories just a left over scar.
Jane is offered a scholarship to attend Birch Grove School, which she accepts to escape the hellhole she lives in. At Birch Grove, weird things are going on and Jane discovers what is happening, along the way making great friends and falling in love.
I really enjoyed reading Dark Companion. I found it hard to stop reading, and each night stayed up later and later, trying to get more read to see what happens next.
The writing is paced nicely so you don't feel like the story is rushing to get to an important part. I loved the girls that Jane makes friends with and laughed at some of the comments they made.
"You're the creme de la creme. That's French for "all that and a bag of chips".
I really disliked Lucky, I thought he was arrogant, self centred and pretentious and acted like a complete jerkmost all of the time. His actions were done to only ensure it was what was best for him alone, and never thought of the consequences of them.
Jack I really liked, although he was a little strange and quirky he made me laugh a lot, especially his nicknames for Jane, but he was more free spirited and did a lot of things for others, and making sure they were safe or ok.
I had some suspicions about what was happening with one of the characters, but didn't expect what was really going on and was blown away with all the twists and turns and was never able to pin point exactly the right answer. The final chapters had me on tenterhooks with what was going to happen and was a complete suprise with the characters involved.
I laughed, cried and cheered for Jane, laughing for the anticts her friends got into to, cried for her loss and her memories and cheered when she stands up for herself and makes the right choice.
Marta certainly knows how to keep her readers interested and I am looking forward to reading more from Marta, from her previous books [b:Happy Hour at Casa Dracula|33536|Happy Hour at Casa Dracula (Casa Dracula #1)|Marta Acosta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1307498819s/33536.jpg|33599] and hopefully future books to come. I will definately be buying an actual copy of this book when its released.
"Life isn't fair, so you have to play the best game you can with the cards you're dealt".
From the moment I started reading I was hooked. Dark Companion has a mixture of secrets, mysteries, friendships and romance and of course hot boys.
It tells the story of Jane, who survived an accident that killed her, but was brought back to life with no memories just a left over scar.
Jane is offered a scholarship to attend Birch Grove School, which she accepts to escape the hellhole she lives in. At Birch Grove, weird things are going on and Jane discovers what is happening, along the way making great friends and falling in love.
I really enjoyed reading Dark Companion. I found it hard to stop reading, and each night stayed up later and later, trying to get more read to see what happens next.
The writing is paced nicely so you don't feel like the story is rushing to get to an important part. I loved the girls that Jane makes friends with and laughed at some of the comments they made.
"You're the creme de la creme. That's French for "all that and a bag of chips".
I really disliked Lucky, I thought he was arrogant, self centred and pretentious and acted like a complete jerk
Jack I really liked, although he was a little strange and quirky he made me laugh a lot, especially his nicknames for Jane, but he was more free spirited and did a lot of things for others, and making sure they were safe or ok.
I had some suspicions about what was happening with one of the characters, but didn't expect what was really going on and was blown away with all the twists and turns and was never able to pin point exactly the right answer. The final chapters had me on tenterhooks with what was going to happen and was a complete suprise with the characters involved.
I laughed, cried and cheered for Jane, laughing for the anticts her friends got into to, cried for her loss and her memories and cheered when she stands up for herself and makes the right choice.
Marta certainly knows how to keep her readers interested and I am looking forward to reading more from Marta, from her previous books [b:Happy Hour at Casa Dracula|33536|Happy Hour at Casa Dracula (Casa Dracula #1)|Marta Acosta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1307498819s/33536.jpg|33599] and hopefully future books to come. I will definately be buying an actual copy of this book when its released.
"Life isn't fair, so you have to play the best game you can with the cards you're dealt".
cosmicrusalka's review against another edition
1.0
Noooot a fan. It took WAY to long to get interesting and I didn't care for ANY of the characters. They all seemed very basic and lacked depth. I felt like the story itself was very dry and rather cliche...I just wasn't a fan at all.
katie_esh's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I didn't actually mind the fact for the first half of the book nothing really happened solely because I enjoyed Jane and Jack's characters. However, when the main plot element was revealed, I began to dislike it. I predicted the ending about 50 pages ahead of time. I think I'm giving it this rating just because the discovery Jane made really threw me for a loop and I just couldn't grasp the concept of it.i
I didn't actually mind the fact for the first half of the book nothing really happened solely because I enjoyed Jane and Jack's characters. However, when the main plot element was revealed, I began to dislike it. I predicted the ending about 50 pages ahead of time. I think I'm giving it this rating just because the discovery Jane made really threw me for a loop and I just couldn't grasp the concept of it.i
fishgirl182's review against another edition
2.0
Dark Companion starts off with a bang. A young girl battles for her life while a storm rages. Blood flows and she knows that she will die. A spirit takes her high into the trees, where she is safe and warm. When Jane Williams wakes up, she has no memory of the terrible events of that night, or her life before the accident.
Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, the first few pages of Dark Companion are probably the most compelling and I really struggled to finish it. I was never really able to connect with any of the characters and they didn’t feel real to me. The pace of the book was also really slow. Halfway through the book and still felt like I was waiting for something dark, scary, or even interesting to happen. There were definitely hints throughout the book that all was not right in Birch Grove. But Jane wasn’t putting the pieces together quickly enough. By the time she finds out what the Big Secret is, it’s very anticlimactic.
I also had issues with Jane and her friends. I read a lot of YA novels and, while I am no longer a teen, I feel like I have a decent grasp of what teens sound like. But Jane and her friends do not sound like any teens I know or have ever heard. They’d spout utter nonsense and slang one second and then top it off with a Latin phrase the next. And why did everyone and everything have a nickname? MV, JM, Wilde Thang, Ms. McSqueak, etc. etc. I actually got confused a couple of times because of all the nicknames. Perhaps I am not around teens enough but the dialogue seemed really forced and it took me out of the story.
The biggest disappointment for me was Jane herself. She starts off as a cynical, sarcastic, street smart young woman who has studied hard and earned herself an education at a prestigious school. And though she’s a fish out of water at Birch Grove at first, she remains true to herself and makes some good friends along the way. But then the inevitable happens and she falls for Hot Guy. In this case, the impossibly gorgeous and unattainable Hot Guy is Lucky Radcliffe, the town’s golden boy. And like most golden boys he’s smart, charming, and gets whatever he wants. The second that Lucky shows any interest in her, smart, strong Jane disappears and a Jane I don’t recognize takes her place. She ditches her friends and stays at home so that she can be available for him at all times. He proceeds to treat her like crap in public, while telling her how much he trusts and needs her and asks her to agree to a “secret relationship.” It’s never a good sign when a guy doesn’t want to be seen in public with you.
And what’s so great about Lucky? Truly I do not know. I could have understood Jane’s attraction more if he really cared about her or had some kind of redeeming personality traits, but I really did not see what Jane saw in him besides his good looks. He was clearly using her and she was so starved for love that she compromised herself to obtain it. I could kind of understand Jane’s desire for love and a family since she is an orphan, but it seemed very out of character for her to change so much and I started to lose a lot of respect for her.
As you can see, this book just wasn’t for me. It’s clear that Acosta has some writing chops and I did like certain parts of it. She has a knack for creating an atmospheric setting and the birch forest in particular had a real personality. I liked Mary Violet even though she was ridiculous and I didn’t understand half of what she was saying. However, she was sweet, and I enjoyed her rabid enthusiasm. I also thought that Acosta’s premise for the blood play was a really unique take on the vampire myth as genetic disorder. While the whole hierarchy and the traditions of the Family didn’t make sense to me (why do only men get Companions?), the scientific angle was original, and I wish we could have explored it more.
While I enjoyed certain parts of Dark Companion, they could not save the book for me. The various elements never quite came together and the book fell short.
*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, the first few pages of Dark Companion are probably the most compelling and I really struggled to finish it. I was never really able to connect with any of the characters and they didn’t feel real to me. The pace of the book was also really slow. Halfway through the book and still felt like I was waiting for something dark, scary, or even interesting to happen. There were definitely hints throughout the book that all was not right in Birch Grove. But Jane wasn’t putting the pieces together quickly enough. By the time she finds out what the Big Secret is, it’s very anticlimactic.
I also had issues with Jane and her friends. I read a lot of YA novels and, while I am no longer a teen, I feel like I have a decent grasp of what teens sound like. But Jane and her friends do not sound like any teens I know or have ever heard. They’d spout utter nonsense and slang one second and then top it off with a Latin phrase the next. And why did everyone and everything have a nickname? MV, JM, Wilde Thang, Ms. McSqueak, etc. etc. I actually got confused a couple of times because of all the nicknames. Perhaps I am not around teens enough but the dialogue seemed really forced and it took me out of the story.
The biggest disappointment for me was Jane herself. She starts off as a cynical, sarcastic, street smart young woman who has studied hard and earned herself an education at a prestigious school. And though she’s a fish out of water at Birch Grove at first, she remains true to herself and makes some good friends along the way. But then the inevitable happens and she falls for Hot Guy. In this case, the impossibly gorgeous and unattainable Hot Guy is Lucky Radcliffe, the town’s golden boy. And like most golden boys he’s smart, charming, and gets whatever he wants. The second that Lucky shows any interest in her, smart, strong Jane disappears and a Jane I don’t recognize takes her place. She ditches her friends and stays at home so that she can be available for him at all times. He proceeds to treat her like crap in public, while telling her how much he trusts and needs her and asks her to agree to a “secret relationship.” It’s never a good sign when a guy doesn’t want to be seen in public with you.
