Recent Reads - A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

A Beautiful Dark, by Jocelyn Davies

 3 of 5 Stars

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Pages: 390

Publication: 09/27/2011, HarperTeen

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Why I Chose It:  I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a thoughtful and honest review. I also received a hardback copy as a gift for Christmas.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):   On the night of Skye's seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites; like fire and ice; Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye's life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can't help falling for, and Devin, who she can't stay away from, the consequences of Skye's choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

My Review:  This is another one that was just wasn't for me. It was okay, I just didn't love it. In fact, it took me 168 pages before I even wanted to continue reading it. It is super sloooooow.

I felt no connection to Skye whatsoever. She was a little bland, a little annoying and I didn't care what happened to her one way or the other. I didn't fall for either of the two boys. They were fine, but not swoon-worthy. I'm not about to declare myself Team Asher or Team Devin. Come to think of it, I don't even think I'm Team Skye.

And it's a shame. The premise of this book seemed like something that I would love. All the ingredients for a fantastic YA paranormal romance are in place--a heroine discovering an unknown origin and the powers that go along with it, and a love triangle involving two smoldering guys--but it failed to hold my attention. It lacked that certain something that grabs the reader by the throat and refuses to let go. And it just wasn't an original enough plot to make up for the lackluster writing and subpar pacing.

Would I recommend this book? Sure. Selectively. It has received tons of rave reviews. Some people absolutely LOVE this book. But in the end, all I can say is that a lot of nothing happens then the climax hits you out of nowhere, leaving you with an incredible cliffhanger and too many unanswered questions.

Personally, I felt the awesome ending was too little payoff for the slow start and I don't appreciate the fact that I have to wait for the sequel to get any sort of satisfying conclusion to the most interesting part of an otherwise boring tale. Still, none of this changes the fact that I will be awaiting the sequel. At this point, I have to know what happens next. 

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