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Darkness Becomes Her
(Gods & Monsters #1)
by
Ari can't help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can't be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.
Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is ...more
Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is ...more
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Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
February 22nd 2011
by Simon Pulse
(first published January 1st 2011)
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Repeatedly throughout the book there are comments made containing highly offensive language.
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Start your review of Darkness Becomes Her (Gods & Monsters, #1)
Not what I was expecting. Very different then what I originally thought this was going to be about.
Darkness Becomes Her had a very strong beginning, but somewhere between the voodoo visit and the absolutely rushed relationship that followed ...it kinda lost me.
The plot concept is intriguing, the writing well done, it's characters likable and I even thought the combination of paranormal and mythology was cool, but in the end, it just felt...forced. To many elements thrown together all at once. It ...more
Darkness Becomes Her had a very strong beginning, but somewhere between the voodoo visit and the absolutely rushed relationship that followed ...it kinda lost me.
The plot concept is intriguing, the writing well done, it's characters likable and I even thought the combination of paranormal and mythology was cool, but in the end, it just felt...forced. To many elements thrown together all at once. It ...more
Normally, I don't bother with reviewing books, but this one really deserves some explanation. I picked up this book expecting it to be one of the worst reads ever. Surprisingly, it moved fast and it really was engaging...except things just didn't make sense. And even the world of fiction and fantasy have rules.
(view spoiler) ...more
(view spoiler) ...more
Jan 07, 2011
Morgan F
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
2011,
fantasy,
young-adult,
goodreads-author,
read-2011,
medium-sized,
paranormal,
its-a-girl,
series,
e-book
Ari is a freak. With her odd teal eyes and long, silvery hair, she is used to being different, and after spending her life going from foster home to foster home, she is used to being alone. Feeling the need to discover her past, Ari goes to the psychiatric hospital where her mother killed herself 13 years ago. There she given a box with a message from her mother: to run. With foreign sword-weilding figures pursuing her, Ari knows she must return to her birthplace of New Orleans. Now known as New
...more
In case you couldn't tell from the cover, this novel had a bit of a Gothic tone, and that made the novel all that more awesome. (Although if I'm perfectly honest the cover really doesn't do it for me.... though it is a prettier irl.) But the thing that I really loved about this novel was the references to ancient mythology, which I was not expecting at all! It was a welcome surprise!
This novel is a must read debut! There's a unique setting, an eclectic cast of characters, and a surprising story ...more
This novel is a must read debut! There's a unique setting, an eclectic cast of characters, and a surprising story ...more
Holy crap this book is amazing!!! It starts out with one thread, then slowly more and more are woven in until it’s a complex web of unique personalities, history, and the supernatural. The story is extremely compelling and unlike other supernatural fare in its complex history and wicked smart world-building.
Ari heads into New 2, the dangerous secluded sector separated from the rest of the US in what was previously New Orleans, a place riddled with rumors of dangers and the supernatural. Determin ...more
Ari heads into New 2, the dangerous secluded sector separated from the rest of the US in what was previously New Orleans, a place riddled with rumors of dangers and the supernatural. Determin ...more
Err.. Okay. This book is kinda hard to review so let me be a bit creative with this.
Let's pretend I'm Annabeth Chase from Rick Riordan's series, okay?
(Annabeth's one of those kickass heroines based from a mythology retelling, so yeah, deal with it.)
Hello Goodreads' Friends and Non-Friends and Occassional Strolling Troll! This is my review of Kelly Keaton's Darkness Becomes Her.
I shall abandon Percy and the rest of the gang at Camp Half Blood to accompany you on this quest given unto m ...more
Any book that has the sick-to-your-stomach combination of Greek mythology, vampires and shapeshifters is doomed to go down the crapper.
Seriously, this book was like the Gods of mythology and supernatural creatures all vomited into a cup and put it in the oven. The book is a perfect example of a good idea with really poor execution. The prose is mediocre at best (Jenna Black's was better, and I criticized her a time or two about hers), definitely nothing extraordinary.
The Darkness Becomes Her fra ...more
Seriously, this book was like the Gods of mythology and supernatural creatures all vomited into a cup and put it in the oven. The book is a perfect example of a good idea with really poor execution. The prose is mediocre at best (Jenna Black's was better, and I criticized her a time or two about hers), definitely nothing extraordinary.
