The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe
Release date: April 2, 2013
Rating: 5 Stars
Reading In Pajamas – Cori

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
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.

REVIEW:
In one word, beautiful! The writing and language were beautiful. The story was beautiful. I’ve never read a book with such beautiful and breathtaking writing. I’m using beautiful a lot, but it is really the only way to describe this book! It took me a while after I read this book, to write this review because I didn’t think beautiful was sufficient in describing the story Shana Abe created. She transported the reader into Lora’s life.

The Sweetest Dark is a new young adult series that takes place in the Drakon world. The Dakon series is her adult series. I haven’t read these books and you don’t have to read them before this book for the story to be understood. I plan on reading the series after reading this book though! The Sweetest Dark can be read by adults and young adults.

I enjoyed all the characters in the book and their interactions with each other. I love dragons and this book is a great depiction of dragon shifters. Great fantasy book! I highly recommend this book and can not wait for the next one!

“Those nights, in the sweetest dark, we shared our dreams.”

*Review copy received in exchange for an honest review.