Hello, dearies! We have here another powerful edition of the mini reviews post =D This time, however, the macro theme will be Young Adult books that I have read recently =)
Just remembering that the mini reviews deal is a combination of inspirations from Cait, of The Paper Fury, and from Lindsey, of @thepagemistress, and that I do those with books that were good, but weren’t unforgettable =)
In this post, you’ll find mini reviews for:
Elizabeth Rudnick – A Frozen Heart
Emily Rodda – The Key to Rondo (Rondo #1)
G. K. DeRosa – Wilder Destiny (The Guardian #2)
John Connolly – The Book of Lost Things
Kiera Cass – The Siren
Laini Taylor – Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)
Shannon Hale – The Unfairest of Them All (Ever After High: Storybook of Legends #2)
Hi, there! It’s time for a book review once again! I know I have been slow, I’m so sorry! This travelling business just kicked me hard, haha! I’m so late with my reviews that I could cry.
Anyway, today’s review is very special, as it is the first one done for a blog tour! *–* Through YA Bound Book Tours, I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of Darkness Brutal, the first book in The Dark Cycle series, from Rachel A. Marks, in exchange for an honest review! Thank you so much to both YA Bound Book Tours and Rachel for the kindness and trust 😀 The moment arrived, let’s go!
Normal is a word that doesn’t exist on Aidan O’Linn’s dictionary. Normal was never a part of his life, as the now orphan son of a dark witch and big brother to a little girl marked by demons. Aidan himself was never normal himself, as he always saw much more than he should.
And if you think that seeing ghosts, spirits, demons and angels isn’t bad enough, let me tell you that Aidan can also touch them all on the other world in which they habit.
Taking this all into consideration, you could never say that Aidan’s life is easy, but it always gets worse near Ava’s birthday. Every three years since his sister’s third birthday, her own powers get out of control and awful things happen. But this year, Aidan is sure that he can stop her, that he can help Ava to control the turmoil that is coming.
And if what it takes to keep Ava safe is to live in a house with seven strangers, all equipped with weird abilities as Aidan’s, and to be constantly divided by the need to safe two very different girls from similar problems, then so be it.
You know, assuming that Kara and Rebecca won’t take his sanity away.
The Analysis
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
As soon as I read the original Goodreads’ blurb for this book, I knew I had to read it. I knew I’d fall in love with Aidan and his world. And I did ❤ Aidan was such a gentleman all the time! Really, how can someone be an ass and still be cool?? Another bookish boyfriend added to my list, haha! My only real problem with this book was its oh-so slow pace. I felt like I’d read and read and I still wouldn’t get anywhere near any answer, just like poor Aidan. I know that, as a first book to a series with a partial dystopian world, tons of explanations were necessary, but I still think that we could take off something like 100 pages. And that is the only flaw on this marvelous 4 stars book ❤
The narrative style was first person styled and always from Aidan’s perspective. This is not my favorite kind, but oh boy, how refreshing it was to see the YA world through the eyes of a boy! I think I was in sore need of a change of scenarios in YA books, haha! Also, the first person worked well for this narrative and to keep the mysteries of the plot. I loved Aidan despite not really connecting with him, so I can’t complain about the narrative, haha! Moreover, I have a feeling that I’ll fall even harder for this series in book two, as I already saw that Aidan will share the spotlight as narrator 😀 So far, only Rebecca’s point of view was revealed, but I’m only on chapter 8 as I write this review. What do I know, right? Hahaha!
The plot was brilliant. It was complex, hard and very well executed. Marks could have been less wordy on many parts, but her writing was so good and fluid that I didn’t got tired of the book even at its best dragging points, haha! I literally didn’t know on who I could trust and, sometimes, I even doubted Aidan, our cute narrator. This was such a marvelous experience!
No need to call the paramedics, I’m under control again. For now.
