The Deepest Night

The Deepest Night by Shana Abe
3.5/5 stars
Bantam, 2013
320 pages
YA Fantasy Historical

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Continuing with my love of dragons, earlier this year I read The Sweetest Dark and enjoyed its distinct writing style that seemed to really ground it in a different historical setting. It also had the bonus of featuring a boarding school, one of my favorite places to read about. So I was excited to start this sequel.

In this go-around, I tended to find the writing less enchanting, more distracting with several passages meriting rereads to erase my confusion (though it is also really hot so that helps to explain my muddled head). This sequel does feature some cool plot points such as Eleanore and Armand journeying from England to Germany to rescue another drakon being held as a prisoner of war. That takes up about the latter half of the book and was positively thrilling.

The first half of the book had its moments though too with Lora flailing a bit following the loss of an important character at the end of book one and ending up serving as a nurse at the new convalescent home in Armand's mansion (this made me think of "Downton Abbey") before embarking on the above quest. I thought this was an interesting perspective on WWI though it is still early days yet. I was constantly amazed by how much food was mentioned as I was fully expecting rationing.

Yet it's not so much the plot as the writing which matters and I just wasn't as enthralled by it in this go around. Sometimes I felt like things could be much more plainly stated and that if they were, it would make the story go down easier. I'm still not sure how much of the drakon mythology I understand, which probably stems from my unfamiliarity with the adult series this spins off from.

Overall: I think if you liked the first book, you'll have some idea of what to expect from the writing in this second but you should definitely check it out to start or you may end hopelessly lost.

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ARC Review: The Sweetest Dark

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe
4/5 stars
Bantam, 2013
352 pages
YA Historical Paranormal
Scheduled to release April 2

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I confess I was mostly seduced by this book's gorgeous cover (even if it does seem to fall in the trap of dead looking girl in pretty dress-what can I say, I'm pretty predictable). Plus there are the gorgeous purple accents. Then I saw reference to WWI, boarding school, and something about dragons so I was hooked.

There are three main characters here who are kind of but not completely in a love triangle. One is Lora, orphan girl who discovers she can transform into a dragon when she is sent to a boarding school after being evacuated from London. Once there she meets Jesse who introduces her to her true self as well as the lord's son Armand (nicknamed Mandy which kept throwing me). These two boys also have mysterious heritage. As Lora battles mean girls within, danger without threatens the people at the school and its environs.

I had read some mixed reviews so I opened it a bit apprehensively. Happily I was quite swept away. I would describe the writing as a bit on the flowery side and not to the taste of everyone but I felt that it served the story well due to its historical setting. Most of the story is focused on Lora but there are random shifts in perspective throughout. Apparently this is a YA spinoff of her adult series beginning with The Smoke Thief. That bodes well for me as it means I have a further universe to explore.

My favorite element would have to be the way the Great War was woven into the story. I also love the glimpses of a longer history that I believe would please fans of The Smoke Thief. These traces as well as my deep love for boarding school settings helped pull me through. I think I liked this book well enough to check out the second which I believe is due for release later this year (yay for a short wait!)

Have you read the adult series? Are you a sucker for dragon books as well?

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