Recent Reads: The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe
Publisher: Random House
Available: NOW!

 

Format: Ebook 
Source: Netgalley and Random House Publishing for Review


My Rating:



Goodreads Synopsis:

“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.”
 
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.

Review:
Lora or Eleanor was found wandering the park when she was very young. Raised in an orphanage and mental asylum she was forced to be strong for herself and no others. When the opportunity arises that she be sent to a school for girls, she has no choice but leave London and adapt to her new home.

The Sweetest Dark was a strange book and so not what I expected. The synopsis does not really touch on a good amount of the story but if it did I believe it would spoil it for many readers. Set in 1915 in London to start, this book can have a number of genres; it is young adult at its core, but also historical fantasy and romance.

The plot is focused on Lora and find out more about herself as a human and her darker side, but there is an element of romance with her and a few of the male characters.

I found that her tale of discovery was interesting, needless to say, I was very confused at a few of the elements of the plot but I think it came together al right in the end. Of the characters I found Lora strong willed and clever for her circumstances and Sophie, a student at the school, scheming but also caring.

There was not as much character development with Jesse, one of the main male characters and I would have liked to see more, I didn’t feel overly connected to him like other male characters…swoon-worthy for kindness but that’s about it.

There is not much I can really say about the book without giving away major plot points. What I can say is, if you are into fantasy, romance, and YA, it is worth a shot.


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