The characters are the strongest point on this book. I really want to attack hug Aidan. He is so blasé about life and his own powers, but without being snob about it, you know? He just doesn’t think it is that big of a deal, haha! Come on, everybody can exorcize a demon just by looking at its eyes and praying. Can’t you?! By the way, Aidan is a very selfless person in general. His life revolves around Ava and his mission to protect her. He’s a true guardian, as he doesn’t give a damn to what happens with himself, as long as Ava is okay. It is beautiful ❤
I liked almost all characters, to be honest. In construction matters, they all are living art. I love real and down to earth characters, specially in YA novels. We are in need of more real people in this genre, haha! My favorite side characters would be Connor, Fingers and Rebecca. We have a ~kind of~ amorous triangle involving Aidan, Rebecca and Kara, by the way. I’m completely team Rebecca, so I don’t like Kara on a woman level? Hahaha!
me with Kara lol
Okay, I won’t be that unfair. Kara is an awesome girl and she seriously kicks asses in this book. I just was bothered by how much she could screw something when she did. Karas is not the kind of person that makes small mistakes. She always destroys the whole thing, haha! And Rebecca barely had a relevant part on this book – something that I already feel that is changing on the second book – for me to say that she was a heroine. I just hit it off with her and didn’t with Kara 🙂
Dr. Cooper’s endless wisdom aside, I also need to comment on Sid. I have read a whole book and I still haven’t decide whether this guys is good or bad news. Seriously, I’m in love with this perspective, with the not knowing ❤
Another strong point in this book is how Marks treated religious elements: as elements. It may sound stupid or even a bit odd, but I hate books that disguise the author’s religious beliefs and try to indoctrinate the reader between the lines. Marks didn’t do such a thing, just played with elements from the Christian religion and created something wonderful. Like what Supernatural does, you know? Seriously, Marks rocked!
And can we please take a moment to appreciate this wonderful and perfect cover?
Seriously, it took my breath away ❤
Overall, if you enjoy supernatural/paranormal books, hot male protagonists, time-travelling and teen republics, this book is for you!
That’s it, thank you for reading! Also, thanks once again to YA Bound Book Tours for providing me with both Darkness Brutal and Darkness Fair ebook copies! 😀 Stay tuned, the review for Darkness Fair shall be up by Sunday 😀
The angel Alexiel loved God, but she rebelled against Heaven when she saw how disgracefully the other angels were behaving. She was finally captured, and as punishment sent to Earth to live an endless series of tragic lives. She now inhabits the body of Setsuna Mudo, a troubled teen in love with his sister Sara. Setsuna’s misery mirrors the chaos among the angels, and their combined passions threaten to destroy both Heaven and Earth.
Why is Setsuna so mixed up? Despite his attempts to be noble, he’ll fight anyone anytime; he ignores all authority; and he harbors feelings for his sister that can only be described as “incestuous.” Why is he such a mess? The reason may be found with two demons from the underworld and their enemy, an insane angel who is distributing an insidious computer game called Angel Santuary.
Why I think it’s a worth-reading: this is a funny story, actually. In Brazil, Panini published it in 2005. The manga is rated 16+ and I started reading it as soon as it was released because Kaori Yuki’s draws are just perfection. Nothing wrong, right? Wrong. In 2005, I was only 10, LOL. I read the series again with 15 and it was a life changer; there was so many things that I understood without understanding at 10 (did I make sense?).
Anyway, the plot is amazing, the art is perfect and the characters are so passionately, so human… I’m lost on this one, lol. It’s drama, action, romance and religious conflicts all tangled up together, with touches of laughter and adventure. They’re 20 volumes, but in Brazil, Panini split the volumes in half, so we have 40 volumes. I prefer it this way; we have more covers. But I think 20 would be easier to keep – I’m that kind of person who has the entire collection of the manga and also wants the same manga in other languagues, like Japanese and English, as mine are all in Portuguese.
That’s it! Thanks for reading! Have you read Angel Sanctuary or heard about Kaori Yuki? 😀
The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange 