My Thoughts: A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites—like fire and ice—Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move—only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.
 
In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this one.


Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of angel books. They have frequently let me down. So when I found out that A Beautiful Dark was about angels I was less then enthused. However I had already committed myself to reading it and I thought I would give it a try. I am pleased and relieved to announce that I really enjoyed this story. There have been few angel stories that I have liked, and I discuss this in depth here. So Jocelyn Davies, congratulations. This one was a win!

Many are saying that A Beautiful Dark is been there done that kind of book. Perhaps this is true to some extent. But no one has done it like Jocelyn Davies has. There is a teenage girl, Skye, who is enamored by the two new mysterious boys in town- Asher and Devin. Davies has taken the typical love triangle story and given it a spin that is well worth the read. Two boys-angels- vying for the attention of one girl. But why?

What I liked the most about this story was the suspense/mystery of the whole thing. I could kind of guess what was going on, but I was never for sure about the whole thing. Sometimes in paranormal YA, the mystery is revealed to soon, and then the story goes down hill. A Beautiful Dark had a perfect pace for me. on the other hand, I sometimes felt like things were a bit rushed in terms of description. I would sometimes wish for a little more explanation. specifically in areas where Skye and Asher would be having a conversation, they would often go by so quickly, and I would have no idea what Skye was feeling during this time, or have any sense of their surroundings. Davies is a great writer and this was her first novel, so I feel as she grows as a writer this will improve.

The characters were definitely my favourite. I loved Asher, he was funny and cocky, but he also wasn't a BSer. I appreciated that. In turn, I wasn't a huge fan of Devin, he was far to docile for me. I enjoyed reading Skye's interactions with Asher, they were the most fun. Skye as a protagonist was pretty cool, she's not hugely memorable. But she wasn't incredibly annoying either. What I really liked about Skye was that she wasn't a push over. She didn't let Asher or Devin order/push her around. She had a mind of her own. She knew what was important to her, and nothing was going to change that.

Overall, this was a pretty good read. If you're like me and have been disappointed with angel books lately, give this one a try, because it's unlike those out there.

~Happy Reading Everyone!