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A Beautiful Dark (A Beautiful Dark #1)

by Jocelyn Davies (Goodreads Author)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 7,877 ratings · 953 reviews

On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites—like fire and ice—Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move—only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. So...more

Hardcover, 390 pages

Published September 27th 2011 by HarperTeen

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Lists with This Book

2011 Debut Authors (Young Adult and Middle Grade Lit.)

34th out of 336 books — 2,050 voters

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

YA Novels of 2011

110th out of 1,176 books — 6,250 voters

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Community Reviews

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Oct 19, 2012 fяσzєη rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: covergasm, angels, pretty-dress-on-the-cover, coverlove-booksuck, dickhead-heroes, i-am-disappoint, unlikable-heroines, insta-love, pile-of-crap, love-triangles, owned-physical-copies, dont-understand-why-its-hyped, everyone-likes-it-but-me, cheese, boooooring, goodbye-brain-cells, horrifyingly-bad, is-this-some-kind-of-joke, why-do-people-like-this-shit, no-just-no, waste-of-paper, my-eyes-are-bleeding, hot-mess, cant-believe-i-finished, get-that-thing-away-from-me, sorry-excuse-for-a-romance, what-the-actual-fuck, you-arrogant-prick, where-art-thou-originality

A similar and more formal review for this book is available on my blog.

____________________________

Ugh, guys. Just ugh.

I ~~really really disliked~~ hated this book. I ended up skimming through most of it because it was just...ugh. That one word practically sums it up. I would've given it more of a chance if it weren't for the fact that it had NO ORIGINALITY. I'm serious, NONE. I've seen this exact same storyline in other books/series dozens of times.

Let's see. We have the unsuspecting Mary Sue hero...more

119 likes · like · see review

Jun 19, 2011 Mallory marked it as wishlist

I sure hope this is not another vampire book.

UPDATE 6/19: So I should have updated this "review", more like a comment really, when I saw the cover and the synopsis. I think when I added this book to my wishlist and made my comment I only had the title to go by. What came to mind when I saw the Dark part of the title was my comment above. I usually associate the word dark with Vampires. Thankfully this book is going to be an angel book. I love angel books! Plus I never should have doubted this b...more

27 likes · like · see review

Mar 05, 2012 Ashleigh Paige rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-shameful-shelf-of-get-rid-of-it, stupid-love-triangles, a-whole-new-level-of-boring, unmemorable

See more of my reviews sooner on The YA Kitten!

Once upon a time, there was an idea, A Beautiful Dark, and me.

See, I like to write too. I want to be published one day, and one of the many ideas I've had (but have not yet had the chance to pursue) went like this: an agent of good, an agent of evil, and the high school girl they're trying to win over to their side of an ancient war. Only good is also evil, evil is still evil (but sympathetic), and the high school girl will take no bull from either...more

19 likes · like · see review

Dec 29, 2012 Judith (Judith'sChoiceReads) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: angels-and-demons-and-ahh, mary-sues-everywhere, cookie-cutter, 2011-releases, fantastic-covers, full-of-intrigue, not-for-me, predictable-doesn-t-begin-to-cut-it, un-finishables

This cover is gorgeous! Man it's so pretty with the shiny words and girl at the front pulling a whole Rose in Titanic pose! All she really needs is a Jack, but in this case, Sky does not get 1 admirer - not just 2 either - but 3 guys who want her. How do I know this from only reading approximately 44.5 pages into the book? Well that's just the problem, A Beautiful Dark is painfully predictable. Most of you may not know, but I put off marking this as "unfinishable" because I was dreading the revi...more

11 likes · like · see review

Dec 28, 2012 May rated it 1 of 5 stars

Skye – Hey I am your typical YA protagonist. And I cause guys to fall head over heels in love with me.
*smiles nonchalantly*
Asher - I am THE bad boy yo.
Devin- I am the brooding one.
Asher – I am cocky. And a flirt.
Devin- I am the good guy.
*broods*
Asher – I love me some Skye.
Devin- Ditto.
Asher & Devin - We both are incredibly hot.
*glare at each other*
Skye – Ooh la la who do I choose!?
*confused*
Ian – I am a mere mortal . BUT I LOVE SKYE BECAUSE IT WOULD BE SO STUPID IF ONLY 2 GUYS WERE IN L...more

17 likes · like · see review

Aug 17, 2011 Isamlq rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley

Hmmmm... Did I hate it? Nope. Did I love it? Not really. There's just a lot that's been tackled before in Beautiful Dark like, say the presence of three boys who are into the same girl for a variety of reasons. Or a girl caught between two opposing sides. Or say a girl unable to make her mind up on whom to choose. The one thing that had me giggling was their names: there's a Skye, an Asher and a a Devyn. It's like when I read historical romances there's always a Lady or Lord or Viscount somethin...more Hmmmm... Did I hate it? Nope. Did I love it? Not really. There's just a lot that's been tackled before in Beautiful Dark like, say the presence of three boys who are into the same girl for a variety of reasons. Or a girl caught between two opposing sides. Or say a girl unable to make her mind up on whom to choose. The one thing that had me giggling was their names: there's a Skye, an Asher and a a Devyn. It's like when I read historical romances there's always a Lady or Lord or Viscount something or other of a frou frou name. Here, the names sound so made up; I couldn't help but giggle.

The story itself is nothing new. The first half went slow for me but had me curious enough to plod on. The second half is where all the big reveals were made. The female MC is typical.. smart, pretty, almost too perfect. She's got friends who are funny and pecuiar in their own right. The fact that one of her male BFF's was in to her is not new too, but that she was aware of how he felt (instead of being oblivious to the same) was a a little refreshing. Sadly, that story line belonged to Dan and Cassie, her other best friends. Speak of the supporting cast, I felt that Cassie read exactly like Norah's friend in Hush Hush (pushy, out there, some times insensitive, but the most plausible of the bunch nonetheless.) Dan and Ian added the needed sweetness in an otherwise very emo read. Her adoptive mother, was absent a lot but when she was in the picture acted the part of protective and caring... I reiterate the point of her being absent a lot.

The love interests (yup, that's plural,) were curious too. Once I knew what they were, nothing changed for me. The reveal just came a little too late. I felt I'd pieced it all together so many pages before that I didn't care what made them special. What's more (worse?) is that like Skye, they kept creating drama where none was necessary. Why hold back information when they could reveal? (Anyway, anyone could have pieced it together long before.)

It wasn't all bad though... I appreciated the humor that Asher added. His quips and non-serious manner seriously annoyed me at times, but when he got serious, I was all smiles (even if those moments felt a little too dramatic.) Devyn with his more serious side was a tad better, him being torn about what he was to do was so very... dramatic.

The ending was rushed, (just like mine to this review is.)

2.75/5
Thanks NETGALLEY!
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16 likes · like · see review

Jul 08, 2011 Donna {Book Passion for Life} rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, for-review, favorites, e-galley, ya-paranormal-romance

Posted on: http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/

"All of a sudden he’d taken two giant steps towards me, and before I knew it, had taken my face into his hands and taken me into the darkness of his wings, and he was kissing me and I was kissing him and we were kissing each other in my little bedroom, in my little house, in my little town, while the mountains soared into the sky."

Wow! What a beautiful cover, don’t ya think? When I first seen this book a few months ago, I was instantly drawn to...more Posted on: http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/

"All of a sudden he’d taken two giant steps towards me, and before I knew it, had taken my face into his hands and taken me into the darkness of his wings, and he was kissing me and I was kissing him and we were kissing each other in my little bedroom, in my little house, in my little town, while the mountains soared into the sky."

Wow! What a beautiful cover, don’t ya think? When I first seen this book a few months ago, I was instantly drawn to it because of the cover but then after reading the blurb, I just knew this was a book I needed to read…..as I’m so glad I was right.

This story follows Skye, a seventeen year old girl who lost her parents at a very young age and was taken in by her mum’s best friend. Skye appears to be pretty normal, however a few strange things have been happening since her birthday but things get even stranger, when two new stunning boys start fighting for her attention. First there’s Asher, the tall, dark and handsome type and then there Devin, the mysterious blonde haired boy. As both boys try to get to know Skye she realises there’s something else going on, one that involves her having to choose between light and dark and good and evil.

When I say I loved this book, I mean I loved this book. It had everything I could have wanted……mysterious boys, a forbidden love triangle and a kick ass story. What’s not to love? I’ve read a few Angel stories over the past few months and they left me thinking that maybe the angel story has been……..kind of played out but Jocelyn Davies has managed to write a captivating, exciting and intriguing story that leaves you wanting more and officially bringing ‘A Beautiful Dark’ in to my top 10 favourite reads for 2011.

From the very first page you’re thrown into the world of Skye and instantly meeting Asher and Devin. The chemistry between these characters is amazing. Not only does it leave you falling for both boys and even though I had made my mind up pretty early on whose team I was supporting, you still manage to feel exactly what Skye feels….very confused. She’s torn between both Asher and Devin but I personally felt she was leaning more towards Asher. I felt there was a stronger connection between the two and in the end I ended up resenting Devin for getting in the way. Don’t get me wrong, Devin is a good character but Asher definitely gets my vote.

The secondary characters were a great addition; Ian, Dan & Cassie were great friends to Skye. I did find Cassie slightly annoying to start with but the more you get to know her, the more I liked her. I have to say though; my favourite secondary character has to be Aunt Jo. She’s a pretty awesome legal guardian and you can truly see how much she cares for Skye, it was nice to see their love for one another come out so much during the story.

The story itself was completely addictive from page one; you never knew which way the story would turn. Jocelyn Davies hasn’t stuck to the traditional ‘Fallen Angels’ story, it is something completely different and unique. Your constantly questioning who is good, who is bad and who will Skye end up with. It was one hell of a journey and I only wish it was longer because that cliff-hanger at the end has left me wanting to know more. I NEED MORE!

Overall, this story doesn’t disappoint. It’s a fantastic start to a new and exciting series and I can’t wait to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
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7 likes · like · see review

May 18, 2011 Eric rated it 5 of 5 stars

More of a 4.5, but I rounded up!

