A review by kala_b_reviews
Taking Over the Dark by Tilly Ridge

adventurous dark funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I have a couple favorite things about this author: 1) the music/playlist choice. I LOVE a good playlist in books! 2) the representation that she writes in both books. She does not shy away from the love these characters show one another when society shames people for it and she makes it a point to call that out in her books. 3) the level in which she shows empathy for people in all walks of life and stands by them loudly and proudly. I actually found her in the wake of the results of the election and am so happy to see that not only does she stand by her morals but she also expresses this in the book!

Now, the sad part. I for some reason just couldn’t get as invested in this book as I wanted. I’m gonna say the same thing I said in my previous review of the other book. I really think the spicy scenes got in the way of developing more depth to these characters. I wanted more drama. I was a little shocked about how Ellie was mad at Cello for “what he did” (iykyk) when leading up to it, it really seemed like a) she should have figured it out based on the pet name Cello has for her and b) given that this is dark romance…Cello literally did his research in what she likes and delivered. Ok, writing that out loud, maybe I should dial down on my dark romance mind cuz every book is different BUT, she also got over it really quickly and they never had any kind of serious talk/heart to heart about it. I wanted depth and drama!!! lol 

Anyway, seeing as this is only her sixth book?! Yeah, I’ll definitely be back to reading this authors books in the near future because I LOVE authors who aren’t afraid to go against the status quo and write about representation!