Review: Darkness of Light (Darkness #1) by Stacey Marie Brown

Title: Darkness of Light

Series: Darkness #1
Author: Stacey Marie Brown
Publisher: Twisted Fairy Publishing
Published: April 15, 2013
Pages: 310
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Ebook
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Freak. Witch. Crazy. Schizo.

Ember Brycin has been called them all. She’s always known she’s different. No one has ever called her normal, even under the best circumstances. Bizarre and inexplicable things continually happen to her, and having two different colored eyes, strange hair, and an unusual tattoo only contributes to the gossip about her.

When the latest school explosion lands her in a facility for trouble teens, she meets Eli Dragen, who’s hot as hell and darkly mysterious. Their connection is full of passion, danger, and secrets. Secrets that will not only change her life, but what and who she is—leading her down a path she never imagined possible.

Between Light and Dark, Ember finds a world where truth and knowledge are power and no one can be trusted. But her survival depends on finding out the truth about herself. In her pursuit, she is forced between love and destiny and good and evil, even when the differences between them aren’t always clear. At worst, she will incite a war that could destroy both worlds. At best, she will not only lose her heart but her life and everyone she loves. Once the truth is out, however, there will be no going back. And she’ll definitely wish she could.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

DISCLAIMER: This review MAY contain spoilers. 

This is going to be one of those difficult reviews to write. There were parts of this book that I really liked and some things that I thought could be improved, but as a whole, I did enjoy reading it. 

I loved that I was immediately drawn into the story and that it kept my attention the whole way through. I constantly wanted to know when the mystery was going to be solved and find out who the main character, Ember, could trust. I was able to read this in one sitting so it was definitely compelling. I felt that the pacing was a little slow in the middle. Things don't really start happening until the last portion of the book where the plot is concerned. The middle just felt like teenage school drama and nothingness. Most of the plot is centered around two things: Ember trying to figure out what she is since she is the cause of unusual things happening around her constantly, and the romance that forms between her and Eli. The other plot points seemed dulled by these two things. 

I liked the chemistry between Ember and Eli. It is a hate-to-love trope so there is a lot of back and forth between them that is entertaining. While I enjoyed the chemistry, I didn't feel like the romance was convincing enough. Ember seemed to fall in love with Eli way too quickly, and the entire time he is being downright cruel and nasty to her. It even gets physical and borders on abuse at points so it felt very unbelievable. I don't normally fall head over heels for a man that throws me up against a tree by my neck and leaves gashes in my throat in the process. Some of their dialogues were good, but some of them were almost painful to read. Deep down I am rooting for this romance because I can see the potential, but I am still on the fence over it. Hopefully, it gets better in the next book.

The world-building is decent enough. There are enough details to discern the lay of the land, so to speak. I did feel that it could have used more paranormal or fantasy elements because the majority of the book pretty much felt like reading a contemporary teenage romance. And until the big reveal at the end of the book, the reader doesn't even really know what type of paranormal story this is. There is no mention of paranormal creatures until the end of the book so the reader doesn't even really know where the story is going. This does add some suspense and mystery to the book in a good way, but overall I prefer my paranormal books to have more paranormal in them. It shouldn't feel like a contemporary romance. If I had not read Stacey Marie Brown's Collector series, which is set in the same world, prior to starting this one then I feel like I would have been lost and confused about what type of story I was reading. 

The characters have their good and bad qualities. At least in terms of character development. I like that the characters have flaws and that these flaws influence their personalities and the way that they act in the book. Ember felt a little annoying to me at times, but other times she wouldn't take any crap. At times she felt like a damsel in distress, and I am not overly fond of those types of characters. I am sorry to say that I didn't connect with her as much as I would have liked. If anything, I liked Eli's character more. At least he felt like he had more depth. And honestly, he was a douchebag to Ember most of the time. There were a few shiny rainbow moments where he actually showed some semblance of concern or kindness to Ember, but he was mostly just a dick. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I will be continuing the series. This series has a lot of promise and I am hoping that a few things that didn't click with me in this book improve in the next one. The book in very entertaining and I would recommend it to anyone that loves paranormal romance. 

What are some hate-to-love romances that you would recommend? What books have you finished recently?