A Beautiful Dark focuses on Skye, a seventeen year old orphan living with her Aunt Jo. Her life is going great, she is a straight-A student and champion of the ski team. But everything changes when she meets Asher and Devin, two mysterious boys who have turned up out of nowhere. Yes, it might sound cliche, but it takes the love triangle in a different direction than most do, in my opinion. Soon enough, Skye realizes just what the two boys are and what she really i...more More of a 4.5, but I rounded up!

A Beautiful Dark focuses on Skye, a seventeen year old orphan living with her Aunt Jo. Her life is going great, she is a straight-A student and champion of the ski team. But everything changes when she meets Asher and Devin, two mysterious boys who have turned up out of nowhere. Yes, it might sound cliche, but it takes the love triangle in a different direction than most do, in my opinion. Soon enough, Skye realizes just what the two boys are and what she really is. I don't want to give to much away, but the book definitely takes the angel mythology we often see and switches it up a bit, which I really enjoyed. Overall, it was fun, and though I do wish there was a bit more action throughout the story, I still found it to be a great read.

I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of the novel, as it was constantly shifting, and so many different things happened at differenct places, not a single one of the locations felt overused, as they sometimes do in other books.

I really enjoyed Ms. Davies' writing. It pulls you in and flows very nicely. She did a perfecty job at keeping you involved with the characters and i really enjoyed the first person narrative.

I loved the characters! Skye was a great character and i loved reading from her perspective. She was never whiny, and she was pretty smart. She new that something was up when the two boys came to town, but she diidn't jump to conclusions. I really enjoyed the supporting cast as well. Cassie was very funny, and I also liked Ian and Dan. Asher and Devin, the love interests, are both mysterious, and I constantly shifted who I wanted to end up with Skye. But after a while, I made my choice and decided I hated Devin. Not because he is a bad character, but I just did, and I can't say why without spoiling it!

Anyways, A Beautiful Dark is definitely worth a read, and I really hope there is a sequel! The ending had me throwing things around the room. Make sure to check it out when September rolls around!(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Sep 03, 2011 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4 stars-Review to come :)

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 16, 2012 Maggie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Let's get one thing straight. This story needs some more original ideas, pronto.

Two opposing godly sides? Well, that would have been okay, if it weren't for the fact that they're both supposedly hot males who aren't supposed to fall in love with the main girl character (ooh la la, it's forbidden!!) but you know, they end up anyways. And since they're from opposing sides, well, the girl gets fought over. Not romantic at all.

And adding in the fact that the girl is a self-unknown supernatural? Spec...more

13 likes · like · see review

Oct 17, 2011 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Probably a 3.5 cause while the story held my attention not much of anything happens. Basically Skye just turned 17 and realizes she has some freaky silver eyes and powers. Her parents died when she was six and she lives with her Mom's best friend. Now two new boys are in town, dark confident sarcastic bad boy rebel Asher, and nice quiet calm shy good listener guardian Devin, who appear to be cousins that are fighting over her. And that is the whole book. The two of them reveal themselves to be a...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 03, 2012 ♥ ĸαяα ♥ rated it 2 of 5 stars

I think it's safe to say that I was disappointed by this book. Very disappointed with it.

Things that I liked:

- The title, although I didn't really see much relevance to the book.
- The cover.
- Despite the ranting that's about to go down, it was enjoyable and considering that I actually managed to finish it, I think that's a good sign.
- It was hardback, which meant that when I through it across the room in anger, it didn't damage it much.

Things that I didn't like:

- The plot: I mean, seriousl...more

10 likes · like · see review

Nov 06, 2011 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-arc, bea-2011, signed-arcs, books-i-own

A tale of light and dark with a supernatural twist.

A Beautiful Dark has everything I love about a paranormal read. Otherworldly creatures and a love triangle! I know some readers loathe a love triangle, but I for one cannot get enough of them! I mean, what girl wouldn't want two gorgeous boys fighting over her! Perhaps I just like seeing a fantasy from my youth playing out! HA!

Skye was a very likable character. She was polite, imperfect & considerate, and not in the annoying way that some...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 19, 2013 Amaryliss White rated it 4 of 5 stars

I actually did debate on giving this five stars, but I reconsidered and decided it just wasn't worth it. On the whole, I enjoyed the book a lot, but after a few moments of speculation after that horrible ending (okay, not horrible, but CLIFFHANGER! Cliffhangers just mess with my head), I looked deeper into the aspects of the story.

Plot-wise, it wasn't that horrible, and I even had a few moments of, "What's going to happen?" It is a much-used plot these days, though, so a few fractions of a star...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 10, 2011 Vi Vi marked it as to-read

Looks like this might be another infuriating love-triangle paranormal romance w/ a heroine who's largest decision is who she wants to screw - er -I mean be in true love with. But we'll see.

