Review: Death and the Girl He Loves

DEATH AND THE GIRL HE LOVES
Darklight #3
Darynda Jones
Paranormal Young Adult
272 pages
St. Martin's Griffin
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
The fate of the world is not something a girl wants on her shoulders, and that is especially true for Lorelei McAlister. 

Unfortunately for her, that is exactly where the world’s fate has decided to take up residence. Lorelei has seen firsthand the horrors that lie beneath our everyday world. And those horrors are getting her friends killed. Because of this, she agrees to leave the sanctity of her hometown and is sent to a different world entirely. A boarding school. But even here she is being watched. Someone knows what she is. What she carries inside her soul. And on top of that she’s seeing visions. 

This is nothing new for Lorelei. But these visions are something more: death, destruction, and the end of the world. Lorelei must face the fact that there are people who want her dead, and no matter where she goes, no matter how far she runs, the lives of her friends and family are in mortal peril. Lucky for her, her friends and family include the handsome Angel of Death, a fiercely protective half-angel, and a ragtag group of loyal supporters who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty in the name of fighting pure evil.

MY THOUGHTS
Death and the Girl He Loves reunites us with the trademark humor of Ms. Jones, her characters sparking with sarcastic fire and delighting us with the casual barbs and witty taunts they toss back and forth throughout. Though imminent death hovers quite literally on the horizon for most of this book, the story never loses the qualities that so drew us to it in the very first installment, the emphasis on family and friendship–as well as just a touch of romance–as strong as ever to keep us hovering on the edge of our seats, waiting to see just if and how Lorelei is going to fulfill all that is prophesied.

Though Lorelei is endlessly funny and has us wishing we could live in this world simply to be a part of the banter between her, Brooke and Glitch, she can be more frustrating at times in this final book than she has books past. We find ourselves swinging back and forth between sympathy for her given the sheer amount of pressure placed on her young shoulders, and frustration given her tendency to wallow in self-pity. She’s severely lacking in the self-confidence department, so convinced she’s going to fail the entire time that she shakes our confidence in her as well, and we end up wondering if she’ll be able to step up to the plate when the time comes. That being said though, she’s at least not ignorant to her own pessimism and owns up to it on a number of occasions, we just can’t help but wish she’d dare to believe in herself as much as those around her so clearly do.

Given Lorelei is in no way, shape or form the type of heroine who would win in any sort of hand to hand combat situation, the way the final battle goes down is both beautifully fitting and completely unexpected, Ms. Jones forcing us to tip imaginary hats in acknowledgement of how many steps ahead of us she’s been all along. There are a few lingering questions with regard to some things Jared mentions about his relationship with Lorelei, but they’re questions that don’t necessarily demand answers, and we’re left more than content with a rather fascinating conclusion.

Rating: 4/5
 

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.