{Review} Sweetest Dark (Shana Abe)

Monday, April 8, 2013


Review from Amazon:
Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.

{My Review} 

The Sweetest Dark has some unique lore. The world is very well detailed and I was completely transported. 

The love is a love triangle--but it's not the usual trope of two boys who love me/want to eat me/fight over me, etc. Instead, this story had a unique twist that I absolutely loved. I can't tell you what it is, because that would ruin it. Suffice it to say that what Abe did is very hard to pull off, and she did it beautifully.  

Abe's voice is very poetic and beautiful. I really enjoyed how quickly Lora grew from a waifish character to someone who knows what she wants and who she is, and is completely willing to fight for it. 

I recommend you add this to your reading list. 

PS I love historical fantasies--being transported to a time in history has always fascinated me. Adding magic is just the icing on the cake. We're going to be seeing a lot more like them in the near future. 

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