11 likes · like · see review

Jul 12, 2011 Pam rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was fortunate to be able to preview this title via netgalley.com

Skye’s parents died on her 6th birthday. So birthday’s aren’t Skye’s favorite day. On the evening of her 17th birthday, two boys, cousins, enter her life. Blond, blue-eyed, very reserved Devin and brooding, dark-haired, dark-eyed Asher…they are polar opposites and they are on Skye like “white on rice”. Along with these two strangers start a series of very strange events. Skye isn’t sure what is going on and who to believe.

I had su...more

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May 16, 2013 Alexia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Το Αγγελικό Σκοτάδι είναι μια νέα σειρά με θέμα τους αγγέλους που έκανε την εμφάνισή της με το πρώτο αυτό βιβλίο το 2012. Είναι δύσκολο να πρωτοτυπήσει κανείς όταν το θέμα είναι πάνω κάτω γνωστό. Παρακάτω όμως θα δείτε ότι η Ντέιβις το έχει καταφέρει.

Από το οπισθόφυλλο:

* Τη νύχτα που η Σκάι κλείνει τα δεκαεπτά της χρόνια, συναντά δύο αινιγματικούς ξένους. Εντελώς αντίθετοι μεταξύ τους, σαν τη φωτιά και τον πάγο, ο Άσερ είναι μελαχρινός και άγριος, ενώ ο Ντέβιν είναι ανοιχτόχρωμος και ήρεμος.
Η ξα...more Το Αγγελικό Σκοτάδι είναι μια νέα σειρά με θέμα τους αγγέλους που έκανε την εμφάνισή της με το πρώτο αυτό βιβλίο το 2012. Είναι δύσκολο να πρωτοτυπήσει κανείς όταν το θέμα είναι πάνω κάτω γνωστό. Παρακάτω όμως θα δείτε ότι η Ντέιβις το έχει καταφέρει.

Από το οπισθόφυλλο:

* Τη νύχτα που η Σκάι κλείνει τα δεκαεπτά της χρόνια, συναντά δύο αινιγματικούς ξένους. Εντελώς αντίθετοι μεταξύ τους, σαν τη φωτιά και τον πάγο, ο Άσερ είναι μελαχρινός και άγριος, ενώ ο Ντέβιν είναι ανοιχτόχρωμος και ήρεμος.
Η ξαφνική εμφάνισή τους θα φέρει τα πάνω κάτω στη ζωή της Σκάι. Δεν έχει ιδέα τι θέλουν ή γιατί παρακολουθούν την κάθε της κίνηση· το μόνο που ξέρει είναι ότι η παρουσία τoυς συμπίπτει μ΄ ένα σωρό ανεξήγητα γεγονότα.
Σύντομα η Σκάι θα αρχίσει να αμφισβητεί την ταυτότητά τους αλλά και την αλήθεια για το δικό της παρελθόν. Θα αναγκαστεί να συμβιβαστεί με το απίστευτο μυστικό που απειλεί να καταστρέψει τον κόσμο της.
Διχασμένη ανάμεσα στον Άσερ και στον Ντέβιν, θα πρέπει να επιλέξει. Και η τελική επιλογή της θα έχει συνέπειες και για τους τρεις τους.*

Τα τελευταία χρόνια όλοι εμείς που αγαπάμε την λογοτεχνία του φανταστικού έχουμε κατά καιρούς διαβάσει για κάθε λογής φανταστικό πλάσμα. Πόσο εύκολο όμως είναι να θεωρηθεί ένα βιβλίο φρέσκο; Όχι και τόσο εύκολο θα έλεγα εγώ. Έτσι παίρνοντας το στα χέρια μου είχα μια μικρή επιφύλαξη ως προς αυτό, όμως όπως φαίνεται η Ντέιβις έχει καταφέρει να δημιουργήσει έναν δικό της, μοναδικό κόσμο. Οι άγγελοι έχουν διχαστεί σε αυτούς που αποφάσισαν να ακολουθήσουν τους Προικισμένους - Οραματιστές οι οποίοι καθορίζουν και την πιο μικρή λεπτομέρεια της ζωής τους στο όνομα της "Τάξης" και σε αυτούς που αποφάσισαν να αποσχιστούν και να "Πηδήξουν" στη γη στο όνομα της ελευθερίας. Οι πρώτοι είναι οι Φύλακες ενώ οι δεύτεροι οι Επαναστάτες. Μόλις οι δυνάμεις της Σκάι εκδηλώνονται οι δύο αντίθετες πλευρές θα προσπαθήσουν να την διεκδικήσουν. Για την Σκάι όμως τα πράγματα δεν είναι απλά. Είναι μπερδεμένη και έχει συναισθήματα για δυο αγόρια τα οποία ανήκουν σε αντίπαλα στρατόπεδα. Τι θα επιλέξει τελικά; Την "Τάξη" ή την "Επανάσταση", τον "Άσερ" ή τον Ντέβιν"; Ένα μυθιστόρημα με αριστοτεχνικά πλασμένους χαρακτήρες, ανατροπές και πλοκή που κυλάει σαν ορμητικός χείμαρρος. Αν και κατά την γνώμη μου το ξεκίνημα είναι λίγο "αδύναμο", στην πορεία σε κερδίζει με ευκολία. Ο γοητευτικός κόσμος της Ντέιβις βάζει την δική του υπογραφή και κερδίζει μια θέση ανάμεσα στα καλύτερα μυθιστορήματα του είδους.

