Review: Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Title: Darkness Becomes Her
Author: Kelly Keaton
Series: Gods & Monsters #1
Genre: YA
Release Date: June 9, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books
Edition: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Blurb:

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

I'm a huge fan of the author's Urban Fantasy series so I was really excited when I heard she was writing a YA book. I loved the world the author created, especially New 2, the rebuilt strange and supernatural city of New Orleans. The way the society worked was fascinating and I really hope we learn more about the 9 original families in future books.

Ari is a strong willed person who has a very sad and hard past. She's a fighter and doesn't give up and that's why I liked her so much.
Then we have Sebastian. At first he's a complicated and mysterious guy but as the novel develops you get to learn more about him. I liked him at first but something that happened around the end of the book made me hate him a little. He also is Ari's love interest and while they do sound like a cute couple their romance developed way too fast. I would have prefered for them to have more time to get to know each other better.

Another character that I absolutely adored was Violet. She's a strange 10 year old who doesn't act like most kids (she has a small alligator as a friend). I loved that she sees things in a different way and how accepting she was of Ari. I can't wait to learn more about her.

I liked that we don't get a whole bunch of information at once but instead we discover little by little the secrets and rules of the city and the people, although I was frustrated that we didn't get to know more about Ari's heritage sooner.
Also, there is some cursing in the book. That's pretty unusual for a YA but oddly it suited the novel.

All in all, this was a great book with a unique main character, an incredible world building and a very interesting cast of supporting characters.


Memorable Lines:
The gods were real. I didn't know how to react, so I just sat there feeling blank and squeezing the bars as tightly as I could. And even more bizarre, I'd somehow pissed off one of the gods.
It figured.

Next Book:
2. Untitled (Feb 2012)

Rating: