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A review by foxon
The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman
2.0
Well, I suppose I will have to be in the unpopular opinion camp, again. This is not a review for people who are Team Carlston. I feel like I am repeating myself but the first book had so much promise (if a very, um, familiar premise) and this one just took all that potential and drowned it in the Brighton sea.
What I liked:
Darby. Actually all of the side characters are better then the main ones. Their motivations are clear, they are funnier, and they mostly say whats on their minds instead of being covert for no apparent reason. Thats it, thats all I like. Oh and the ending where.
The things I found distracting and bothersome:
What is with the constant Bible talk all of a sudden? I know this story is about thedevil Grand Deceiver, but the constant mentioning of religion felt.. odd and, more annoyingly, monotonous.
And I hate Carlston. He is just as annoying as the Duke; he is controlling, overly secretive, unapologetically stubborn (and certainly not in an enduring way). Basically every bad boy troupe we are all suppose to find irresistible but I cant stand. Maybe its my age showing. Also, I hate the name Carlston and how it is spelled. I know thats an irrational and petty reason to dislike a character but there you have it. I was happy when Duke Selburn showed up, not because I think he's a good guy (I hope he's the Grand Deceiver, that would be hilarious) but because the author is giving me permission to dislike him and thats a nice change of pace from her trying to force me to like that other idiot.
What the hell happened to all that progress Helen made in book one? Where did your backbone go, girl? She just stagnated in this book, let everyone walk all over her, never spoke up for herself or demanded the answers she deserved. So, so frustrating. That character development was the bright spot of the DDC.
I still laugh every time someone says Dark Days Club in a serious tone, its just a such a silly name.
Im a little on the fence if I will read the next one. I am vaguely curious how this is all going to sort itself out and like I said, I very much want Selburn to have some crazy hidden agenda. The copy my library has was checked out the last time I was there and I might forget about it before I go back, a sentence which says a lot about my enthusiasm for this series.
What I liked:
Darby. Actually all of the side characters are better then the main ones. Their motivations are clear, they are funnier, and they mostly say whats on their minds instead of being covert for no apparent reason. Thats it, thats all I like. Oh and the ending where
Spoiler
she is going to marry the Duke now, hahahahaha, suckerThe things I found distracting and bothersome:
What is with the constant Bible talk all of a sudden? I know this story is about the
And I hate Carlston. He is just as annoying as the Duke; he is controlling, overly secretive, unapologetically stubborn (and certainly not in an enduring way). Basically every bad boy troupe we are all suppose to find irresistible but I cant stand. Maybe its my age showing. Also, I hate the name Carlston and how it is spelled. I know thats an irrational and petty reason to dislike a character but there you have it. I was happy when Duke Selburn showed up, not because I think he's a good guy (I hope he's the Grand Deceiver, that would be hilarious) but because the author is giving me permission to dislike him and thats a nice change of pace from her trying to force me to like that other idiot.
What the hell happened to all that progress Helen made in book one? Where did your backbone go, girl? She just stagnated in this book, let everyone walk all over her, never spoke up for herself or demanded the answers she deserved. So, so frustrating. That character development was the bright spot of the DDC.
I still laugh every time someone says Dark Days Club in a serious tone, its just a such a silly name.
Im a little on the fence if I will read the next one. I am vaguely curious how this is all going to sort itself out and like I said, I very much want Selburn to have some crazy hidden agenda. The copy my library has was checked out the last time I was there and I might forget about it before I go back, a sentence which says a lot about my enthusiasm for this series.