Καλή σας ανάγνωση!
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1 like · like · see review

May 23, 2013 Beckie Stevenson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just finished but I need my Zzzzz's, so review to come tomorrow!

*My reviews don't contain spoilers*

This book confused me a little at the beginning because of the amount of new characters that were introduced all at the same time. We first see Skye as she enters a cafe and she's immediately surrounded by people and friends and then we also meet the two boys in the same chapter. I just thought the characters should have been seeped in a little slower at the beginning. Once I got over that initial...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 31, 2013 Andrea at Reading Lark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, 5-stars, angels, arc, kindle, netgalley, paranormal, read-in-2011, young-adult

Review Posted on Reading Lark 8/24/11: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2011/...

A beautifully written page turner full of all the things that make YA great - first loves, betrayal, supernatural beings, & lovable characters - this one is a fall must read....

September is shaping up to be an amazing release month for the world of YA fiction and HarperTeen seems to be poised to captivate audiences with their paranormal line up. A Beautiful Dark is one of the most well written and engaging novels...more Review Posted on Reading Lark 8/24/11: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2011/...

A beautifully written page turner full of all the things that make YA great - first loves, betrayal, supernatural beings, & lovable characters - this one is a fall must read....

September is shaping up to be an amazing release month for the world of YA fiction and HarperTeen seems to be poised to captivate audiences with their paranormal line up. A Beautiful Dark is one of the most well written and engaging novels that I have read in awhile. It is easily one of the best YA books I have read this year. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this one; the writing was spot on, the plot was well paced and intriguing, and the characters have found a place in my favorites list. I loved spending time in this world and was frustrated when I got to the last period. I wasn't ready to let go of these characters and their stories.

I went into this read knowing that it was paranormal and having a hunch about what types of beings filled the pages, but I didn't know for sure. I loved watching the plot unfold in an authentic way so I decided that for my review I wasn't going to discuss the supernatural aspects of the book. I feel that these are best left for the reader to discover on their own. However, I will say that I don't typically enjoy books in this area, but I loved the direction this book takes. I thought it was unique to other books in the same area that I have read in the past.

The characters really make this story something great. I loved them all. As a reader, I wanted to spend more time with each one and understand their lives. Even though the story mainly revolves around Skye, Asher, and Devin, I wanted to spend time with the minor characters as well. Cassie, Skye's best friend, kept me giggling and I loved that Ian was always ready with a latte in hand. Great characters often make a read for me and Davies did a nice job of breathing life into her characters. The character interactions and dialogue were some of the best I have seen in YA fiction. Also, female fans will be excited to see two main love interests. I have to say that I prefer Asher, but I am interested to see who others will choose.

I also loved the setting for this one; it was perfect for the plot. Davies also writes with so much sensory detail that you can actually feel the chill in the Colorado air as you read each page. You might want to have a blanket and some hot chocolate handy for this one.

However, be warned that this one ends in a MAJOR cliffhanger. I immediately put my Kindle down, turned to my husband, and asked in horror why authors do this to us. I have no idea how I am going to wait until the next book is released. For those of you who can't handle cliffhangers - be sure to buy this in September - but you may want to wait until the entire trilogy hits shelves. My frustration level with things being up in the air is still high - even several hours after finishing.

One Last Gripe: All the loose ends!!! I know they will be addressed in other books, but I am so anxious to read more NOW.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: The characters

First Sentence: The air had a brutal edge to it as I stood outside of Love the Bean, the local free-trade coffee shop. (This is from an ARC edition and may change with publication.)

Favorite Characters: Skye, Cassie

Least Favorite Character: Raven(less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 14, 2012 Lea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: annoying-romance, fallen-angels, had-potential, high-school-drama-fest, meh, paranormal-romance, tstl-characters

To be perfectly honest, this book was just OK for me; I just really wasn't a huge fan. I'm not sure if it's the genre, but sometimes I feel like if you've read one fallen angel book you've pretty much read them all. Now yes, there are some that are better than others, for example I loved Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick but then I wanted to hurl Fallen by Lauren Kate against a wall. A Beautiful Dark falls somewhere in between those two extremes for me.

The biggest let-down in this book for me was...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 15, 2011 Wanda (Good Choice Reading) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, reviewed

I can't remember the last time I felt so strongly about a book ending like I am about this one. Not that I didn't enjoy other book endings. But this one really got to me. It got to me so much that I had to seek out someone who read the book so I can talk about it. But unfortunately I can't share much about the ending without spoiling it. So I'll have to work around it. I absolutely loved this read and can't wait to hear from other readers on their thoughts of this book.

Skye begged her friends...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Carina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, netgalley, need-finished-copy, ebooks-egalleys-etc-for-review

My Rating: 4.0 / 5

What I thought about it:
A Beautiful Dark is a heartfelt story about a girl who realizes that her life is not what it seemed to be like and who has to deal with the consequences of her parents' past. Skye's world is turned upside down by the arrival of Asher and Devin when she finds out that she is not as normal as she had believed all along.

