Darker Still (Magic Most Foul #1)

Darker Still is a charming little book. It will captives readers everywhere with its crazy yet also logical sense of darkness and magic.

Natalie Stewart is a mute girl. She's a young girl full of hope and dreams. She wants to speak again but she can't because of the death of her mother. She's smart, quiet (obviously, she's mute, hello), and aware of her surroundings. She's a girl not to be underestimated. She's brave and wants to help people. She wants to save the innocent. (The girls are the innocent people in this book, Darker Still). Natalie is a wonderful character and narrator who will delight the young audience of Darker Still. And she is indeed obsessed with the painting of Lord Denbury.

Jonathan... is awesome. I love how the author describes him. The author seriously has describe him in great detail. Almost to the tiny flaws. Jonathan is the strongest male character in Darker Still. He is fighting a battle with the devil. He's pretty strong according to Natalie's POV. He gets weaker throughout the book because the devil is doing horrible things with his body. Jonathan, by the way, is trapped inside a portrait. He has been split from his body. And the body has been hacked by the demon.

The dialects are amazing. The way the character speak felt old in the eighteen hundreds way. I wish the author would put a little more efforts into the dialects. The dialects have to be there since this book is a historical fiction and young adult and paranormal fiction and supernatural. I love books with dialects because it makes the book seem a little more alive.

The writing is smooth. I love having Natalie Stewart as a narrator. She is an awesome narrator. Readers will love her. She is a wonderful character that will delight readers endlessly. I just wish that the book wasn't Natalie's diary. It would be much more interesting if it was just Natalie's view. Not just what she puts in her diary. Although, her voice in a diary is much more impressive. It's an interesting change compared to how other books narrative their story. It's similar to Meg Cabot's series, The Princess Diaries. The difference between The Princess Diaries and Darker Still is that The Princess Diaries has a lot more humor than Darker Still. Darker Still is more romantic and exciting than The Princess Diaries.

I like the ending of Darker Still. The author included some pages of police reports on the disappearance of Natalie Stewart. It was interesting to read what the police had thought of her and her mysterious disappearance. I found it rather entertaining and downright hilarious. Especially when the writer of the report includes his thoughts and feelings about the situation.

The demon... I like what the author did to make readers like me hate the demon more and more. First of all, he robbed Jonathan's body. (That's is a big reason to hate the demon). Second of all, the demon is hurting the innocent. (The same people Natalie is protecting, yes). Third, the demon did something so foul to Natalie which makes readers hate him even more. (I think the demon likes being hated).

Darker Still is an eyeopener to the world of the eighteen hundreds in New York City, New York. The author has done a good job in plugging in the variables of the characters. Example: Natalie's disability to talk, gender, and money.

This book's rating is a four out of five. The next book is already out, I believe.

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I could not put this book down!
Leanna Renee Hieber has an amazing ability to bring her writing to life: everything about Darker Still was dark, alluring and perfect. The storytelling, the characters, the scenery, the time period - everything was so spot on I felt like I was reading a classic. This has to be one of the best re-imaginations I have ever read - and I applaud her for taking on the famous The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

Darker Still is told through journal entries by Natalie Stewart, a 17 year-old girl who lost the ability to speak when her mother died right before her eyes when she was only 4 years old. Because of her disability Natalie's father did the best that he could and sent her to a 'school' to, hopefully, regain her speech, but to also get her the best schooling a girl in her condition in 1870's can get. Natalie kept company with many books, learned sign language and kept herself busy with getting into trouble and being somewhat of a prankster at her school, all very harmless things, but Natalie showed enough spirit that everyone around her expected to just open her mouth and speak out loud as if she was never silent.
But as time moved on and she got older, she never did say anything to anyone.
Now that Natalie's schooling is over, she is determined to expand her world and join her father in his work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a consultant. And her first request is to acquire the portrait mentioned in the newspaper - Lord Denbury's painting.
The moment any one lays eyes on Lord Denbury's painting, they are instantly entrance by how realistic it is and can't help but join in on the bidding war to own the one-of-a-kind masterpiece. But there a few people that know that there is something much more to this piece of art, and in the wrong hands, bad things can happen to very good and innocent people. Especially after Natalie's discovers the true nature to Lord Denbury and his portrait. And she will do anything to protect it and its owner.
Natalie is such a strong person, motivated by love, she is determined to protect and save those she cares for no matter how dire the situation is. And Lord Denbury, Jonathon, is just as strong and loyal and willing to do what is necessary to protect Natalie and be her guardian angel in her nightmares and more...

Natalie's journal records a month worth of events in a past, but almost present, tense with letters and copies of police reports - all of the entries are very well thought out and piece the story at a strong and fluid pace. The writing is detailed enough to understand everything that is happening and the characters are all reachable, likable and imaginable - all so realistic.
Natalie and Lord Denbury's story is dark, consuming, exciting but is also romantic, believable and enduring. This book has made me a new fan of historical/paranormal stories! I highly recommend reading this one, and soon!

I have The Picture of Dorian Gray sitting on my shelf and I have yet to read it. Having read Darker Still, I must pick it up soon! I adored the similarity to the Oscar Wilde classic. Usually, I don't prefer books written in diary form, but this one is an exception. The action was replayed in Natalie's words as if it was actually happening right there so the diary form didn't deplete the action.

This setting is New York City in the 1800's. This is probably my favorite time and place pairing in historical fiction. The wonders and perils of the city were portrayed in a fully descriptive and magical way.

Natalie is the type of girl who doesn't fit in anywhere. Mostly it's because she is mute, or so she thinks. I thought that she was just different and fit in with a different crowd. She soon finds that out when she joins the company of Ms. Northe and the life-like painting of Lord Denbury.

I thought it was great for Natalie to be able to talk with the real Denbury and not have to worry about her muteness. This gave her the strength she needed in the outside world. All of the runes and ancient script in Darker Still was so marvelously creepy and intriguing!

When I started the book, I thought it was a standalone, but alas, it will have more books as it is a series. I am utterly excited about it! There were some great hints in this book about the content of the next. I can't wait to see what comes next in Natalie and Jonathan Denbury's story!

This novel has all the elements a reader could want: danger, romance and a "good vs. evil" conflict - all wrapped up in deliciously Gothic trappings. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart is unable to speak due to a childhood trauma, so has spent the last several years at the Connecticut Asylum where students are blind, mute, deaf or some combination of the three. She has now graduated and returned home to live with her father who loves her but is at a loss as to what should be done with her due to her "illness". Natalie has learned that "for unfortunates like me, firstly, a girl and, secondly, a mute girl, life is made up of different types of prisons...". However, her prison is unlocked when a mysterious painting is brought into her life; a painting that seems almost alive.

This is an AMAZING novel guaranteed to have readers up far past a reasonable bedtime. Since Natalie does not speak the story is told in a series of journal entries which gives this text an intimate peek into the main character's thoughts and emotions. Hieber has done an solid job of creating characters of substance, even those that only walk across a few pages. The reader is drawn into the society and city of New York in the 1880s with all it's texture and grit. Anyone familiar with New York City will recognize landmarks such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (just a few years old at the time of this novel) and the Angel of the Waters in Central Park. While the homage to Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray is evident, Darker Still is a wholly different novel that will resonate with readers. Highly Recommended.

Recommended for Readers Of:
Oscar Wilde, Maggie Stiefvater, Kady Cross, Lia Habel

I really enjoyed this! Lovely plot, characters, and voice.

Typically, I'm not the right reader for epistolary novels; the structure tends to be a tension-killer for me. However, DARKER STILL charmed me both with its voice and premise. How much do I love haunted paintings and kissing scenes!