The Darkness Becomes Her fra ...more
Love this book!!!! Ari is a great herion and sebestion is interesting hero. I thought this book was amazing with the fantasy side and the mythology. It is way different then anything I have I read before. There is a cliffhanger btw. 5/5 Stars for sure!!
Feb 04, 2011
Carolyn Storer
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
book-list-2011,
young-adult
3.5 Stars
I have been looking forward to reading "Darkness Becomes Her" ever since I saw it on Goodreads a while back, and while it didn't knock my socks off it was a really good read.
Ari Selkirk is seventeen and after being passed from one foster home to another for most of her childhood decides to find out about her birth mother. After visiting the doctor at Rocquemore House and being told that her mother had committed suicide shortly after she was born, Ari decides she needs to know more. The ...more
I have been looking forward to reading "Darkness Becomes Her" ever since I saw it on Goodreads a while back, and while it didn't knock my socks off it was a really good read.
Ari Selkirk is seventeen and after being passed from one foster home to another for most of her childhood decides to find out about her birth mother. After visiting the doctor at Rocquemore House and being told that her mother had committed suicide shortly after she was born, Ari decides she needs to know more. The ...more
Only 2 stars for this one. The story line was not very well constructed, the people was very lacking in depth of personality so won't be reading the second book
Rating: 3.5 stars
Darkness Becomes Her is a well needed refreshingly different young adult paranormal read. From it misfit bunch of characters to its action packed plot, it was very unique and completely intriguing.
From page one it is pretty much just go, go, go. Fast paced with a thumping narrative. It is dark, edgy and a little creepy. The story is a mix of mostly mythology with touch of paranormal. Sometimes I got lost with the history and everything else going that I had to go back and re-re ...more
Darkness Becomes Her is a well needed refreshingly different young adult paranormal read. From it misfit bunch of characters to its action packed plot, it was very unique and completely intriguing.
From page one it is pretty much just go, go, go. Fast paced with a thumping narrative. It is dark, edgy and a little creepy. The story is a mix of mostly mythology with touch of paranormal. Sometimes I got lost with the history and everything else going that I had to go back and re-re ...more
This was a pretty good read, it was interesting and well paced keeping readers interested all the way through. But despite all of this I just didn't feel as though I wasn't really gripped by the book.
The main character is Ari, a girl alone in the world who decides as a way to go back to her roots to look into the death of her mother. This leads her to a strange place New 2, New Orleans after it has been rebuilt, she ends up with a gang of unwanted youths. And she learns more about the city and ...more
The main character is Ari, a girl alone in the world who decides as a way to go back to her roots to look into the death of her mother. This leads her to a strange place New 2, New Orleans after it has been rebuilt, she ends up with a gang of unwanted youths. And she learns more about the city and ...more
There was so much action and butt-kicking in this book, I had to read it with a heating pad on my tush. You know how it's been mentioned that some books are a little "same song, second verse?" or even "same song, same chorus"? Well, if the mythology trend continues, you might feel that way about some myth book in the future. Chances are you will find Darkness Becomes Her a highly original and exciting thrill ride. I sure did. The story world of this novel is so incredibly fascinating and richly
...more
2.5 stars. I want to like this novel--for the title sounds refreshing and the idea is an interesting one; but after reading it I found the author has left many, many things to be desired.
I even drew fanart for it:
Link: http://vampirekiki.deviantart.com/art...
This novel is simply too, too rushed and shabbily put together. The author doesn't seem bothered enough to pause and take her time to develop her characters, deepening the relationships among them a little (to be honest, the romance between ...more
I even drew fanart for it:
Link: http://vampirekiki.deviantart.com/art...
This novel is simply too, too rushed and shabbily put together. The author doesn't seem bothered enough to pause and take her time to develop her characters, deepening the relationships among them a little (to be honest, the romance between ...more
Be prepared to be enamored within the first couple of pages that you read. Kelly did not hold back when she wrote her Debut novel, she brings her A-game. The book brings something new to the paranormal world. The storyline is grand. This book has all the supernatural elements you are a fan of in other books but written in a manner that has not been written before. The Greek mythology is a perfect blend to go along with a futuristic New Orleans. Kelly wrote each characters flawless. One thing tha
...more
There's no mystery to this book if you know Greek mythology. Of course you won't find Athena dropping the f-bomb in those. So unnecessary. Ari, the heroine is so unlikable, the author goes out of her way to show how strong she is physically though. Ari's romance with Sebastian is contrived, there is no anticipation or build up to their romance other than Sebastian smelling nice, so it really doesn't feel like there's a pay off. The ending is very predictable since you know Ari will get help. The
...more
If you took some of today’s hottest genres in Young Adult fiction, mixed them together and added a heavy dose of Greek mythology, the results would be Kelly Keaton’s Darkness Becomes Her, the first in a new paranormal trilogy.
