The Sweetest Dark

Some books start off on such a lovely note—The Sweetest Dark did. The prologue hooked me with the author’s phenomenal prose, and as the story unfolded I was impressed with the world-building (or whatever we call it), and thought the story was interesting. But then, alas, Abé threw a highly unbelievable situation into the last 30 pages, and the only response I could muster was a disappointed headshake. More on that later!

First of all, everyone should know that Shana Abé’s prose is awesome. It’s so pretty and evocative and descriptive—very atmospheric and it set the tone wonderfully. It did, however, verge into purple prose territory, which might not be to some readers’ tastes. I didn’t think it was too overboard, however, but that’s just me.

Also, The Sweetest Dark is about dragons! “But Renae!” you say. “Don’t you hate dragon books?” Er…theoretically yes, but I’ve never read a dragon book I actually disliked, so you know. And the dragon (or drákon) in this book isn’t a typical dragon but is really more of a shapeshifter type deal. But whatever we call it, that whole aspect was well-done and, I thought, unique.

As far as plot goes, this book is fairly typical. Poor girl arrives at swanky boarding school, mean girls are mean, two gorgeous guys flock to her side—surprise, she has paranormal abilities, etc. In the book’s blurb, it’s advertised that this is a good read for fans of Libba Bray, and I agree. In fact, there was one specific scene in The Sweetest Dark that was almost exactly the same as one from A Great and Terrible Beauty. Make of that what you will.

In terms of the love triangle…it’s not really a love triangle. Lora, the main character, has a bad case of instalove with godlike Jesse, and while she has a bond with the equally godlike Lord Armand, their relationship is never more than platonic. However, due to the conclusion of The Sweetest Dark, I’d probably categorize this as a love triangle overall, though it really isn’t.

Which then brings me to the novel’s conclusion, which was disappointing in so many ways. The first disappointment had to do with the pseudo love triangle, since I can only call Abé’s treatment of it a cop-out. The second disappointment had to do with the completely unrealistic events that happened—German U-boats and zeppelins and shooting and such. It was like a fairytale take on WWI that I found improbable at best and ludicrous at worst. I certainly finished The Sweetest Dark on a low note that heavily contrasted with the high note I began on.

In the end, I think the good points I found in The Sweetest Dark outweigh the bad. The book isn’t perfect, but I enjoyed myself quite a bit, and will definitely look forward to the sequel. I think Abé is a wonderful writer, and though I’m not a fan of her romance, I approved of nearly everything else. (Bonus: she’s written a whole other series about the drákon, so I’ll have to check those out pronto!)

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe
ARC received from Bantam Dell via Edelweiss
Release Date: 2013
The Sisters Say: Compelling and full of intrigue, The Sweetest Dark will open your eyes to a new world of fantasy creatures.

The Sweetest Dark is rich in imagery and fantasy, and Shana Abe succeeds brilliantly in turning creatures of nightmare into something beautiful and seductive.

The story follows Lora, an orphan with no memory of her past, as she finds herself being given an exclusive scholarship to boarding school for the rich. Lora is different from the other girls in so many ways—she is poor, she is an orphan, and she hears music and voices inside her head. When she arrives at the boarding school, she immediately gains the attention of two very opposite guys—Jesse, the groundskeeper, and Armand, the wealthy aristocrat; but their attentions are not entirely truthful. They each hold the key to a part of her past, but who holds the key to her future?

Although I found this story slow at times, I will say that Shana Abe has a way with words. There are times when the words seem to float off the page the perfect picture—complete with background music! I saw her world develop around me, and I desperately wanted to be a part of it. However, there were times when her words got in the way of the story. I love imagery, but there is a point where there is too much description, and at several times throughout the novel, I found myself skipping over whole paragraphs.

You can tell that this is a set-up novel because there was very little plot development until the last 20% of the book, and at that point, it spend up incredibly when I wanted it to slow down. Shana has created a fantastical world with creatures straight from mythology—creatures that you don’t see in many other books. I loved that her world was new and interesting, but I wanted there to be more action that could guide us into the next books. I felt like the story ended too abruptly, and instead of that satisfied I-can’t-wait-for-the-next-book feeling, I was left with a that’s-it feeling. Don’t get me wrong—I am definitely in for the next installment, but I wish I could see a direction for the story to take.

From reading the blurb, I thought this book was going to be full to the brim with romance—I love books that have steamy romance! However, for all the nakedness in the book (yes, I said nakedness), there is surprisingly little descriptive romance. You a kiss here and a kiss there, or an embrace here and embrace there, but there was very little detail describing those interactions. I wanted scenes where I was jealous of Lora—where I wished I could pluck her out of the book and put myself in her place, but those scenes never showed up; and there were tons of opportunities where these scenes could have been added or developed. I hope in the next installment we see more romance and passion.

Now just because there wasn’t as much romance as I would have liked, doesn’t mean the guys did not take my breath away. I loved the guys! Jesse is the groundskeeper who immediately recognizes Lora for who she really is, and I must say, his directness about his feelings and intentions was pretty steamy! (If only we could have seen more). And then there’s Armand—I’ll admit, I’m Team Armand—he’s broody, dark, arrogant, and definitely has a way with the cut-downs. One many occasions Armand had me smiling and yelling, “Kiss him, Lora!” I won’t tell you how the love triangle turns out, but I will say I didn’t see it coming.

So…my final conclusions:

This is a debut young adult novel, and it does have its flaws. Sadly, I do think the lack of romance and action will make some not want to read the next novel, but I will remain optimistic that we will see more desire in the next. It is an intriguing world, and if you’re looking for a new type of fantasy creature (no angels, demons, werewolves, or vampires here!), then you should give this book a try.