Review: Darkness of Light by Stacey Marie Brown

Darkness of Light

Author: Stacey Marie Brown

Series: Darkness

Genre: Young Adult

Pages: 298

Publisher: Twisted Fairy Publishing

Puchase: Amazon 

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

DARKNESS OF LIGHT is a Mature YA/New Adult Paranormal Romance

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.

Reviews: 4 ½ out 5 Stars

Darkness of Light by Stacey Marie Brown first piqued my interest after reading Candace from Candace’s Book Blogs review; I love the cover and the girls different coloured eyes but I also found the synopsis to be really intriguing. It also has everything I enjoy in a YA Paranormal novel:

A snarky, lovable and strong heroine

A bad boy hero who happens to be hot

One of my fave paranormal beings (I won’t reveal what they are to avoid spoilers)

Kick-butt action sequences &

A complicated romance

Ember Brycin is independent, snarky, always in trouble and a social outcast, she has always known she was different but doesn’t know why, things have a way of exploding around her and she see's things which are only seen in fairy-tales but to her are very real which has caused her a load of grief, living with her amazing step father, Mark after the brutal death of her mother she tries for normal but things don’t come easily for her – at all. After being blamed for the latest school explosion, she is sent off to Silverwood, a school for delinquents and this is where she meets the mysterious and enigmatic Eli Dragen.

I love reading about bad boys and Eli was badass personified! His care factor was zero and although he ran hot and cold there was a reason behind it; he wasn’t forthcoming at all when it came to providing Ember with answers about what was happening and his mood swings and abruptness made me dizzy. He grated on my nerves at times but he was also there in the times he was needed and protected Ember which I really liked, he came across as a tortured character so I’m definitely eager to learn more about him.

It is difficult writing about the plot without giving too much away and I also don’t want to spoil what Ember comes to learn about herself and how she is to be used as a pawn in a war because of what she is. It was fast-paced and you could never tell who could be trusted or not and from events which happened at the end, things are about to get really exciting.

The secondary characters were developed well, the bad guys were written to perfection and Ember’s friends and step father were each wonderful, I am especially keen to learn more about Kennedy because I think there is something quite unique about her. Torin also left me intrigued, I’m curious about his motives and whether he can be trusted but I don’t really think anyone from the ‘otherworld’ could be.

The romance is smexy and complex; there are some intense moments between Eli and Ember that I loved reading about – the banter between this couple was fantastic and I hope we see further progression with the relationship in the next book; I’m really hoping though we don’t get a full-blown Ember-Torin-Eli love triangle.

I loved Stacey Marie Brown’s writing! It was detailed and engaging and left me needing more; the world-building is brilliant and the questions we are left with only makes me all the more eager for the next installment.

Overall, Darkness of Light is an action packed debut for Stacey Marie Brown filled with startling revelations, wonderful characters and a creative world - I can't wait to read the next book, Fire in the Darkness which has an anticipated September/October 2013 release date.

About the author: Stacey Marie Brown by day is an Interior/Set Designer, by night a writer of Paranormal Fantasy, Adventure, and Literary Fiction. She grew up in Northern California, where she ran around on her family’s farm, raising animals, riding horses, playing flashlight tag, and turning hay bales into cool forts. Even before she could write, she was creating stories and making up intricate fantasies. Writing came as easy as breathing. She later turned that passion into acting, living and traveling abroad, and designing. Though she had never stopped writing, moving back to San Francisco seemed to have brought it back to the forefront and this time it would not be ignored.

When she’s not writing she’s out hiking, spending time with friends, traveling, listening to music, or designing.

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