Book Review: The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe

The Sweetest Dark The Sweetest Dark #1 Shana Abe

For fans of Lauren Kate and Libba Bray, The Sweetest Dark is filled with thrilling romance, exciting adventure, and ancient magic. Shana Abé brilliantly captures the drama of post-Victorian England, while unfolding a passionate love story that defies time.   “With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.”    Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.   England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.   Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.   Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.

I can't tell you how much I love this book.
It is not one of those books that explodes in your face, yelling: "Yes! This is it. This is the story. This is the plot. This is the action. The main character is now thrust into a world she didn't know existed but always a part of it. She is an all-powerful being, the One who would be the key to everything! Mwahahahaha!"
No, The Sweetest Dark is not that.
It starts innocently, painting a setting, a quite, unassuming world and dwelling withing it, a slip of a girl. It takes you in gradually, it draws you in its silent clutches and before you know it, you are bound.
It creeps under your skin, making you sympathize and empathize with the characters whether you like them or not. It makes you put yourself in the main character's shoes, it makes you fall in love with a star and it makes you feel for a broken, lost boy.
The Sweetest Dark, in its quite way wove a fantastic tale with wonderful writing, breathtaking descriptions and a story that would make you sing high praises.

P.S.

I have been bawling for sometime now. Usually, endings like that would have merit the book meeting the wall but I can't, I can't. The story was just so poignant. I can't wait for the sequel. He better be there.