The book tells the story of 17-year-old Ari, who’s always hated her strange teal eyes and her silver hair that can never be cut or changed (despite her best efforts). After growing up in the foster care system, Ari goes in search of information about her mother, who she is, ...more
The book tells the story of 17-year-old Ari, who’s always hated her strange teal eyes and her silver hair that can never be cut or changed (despite her best efforts). After growing up in the foster care system, Ari goes in search of information about her mother, who she is, ...more
Darkness Becomes Her- Kelley Keaton
4/5 Stars
(Amazon , Goodreads)
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse (February 22, 2011)
"Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is. Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sens ...more
4/5 Stars
(Amazon , Goodreads)
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse (February 22, 2011)
"Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is. Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sens ...more
Where to even begin, I am shocked at this book! I had such high hopes and I was so excited when I saw it on the S&S newsletter but unfortunately it was not my cup of tea whatsoever. The story is about Ari and her need to find out why her Mom commited suicide 14 years ago. Ari's investigation takes her to New 2, which is what New Orleans has turned into after 4 major hurricanes 13 years ago. Now was with the story until this point. Once she gets to New 2 things fall apart for me. Ari finds out sh
...more
It was different.
I'm thinking only time will tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing. It seems as though Kelly Keaton threw everything in a pot and stirred it around. Greek gods, vampires, shape shifters, witches...everything. When I finished the book I couldn't decide if it was too much, or if it was just a neat way to mix it all up.
She did manage to come up with a newish spin to put on it all, though. I really liked her supernatural take on the floods in New Orleans, and the fact that she ...more
I'm thinking only time will tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing. It seems as though Kelly Keaton threw everything in a pot and stirred it around. Greek gods, vampires, shape shifters, witches...everything. When I finished the book I couldn't decide if it was too much, or if it was just a neat way to mix it all up.
She did manage to come up with a newish spin to put on it all, though. I really liked her supernatural take on the floods in New Orleans, and the fact that she ...more
Silver-haired, teal-I’d, Foster kid Ari has always felt a bit like a freak. And when she finds out that her mother committed suicide and left her with one message, Ron, she hast to find out why. That journey takes her to a rebuilt postapocalyptic New Orleans populated by witches, vampires, gods, and other assorted monsters.
This is a brief book and very fast-paced and has some of the benefits and the deficits that frequently come along with fast-paced novels. We get a lot of action and are pulled ...more
This is a brief book and very fast-paced and has some of the benefits and the deficits that frequently come along with fast-paced novels. We get a lot of action and are pulled ...more
Wow. I haven't read a young adult novel, with paranormal themes, this original and compelling in a long time. Step away from the usual vampire love stories and grab Darkness Becomes Her, you won't be disappointed.
REVIEW:
Deep in the ruined South of Keaton's imagined world, a young girl goes on a quest to find out about her parents. Abandoned at a young age, Ari has been a product of social services for a very long time. Just recently she has finally come to live with a family that has shown her k ...more
REVIEW:
Deep in the ruined South of Keaton's imagined world, a young girl goes on a quest to find out about her parents. Abandoned at a young age, Ari has been a product of social services for a very long time. Just recently she has finally come to live with a family that has shown her k ...more
Darkness Becomes Her is one of those books that's filled with clichés. The biggest problem I had with this book is that Keaton decided to throw in every fantasy creature there is. There were vampires, shape-shifters and witches which she mixed with Greek mythology. It just couldn't fit in my head. I think the story would've been better if she'd just decided to only use Greek mythology.
I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the plot-twists were too predictable. Not really my kind o ...more
I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the plot-twists were too predictable. Not really my kind o ...more
What to say about this book.
I ended up skimming a lot of it because I had a bad feeling that turned out to be pretty justified. The book starts off good, and has potential... But it needed to be fleshed out more, certain aspects of the plot needed to be slowed down, the mythology had my eyebrows lifting and there are problematic aspects of the book as well, considering it's written by a white author and set in New Orleans (or New 2, as it's now called.)
