Thursday, March 21, 2013

The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark #1) by Shana Abe





The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark #1) 




Shana Abe 

Pub April 2nd 2013

By Bantam 

ARC For Review 



Gr’s Summary 


“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.” 



  Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems. 


  England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny. 

  Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves. 

  Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time. 

For fans of Lauren Kate and Libba Bray, The Sweetest Dark is filled with thrilling romance, exciting adventure, and ancient magic. Shana Abé brilliantly captures the drama of post-Victorian England, while unfolding a passionate love story that defies time. 




The Way I See It 



Reeling. 



My mind. 



My heart. 



My soul... 



I’m reeling. 


I fell in love with this cover off the bat.  Beautiful.  This story...Not exactly sure when it happened... That magical moment of being drawn into this fantastical world, but once it grabbed me, I could not let go. 

T- hought provoking beauty, and stories of a beautiful past. 
H- eartbreakingly tragic, and yet so beautiful I could not put this down. 
E- verlasting a love that is more powerful than time, or space.  It's a need that overtakes all! 

S- acrificial, all things come at a price...(My tears are still flowing) 
W- hisperings between a time of the past, bringing truths to light. 
E- erie, a truth both scary and beautiful. 
E- xcellent beyond words. 
T- rust, without it their love would not have been forged. 
E- vermore, he loved her first. 
S- olidifying everything she knew she could become. 
T- ransgressions of others causing  despair. 

D- isillusionment with what had to be done, and what was to become. 
A- ll for not.  I can’t be it.... simply can’t. 
R- eality of the beautiful magic that surrounds us. 
K- iss. Pure and full of emotion...(My tears are still flowing) 

Okay folks seriously...I’m a mess, I can't sleep and my eyes are puffy I’m going to walk away now, and come back once I’ve put myself together(somewhat)...30 minutes later... I must get my hands on the next book!  If you like magical tales and snark, this book will take you away!  I.HIGHLY.HIGHLY.RECOMMEND.THIS.BOOK. 

My Fav's

Jesse 

I can’t put into words how beautiful and selfless he is. Everyone else pales in comparison. I also can't say anything else without giving away any spoilers. 

My Rating

4.5 Mute, Unyielding Love, Symphonic, Brilliantly Luminescent, Gold-Filled Stars!!!!









Purchase At
B&N | Amazon | IndieBound














8 comments:

  1. Very cool way to review a book! The description sound fantastic! I will have to add this one to my TBR list!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you! Thought I'd change it up for a bit having fun with it ;) I was a hot mess for hours after that one! Lol!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Interesting format for your review, I was surprised at the emotional descriptions of your reactions to The Sweetest Dark. Have you read all of Shana Abe's other Drakon books? They start with The Smoke Thief, the Dream Thief and Queen of Dragons and go on from there. All Abe's works are marvelous, full of lush prose and intense atmospheric places for the characters to live in, and grow into themselves. I wrote a review on my book blog, butterflybooks.blogspot.com as well. I am glad to see that you are hosting a contest for Lora's bracelet. What an awesome prize! Thanks again for your review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have not, but I plan to. :) I'm not sure if all the planets were aligned just right, and the moon was in its perfect faze, BUT, this book truly moved me! My heart still throbs for it... The contest is actually hosted by Random House I'm simply proving a link to it ;) I love the idea of the contest and I wanted to share it with everyone :)

      Delete
  4. Oooh I've seen this before but didn't give it a try. Your review is awesome and unique and I shall definitely look into this one now :)

    Janhvi @ The Readdicts

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw Thank You!! I accidentally stumbled on this little Gem and I am so glad I did!! It will make you soar!! I was a little hesitant on the setting, but it was perfect! I loved it! :)

      Delete
  5. First of all, I love the poetic review! Very unique and interesting! And I am with you on this cover. It is absolutely, stunningly beautiful. I am very interested, and intrigues by this story. And it sounds like it is a great one. Thanks so much for your review!

    ReplyDelete

We love to hear your thoughts, and appreciate you stopping by :)