Darkness Becomes Her (Gods & Monsters) by Kelly Keaton
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Edition Reviewed: eBook
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Goodreads: Darkness Becomes Her
A dark and lush paranormal romance set in a richly reimagined New Orleans—now in paperback!Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.
Her search for answers uncovers a message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.
She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.
Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.
Review:
Kelly Gay (AKA Kelly Keaton) writes one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series out there right now. So it's no surprise that her writing and characters would be just as strong and powerful in her YA debut Darkness Becomes Her. The problem is for all that power, this is a setup novel. After turning the last page I can easily say it's not that big of a problem. My enjoyment of this title was truly joyful.
Another point that I have to make is that Darkness Becomes Her has an original idea behind it, come on Medusa and Greek mythology! It mixes a little bit of every paranormal YA book out there into one fun read. Which may be slightly disappointing if you love the 100% originality of Gray's Charlie Madigan. If anyone can make a hodgepodging of the genre work for them, Gray can.
What I love is that despite the synopsis saying Darkness Becomes Her is a “paranormal romance”, it really isn't. It's there, but the focus isn't zoomed in on it, nor does it make you want to vomit with its “power of love”. What the synopsis got right is that Darkness Becomes Her is “dark and lush”. A future where a New Orleans is destroyed by hurricanes and is rebuilt as New 2 (band name anyone?) is a fun idea. Just because it's a new New Orleans the city does not lose any of the magic of New Orleans. Nope, I'd say this is a new and improved Orleans. Any book focusing on the paranormal set in New Orleans has so many options and just the few creatures that readers meet are so cool!
At this point I'll wrap it up because I do not want to give anything away. If readers go in not quite knowing what to expect this book is so much fun!
Despite the few minor complaints, Gay is the boss! Her world building is amazing and she's got me snared. Ari Selkirk is the type of lead more YA titles need. She's independent, tough, can take care of herself, but she knows when she needs to get backup. It bothers me how often a kick butt female ends up being just another damsel in paranormal young adult. Ari connects emotionally with readers as an outcast looking for a place to belong, she's real and I love having her as one of my fictional gal pals.
Sexual Content: Kissing, making out, and some ballroom friskiness. Fairly clean.
4/5- Great! Really enjoyed it.
| Previous book(s) in series: | ||
| Reviewed on BW: | Amazon: | Goodreads: |
| Darkness Becomes Her (1) A Beautiful Evil (2) The Wicked Within (3) | Darkness Becomes Her (1)A Beautiful Evil (2) | Darkness Becomes Her (1) A Beautiful Evil (2) The Wicked Within (3) |
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