Book Review: Darker Still

Book: Darker Still (Magic Most Foul #1)
Author: Leanna Renee Hieber
Genre: Young Adult (Romance/SciFi)
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 317 (Paperback)
Favorite Character: Denbury (He's Denburylicious. :D)

Plot: (from Goodreads)

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.

Review:


This was a book that as soon as I put it down, I wanted to pick it back up and read it again. It's a perfect mix between Pride and Prejudice, Picture of Dorian Gray, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. (I saw that description and it just struck me how it was exactly that). There is just everything that you could want in this book, mystery and romance. I'm a big fan of Leanna's writing in general, but this book was even better then what I had expected of it.

The characters were likable and relatable and interesting. And there was a good plot and a good momentum. And I was truly surprised, in a good way, by some of the things that occurred. It's also written in a kind of diary entry by the main character, Natalie Stewart, and I normally don't read that kind of thing, but it was written with good details, which I love. It's not what I expected when I realized it was in diary entries, because normally you just have a character telling you what happens, but Natalie shows you with details and what the others had said, quoting them.

I'd suggest, definitely, reading this one. It may not be exactly a short book, but it was quick read, I didn't want to put it down. (Also, that cover is gorgeous. I want that dress! And the model looks like Anne Hathaway, which I thought was kind of cool/funny).