(view spoiler) ...more
I ended up skimming a lot of it because I had a bad feeling that turned out to be pretty justified. The book starts off good, and has potential... But it needed to be fleshed out more, certain aspects of the plot needed to be slowed down, the mythology had my eyebrows lifting and there are problematic aspects of the book as well, considering it's written by a white author and set in New Orleans (or New 2, as it's now called.)
(view spoiler) ...more
4.5 stars!!! From the get go I was hooked. Half a star knocked off because Ari is a pretty average teenage girl and has her moments of insecurity. If only she could always be like Cera from 'The Land Before Time' always bad ass and never doubts herself until she makes a mistake ;)
The cool thing about this book is that I went into pretty blind. I knew it was a supernatural book and that was about it. I knew it had vampires in it and so I bought the trilogy. Stupid reason to buy a trilogy, but th ...more
The cool thing about this book is that I went into pretty blind. I knew it was a supernatural book and that was about it. I knew it had vampires in it and so I bought the trilogy. Stupid reason to buy a trilogy, but th ...more
Well. That was different.
The story takes place about fifteen years in the future. New Orleans has long since been destroyed by hurricanes and subsequently deserted. The United States has washed its hands of the place. It’s a source of boogeyman stories—an Area 51/Bermuda Triangle -type of place, home to the weird and unexplained. After the storms and mass exodus, nine of the oldest families pooled their not inconsiderable funds and bought the land. Thrill seekers and reports are the only ones to ...more
The story takes place about fifteen years in the future. New Orleans has long since been destroyed by hurricanes and subsequently deserted. The United States has washed its hands of the place. It’s a source of boogeyman stories—an Area 51/Bermuda Triangle -type of place, home to the weird and unexplained. After the storms and mass exodus, nine of the oldest families pooled their not inconsiderable funds and bought the land. Thrill seekers and reports are the only ones to ...more
Ugh, I wish GR would allow you to do half stars, because I want to rate this one 3.5 stars
I definitely liked this book. The ending kind of leaves you hanging, if you're a fan of little Violet especially. Loved that quirky little girl! The characters in this book are all quirky to some extent or another, which I love. They make a unique little group. And the main character of this book, Ari, is actually a total badass, unlike so many main characters in the books I've read lately. So that was quit ...more
I definitely liked this book. The ending kind of leaves you hanging, if you're a fan of little Violet especially. Loved that quirky little girl! The characters in this book are all quirky to some extent or another, which I love. They make a unique little group. And the main character of this book, Ari, is actually a total badass, unlike so many main characters in the books I've read lately. So that was quit ...more
I really loved the characters, the setting, and the story. I thought it was honest and interesting. The writing is also really beautiful. It has 'cheesy' moments in dialogue that doesn't necessarily fit the characters to me, but for the most part it was wonderful. The only thing that lost me is the sudden romantic relationship. It's not that I enjoyed it, but it was so obvious and it seemed to follow this cliche structure in stories like this, and I think the author had something unique and spec
...more
I really do not understand all of the hype for this book. There was way to much going on with the dystopian setting, vampire ,witch ,and shape shifting main characters, and the villainous Greek gods. Instead of being a cool story this just seemed like Kelly Keaton wanted to put everything popular into one book, and it didn't work out. Also it just seemed rushed and was horribly written.Just not good for me. However I might read the sequel if it is for 3 dollars like this one was.
When two Category Four hurricanes hit New Orleans thirteen years ago they caused so much devastation that the government decided it wasn’t worth the money it would take to rebuild the city. Thousands evacuated, but some remained.
They call themselves the Novem. They are an alliance of nine of the oldest, and wealthiest, families who decided to pool their resources to buy the city and stay on to rebuild, beginning with the French Quarter.
There had been much speculation about why these families wou ...more
They call themselves the Novem. They are an alliance of nine of the oldest, and wealthiest, families who decided to pool their resources to buy the city and stay on to rebuild, beginning with the French Quarter.
There had been much speculation about why these families wou ...more
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Kelly loves ancient history, fantasy, and mythology. She dreams of one day attaining magical powers, discovering the secret to immortality, ridding her home of pet hair, and being crowned Mardi-Gras queen. As Kelly Gay, she writes the popular adult urban fantasy series, Charlie Madigan, for Pocket Books. While she calls Raleigh, NC, home, she can also be found chatting about books and life on Face
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Gods & Monsters
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“I barely knew Sebastian. You knew him enough to suck face. ”
—
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“Whatever it was, it was something you could dance to, or lie down on the floor, close your eyes, and weep to.”
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