Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Review: Darker Still

DARKER STILL
(Magic Most Foul #1)

Leanna Renee Hieber
Paranormal Young Adult
320 pages
Sourcebooks Fire
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY
It's not easy being a young woman in New York City in 1882. For Natalie Stewart, life is a bit more difficult for her than other young ladies her age given she's mute. She has an adoring father, but her marriage prospects are relatively nonexistent given her condition and she finds friends are rather few and far between.

Her life gets infinitely more interesting, however, when she comes to hear of a supposedly haunted painting. Rumor has women of all ages fainting at the sight of a truly stunning young man known as Lord Denbury in all his painted glory, his uncannily realistic portrait causing a stir wherever it's displayed.

The reason Lord Denbury seems so very alive in painted form is because his soul is trapped in the painting, a prisoner of dark magic who is unable to reach anyone in the world outside his gilded frame. Except for Natalie. She alone can communicate with him, and she takes it upon herself to figure out just what happened to Jonathon and how his curse can be reversed, but in doing so, she makes herself a target for the demonic being responsible for trapping him in the first place.

MY THOUGHTS
Magic, mystery, and murder combine in this first book of Ms. Hieber’s new young adult series, catapulting us quickly into a world of what-ifs, hows, and whys while teasing us with just a touch of romance to ensure our hearts are as equally involved in the story as our minds. Written in journal entry format, we often find ourselves with Natalie after events have occurred, riveted to the page and dying to know what’s happened from the moment she put down her pen to the time she's picked it up again, left completely on edge and anxious to be kept in the loop. The case of the eerily realistic painting of Lord Denbury unravels slowly but captivatingly, little clues popping up now and again to provide some hints at answers before a whole slew of new questions descend upon us, tying us to the outcome of Denbury’s fate as surely as if we knew him personally.

Natalie is a strong and memorable heroine, her status as a mute instantly creating a sympathetic friend in us (though she neither wants nor needs any such sentiment from anyone) as she is forced to continually remind those around her that an inability to speak does not amount to an inability to hear or a reduced IQ. She’s extremely intelligent and possesses a sense of humor we as readers alone get to experience given we are privy to her words, making her easily someone we want to read more about. Her relationship with Jonathon is tortuously slow, the unknown ramifications of their actions within the painting keeping them to an excruciating yet delicious pace of courtship. Despite their attraction to one another, both keep their wits about them, never slipping into the “I can’t function without you” phase but rather relishing their time together while also utilizing their time apart to do what needs to be done.

The only mild complaint with this story is with the shortage of information we have about the who and why of Jonathon’s painting predicament, knowing very little of him in general and even less about the dark magic responsible for his circumstances. This is the first in the series however, so inevitably more details will be forthcoming in the next books. We are given a nice conclusion to this first enigmatic tale, one door shut while several others are left wide open, beckoning us to walk through and see what secrets they shield from view. We close the last page wanting to take those few steps toward the waiting doorways and more answers, but we are not frustratingly desperate to do so, content instead with what we’ve been given thus far and with what we still have yet to learn.

Rating: 4/5

35 comments:

  1. I have to admit, I'm intrigued to read a book where a girl who is mute is the main character. As a literature major and a writer (albeit not much of a creative one), I can't imagine how different you'd have to approach things in order to get the same point across when your main character can't speak. It sounds interesting!

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  2. I'm always a little wary of journal entry style writing because it often seems too gimmicky but it sounds like it really worked as a story telling device in Darker Still. I'm also interested in the aspect of having a mute narrator; Natalie sounds wonderful.

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  3. Oh Jenny, why do you make me want to read all these books? You really are helping my horrible book addiction though secretly I thank you for that. Another awesome review by the way!

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  4. A journal format is so hard to get right. At least this one sounds like it works. Natalie sounds like a great heroine. And I rather like tortuously slow relationships. At least it's different.

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  5. I really want this book, and it sounds like after reading it I will be anxious to get the next in the series. I love strong heroines and Natalie sound amazing. Great review!

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  6. Aww, this book sounds like such a sweet read! I haven't read a word from inside yet, but I can already agree with you about how strong Natalie must be -- I adore the fact that she can't speak because I don't think I've ever read a book with a character like that before!

    Awesome review, Jenny! I was intrigued about this before, but now I really want to read it! I'm so glad you liked it! :)

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  7. Natalie - I was too, I wasn't sure how it was going to work if she couldn't talk to anyone. But the journal entry format was really interesting:)

    Aylee - This is the first journal style book I've read, but I think it was done really well and I didn't even notice it after a while:)

    Kris - Ha! My book addiction is at an all-time high, so I figure we can all suffer through it together ;-)

    Alison - I really enjoyed the journal entry format. The only issues I had with it were more a result of the digital formatting through NetGalley than anything else. Sometimes the type would go so light I could barely read it and then it would return to black again. Weird.

    Jan - I loved Natalie! She was fun to follow through the story. I do wish we knew more about Jonathon, but I'm hoping that comes in book 2:)

    Mimi - I hadn't either, and I liked that we were the only ones that really knew her thoughts since we could read the journal, it made everything feel a little more intimate which was nice.

