"A teenager with unique abilities will meet two young men."

By: Shana Abe

Genres: Fantasy | Romance Historical | Romance Paranormal

Posted: April 14, 2013

Lora Jones was found abandoned with no memories. She is raised in an orphanage until she talks a little too much about the voices she hears. She hears music when she concentrates on certain objects and she has vivid dreams of smoke. From the orphanage she is sent to a hospital where she learns to suppress the voice and pretend to be normal. On her release, she is sent to a school as a charity student.

While there, Lora will learn that her dreams, the music and the voice are all there for a reason. It is time for her to learn to be what she truly is. Lora falls in love with Jesse who tells her wondrous stories and teaches Lora what she is to become. Armand is a dark and handsome young man who is fascinated by Lora even as he terrifies her.

The three of them will be forced together in unusual circumstances that will test the ability of each of them. When Armand's father sets unfortunate events in motion, they will be called upon to form an unusual alliance to prevent the destruction of all they hold dear.

Written against the backdrop of World War I, Ms. Abe has written a dark tale of mythic creatures who must work together to prevent the invasion of England by the Germans. Ms. Abe has a lush style that draws the reader into the story. Writing her first young adult book, the author has incorporated a love story within the horrors attendant with the war. While I would have liked a faster pace, the story was interesting and involving for the reader.

Book Summary

For fans of Lauren Kate and Libba Bray, The Sweetest Dark is filled with thrilling romance, exciting adventure, and ancient magic. Shana Abé brilliantly captures the drama of post-Victorian England, while unfolding a passionate love story that defies time.
 
“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.”
 
Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.
 
England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.
 
Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.
 
Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe

The Sweetest Dark

by: Shana Abe

The Sweetest Dark #1

Bantam
April 1, 2013
On Sale: April 2, 2013
Featuring:
352 pages
ISBN: 0345531701
EAN: 9780345531704
Kindle: B007M2AK18
Hardcover / e-Book

Available in: