Darkness Becomes Her

I'll be the first to admit that I sincerely doubted that Darkness Becomes Her was going to be any good. Even though the summary sounded cool, it reminded me of another half dozen books that had come out recently. But it was relatively short, and it was coming out soon, and it was by a debut YA author, so why not read it?

I should never have doubted it. Darkness Becomes Her is now one of my favorite paranormals - or does it fall under mythology? Alternate reality? It covers so many different genres, but it's absolutely amazing.

I liked it from the moment I started it. From page one, we have a genuinely kick ass heroine. Ari reminds me a bit of a young adult version of Kate Beckett from "Castle" - not the best history, but able to handle herself and everything around her, even if she does have a few moments where she gets down.

Normally I spend a good portion of the post talking about my love of some of the characters, but I think that would need a full 'nuther post. I loved Josephine and her aura of HBIC (head bitch in charge); she was everything I expected her to be. The New 2's scraggly bunch of misfits - Crank, Dub, and Vi - were absolutely adorable. I have a particularly soft spot in my heart for Vi, mainly because she and I share a love of masks.

Sebastian. What can I say about Sebastian? Though I felt like the romantic part of this book was a little off - just because it happened so suddenly - I have to say, Sebastian is one helluva sexy character. He's funny and worrisome and sexy and absolutely real. Sure, he's got some - um - odd family history. But he's adorable. [SPOILER] And the only reason that his relationship with Ari was odd was because they had only known each other a little while before they started making out. Besides that, it was great - Ari was laughing at herself because of her feelings for him, and they weren't ZOMGattached to each other from the start. They were there for each other, because they had to be at first, and then because they wanted to be. [/SPOILER]

And the WORLD!
Oh, this wonderfully crafted WORLD!

I've been iffy on paranormal worlds lately; there are too many Twilight-esque books out right now. And I'm picky on fantasy and mythology to begin with; this does a great job at merging them, creating an alternate New Orleans that is absolutely brilliant and believable. I was able to picture all the places, all the creatures; it was wonderful.

And the plot? Bloody brilliant. A hint of romance here and there, a tinge of friendship, and overall excellence. It was creative and kept me guessing without giving too much away, and I didn't expect the (brilliant) end at ALL.

I'm ridiculously excited for the next book; can I have it NOW?

I started reading heavy while incarcerated. Of hundreds of books this is my top 10 for sure. The setting in post hurricane New Orleans is so easy to imagine. I love the mix of culture and mythology. I just purchased the second book and cant wait to get into it.

"Hope stirred in the center of my chest, light and airy and ready to break into a Disney song complete with adorable bluebirds and singing squirrels." -Ari, Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton, pg. 6

And with that, I was pulled right in. Hook, line and sinker. Keaton is an author after my own heart. She takes a bit of a new, more modern spin on a classic Greek tale and adds in a dash of other supernatural classics along the way. As well as a kick-butt heroine who is trying to find her past and where she comes from but discovers way more than she ever imagined. All while learning being different, doesn't have to be so lonely with her new found friends and allies by her side.

Note: Some strong language and explicit/violent scenes throughout the story. Recommend for mature teens and up.

Surprising loved this book! The characters are interesting. I would give it a try!! Very good

I don't often write reviews, with that said, it gives me great pleasure to write what I think about this book.

I'm a bit of a sucker for fantasy with a strong heroine, throw it all into New Orleans set a couple years into the future and you have my attention. When I first heard of this book I was really intrigued by the inclusion of Greek mythology along with the element of vampires and warlocks and such. I also enjoyed the backstory of the heroine's deceased mother and the mystery around her.

The story starts off with our hero, Ari, in a mental ward trying to discover the whereabouts of her mother. She soon learns that her mother had died and left her box of mementos including a letter with the constant message of stay out of New 2 (the destroyed and abandoned version of New Orleans). Of course the warning is not headed and she catches a ride soon after killing an attacker who vanishes.

She finds a place and it's secondary characters plus love interest where things start to pick up. She learns that her family has a curse and that the goddess Athena wants her as a weapon to use against the council that runs the city. Athena sends men such as the one Ari battled to retrieve her multiple times, but with only one succession. Ari learns that her curse ~SPOILER~ is that she is a gorgon, or better known as a medusa, who's ancestor was cursed by Athena after an incident at her temple. Ari learns that she is the only one with the power to kill the goddess whom gave her this curse and sets out to get vengeance for what she and others have been through.

As I said before, I really enjoyed this. I found the characters likable, the plot interesting, and the concept entertaining. I could have done without the romantic interest, but they seem like they're every where these days so I'll let it go. Another thing that I found wasn't necessary was Ari's use of language, I found it kinda of forced and didn't really add anything. Thankfully there wasn't too much so that it would ruin my experience. Overall it deserved these stars and I can wait to read the sequel.

Adieu fellow readers,
VBP (Vampire Bookworm Princess)

good series, liked it a lot, good read and its enjoyable and nice. highly would suggest that you read these books

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.

Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.

This book and it's world is totally refreshing and I love, love, love it! I also love how the love story starts to build and the way the mythology works into it.

Kelly has managed to write a mythology world that distorts the world we see into a dark playground for the gods and thier mistakes.

Paranormal? Check. Mythology? Check. What more does a girl need?!

Desperate to find out about her birth mother, Ari heads to New 2, the storm ravaged New Orleans that the US has abandoned. New 2 was bought by, the Novem, nine powerful/rich families who all have their little secrets: three families are witches, three families are vampires, and three families are shifters. New 2 is now known for it's paranormal aspects and "unusual" residents. Once in New 2, Ari gets help from Sebastian and they fall in love. Instantly...

I enjoyed the characters and it was kind of fun to see characters from mythology running around the city and interacting with others - and it was nice that they stayed true to their mythological personalities. Ari was definitely a strong character, even if she did have her moments where I needed to smack her upside the head. I did like the Sebastian as well, but neither of them really portrayed themselves as the insta-love type when we first meet them. Sebastian acts like he wants nothing to do with her when they meet and then the next day he's showing her around New 2 and they're making out left and right. I would have much preferred - as I usually do - the slow budding romance.

One of the things I didn't like about the book is that there was a lot going on (paranormal, mythology, finding her parents/the truth), and it all felt pretty rushed. Nothing major happens for the first few chapters and the plot is slowly getting into the nitty gritty andthenallofasuddenthingsstarthappeningandOMGwhat'sgoingon? It was very interesting to read, but I felt like I had to re-read previous pages/passages to find out what exactly was going on and how we got there. At the same time, Keaton is amazing at describing scenes and using such vivid imagery, that I felt like I was in New 2. I could picture scenes and characters very clearly and definitely felt immersed in the world.

Overall, it was a very interesting story and definitely a new take on paranormal/mythology. At the same time, it wasn't the book for me - which is weird as I'm all about the two subjects and you would think with a combination of them I'd be in Heaven. However, I do not want you to not read this book because I wasn't a huge fan. It was enjoyable and I can see the appeal, so I definitely think it is worth you giving Darkness Becomes Her a read. Not to mention, most of my friends feel completely opposite about this novel than I do.