All she wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. She doesn't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that she saw her first ghost - and the ghost her me.
Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave her alone. To top it all off, Chloe's somehow got herself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Chloe thinks there might be more to her housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to her to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House...before its skeletons come back to haunt her.
My initial expectations...
I had already finished the Darkest Rising trilogy by the time I picked this up. I had only just found out that the Darkest Rising was a sort of spin off of the Darkest Powers trilogy. Since I absolutely loved the Darkest Rising trilogy, I was excited to read its predecessors.
I've always enjoyed the way Armstrong writes. Her style is neither too complex nor too simple, which makes it a fast-paced and comprehensive read.
Not that I enjoy hearing about things like puberty and periods and acne, but I appreciate the fact that Armstrong mentions these things throughout her book. These teens are realistic, not overly-polished dolls and or models which have a habit of appearing in almost every other urban YA book.
What I didn't like about this book...
My biggest issue with this book wasn't the characters or the plot, but the use of the word 'Schizo'. I get that this book is fictional, but I don't think its appropriate to go throwing around that word like its a joke or an insult. Mental illness is a serious and very real issue that should not be taken lightly. The moment Chloe first called herself that without a second thought, she lost my respect and my interest.
Besides that there were a bit too many cliches. Love triangle. Bleh. Love triangle between two brothers. Double bleh. The one queen bee bitch who also has a thing for one of the love interests. Too many blehs to count. The eventual romance between two of the main characters was a bit too obvious to be enjoyable. Though it thankfully wasn't too fast paced.
My overall views...
As the book progressed, I cared less and less about the characters and whether or not they were safe. To make things worse, Armstrong got rid of the only character I really liked within the first few chapters. This book had so much potential. With a little tweaks here and there it could have been enjoyable.
I give this book 3/5 stars on Goodreads!
Would I recommend it to anyone? Maybe.
Would I read it again? No.
I give this book 3/5 stars on Goodreads!
Would I recommend it to anyone? Maybe.
Would I read it again? No.
What did you guys think? Which series do you like better: The Darkest Powers or The Darkest Rising? Did you see that romance coming, or was it just me?
No comments:
Post a Comment