Friday, July 18, 2014

ARC Review: Darkness - Erin Eveland

(Blurb from Goodreads) One Girl. One Boy. And the Masters of Darkness. See the Shadow Creatures. They are everywhere. But you can't run from the shadows or the Masters who control them.

Catherine has been born with a supernatural power called Darkness. The Masters of Darkness have found her and it's just a matter of time before someone claims her.

*COURTESY OF NETGALLEY*

I really don't know how to classify my feelings about this book (What. A. Surprise.)

The first thought to puncture my skeptical brain is, "Whoa, this book is verbose." Since this book is officially YA, the language used in the initial pages fooled me into thinking the story was set during a time when people used a vocabulary far more extensively than today. I was wrong - I found that some chapters later. The plot concerns the parnormal and the philosophical aspects of (um, because my brain can't puke out a better word) magic - which works alright. I ususally fall in love with anything parading as philosophical content but this one didn't seduce me.

Catherine deserves everyone's sympathy - theoretically.
That was the problem.
The writing is "incredible" - my grammar and poetry skills have improved a notch - but it's aloof. "Incredible", because it's only technically so.
Maybe it's because of the third person narrative (but I know a lot of books written in third persn that I ADORE) but I just couldn't reach out to the characters. They felt like some actors in a play who are technically fulfilling, but somehow couldn't involve the audience. The book had an overall thespian effect. Which usually always awes me - but this one didn't.

The book is ... interesting. (Read that sentence in an undecided voice). It's definitely good for a first time read, and also for the curious, insatiable bookworm.
And yes, it is YA, but there is some adult content so teenage initiates, beware.

VERDICT: Technically (this is the third time I am using this word in this post) this book deserves a 3.5 stars, but this book lacks (dear brain cough up some word to explain what I'm feeling) soul. So 3 stars.

NOTE: See the footer "An Interactive Novel"? There were links at the beginning of each page to mood setting audio but because of non-existent wifi facilities - yeahn not very interactive for me.

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