And what’s so great about Lucky? Truly I do not know. I could have understood Jane’s attraction more if he really cared about her or had some kind of redeeming personality traits, but I really did not see what Jane saw in him besides his good looks. He was clearly using her and she was so starved for love that she compromised herself to obtain it. I could kind of understand Jane’s desire for love and a family since she is an orphan, but it seemed very out of character for her to change so much and I started to lose a lot of respect for her.
As you can see, this book just wasn’t for me. It’s clear that Acosta has some writing chops and I did like certain parts of it. She has a knack for creating an atmospheric setting and the birch forest in particular had a real personality. I liked Mary Violet even though she was ridiculous and I didn’t understand half of what she was saying. However, she was sweet, and I enjoyed her rabid enthusiasm. I also thought that Acosta’s premise for the blood play was a really unique take on the vampire myth as genetic disorder. While the whole hierarchy and the traditions of the Family didn’t make sense to me (why do only men get Companions?), the scientific angle was original, and I wish we could have explored it more.
While I enjoyed certain parts of Dark Companion, they could not save the book for me. The various elements never quite came together and the book fell short.
*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
postitsandpens's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5 stars.
When I started reading this book, I didn't really know what to expect. Honestly this is one case where the summary doesn't really tell you a whole lot about what's going on, so I basically went into this with no expectations. Dark Companion takes quite a bit of time to set up the plot. Jane is a newly emancipated minor whose been accepted into a prestigious all girls school, which allows her to escape her terrible foster home and her town of Hellsdale (actually Helmsdale). Much of the first half of the book revolves around Jane doing normal everyday things like shopping, studying, attending classes, etc. For some people, it could get tedious, but I didn't mind it so much because I was using the time to get to know Jane, who was a bit difficult for me to understand initially mostly because she and I are very very different. Throw in her crush on the headmistress' gorgeous son, Lucky, and her strange antagonistic relationship with Lucky's brother, Jack, and you've basically got the first 50% or so of the book.
But then things start to pick up, and you finally get the "sinister" aspect of the summary. I don't want to spoil anyone because I honestly think it's better if you go into this not knowing what you're going to get, but I have to say that I sort of saw SOME of what is revealed early on, although expecting something paranormal made me guess a bit incorrectly. Let's just say that it was a fairly unique twist, and I was pleased to see something different. The latter half of the book moves along much more quickly, although I had to put it aside a couple of times because of one major thing that just drove me absolutely crazy.
And that thing was, unfortunately, our main narrator, Jane. Jane is totally blind when it comes to Lucky, and she says these things about her feelings for him that made me want to reach through the screen of my Kindle and shake her. Things like, "I was replaceable for now. If I could prove myself to [Lucky] until his feelings for me grew, the equation would change," like she had some ability to change his feelings for her. Lucky is a jerk - I didn't really like him from the start - and it irritates me that she thinks she loves him mostly because he's good looking. Then there was, "On Monday, I raced home from class so I would be there if Lucky called or came by,", which UGH! I get that Jane hasn't had love in her life, and probably doesn't realize what it actually is or how others should act around you if they care about you, but her dependence on Lucky's attention just really made me angry. Thankfully she finally figures it out - 77% through the book - but WOW is that 77% a struggle for the reader, who sees exactly what mistakes she's making and is just along for the ride.
Now, let me talk about the things I loved. Jane becomes friends with these absolutely spectacular girls, Hattie, Mary Violet (MV), and Constance, and I adored every single second they were on the page. MV is my personal favorite because she is absolutely bubbly and cheerful and just fabulous (she makes up poems! And makes Jane smile and laugh!), but I loved the interactions between them and Jane so much that they really saved that slog through the first 77%. I also really loved Jack, who had such a quick wit. He confuses Jane because he doesn't actually come out and say what he means, which is irritating in person but actually works really well on the page of a book. He calls Jane "Halfling" because he thinks she's some sort of fairy creature, and there is just a whole lot of tenderness in his interactions with her that she's too blind to see. I adored Jack; next to MV, he was definitely my favorite. Here's my favorite Jack line: "'H is for happy and for hope, and...' Jack thought for a moment. 'And for honey, which is both an endearment and nice with peanut butter in a sandwich.'" ♥
All in all, Dark Companion was an interesting read. If you can get over main characters making boneheaded mistakes and strange leaps in logic - particularly when it comes to love - and are willing to give some time for the plot to develop, then you might just enjoy this book. It wasn't the best thing I've ever read, but there was enough in the book to keep my interest and keep me reading. If you're wanting something that's not-quite-paranormal, give this one a read. But check your expectations at the door; I really think it's best to go into this one without any preconceived notions or ideas about what's going to happen.
