Review of Darkness Becomes Her

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton.  Simon Pulse, 2011.

Thirteen years ago, New Orleans was destroyed by two hurricanes, which also decimated the southern half of Louisiana. Now called “New 2”, the old New Orleans and the surrounding area has been bought and rebuilt by the Novem, a group of powerful Louisiana families. The rest of the United States believes the rumors that exotic, mysterious New 2 is a sanctuary for paranormals. (And it is!)

Seventeen-year-old Ari Selkirk, who has been different all her life, is searching for her biological mother who gave her up for adoption at age four. What sets Ari apart are her teal-colored eyes and silver hair, which can never be cut, curled or colored. She has grown up in the foster care system, and her search leads her to New 2. Ari is befriended by Sebastian and his unusual friends, who try to help her discover why monstrous demons are trying to kill her and why her mother abandoned her. It all has to do with a family curse, and she must try to break the curse. Otherwise, she could end up dead, like her grandmother, at the young age of just twenty-one!

Darkness Becomes Her is the first young adult novel for Kelly Keaton, who has previously only written for adults, under the pen name “Kelly Gay”. The author has managed to incorporate quite a lot of Greek mythology into the story, along with the paranormal element. Since I grew up in Louisiana, I really enjoyed the descriptions of New Orleans, with its voodoo undercurrents and mystical references. Ari is a cool, but tough heroine, who doesn’t realize just how beautiful she actually is. Sebastian, who turns out to be her love interest, and the other outcasts who live with him, are just as intriguing, each in their own way. I expect these characters will be more developed with the next two books in the series.

Unfortunately, I did find a mistake in Ms. Keaton’s research. On page 28, she refers to the area around New Orleans as having counties. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. that does not have counties; instead, it has parishes, due to heavy influence of the Catholic Church on Louisiana’s heritage. I am surprised that this error was not discovered during research, or caught by the editor.

Darkness Becomes Her is a dark, necromantic read, sure to keep the reader turning pages! Look for two more additions to this series! I recommend it for high school and public libraries.

Review of hush, hush by Becca Fitzgerald

Review of hush, hush by Becca Fitzgerald
Simon & Schuster, 2009.

Dark, handsome Patch is new at school, and he turns out to be Nora Gray’s new biology lab partner. Nora is attracted to Patch, but she’s also rather scared of him. He seems to know a lot about her, even her deepest secrets, and she can’t find anything out about him! In fact, it’s almost like he appeared out of nowhere! It seems like everywhere Nora goes with her best friend, Vee, Patch is there, too. Could he stalking her? And who is the person disguised in the black clothes and the ski mask? Patch is actually a fallen angel who has lost his wings. He must decide if he wants to become a guardian angel by saving Nora’s life or if he wants to become human by killing her.

Fans of the Twilight series, you will not be disappointed with this novel! First time author, Becca Fitzgerald, holds readers spellbound with her descriptions of eerie characters and breathy romance. The main characters are extremely well-developed. Nora is smart and likeable; Patch is mysterious, handsome, and brooding; and Vee, Nora’s best friend, is impulsive and funny! Many times Nora found herself alone in dark, seedy places looking for Vee, which felt a little contrived, but was still exciting. The ending of the book had unexpected twists and turns and nonstop action! Chase scenes, attempted murder, mistaken identities, and mirages abound!

The book is a real page turner! I recommend it for high school and public libraries.

The Year We Disappeared by Cylin Busby and John Busby

Here is the book trailer I just finished for The Year We Disappeared by Cylin Busby and John Busby.

Review of Last December by Matt Beam

Last December by Matt Beam; Front Street, 2009.

Fifteen-year-old Steven is a former hockey goalie and a science nerd who must attend a new school and make a lot of adjustments, not only to his school life, but also to his life at home. When he discovers his mother is pregnant, Steven begins writing a journal to explain to his soon-to-be-born sister, whom he names “Sam”, how causes and effects and God with a little g have impacted him. Through the journal entries, the reader discovers that Steven is having such a hard time dealing with events in his life that he may commit suicide. He is hanging out with undesirable characters, drinking a lot, and, in a drunken stupor, nearly rapes a girl he has a crush on. He is keeping late hours while hanging out with his friends and being disrespectful to his mother and his snoopy neighbor.

The characters in the book are complex and well-developed. While the cover art depicts a boy carrying hockey equipment, hockey only plays a very small part in the book. Students expecting a hockey story may be disappointed!

Recommended for high school and public libraries.

Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

I finally got to use the new Digital Juice music we ordered this year on this book trailer! Very cool music!