It didn't take much time for me to finish A Beautiful Dark, because this novel is incredibly written and with every chapter that I finished...more My Rating: 4.0 / 5

What I thought about it:
A Beautiful Dark is a heartfelt story about a girl who realizes that her life is not what it seemed to be like and who has to deal with the consequences of her parents' past. Skye's world is turned upside down by the arrival of Asher and Devin when she finds out that she is not as normal as she had believed all along.

It didn't take much time for me to finish A Beautiful Dark, because this novel is incredibly written and with every chapter that I finished, I wanted to read another one to find out what would happen next. The story is told from Skye's point of view - she has a great voice and is a very likeable character. You can really feel her confusion and frustration about the things happening to her and wish you could make it easier for her.

I haven't read many angel stories yet, so I'm still very new to that genre. But despite that it was really easy to get into it and I loved the angel mythology that Jocelyn Davies created for this. It's very fascinating and I can't wait to find out more about it, because there are still so many mysteries that need to be unraveled.

Skye's human friends also were an aspect that I thoroughly enjoyed in this novel. Cassie, Ian and Dan were wonderful secondary characters that are very loveable and continue to add some normalcy to the story - something that can be easily forgotten in a paranormal novel. I truly hope to see more of them and their stories in the future.

Of course I can't forget to mention Skye's love interests Asher and Devin. While both of them are fantastic in their own way (and Skye can be added to the list of YA main characters that have to make a truly difficult choice), they also stand for the decision she has to make between the dark - Asher - and the light - Devin - side. Although especially the true definiton of both sides starts to be questionable towards the end, which is another aspect I really enjoyed: Nothing is what it seems to be like.

All in all, A Beautiful Dark is a novel that I really enjoyed and I will definitely pick up a finished copy of this once it's released. If you're a fan of angel stories and mysteries, put this onto your wishlist.

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I received an eGalley of this novel via NetGalley. Thanks to HarperTeen for giving me a chance to read this. This did not influence my opinion.(less)

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Oct 30, 2011 Daph (Lvngbooks) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, debut, wishlist-rak, release-september, arc-for-review, part-of-a-series, need-a-finished-copy

Three stars until I figure out if I think it deserves more stars. I guess not - it felt like a real plot/climax only came into the story when I was two or three chapters from the end.

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I was eagerly anticipating the release of A Beautiful Dark and I was ridiculously excited when I got the chance to read it via Netgalley. Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to my expectations (which were, admittedly, very high).

Skye is a talented young girl, who is eager to learn and an unbeatabl...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Damaris (GoodChoiceReading) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Yes! Another book that has left me with my mouth open. I really don't know where to begin. Let's start with the cover. Doesn't it scream pure awesomeness? I love it! When I first saw this cover I knew this was a book I had to get my hands on. I am sucker for covers and I've said this thousands of times, I am guilty of judging a book by it's cover. If I saw A Beautiful Dark in a bookstore, I would have picked it up without reading the back thanks to its cover.

With that said, I guess I can start p...more Yes! Another book that has left me with my mouth open. I really don't know where to begin. Let's start with the cover. Doesn't it scream pure awesomeness? I love it! When I first saw this cover I knew this was a book I had to get my hands on. I am sucker for covers and I've said this thousands of times, I am guilty of judging a book by it's cover. If I saw A Beautiful Dark in a bookstore, I would have picked it up without reading the back thanks to its cover.

With that said, I guess I can start piecing together all these crazy thoughts I have in my head about this book. Jocelyn Davies has made her way to my TOP THREE YA authors of 2011. I LOVE it when a book keeps me up super late reading. I just could not put A Beautiful Dark down. It had a very nice beginning, awesome middle, and banging ending. I feel I must warn everyone though, if you are not a huge fan of cliffhangers, well here's a head up. A Beautiful Dark has a HUGE cliffhanger, and YES this bothered me, but only because who knows how long I have to wait for the next book since this was an Advance Readers Copy. I was up all night thinking about this book and mad at myself for reading it so fast, but I just couldn't stop reading. The story was just SO good and put together so well. From chapter one til the end there is always something happening that keeps you turning the pages. To me there wasn't a part in the book where I was wishing it would just hurry up and get to it. It's at a perfect pace, not to slow, not to fast. When I did put it down to have dinner with my family, I was tempted to read and eat at the same time. I was dying to know what exactly these two new boys wanted with Skye and why was Skye so important.

Asher... Where do I start? Everyone loves a bad boy and Asher is the perfect bad boy. His personality made this book. I loved him and he is now my TOP THREE favorite male characters of 2011. Even though I am not a big fan of love triangles, I feel A Beautiful Dark wasn't overly dragged out with it. It's clear that Skye has more of an attraction to Asher (or it could just be my love for him) than she did Devin. Devin was a very nice character, but to sweet for me. I am so Team Asher! The bickering between the two was very funny and sexy. Who doesn't want two guys fighting for your attention?

This is a definite FIVE star for me. I think everyone who loves YA and Paranormal stories needs to add this to their To Be Read pile. Or you can just pre-order it now. I promise you WILL NOT regret it!