Dark Companion will be available in North America on July 3, 2012.
An e-galley was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When I started reading this book, I didn't really know what to expect. Honestly this is one case where the summary doesn't really tell you a whole lot about what's going on, so I basically went into this with no expectations. Dark Companion takes quite a bit of time to set up the plot. Jane is a newly emancipated minor whose been accepted into a prestigious all girls school, which allows her to escape her terrible foster home and her town of Hellsdale (actually Helmsdale). Much of the first half of the book revolves around Jane doing normal everyday things like shopping, studying, attending classes, etc. For some people, it could get tedious, but I didn't mind it so much because I was using the time to get to know Jane, who was a bit difficult for me to understand initially mostly because she and I are very very different. Throw in her crush on the headmistress' gorgeous son, Lucky, and her strange antagonistic relationship with Lucky's brother, Jack, and you've basically got the first 50% or so of the book.
But then things start to pick up, and you finally get the "sinister" aspect of the summary. I don't want to spoil anyone because I honestly think it's better if you go into this not knowing what you're going to get, but I have to say that I sort of saw SOME of what is revealed early on, although expecting something paranormal made me guess a bit incorrectly. Let's just say that it was a fairly unique twist, and I was pleased to see something different. The latter half of the book moves along much more quickly, although I had to put it aside a couple of times because of one major thing that just drove me absolutely crazy.
And that thing was, unfortunately, our main narrator, Jane. Jane is totally blind when it comes to Lucky, and she says these things about her feelings for him that made me want to reach through the screen of my Kindle and shake her. Things like, "I was replaceable for now. If I could prove myself to [Lucky] until his feelings for me grew, the equation would change," like she had some ability to change his feelings for her. Lucky is a jerk - I didn't really like him from the start - and it irritates me that she thinks she loves him mostly because he's good looking. Then there was, "On Monday, I raced home from class so I would be there if Lucky called or came by,", which UGH! I get that Jane hasn't had love in her life, and probably doesn't realize what it actually is or how others should act around you if they care about you, but her dependence on Lucky's attention just really made me angry. Thankfully she finally figures it out - 77% through the book - but WOW is that 77% a struggle for the reader, who sees exactly what mistakes she's making and is just along for the ride.
Now, let me talk about the things I loved. Jane becomes friends with these absolutely spectacular girls, Hattie, Mary Violet (MV), and Constance, and I adored every single second they were on the page. MV is my personal favorite because she is absolutely bubbly and cheerful and just fabulous (she makes up poems! And makes Jane smile and laugh!), but I loved the interactions between them and Jane so much that they really saved that slog through the first 77%. I also really loved Jack, who had such a quick wit. He confuses Jane because he doesn't actually come out and say what he means, which is irritating in person but actually works really well on the page of a book. He calls Jane "Halfling" because he thinks she's some sort of fairy creature, and there is just a whole lot of tenderness in his interactions with her that she's too blind to see. I adored Jack; next to MV, he was definitely my favorite. Here's my favorite Jack line: "'H is for happy and for hope, and...' Jack thought for a moment. 'And for honey, which is both an endearment and nice with peanut butter in a sandwich.'" ♥
All in all, Dark Companion was an interesting read. If you can get over main characters making boneheaded mistakes and strange leaps in logic - particularly when it comes to love - and are willing to give some time for the plot to develop, then you might just enjoy this book. It wasn't the best thing I've ever read, but there was enough in the book to keep my interest and keep me reading. If you're wanting something that's not-quite-paranormal, give this one a read. But check your expectations at the door; I really think it's best to go into this one without any preconceived notions or ideas about what's going to happen.
Dark Companion will be available in North America on July 3, 2012.
An e-galley was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
madymae's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was a light read that was quite cliche. I liked Jane's and Claire's backstories and Jane's overall journey through the book about finding and accepting herself, love and happiness, I was also mervous that this book was going to be about vampires and I was happy that Maria Acosta twisted the typical stereotypes of vampires and made a different story. I'm glad that Jane makes her own choices and that she doesn't end up witb Lucky. The only thing is I was hoping for slightly more creepy and eery scenes throughout. Overall, it was a very satisfying read that has been lingering on my shelf for two years.