Rating: 4/5 Devils
Genre: Fiction
The cover is black with a flower that seems to be dripping into the background. And no, it is not New Moon. This book was far better than some cheesy vampire romance, no offense to my Twihards out there.
I was surprised that I decided to pick up this book, because it seemed kind of dark, and I don’t usually gravitate toward darker novels. However, something about this book interested me. Maybe it was the mysterious caption under the cover that said “she fell prey to the predator’s heart.” Or maybe it was the fact that is an ABE Award nominee. Or maybe it just looked like a quick read. No matter what it was, I’m happy I decided to read it.
This novel follows Ames Ford, a fifteen year old who lives in an affluent suburb in Bolder, Colorado. She seems to have the ideal life, until her father is suddenly fired from his job. She must learn to deal with the toll that this change takes on her seemingly perfect family.
One of the things I loved most about the book was Giles’ style of writing. The writing was simple yet fluid. It was almost prose-like. I didn’t have to struggle to read the book. This helped the voice of the protagonist, Ames, come through very effectively. Throughout the book, I felt like I was in the innermost thoughts of her mind. This helped me immerse myself into the story.
What really stood out to me, though, were the themes of the novel. These themes really made you think. There was a lot about the effects of betrayal, searching for security, and the loss of innocence. One quote that stood out to me was about the loss of innocence. At one point in the story, Ames said that “Chrissy was six and smarter than all of us put together. Were we all born smart and then learned to be stupid? Do we lose our honesty when we lose our innocence?”
I recommend this book to anyone who is in the mood for a more serious story with a bit of a bad romance. It definitely wasn’t lighthearted. I also think that this is a very “teenage angst” type of novel, so it’s pretty relatable for most teens.
This is book two out of 13.1 for the Reading Marathon, so I think I’m off to a good start. Feel free to help me out by suggesting any good books. I’d also love to hear any comment you have on Dark Song if you’ve read it.