5 out of 5 Stars!

(less)

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Nov 12, 2011 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: harper-collins

Originally posted at Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

Don't you just love it when you immediately know that you'll love a book after reading the first page? It's Skye's 17th birthday and she's celebrating it with her friends, as her parents died when she was only young. All is well when suddenly, strange things begin to happen; broken thermostats, exploding boilers, terrifying avalanches…what on earth is going on? Furthermore, two gorgeous transfers are now vying for her attention, both impossibly dif...more Originally posted at Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

Don't you just love it when you immediately know that you'll love a book after reading the first page? It's Skye's 17th birthday and she's celebrating it with her friends, as her parents died when she was only young. All is well when suddenly, strange things begin to happen; broken thermostats, exploding boilers, terrifying avalanches…what on earth is going on? Furthermore, two gorgeous transfers are now vying for her attention, both impossibly different to each other. Are they more interested in her or in keeping her away from the other? Caught in a battle between light and dark, Skye has her work cut out for her!

The characters in A Beautiful Dark are amazing. Skye is a perfect narrator, feminine yet powerful, and is able to describe the events of the book with ease. Although we're positioned to favour Asher, a rebel angel, over Devin, a good angel, Skye's able to show us the positives in both. When Sky begins to develop powers, she struggles to control and call them at will. While the Guardians, only able to act upon direct orders given by the Gifted, can heal and control the elements of air and water, the Rebels are able to inflict damage and control the elements of fire and earth. A war between the two races would destroy the earth and its fate lies in the hands of Skye, with her power being unbeatable and destructive to the other side. The question is, which side will she choose?

The mysteries in this novel are written superbly, with all characters having the potential to be the villain. Nothing is revealed until the end, and what transpires will shock you! A Beautiful Dark is filled with suspense and forbidden romance. Jocelyn Davies will keep you guessing and sitting precariously on the fence between good and evil. Is the rebel who loves her just using her for her power? Or is the seemingly good boy simply acting to lure her over to his side?

Promises of otherworldly love triangles are always a hit. Wonderfully executed, A Beautiful Dark will surely please. Without squealing, it's quite impossible for me to articulate just how much I loved this book. If you want flying angels, overnight sleepovers, elemental battles and steamy kisses with soft wings wrapped protectively around you? This is your book. After this cliffhanger, there is no way you can wait for the sequel and stay sane. I'm dying…slowly. Put me out of my misery!(less)

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Jan 02, 2012 Page (One Book At A Time) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

I hate having mixed feelings about a book. It makes me feel indecisive. There are aspects of this book that I really enjoyed. But, there were others that I really could have done without. Plus, there were times that I really just wanted it to get to the point.

I did enjoy Skye's character. I liked the relationships she formed with her friends and especially with her Aunt Joy. She seems like a genuine person who is easy to like and read about. I also enjoyed learning about her history and who her...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Midnite rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: bea-2011

Skye is changing. When she's upset or emotional, her grey eyes become silver. And sometimes she can make heaters get really hot. Maybe it has something to do with the new boys at school. Asher is dark and playful while Devin is blond and polite. Very quickly, Skye thinks she feels something for Asher, which is weird because she hasn't felt anything special for a boy since dating Jordan. Also weird? Skye may be feeling something for Devin, too. Why wouldn't she? Devin is shy, quiet and kind; so u...more Skye is changing. When she's upset or emotional, her grey eyes become silver. And sometimes she can make heaters get really hot. Maybe it has something to do with the new boys at school. Asher is dark and playful while Devin is blond and polite. Very quickly, Skye thinks she feels something for Asher, which is weird because she hasn't felt anything special for a boy since dating Jordan. Also weird? Skye may be feeling something for Devin, too. Why wouldn't she? Devin is shy, quiet and kind; so unlike Asher who flirts with anything in a dress and can't hold a serious conversation.

Done well, any story can be enjoyable, including another story about two "boys" at odds and the girl they are supposed to protect. But so many paranormal teen novels read like paint-by-number books these days. Two beautiful boys appear and seem to only have eyes for our heroine. Our heroine is attracted to the seemingly dangerous one because, well, dangerous boys are more interesting than shy polite ones. And then, the Big Reveal is, well, revealed, and we learn our heroine has powers and the boys aren't who they appear to be. Actually, I don't have a problem with that. I like when the gorgeous new boy only has eyes for the narrator of the book I'm reading; sometimes I like when there are two of them. But most of the time the writing is unsubtle and unsatisfying and the characters do everything you expect them to do because you've read it all before.

I rolled my eyes at the fact that Skye is an orphan being taken care of by her "aunt" who conveniently has a job that takes her away from home for several days at a time. But if you're going to write a character that has little to no adult supervision at home, please let those gorgeous boys visit her at that empty house a lot. What's the point, otherwise? One party doesn't cut it.

Skye has three close friends who are portrayed well in the book. Cassie is fun and it's so obvious who she's in love with that I lost patience with Skye very early on when she didn't figure it out. Ian was kind of pathetic with his unrequited love for Skye, but I liked him and was rooting for him to find someone he could love.

