Book Review - Darkness Brutal by Rachel A. Marks

* * * I give Darkness Brutal by Rachel A. Marks 3 stars.
I should mention that this is the second time I have experienced this book – though the first time, I read it, and this time, I listened to the audiobook. I wanted to read the other books in the series but couldn’t quite remember some important details from this one, so I decided to give it another go. I’ve never reviewed an audiobook before, and it is a different experience since I listened to this while multitasking. But, I found the narrator compelling and enjoyed the book every bit as much as I remembered from two years ago.

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What I Liked:

• I really enjoyed Aiden’s voice. It seemed very realistic to me. I truly felt like I was in his head, which can be seen as a good or a bad thing when we’re talking about a horny teenage boy. But I liked the first-person POV and the intimacy it provided. At times I wanted to smack Aiden, but then, that’s proof positive that the author did well at creating a realistic character. You don’t have to like everything a character does to appreciate him and want to follow his journey.
• To my own surprise, I enjoyed that it was written in the present tense. I felt that it brought tension to scenes that needed it and I was drawn in.
• I enjoyed the mythology of the story and the connections to Biblical characters. It seemed that the author had a good grasp on where the story was coming from.
• I enjoyed the narrator of the *audiobook.* His voice was pleasant and suited the tone of the writing.

 
What I Didn’t Like:

• I found myself a bit annoyed that Aiden continually played the darkly handsome knight saving damsels in distress. Though Cara, Rebecca, and Ava have depth as characters and make strong-willed decisions and sometimes kick ass on their own, I’m hoping for a bit more independence (especially from Rebecca) in further novels.
• Every male villain seemed to want to rape one of the girls and they loved to talk to Aiden about it. I understand that his strong adverse reaction is meant to show his own chivalry and develop his role as “protector” of this group of talented teens, but I was over that cliché. I’d like to see some originality from the villains.
• The climax of the story felt a bit drawn out for me and a bit anticlimactic. The big battle was basically just postponed for a later novel and that’s fine. However, after it had been drawn out, I wanted a bit more bang. I might have been driven to read the second installment much sooner had it had a snappier ending.
• In regards to the *audiobook,* my only complaint is that scene breaks were often not paused for long enough. Rather the narration jumped ahead and it took me a few seconds to get caught up with where we were or what was happening.

 
Would I Recommend and to Whom:
As mentioned above, the characters talk like teenagers who’ve seen a lot, so there’s swearing and sex is a big theme. I would recommend it to people who enjoy a bit of grit in their YA and who are also fans of supernatural fiction. (Constantine and the like.)
 
Favorite Quotes:

• (Loved the killer opening sentence. It’s why I bought the book.) “The demon is crouched in the corner, between the Cheetos and the onion dip.”
• “Up close, I can see they’re just bored rich boys, thin in the soul and thick in the head.”
• “Dark sorrow in her bones and skin, years and years of pain and hurt. She pours it over me in salty tears and waves of energy.”