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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Book Review: A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

Release Date: September 27, 2011
Author: Jocelyn Davies
Publisher: HarperTeen
Length: 390 pages

"On the night of Skye's seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites—like fire and ice—Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye's life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move—only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine."


Review:

Characters: The death of Skye's parents has left a scar on her soul. Even though the accident happened when she was very young, it has affected many of her perceptions. After meeting two completely different guys at her party that she had explicitly told her best friends not to throw her life is changed forever. Like many Young Adult heroines she begins timid, non-confrontational, with the potential to change, throughout the book she begins to stand her ground and grow a strong sense of confidence. Even though the character development was rather cliche, it was there, I was glad that the reader could see Skye become the heroine that she was always meant to be and wasn't given a fully developed heroine to begin with.

Romance: Here's where things get wild. Skye already starts off having a not-so-secret admirer, in the form of her friend Ian, but soon finds herself with the affections of two cousins, Asher and Devin. Even though Ian isn't really an official contender for Skye's feelings I found his involvement and presence in her love life comedic and unique. I was also impressed with the subplot romance that the author was able to sneak into the story. I was encouraged by the love triangle as I was constantly at odds with myself over who I thought she should choose and was even confused at times as to who she may actually end up choosing.

Angels: I've noticed that lately there's been an influx in Angel book of the YA genre. Though I have no problem with angels, I find it interesting that it hasn't become a phenomenon like with vampires and dystopian novels. I like feeling like this is either the next big thing or will have a large underground fanbase. 

Predictability: I found this book to be rather unpredictable most of the time, I don't exactly remember reading it and being completely right about what would happen. I was excited to be kept on my toes throughout the book, even if it wasn't for a big twist. There were some twist, though small that I could see coming even from a mile away, but they never unfolded how I thought they would. I was thrilled reading each large twist because at times it could blow my mind.

Ending: Speaking of blowing minds, mine was blown at this ending. I felt like someone yanked the power cord out of the TV while I was almost done watching my favorite movie. The ending doesn't seem like the completion of a novel and more like the sudden drop off of a cliff. Which, by the way, I loved. I love how it was sudden and I didn't get a cheesy ending sentence. I felt like it was well executed, even if the sudden end was unintentional.

Overall, I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars it was incredible, the way the author writes makes you hooked from the first page. I'm not good at articulating author's writing styles but if I had to compare it to something it would be thick melted chocolate.

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Up Next: A Fractured Light by Jocelyn Davies

2 comments:

  1. im reading this book right now, havent finished it yet thought. Im in 13th chapter and im getting confused more and more. I mean, at first i was jealous of Skye for having sooo many (hot) admires, but now honestly not so much. How the hell is she going to choose?? I know i couldnt. I realy like it thus far, i want to see where it's going!! Good review by the way!

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  2. So I had to start this twice to get into it. It was just ok in my opinion. Everyone I talked to loved it and thought it was spectacular. Me not so much.

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