Series: Gods & Monsters #1
Author: Kelly Keaton
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: February 22, 2011
Blurb:
A curse beyond her darkest fears.
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 too close. 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.
Why I Picked Darkness Becomes Her:
When I saw the cover of The Wicked Within, I knew I had to read it, so I researched a bit and found it was Kelly Keaton's final book in the Gods & Monsters Trilogy. Just so happened a bookstore I frequent had Darkness Becomes Her marked down to almost nothing, so I snagged it and finished reading it a few hours later. It's a pretty short read, perfect for a rainy day.
While the original cover does give the book a gothic feel, I much prefer then new covers, but I also prefer hardcover books, so...
A Brief Summary:
Ari, only 17, graduated high school early and set off on a mission to learn more about the mother who gave her up for adoption. Ari has always been an outcast with her silver hair and teal eyes, but the last set of foster parents teach her about love, security, and protection, so when she leaves, she's prepared. At least in the beginning. Who knows on which side fortune lies when Ari finds the place her mom lived and died, of suicide. An asylum. She's given her mother's things and finds a letter that tells Ari little else than RUN.
The next part of the story excited me so much. I love all the lore around New Orleans. I've never had a chance to visit, but it's definitely on my bucket list. Something leads Ari to New 2, or New Orleans thirteen years after two hurricanes tore it to shreds. Now it no longer belongs to the Unites States, but the Novem. Yeah, that's a whole other story you'll just have to read about.
Crank, a young girl who delivers mail, brings Ari to her home in New 2 where Ari begins to notice she's not the only one a bit different. A small child with fangs who rarely talks, another boy who moves quickly and perhaps can read minds, another with odd eyes. They refer to themselves as douo, because they are different.
And now the story really begins, but there are spoilers I refuse to tell.
My Opinion:
The only thing holding me back from giving the book a full-out five stars is I ran into a couple of editing errors within the first couple of pages. Nothing major, and probably had I been further into the book, I wouldn't have noticed. My second complaint, the romance moved like whoa fast. I don't usually mind insta-love, but I need to feel the two characters are at least drawn toward each other before they're making out in public. Otherwise, well done, Ms. Keaton.
Kelly Keaton's writing drew me into the book, it's visual and compelling. He characters are complex, each with their own set of problems, but working together to make sure they're all taken care of. Her world-building is amazing. I could picture the dilapidated houses in the Garden District and the reconstructed businesses in the French Quarter. She mixed old voodoo lore with Greek Mythology, creating a gothic, creepy tale.
Would I Recommend This Book:
Absolutely. If you're in the mood for something a little darker with creative lore and mythology, jump on Darkness Becomes Her.
