Scan barcode
A review by itadakinasu
Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
3.0
While I devoured this book and loved the characters, there's still a lot of room for improvement that could've taken this book from "fun" to "amazing."
Let's start with the bad:
1. There's so much going on in the book that it's kind of hard to wrap my head around it. We've got voodoo and clairvoyance, vampires, harpies, gods and goddesses, witches and warlocks, alchemy, and shapeshifters. We've got bounty hunters. We've got gorgon. It's a little overwhelming and confusing, since some of them are used as deux ex machina that are conveniently peppered in and then the mechanics not explained.
2. Ari, like many other YA protagonists, is super special, as she's the only one of her kind (at the moment). It's slightly forgivable, since other characters are also one-of-a-kind, like most of the doue. However, her power doesn't follow the rules established in the world building, and it hasn't been explained. If other characters had had unstable control over or development of their power, it could've been justified, but nope. Only Ari.
3. The writing. There are moments of beauty, and they're not exactly rare, but there are plenty of passages that just sound awkward and detract from the experience:
Adrenaline snaked through my limbs.
An inhale lodged in my throat.
Images of the hurricanes... clicked through my mind.
A burst of confetti shot through my stomach as I studied his profile.
A throb of pain mushroomed through my head
The majority of these awkward passages are either from trying to describe feelings in unique ways (not necessary) or from trying to fit in jokes at inappropriate times. Other descriptions hit the mark though:
"What the hell are you? And don't change the fucking subject, or offer one of your vague-ass replies."
It was pointless to go down the Life's Not Fair road. Been there before. Lesson learned. That kind of hurt served no purpose.
Everything hurt. The outside. The inside. And I finally understood what it felt like to be broken.
4. Plot twists are predictable for the most part.
And now, the middle ground:
1. The pacing of Ari and Sebastian's relationship. I like it because it doesn't develop in the same arc as most romances. But the problem is how Keaton wrote it. There are stirrings of love already when the two barely know each other. It would've been better kept as purely physical at first and then gradually developing. Not following the conventional "rules" for romance arcs is fine by me though.
2. The lack of development of minor characters. Each character has enough visibility and uniqueness to be memorable, but the problem is that the only focus is Ari and Sebastian. I didn't get to care deeply about the other doue, other than Violet. I want to see more of Crank, at least.
And for the good:
1. Ari. What a character! It's rare to find a YA heroine that isn't shallow, whiny, bitchy, selfish, or a Mary Sue. Ari makes mistakes, is gruff, sucks at consoling people, and struggles to trust. She's tough but imperfect, and has plenty of fears and insecurities. My main complaint is that everyone likes her upon first meeting her, or comes to like her after dealing with her. Of course, some of this can be explained by her attractiveness (as those of us not blessed with looks can attest to).
2. The setting is beautiful. New 2 is dark and breathtaking, and it adds to the atmosphere of the writing. I enjoyed reading descriptions of the marketplaces and the buildings, the French Quarter, and voodoo alleys.
3. Characters have histories with each other, and it's revealed to the reader in a digestible yet intriguing way. Everyone is related (not by blood) in some way, but it doesn't feel like readers have to read too much background info to be caught up on these histories and where the characters stand with each other.
Overall, this was a great story and a great MC with glaring execution flaws. I'd like to continue the series if these points are handled in the future books.
Let's start with the bad:
1. There's so much going on in the book that it's kind of hard to wrap my head around it. We've got voodoo and clairvoyance, vampires, harpies, gods and goddesses, witches and warlocks, alchemy, and shapeshifters. We've got bounty hunters. We've got gorgon. It's a little overwhelming and confusing, since some of them are used as deux ex machina that are conveniently peppered in and then the mechanics not explained.
2. Ari, like many other YA protagonists, is super special, as she's the only one of her kind (at the moment). It's slightly forgivable, since other characters are also one-of-a-kind, like most of the doue. However, her power doesn't follow the rules established in the world building
Spoiler
since she's supposed to develop them after turning 21, but she already can control her power3. The writing. There are moments of beauty, and they're not exactly rare, but there are plenty of passages that just sound awkward and detract from the experience:
Adrenaline snaked through my limbs.
An inhale lodged in my throat.
Images of the hurricanes... clicked through my mind.
A burst of confetti shot through my stomach as I studied his profile.
A throb of pain mushroomed through my head
The majority of these awkward passages are either from trying to describe feelings in unique ways (not necessary) or from trying to fit in jokes at inappropriate times. Other descriptions hit the mark though:
"What the hell are you? And don't change the fucking subject, or offer one of your vague-ass replies."
It was pointless to go down the Life's Not Fair road. Been there before. Lesson learned. That kind of hurt served no purpose.
Everything hurt. The outside. The inside. And I finally understood what it felt like to be broken.
4. Plot twists are predictable for the most part.
And now, the middle ground:
1. The pacing of Ari and Sebastian's relationship. I like it because it doesn't develop in the same arc as most romances. But the problem is how Keaton wrote it. There are stirrings of love already when the two barely know each other. It would've been better kept as purely physical at first and then gradually developing. Not following the conventional "rules" for romance arcs is fine by me though.
2. The lack of development of minor characters. Each character has enough visibility and uniqueness to be memorable, but the problem is that the only focus is Ari and Sebastian. I didn't get to care deeply about the other doue, other than Violet. I want to see more of Crank, at least.
And for the good:
1. Ari. What a character! It's rare to find a YA heroine that isn't shallow, whiny, bitchy, selfish, or a Mary Sue. Ari makes mistakes, is gruff, sucks at consoling people, and struggles to trust. She's tough but imperfect, and has plenty of fears and insecurities. My main complaint is that everyone likes her upon first meeting her, or comes to like her after dealing with her. Of course, some of this can be explained by her attractiveness (as those of us not blessed with looks can attest to).
Spoiler
I also wasn't fond of how she was portrayed as an exception in a line of already overpowered women.2. The setting is beautiful. New 2 is dark and breathtaking, and it adds to the atmosphere of the writing. I enjoyed reading descriptions of the marketplaces and the buildings, the French Quarter, and voodoo alleys.
3. Characters have histories with each other, and it's revealed to the reader in a digestible yet intriguing way. Everyone is related (not by blood) in some way, but it doesn't feel like readers have to read too much background info to be caught up on these histories and where the characters stand with each other.
Overall, this was a great story and a great MC with glaring execution flaws. I'd like to continue the series if these points are handled in the future books.