There's an admittedly adorable snowball fight between Skye and Devin at one point in the book and the scene made me wish Devin had been a little more interesting earlier on. The snowball fight takes place just a few pages after Skye has decided she thinks she's falling for Asher, but during the fight she finds herself wanting to fall into Devin's incredible blue eyes. I can't say falling for two boys at once is unbelievable, but it does make a character who is already lacking in originality seem even more unoriginal. I wanted Skye to do or feel something I hadn't already expected her to do or feel. (view spoiler)

One of my biggest issues lately is when a narrator ignores a warning that the reader has long before figured out is a legitimate warning, and is then shocked when the warning turns out to be true. This happens in A Beautiful Dark and it was at this point I knew my rating couldn't be more than 2 stars, no matter how the book ended.

This ARC was provided by the publisher. This review was not solicited.(less)

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Oct 13, 2012 Steph Bennett rated it 1 of 5 stars

Why can't YA authors get a sense of originality?
Honestly, the books in the YA genre are the same story with different names chucked in them. I have read this same story too many times to even count, where is the originality people? And the sad thing is I didn't even like it to begin with. An annoying heroine with two guys, one dark and brooding and the other a womanizer- usually related, chasing after her. It's been overused, overdone and overexposed.

description

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The whole YA Genre is just one story told b...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: heart-stopper, i-love-the-guy, oh-my-gosh, why-arent-you-real, be-mine, easy-to-get-into

What to say about this story... Well. To begin, it is your usual "angel/demon" story. So there's that. And, well, it was a wonderful read and I was very eager to read the conclusion, which killed me in a thrilling cliffhanger. Overall, I would recommend this story as an easy read. Some grammar seemed a tad bit off and sometimes the story got a bit off focus, but I can let that slide.

The characters.
Skye.
This girl is all over the place. I mean, MAN. She has three guys drooling all over her, a

...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Oana D. H. rated it 5 of 5 stars

A beautiful Dark was the kind of book that made me wonder all the time what would happen next or what will happen with the main character.
It was one of those book that surprised me every time a new chapter began.
I can say that i didn't know what to believe at first.From the beginning i thought that it will be something good and interesting,but i guess my reaction when everything changed was different.

Usually i pay attention to every single detail,but now all that mattered to me was Skye's destin...more A beautiful Dark was the kind of book that made me wonder all the time what would happen next or what will happen with the main character.
It was one of those book that surprised me every time a new chapter began.
I can say that i didn't know what to believe at first.From the beginning i thought that it will be something good and interesting,but i guess my reaction when everything changed was different.

Usually i pay attention to every single detail,but now all that mattered to me was Skye's destiny and why Asher and Devin were there trying so hard to help her.

The whole thing with The Rebellion and THe Order was a little confusing.I mean i undersant why each part wanted Skye,but the end was the part that made me think that maybe this was a little too complicated for me.

Skye was smart,funny,beautiful and a good friend.She was strong and i liked that she didn't freak out or acted like a drama queen when the boys told her the truth.
I guess sometimes discovering the truth doesn't affect everyone the same.

Asher and Devin were the perfect characters in this book.The bad boy and the good boy.Honestly,i can't imagine how this could've been without them.One was calm and acted like nothing could go wrong,and the other was dangerous and acted like he could do everything he wanted.Well,that was the impression i got,but i'm pretty sure that's my opinion only.

The story was beautiful and almost all the characters were amazing.It wasn't how i expected,but i guess i have to stop thinking that all the books with angels have something in common.

I admit that i was glad that Asher was the one that got Skye's attention.Devin's attitude was strange and what he did at the end -even if he didn't have a choice - confirmed what i really thought that he didn't really cared about Skye like he said.

This book made me want to know more about The Order and The Rebellion.In a book there is always a good part and a bad one,but even with how A beautiful Dark ended i'm still not sure what to believe.

I enjoyed reading this book.The idea was interesting and i liked the way the author wrote everything.(less)

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Addicted to YA: A Beautiful Dark	22	129	Jun 17, 2013 03:51pm
Hannah & Martha's Buddy Read :D	121	19	May 28, 2013 03:51pm
Don't open unless you've finished the book	24	129	Jan 18, 2013 05:59am
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Never Too Old For...: April Book of the Month (Angels): A BEAUTIFUL DARK	63	77	Apr 27, 2012 08:05am
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About Jocelyn Davies

Jocelyn Davies is the author of A BEAUTIFUL DARK and A FRACTURED LIGHT. She edits young adult fiction at a publishing house in New York, a job that has allowed her to cultivate a keen interest in all things angsty, hilarious, and/or unrequited. She is a graduate of Bates College, and lives in an apartment overflowing with books. Visit her online at www.jocelyndavies.com and follow her on twitter (...more

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Quotes from A Beautiful Dark

“You don't have a heartbeat," I realized.
"Does that bother you?" He asked.
"No." I thought for a minute. "As long as you can feel things and care about things."
"It's a misconception that you need a heart to love," Asher whispered into my hair.” — 96 people liked it

“When you like someone, you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to let them in. Love is messy.” — 66 people liked it

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