Book Review: Darkness Becomes Her

Darkness Becomes Her

By: Kelly Keaton

Published By: Simon Pulse

Release Date: February 2011

Buy it at Amazon

Source: Library

Audience: Young Adult

I took awhile to read this one because I was somewhat gun shy when I read that it had elements of Greek mythology. I had just finished The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter and was worried that another Greek myth book wouldn't live up to that one. I also was a little nervous to read this one because the summary didn't appeal to me right away and the cover is pretty boring. However, I am so glad I finally opened the pages. I was sucked into Ari's world and the words wrapped me in an iron grasp and refused to let go. I was enamored with the New Orleans setting, the characters, the supernatural components, and the romance. Kelly Keaton is a master of sensory details - you can see the setting in your mind so clearly, smell the beignets, and feel the humidity dancing on your skin. This book is what Southern gothics are all about and is perfectly executed. This is another book that has so many twists that it is hard to review without providing spoilers. Again, I feel that to give you spoilers would ruin the reading experience and since I want people to love this book as much as I do I am planning on focusing on safe areas.

Darkness Becomes Her is one of the darkest YA novels that I have ever read. Kelly Keaton isn't afraid to take risks. She has created a brave and heroic female lead with Ari; a teen girl who doesn't take crap from anyone or anything. The language and actions in the book reflect that tone. The world of Darkness Becomes Her is dark and foreboding. The tone seeped from the pages and into my veins. I couldn't put the book down. I intensely cared about these characters and couldn't pause in my reading until I knew how things would end. Of course, Keaton left readers with a cliffhanger and a very pissed off Ari who is out for revenge. According to Keaton's website, the sequel is written and is supposed to come out in 2012. I am not sure how I will be patient for that long. This is one of those books that if I had known how much I was going to love it - I might have waited to read it - so that I could read the entire series all at once. This book also gives me an intense desire to visit New Orleans.

I also love the twist on mythology and the paranormal that Kelly Keaton provides. It is interesting and fresh. Most books make the gods and goddesses out to be sympathetic characters - they may do horrible things, but you can understand where they are coming from when they make these decisions. Their purpose is to keep humans in line. However, Keaton takes that notion and throws it out the window. I want to know more about this world and the paranormal beings that inhabit New Orleans.

I do want to warn some readers that their is some pretty heavy language - just be prepared. It doesn't bother me in my reading, but I know some others like to be aware of this ahead of time.

Darkness Becomes Her is a novel that can teach us that being different isn't bad and that acceptance is often the most important and valuable gift of all.

One Last Gripe: I think the shifters got the short end of the stick in this one; We got information on mythology, vampires, and witches but hardly any on the shifters

My Favorite Thing About This Book: Kelly Keaton's descriptions

First Sentence: Under the cafeteria table, my right knee bounced like a jackhammer possessed.

Favorite Characters: Ari, Sebastian, Violet, Michel

Least Favorite Character: Josephine

Summary:

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 just one 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.