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  8. Wow, a mute main character, very different. My interest in this book sprung from the character interview you posted, do we get to "interact" with Jonothan or is he just sprinkled throughout the story?

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  9. I really like how she doesn't want people's pity just because she is mute. I wonder if the author made her mute because essentially that's what women were in the Victorian times. The journal format is intriguing and I must meet/learn about Jonathan. :)

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  10. Yes, I totally need this one! I wasn't sure for awhile this one was my cup of coffee... But I know now that I must read this one!!!

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  11. Jennifer - We get to interact with Jonathon, Natalie actually can enter the painting so they have a bunch of scenes together, we just don't know that much about him in this one.

    Rummanah - I liked that about her as well, and sometimes the thoughts that would go through her head when people started talking slower or louder to her just made me giggle:)

    Ashley - I liked it, I know it's getting mixed reviews but I really enjoyed Natalie and the whole painting concept:)

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  12. I loved this book! So much myterious of the painting and fighting! I felt the same way in wanting to know more about Jonathon. But I am hoping that in the next book the reader will get more info. Thanks for the review Jenny!

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  13. I wasn't too sold on the romance at the end, but I still liked Darker Still overall! Leanna's writing is gorgeous, and I loved the setting! Glad you enjoyed it. :)

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  14. That cover is gorgeous. The book sounds interesting, though I readily admit to being an information whore, and I'm not sure I could handle so little information about what's going on.

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  15. 4/5? I've seen some mixed reviews on this one, but I'm still planning on picking it up. I am a sucker for pretty covers like this one! Great review, Jenny :)

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  16. I want a magic mirror that will bring me tortured trapped men for me to rescue...(lol)

    I thought this one might be too scary but it really sounds good and I love stories about courting and the slow build up to romance.

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  17. I'm looking forward to reading this. I've had it on the shelf for months now not really knowing what it was about but I'm reading quite a few good reviews.

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  18. So odd that more is not revealed about Johnathan's circumstances. I guess his painting is not the focal point in the room. LOL

    I'm a dork.

    I love the sound of the slow building romance. It definitely seems like a delicious torture!

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  19. I like those last few lines and I know exactly what you mean. It's a good feeling, you want more, but you are not climbing the walls

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  20. Savy - I'm definitely up for more Jonathon:):)

    Lauren - I know their romance picked up quickly there at the end but I was so on edge before that that I didn't care they lacked a little propriety:)

    Amanda - I'm a bit of an information whore as well, I would have liked a bit more of his backstory, but based on the way things turned out at the end of this one I'm sure more will come in the next book.

    Hafsah - I adore this cover, so pretty! Can't wait to see what you think of this one:)

    Tina - Seriously. Sign me up for trapped hottie rescue too!

    Karen - I enjoyed it, it had a different feel to it and that made it really interesting. Plus, I think she tells a good story, I adore her Percy Parker series:)

    Missie - You are a dork, but it just makes me love you all the more because I'm such a dork myself. And yay for slow romance!

    Blodeuedd - Exactly! I like books that end that way:)

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  21. Oh I so want to read this one. Art? Romance? YES! I don't mind not knowing too much about Johnathon as long as it is a series. Usually those answers do come! Brilly review!

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  22. I'm reading this one right now and really liking it. Natalie has a great sense of humour and I've just gotten acquainted with Lord Denbury :)

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  23. I had no idea the main character is mute! Wow- what an original idea. I remember your character interview for this series, so I am really excited for this one. It seems to be the perfect combination of historical fiction and fantasy; plus, I am all about the slow romance. :) Great review, Jenny!

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  24. I'm so excited to read this! It seems like an incredibly refreshing read, even more so that the main characters is mute! Certainly don't read that every day.

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  25. I've seen some less than excited reviews of this one, but the story sounds solid, and that's enough to convince me to pick it up. It sounds pretty fun! Great review, Jenny :)

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  26. I have wanted to read this one I just haven't gotten a chance. Thanks for the review.

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  27. I have to say that is an interesting lead character who is mute is a fascinating approach. Great Review!

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  28. Love the review! It makes ma want to read it even more. I just received this one myself for review and I seriously cannot wait to give it a go. I'm very intrigued by the plot and Natalie as a character. I hope the lack of information isn't too bad, since I'm not a big fan of it! Like I said; I can't wait to pick it up!

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  29. I loved this review! It's one of the best ones I've read for this book and definitely succeeds in making me want it more! I love the idea behind this and the characters' romance sounds delicious(:

    - Asher (from Paranormal Indulgence)

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  30. I am SO excited to finally start this book. The characters sound really awesome, and I'm looking forward to getting lost in the story! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the book!

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  31. I'm looking forward to reading this eventually. I love the cover and the story sounds like fun! Great review :)

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  32. Ever since your character interview, I really want to read this. It sounds fun and refreshing for a fantasy YA novel. YAY!

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  33. I'm having such a hard time getting through this one. Their romance feels to insta-love to me and I want more information about the mythology and mechanics of his imprisonment. I do love the main character though. She does have a great sense of humor.

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  35. This book was full of bookish yummies that I wish I didn't have this migraine so I could start on the next one!

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