Book Review: Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Darklight by Lesley Livingston
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: December 2009
ISBN: 9780061575426
Source: Library

 

Kelley's life has not been the same since she faced the Wild Hunt after Samhain Gate opened.  And ever since she learned she was a faerie princess, daughter of the Winter King and the Autumn Queen.  Now Sonny, her changeling Janus boyfriend, has been sent to faerie to defeat the rest of the Wild Hunt and she is left in the mortal world.  Despite missing him all the time, she manages to get into all kinds of tricky situations involving fae and other frightening creatures who are out to get her.  But, when she ends up back in Faerie, she and Sonny must face a deadly foe who is seeking to destroy them both.

Things I Liked:
I do like the beautiful setting Livingston has created for her Faerie and human worlds.  I love the descriptions and the way she sets up scenes and places so realistically.  Often, I felt and saw and smelled exactly what the characters experienced.  I am a big fan of some of the minor characters like Bob and Jack and Tyff.  I find them interesting and entertaining - admittedly more so than Kelley and Sonny.  They are kind of what kept me reading (well, and there was some pretty good action).  Here's a taste of the setting:

The late April breeze sifting through the cracked-open window bared sharp, chilly teeth, but in spite of that, Kelley's sheets were soaked with sweat, and she felt almost feverish. p 38

Things I Didn't Like:
I wasn't really interested in the story.  Mostly, this was because I felt like it wasn't going anywhere in particular - there seemed to be an awful lot of scenes of Kelley being stupid and chased by bad guys.  Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, but I just couldn't follow the plot of this one.  It did pick up at the end, but by then I didn't care as much, so I skimmed through it.  Definitely not as satisfying as the first installment.  I know there are lots of fans who enjoyed it, so be sure to check what others said about it.  It was just cliff-hanger-y enough for me to probably pick up (or read a spoilery review of) the last one. 

Read-alikes:
Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr
Lament and Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
quite a few uses, but mostly milder words

mrg-factor: X
really only kissing and longing to kiss

v-factor: ->->->
there was a lot of fighting and action, not too gory

Overall rating: **

Do plots and characters from multiple books sometimes start to run together in your head?

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