Review: Darkness Fair by Rachel A. Marks
It’s official. I’m a jerk. Rachel A. Marks, I am so very sorry that this review is ridiculously late. Life decided to get in the way of my reviews—how dare it! This is my very public mea culpa; I hope you can forgive me. I was chomping at the bit for Darkness Fair, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the book! Read on for my review.
Darkness Fair by Rachel A. Marks
Series: The Dark Cycle #2
Category: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Publication: February 2nd, 2016; Skyscape
Purchase: Amazon
Against the backdrop of an ancient battle between the forces of Light and the forces of Darkness, Aidan struggles to control the newly awakened powers that seem to be his only hope for rescuing Ava, his little sister, trapped somewhere beyond the Veil. As he gravitates to Kara, the dangerously unstable girl who helped him realize his abilities, a terrible mistake of fate is revealed that points him back toward Rebecca, whose role is becoming more critical to the battle. And no matter what his heart wants, it might be too late to stop the pieces already in motion.
Without knowing the sacrifices that will be required of them, Aidan and his motley crew of friends—each with their own role to play—must face the demon threat head-on. They’re the only ones keeping the growing army of Darkness at bay, and if they fail, the future of humanity could be lost.
Review:
[book rating=4.5/5]“You know how what I am—you know that my humanity isn’t real.
Your determination, your goodness, isn’t going to save me.”
Darkness Fair is a wonderful sequel to Darkness Brutal, and is the perfect gap between the first and final books. While Darkness Brutal was action-packed, and while there is action in Darkness Fair, it’s the emotions that really drive this story.
Aidan is coming to terms with his new body and his new powers, while trying to figure out a way to revive Ava, who is still comatose in a beachside cave. He is dealing with his guilt over Ava and over the events of the first book, and he has to deal with his burgeoning relationship with Kara and his strange attraction to Rebecca. He sort of has his hands full…
This book is different in that we get chapters from Rebecca’s point of view, which I enjoyed far more than I thought I would. I hate love triangles. With a passion. But the relationship between Aidan, Kara, and Rebecca isn’t a typical triangle (I know I mentioned this in my review for DB, too). Aidan clearly loves Kara; he just doesn’t understand why he is drawn to Rebecca. This is explained in the story, much to my relief, and the jealousy between Kara and Rebecca is pretty much laid to rest. (Also, I loved the ending of the book in terms of Rebecca: it was just what I had hoped would happen!)
I love the fact that Aidan is a flawed hero, in that he is very human in his emotions and reactions. He is often impetuous and he definitely makes bad choices, particularly where his sister is concerned. His ever-present snarkiness made me smile throughout the story, and I am firmly in his corner.
The supporting cast is fantastic as always; I have a particular fondness for Jax’s chauvinistic utterings, as well as Caleb’s earnestness and Holly’s trendy abbreviations. I think my favorite is Finger, though, who reminds me so much of Kenny from “The Middle.” (If you haven’t seen the show, Kenny is Axl’s college roommate who, for several seasons, didn’t utter a word and, when he finally did speak, stunned everyone with his eloquence and exemplary manners.)
The ending was a hell of a cliffhanger, and I was pretty much like, are you kidding me? I have a feeling things are going to really come to a head in the third book, and I can’t wait!
Series:
Darkness Brutal (The Dark Cycle #1)
Publication: July 1st, 2015; Skyscape
Purchase: Amazon
Aidan O’Linn’s childhood ended the night he saw a demon kill his mother and mark his sister, Ava, with Darkness. Since then, every three years the demons have returned to try to claim her. Living in the gritty, forgotten corners of Los Angeles, Aidan has managed to protect his sister, but he knows that even his powers to fight demons and speak dead languages won’t keep her safe for much longer.
In desperation, Aidan seeks out the help of Sid, the enigmatic leader of a group of teens who run LA Paranormal, an Internet reality show that fights demons and ghosts. In their company, Aidan believes he’s finally found a haven for Ava. But when he meets Kara, a broken girl who can spin a hypnotic web of passionate energy, he awakens powers he didn’t know he had―and unleashes a new era of war between the forces of Light and the forces of Darkness.
With the fate of humanity in his hands, can Aidan keep the Darkness at bay and accept his brilliant, terrifying destiny?
Author Bio: Rachel A. Marks
Rachel A. Marks is an award-winning author and professional artist, a cancer survivor, a surfer and dirt-bike rider, chocolate lover and keeper of faerie secrets. She was voted: Most Likely to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, but hopes she’ll never have to test the theory. Her debut novel is DARKNESS BRUTAL, the 1st installment in The Dark Cycle (Skyscape). Book 2 releases February 2nd, 2016 and is titled, DARKNESS FAIR.
Links:
Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Goodreads
