Review: Darkness Becomes Her

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Publisher: Simon Pulse (2011)
Format:  Hardcover | 288 pages

Genre(s): Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

Description (Goodreads): "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."

WARNING: Contains some Spoilers!

Exploring greek myths seems to be a new and popular trend in the "YA book world". I know of at least two books out this month that deal with the subject. "Darkness Becomes Her" also explores a greek myth.

Ari has always felt different. How could she not? She has teal eyes and almost-white hair that refuses to stay short; everytime she cuts it it grows back in two or three days. So Ari thinks she can find answers with her missing parents... the ones who abandoned her to the system when she was four.

She travels to New 2, the old New Orleans, a strange city that is no longer under the control of the government due to a natural disaster. Since she was born there, Ari expects to find some answers about her heritage. But she may just uncover more than she is prepared for.

I was a bit weary to read this book, since I've already read another one by this author and didn't like it very much. Fortunately "Darkness Becomes Her" was a lot better (for me) than "The Better Part of Darkness".

The main problem I had with "The Better Part of Darkness" was that I didn't think the author described her world in a believable way; and although the same happens, to some degree, in "Darkness Becomes Her" (because everything happens very fast and Ari is quick to believe everything) I could envision this world much better. It seemed... more plausible, if that makes any sense.

The story was interesting but predictable. The main characters are... well, normal for these type of books (as in stereotypical) but fortunately there is no love triangle (although there was almost insta-romance). Ari is spunky, mouthy but lovable (and she cries... she isn't all though) and Sebastian is suitably tortured and dark. I loved the supporting characters especially Violet. She was great and very innovative!

I'd have liked to know more about the gods, their origins and their powers, but I suppose this book was about Ari and her past so not much was said about that. But I'm hoping we'll get more details in the next few books.

Overall this was a good read, especially if you like Greek Mythology. The story was usually fast-paced and kept you reading even though it was, as I said before, predictable to a point. I loved the descriptions of New Orleans' traditions, of the Mardi Gras and of the masked ball... I think the author captured the very essence of vampire "sexy ness" then.

Recommended for YA book lovers who like their heroines spunky and somewhat different, some action and magic. "Darkness becomes Her" is a fun, quick read, with themes a little different than usual (because there are gods, à la Percy Jackson) but that also has all the supernaturals we know and love: vampires, witches and shape-shifters. The mythology for all the creatures seems solid (although not much is explained in this first book) and interesting.

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