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endlessreader 's review for:
Dark Companion
by Marta Acosta
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.